Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of and is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2010, the Jonesboro metropolitan area had a population of 121,026 and an estimated population (2009) of 161,135 in the Jonesboro-Paragould Combined Statistical Area.

Jonesboro is home to Arkansas State University and is a regional center for manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, education, and trade.

History
The Jonesboro area was first inhabited by Indian tribes which included the Osage, the Caddo, and the Quapaw. The name of the state of Arkansas actually comes from the Quapaw language. American settlers eventually made their way to the area where Jonesboro is located and began exploring, hunting, trapping, and trading with the local Indian tribes. A permanent settlement of Jonesboro was set up shortly after 1815.

In 1859, land was taken from nearby Greene, Mississippi, and Poinsett counties and was used to form Craighead County. Jonesboro was the original county seat, and later Lake City was named as the second seat. The population of the city at the time was 150. Jonesboro was named after State Senator William A. Jones in recognition of his support in the legislature for the formation of Craighead County. Originally spelled Jonesborough, it was later shortened to its present day spelling.

During the late 19th century, the city tried to develop its court system and downtown infrastructure. Shortly after being named county seat, the highest point in Jonesboro was selected and a court house was planned for construction. This was delayed for several years as the locals did not want to ruin their deer hunting. The first court house was finally completed but was destroyed by a fire in 1869. A store across from this site was then rented and used as a court house until it too was destroyed by fire in 1876. Another building was then constructed on the same site only to be consumed by fire in 1878. This fire destroyed most of downtown Jonesboro when it occurred. Soon afterwards, another court house was constructed and the structure still stands today in the city.

The Cotton Belt Railroad brought Jonesboro its first set of railroad tracks to the city. These tracks were located just north of the center of the city and during the first train's voyage it became stuck and supplies had to be carried into town Other majors railways began to construct tracks to and from Jonesboro including St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, Burlington Northern Railroad, and Missouri Pacific Railroad. Some of the rail companies still own and use the tracks that run through Jonesboro today.

Many entities established themselves in Jonesboro around and during the early 20th century. In 1899, the Jonesboro School District was set up in the city. In 1900, St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center was established by the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters. The first department store was opened in 1900 and its name was The Grand Leader Department Store. 1904 saw the establishment of Woodland College come and the opening of two more schools within the Jonesboro School District. Arkansas State University was established in 1909. and the first horseless carriages were seen in the city that same year. The two oldest churches still in the city today were started in the 1910s. First Baptist Church was established in 1911 and First Methodist Church was established in 1916.

On September 10, 1931, Governor Harvey Parnell authorized the Arkansas National Guard to be deployed in Jonesboro to quell the Church War, a clash between the followers of Joe Jeffers and Dow H. Heard, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jonesboro. Jeffer's adherents also attacked the mayor and police chief resulting in front page coverage of the incident in The New York Times.

The Westside Middle School massacre occurred on March 24, 1998 in a nearby unincorporated area of Craighead County. Two young boys (aged 11 and 13 years) fired upon students at Westside Middle School while hidden in woodlands near the school. Four students and one teacher were killed and ten injured.

In the 2007-2008 school year the Jonesboro Public School District elementary schools became magnet schools.

In 2010 Jonesboro E911 Dispatch center became the 1st in the state to offer TEXT 911 for emergency help.

Geography
Jonesboro is located at 35.82806°N, -90.69417°W (35.828067, -90.694048) atop Crowley's Ridge in northeastern Arkansas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 80.0 sqmi, of which 79.6 sqmi is land and 0.4 sqmi (0.45%) is water.

List Of Highways

 * I-555 (AR) Metric.svg I-555 (future)
 * [[Image:Arkansas 1.svg|20px]] Highway 1
 * [[Image:Arkansas 1B.svg|20px]] Highway 1 Business
 * [[Image:Arkansas 18.svg|20px]] Highway 18
 * [[Image:Arkansas 18S.svg|20px]] Highway 18 Spur
 * [[Image:Arkansas 91.svg|20px]] Highway 91
 * [[Image:Arkansas 141.svg|20px]] Highway 141
 * [[Image:Arkansas 226.svg|20px]] Highway 226
 * [[Image:Arkansas 351.svg|20px]] Highway 351
 * [[Image:Arkansas 463.svg|20px]] Highway 463
 * [[Image:Arkansas 351.svg|20px]] Highway 351
 * [[Image:Arkansas 463.svg|20px]] Highway 463

Climate
Jonesboro has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 55,515 people, 22,219 households, and 14,353 families residing in the city. The population density was 697.1 people per square mile (269.1/km²). There were 24,263 housing units at an average density of 304.7 per square mile (117.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.37% White, 11.27% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 2.34% of the population were Hispanic. There were 22,219 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. There are 878 unmarried partner households: 776 heterosexual, 50 same-sex male, and 52 same-sex female households. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,196, and the median income for a family was $42,082. Males had a median income of $21,633 versus $31,633 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,884. About 12.9% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Air
The region is served by Jonesboro Municipal Airport. Scheduled flights between Jonesboro and the cities of Kansas City, MO and Memphis, TN are offered by SeaPort Airlines.

Public Transport
The area is served by the Jonesboro Economic Transit System (JETS). As of 2011, JETS operates three fixed routes, as well as para-transit service for disabled persons.

Education
There are four public school districts operating within the city limits of Jonesboro. They include:  Jonesboro School District  Valley View School District  Nettleton School District  Westside Consolidated Schools For several years, Jonesboro was home to the only clown school in Arkansas.

Higher education

 * Arkansas State University

Jonesboro in popular culture and trivia

 * Jonesboro is the place of death of the fictional character Rooster Cogburn in the 2010 film adaptation of Charles Portis' novel True Grit.
 * Numerous references to the city are made in Jonesboro native John Grisham's book A Painted House and in the 2003 movie of the same title. The story takes place in Craighead County, and the movie was filmed in the town of Lepanto in neighboring Poinsett County.
 * Elvis Presley, who frequently played the high school and college dance circuit in the Jonesboro area, became an honorary member of Tau Kappa Epsilon of Arkansas State University.
 * Nettleton, a community annexed to Jonesboro in the 1960s, made national headlines in 1939 when a local minister's young daughter wore short pants in public.

Notable natives & residents of Jonesboro

 * Matt Cavenaugh- Broadway Star.
 * Kyle Dean Massey- Broadway Star.
 * David Auburn- Playwright and screenplay writer, best known for his award winning play (and adapted screenplay) for Proof.
 * Alan Belcher - UFC Fighter
 * Earl Bell - former pole vault champion and current coach of top US men and women vaulters
 * Wes Bentley - actor best known for his role as the drug dealer Ricky in American Beauty
 * Rodger Bumpass - the voice of Squidward Tentacles on SpongeBob SquarePants
 * Hattie Caraway - first woman elected to the United States Senate
 * Paul Caraway - Son of Hattie Caraway; High Commissioner of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands
 * Clint Catalyst - writer, actor, model, stylist, journalist
 * Rick Crawford (politician) - Congressional Representative from Arkansas' First Congressional District
 * Woody Freeman - businessman; Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1984
 * John Grisham - novelist
 * Julia Butterfly Hill - environmental activist
 * Matt Green - US Congressman
 * Larry Lacewell- former American football player, coach and scout
 * Mary Lambert - Director of Pet Semetary; various Madonna music videos
 * Dustin McDaniel - current Arkansas Attorney General
 * Pete Mead - middleweight boxing champion of the 1940s
 * Ben Murphy - actor, formerly of ABC's Alias Smith and Jones
 * Jon Olsen - Olympic gold medalist swimmer
 * David Ring - motivational speaker with cerebral palsy
 * John W. Snyder - former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Harry S. Truman
 * Tony Spinner - solo blues/rock musician and guitarist for the band Toto
 * Michael Craven - Author, speaker, cultural apologist, theologian and syndicated columnist
 * Charley Thornton - sports figure
 * Bobby Lee Trammell - rockabilly musician
 * Debbye Turner - Miss America 1990



Shopping
The Mall at Turtle Creek, opened in 2006, is the largest mall in northeast Arkansas. Before the opening of the mall, the Indian Mall was the primary shopping destination in northeast Arkansas.

Local Television/Radio Media
Television:
 * KAIT-TV, ABC, Channel D8
 * KTEJ-TV, PBS (AETN), Channel D19
 * KJOS-TV, The CW, Channel 21 (cable only)
 * KJNE-TV REL (TBN), Channel A42
 * KVTJ-TV REL (VTN), Channel D48

Radio:
 * KASU-FM 91.9 FM Public Radio
 * KEGI-FM 100.5 FM Classic Hits
 * KIYS-FM 101.7 FM KISS-FM
 * KDXY-FM 104.9 FM Country
 * KJBX-FM 106.3 FM Hot AC
 * KFIN-FM 107.9 FM Country
 * KNEA-AM 970  AM Sports
 * KBTM-AM 1230 AM News/Talk