Editing Johnston, Iowa (section)

==History==
Johnston was established in 1905 as a station on the [[Des Moines & Central Iowa Railway]] between [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] and [[Perry, Iowa|Perry]] known as Johnston Station.<ref name="interurban">{{cite web|title=Inter-Urban Railway Electric Substation at BrennanLast surviving connection to the interurban railway and Johnston Station? |url=http://www.johnstoniowahistorical.org/InterUrban.pdf |access-date=January 2, 2021}}</ref> It was named for the railway's freight supervisor, John F. Johnston.<ref>{{cite book|last=Henning|first=Barbara Beving Long|author2=Patrice K. Beam|year=2003|title=Des Moines and Polk County: Flag on the Prairie|publisher=American Historical Press|location=Sun Valley, California|isbn=1-892724-34-0}}</ref> Passenger service along the railroad ended in 1949, and the track has subsequently been removed within city limits.<ref name="interurban" />

Voters passed a resolution to incorporate on June 23, 1969. On September 8, the first Mayor and Council were sworn in. Incorporation papers were signed by the Clerk of the District Court on December 11, 1969.

At the time, the Johnston Station area did not become part of the incorporated city because of a state law that prevented a town within three miles (5&nbsp;km) of another city from incorporating. The neighboring cities of [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] and [[Urbandale, Iowa|Urbandale]] were also interested in that land, but in April 1970, Johnston and Urbandale reached an agreement that allowed Johnston to annex the Johnston Station area.<ref>{{cite news|first=Renda|last=Lutz|title=Town's Early Years Proved Bumpy|work=[[The Des Moines Register]]|date=2004-09-14}}</ref>