Johnston City, IL is a charming mid-western town in the heart of southern Illinois. Within just hours driving distance from favorite American cities like St. Louis, Nashville, Louisville, Lexington, Chicago, and Memphis; Johnston City is centrally nestled as a gateway to fast-growing Southern Illinois Wine Country. In fact, Johnston City is within an hour’s drive to over 30 wineries and breweries
you can enjoy in this region. Straddling Interstate 57, between Interstate’s 64 and 24, Johnston City is positioned between the towns of Marion and Mt. Vernon on this popular corridor. Johnston City is proud of its excellence in education, and its high school has recently been rated one of the best high schools in the nation! Johnston City Unit #1 School District has been fortunate enough to have new, state-of-the-art athletic facilities built to provide outstanding sporting and recreational programs as well as continuing to provide the highest-quality of educational and arts programs for students of the Johnston City School District. Nearby, John A. Logan Community College, Rend Lake College, and Shawnee Community College, some of the country's top junior colleges, as well as Southern Illinois University of Carbondale all provide the very best in higher education. Founded in 1894, our town now has a population of just fewer than 4,000. Sharing the same beginnings as many of the towns in our region, Johnston City was formed around the railroad line in order to take advantage of all the coal mines in the area. In an era when coal was king, Johnston City quickly grew to one of the region’s largest coal producers. Today, while some residents still work in area coal mines, residents are primarily employed in the retail trade, farming, education, manufacturing, health care, and hospitality industries. Johnston City is also an area rich in its hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. In fact, over 1.2 million visitors flock to southern Illinois every year for its beautiful scenery and outdoor recreation. Our very own Arrowhead Lake Campground and Park attracts hundreds of visitors every year for the best camping in the area, as well as scenic nature trails and annual events such as Thunder On The Lake remote control boat racing. With various nearby hunting clubs - both private and public - as well as Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge in the Shawnee National Forest, hunters come to southern Illinois from all over the country for recreation opportunities including waterfowl, goose, deer, and other hunting. The 43,890 acres of Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge include three man-made lakes - Crab Orchard, Little Grassy, and Devil’s Kitchen, all of which offer quality fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities. You can also enjoy a day of hiking or picnicking at nearby places including Giant City State Park or Garden of the Gods. But, Johnston City is so much more. Beyond all of these wonderful assets that our town has to offer, if you stay any time at all here, you’ll know that what truly makes this place special is the charm of its people. Take a stroll through our historic downtown, peruse through our many shops and antique stores, read a book at the Johnston City Public Library, or enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of pie at the historic Andresen’s Café, and you will be greeted with some friendly smiles and small-town hospitality that we’ve grown famous for. You’ll come across people that routinely give back to their community - some in small ways through ongoing project efforts in our town. Others, through establishing charities such as Manna Mission, a not-for-profit organization that has helped hundreds in need with their food pantry. Whether you’re here to join in the spirit of a fall’s night football game, the spring Thunder Over Arrowhead Festival or a summer’s day parade, you will know that you have come to a unique, wonderful community. And whether you call it home or you are just passing through, you’ll enjoy your time in Johnston City and we are certainly glad that you came. Johnston City – Open for Business
