Jonesboro, Louisiana

Town of Jonesboro
Town
Jonesboro City Hall
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Jackson
Elevation	223 ft (68 m)
Coordinates	32°14′23″N 92°42′41″W
Area	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2)
- land	4.8 sq mi (12 km2)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 2.04%
Population	3,914 (2000)
Density	806.6 / sq mi (311.4 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	318
Location of Jonesboro in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: http://www.townofjonesboro.org

Downtown Jonesboro is split along the Jimmie Davis Boulevard.

Jonesboro State Bank is located downtown.

The First Baptist Church of Jonesboro is located at the intersection of Jimmie Davis Boulevard and South Cooper Avenue.

Another view of downtown Jonesboro on the Jimmie Davis Boulevard facing east

Garden of Memories is located on the Castor Highway outside Jonesboro.

Jonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Jonesboro is located at 32°14′23″N 92°42′41″W (32.239611, -92.711501). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km²), of which, 4.8 square miles (12 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.82%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,914 people, 1,602 households, and 1,012 families residing in the town. The population density was 806.6 people per square mile (311.6/km²). There were 1,852 housing units at an average density of 381.7 per square mile (147.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 54.01% White, 45.02% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.03% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.

There were 1,602 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $19,734, and the median income for a family was $28,048. Males had a median income of $29,071 versus $18,143 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,869. About 28.7% of families and 32.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.2% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Jonesboro is the home of "Christmas Wonderland in the Pines", a local festival held annually—beginning on the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day and continuing throughout December.^{[citation needed]} Jonesboro also has a "Sunshine Festival" with antique cars and tractors, food,and games.

Infrastructure

Transportation

It is on U.S. Highway 167, twenty-four miles south of Ruston. SR 4 joins Highway 167 at Jonesboro, and it is in the southwestern portion of Jackson Parish.

Notable natives and residents

• Rodney Alexander, Republican U.S. Representative, born in Jonesboro, resides in nearby Quitman.

• H. Welborn Ayres, former judge of the Second Judicial District based in Jonesboro

• David T. Caldwell, judge of the Second Judicial District from 1970–1982

• James Houston "Jimmie" Davis, who is buried there, was a Louisiana governor and writer of the song "You Are My Sunshine".

• James R. Fannin, state representative from Jackson Parish since 2003

• Charles Henry Garrett, D.V.M. (1934–2010), as a Republican member of the Jackson Parish Police Jury from 1988–2008, Garrett worked to construct the Jackson Parish Community Center, Health Unit, and the Veterans Memorial Park. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University and Texas A&M University, Garrett practiced veterinary medicine in his native Jonesboro. He served on the Governor Jimmie Davis Tabernacle Board.

• E.L. "Bubba" Henry, former Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, resident of Baton Rouge

• James P. Pope, former U.S. Senator from Idaho and former mayor of Boise.

• Bob Reese, Louisiana Republican political activist

• Joseph Tabarlet, mayor of Jonesboro, 1938–1942; 1948-1951

• Neil Thomas (1892–1963), sheriff of Jackson Parish from 1928–1948; state parole director under the second Jimmie Davis administration, originally a barber in Jonesboro; father-in-law of Bob Reese

• Dustin Barnes, television news reporter, FOX 16 News, Little Rock, Ark.

Education

Jackson Parish School Board serves the town.

Zoned schools include:

• Southside Elementary School
• Jonesboro-Hodge Middle School
• Jonesboro-Hodge High School

External links

• Town of Jonesboro