Where is Johnstown?

For many years I thought that our house was in Johnstown and we use it in our postal address. When describing our location Johnstown fits the answer very well with most knowing which side of Navan we mean.

However when it came to creating a magazine for the 'Johnstown Community' I wanted to identify where the boundary line is and thought it would be an easy task to find a map.

A quick search on Google Maps only produces a 'pin' location and no defined area or boundary. A visit to our Local Planning Department did not hold a quick and definitive answer either. I was referred on to look at the OS website to find out for myself.

The answer I discovered was not what I was expecting.

Our entire area is made up of a collection of districts: Athlumney, Bailis, Bailis Village, Alexander Reid, Kilcarn and of course Johnstown. The map below is my interpretation from information on the OS Maps and shows how the name I use for my area is actually the smallest district of them all.

If you've got your GPS location active you could discover quickly where you are. Use the controls on the google map CLICK HERE to open it on your smart phone.

This now causes me some confusion:

Johnstown Shopping Centre, Athlumney Hall, Johnstown Wood and even the Athlumney Shopping Centre are all in Bailis,
Navan Business Park is in Athlumney.
Dunville, the new housing estate beyond Johnstown Wood, is being marketed by the developer as being in Athlumney but it's part Bailis and part Alexander Reid.
St Stephens School, Coláiste na Mí and Littlebrook Montessori School are in Alexander Reid.
Carne Wood and Carne Hill are in Kilcarn.
Cill Foireann despite google map address saying Johnstown is in Alexander Reid.
Most of Johnstown Village, Cois Glaisin and The Johnstown People's Park estates of the Priory, Boyne View, Millbrook, Spire View are........ in Johnstown!

To add to the mystery there are 5 approach roads into our area but only 2 have official road signs that mention 'Johnstown', the Ardboyne Bridge and at the Kilcarn Dublin Road entrance.

Street sign pointing to Johnstown at the Junction of Metges Road and the Dublin Road.

Sign on Metges Road pointing towards Johnstown Old Village.

These signs point in our general direction but don't really lead to an obvious destination. There's no street marker saying 'Welcome to Johnstown'.

So, where exactly is the Johnstown Community?

I now describe it as:

"All the areas accessed from any of the inner main roads enclosed by the R153 Kentstown Road, the River Boyne, the R147 Dublin Road and the fields on the east side."

You can clearly see that we make up a significant percentage of Navan.

This imaginary boundary for the Johnstown Community currently contains a population of around 2,250 households in many housing estates which, within a few years, could grow to 3,000 homes and potentially 10,000 residents.

Use the controls on the google map CLICK HERE to open it on your smart phone.

What difference does it make.......None.

We don't get different car or house insurance because we are listed as 'Navan' according to most insurance companies.

Even though liberties are being taken with the area name, and we don't have physical barriers to define our community edge, I still refer to this large area as being 'Johnstown' and having a Community.

I think many people will agree that regardless of whether technically it's Athlumney, Kilcarn, Bailis...... our Residents are coming together as one Community as boundaries become less relevant.

We also appreciate that people from all around visit the area daily for schools, work, shopping etc so we are a larger Community that extends beyond even this imaginary boundary line.

Read on to other articles to discover more about what our Johnstown Community is up to.

Community United

Our Estates are coming together in a number of different ways to the benefit of all our Residents.

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