Jonesboro

Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the fifth-largest city in Arkansas. Jonesboro is the home of Arkansas State University. The city was named after State Senator William A. Jones in recognition of his support for the formation of Craighead County. The Jonesboro Lynching of 1881 took place at midnight on March 12, when four black men were found guilty and hanged in front of a church. The name of the state of Arkansas comes from the Quapaw language, which was first inhabited by the Osage, the Caddo, and theQuapaw. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway, known as the Cotton Belt Railroad was constructed through Jonesboro, with its tracks passing just north of the center of the city. In 1900, the St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center was established by the Olivetan Benedict Sisters. Arkansas State College was established in 1909, a year in which the first horseless carriages were driven in. There is a recording on a San Francisco Insurance Map dating back to March 1897 of a Presbyterian Church meeting in Jonesboro. The first department store in the city was opened in 1900, and two schools within the Jonesboro School District were opened in 1904. The present courthouse was built in 1934 and was replaced by the present courthouse in 1934. It is located on a former cotton plantation.

History

The Jonesboro area was first inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, historic tribes included the Osage, the Caddo, and the Quapaw. In 1859, land was taken from nearby Greene, Mississippi, and Poinsett counties and was used to form Craighead County. Jonesboro was designated as the original county seat. The city name was later shortened to its present-day spelling. The Jonesboro Lynching of 1881 took place at midnight on March 12. On September 10, 1920, Thomas Ragland was lynched by a large white mob after he allegedly shot local Patrolman Elmer Ragland during a local game raid. He was paraded through the town and then hanged with his body riddled with bullets. The first horseless carriages were driven in the city in 1909, a year in which Arkansas State State College (now Arkansas State University) was established. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway, known as the Cotton Belt Railroad was constructed through Jonesboro, with its tracks passing just north of the center of the city. In 1900, St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center was established by the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters. The Grand Leader Department Store, the first department store in theCity, was opened in 1900. Woodland College and two schools within the Jonesboro School District were opened in 1904. First Baptist Church was founded in 1911, and First Methodist Church in 1916. A large lynching took place in downtown Jonesboro on December 26, 1920.

Geography

Jonesboro is located at 35°4941N 90°4139W (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 80.5 square miles (208.4 km²) It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The city is located on the Arkansas Turnpike, which runs through Jonesboro. It is located near the junction of the Arkansas River and the Little Piney River. The city's ZIP code is 51501. It has an area of 79.9 sq miles (206.9 km²), of which 0.72% is land and 0.58sq miles (1.5km²) is water. Jonesboro has a population of 515 people (as of the 2010 U.S. Census), with a population growth rate of 0.7% since the 1990s. The town has a climate of Cfa (Humid Subtropical Climate), with an average monthly temperature of °C (°F) of 7.6 °F (7.7 °S) Jonesboro was founded in 1883. It was named after the town of Jonesboro, Arkansas, which is located in the Ouachita River valley. In 1883, the town was the site of the town's first recorded European settlement. The first recorded African-American population was recorded in 1881.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 78,576 people, 29,688 households, and 19,637 families residing in the city. The city is the principal city of the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The racial makeup of the city was 74.7% White, 18.4% Black, 1.5% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, and 2.0% from two or more races. There are 878 unmarried partner households: 776 heterosexual, 50 same-sex male, and 52Same-sex female households. The median income for a household in theCity was $32,196, and the median income. for a family was $42,082. About 12.9% of families and 23.1% 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. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was2.93. The population density was 697.1 inhabitants per square mile (269.2/km²). There were 28,321 housing units at an average density of 304.7 per squaremile (117.6/ km²). The city has a population of 71,551 people, and as of the census of 2013, the population was 74,551. It is located in the Arkansas-Oklahoma Missouri Mississippi border.

Economy

The Mall at Turtle Creek, opened in 2006, was the largest mall in northeast Arkansas and was the only enclosed mall constructed in the country that year. The mall closed in 2020 due to tornado damage; currently, the only stores in operation are Dillard's, JCPenney, and Target. In 2012, Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Jonesboro ninth of the "10 Best Cities for Cheapskates". The Indian Mall, named for the former mascot of Arkansas State University, was demolished in 2012. It was the primary shopping destination in northeastArkansas before The Mall at Turtle Creek opened. The Indian Mall was the only mall in the state to be named after an Arkansas state university mascot until The Mall at Turtle Creek opened in 2006. The Indian Mall was named for the former mascot of Arkansas State University, and was demolished in 2012. The only stores currently in operation at Turtle Creek are Dillard's and JCP en ofney, as well as Target and Walmart. The city of Jonesboro was named one of the top 10 "Best Cities for Cheap Shoppers in 2012 by Kiplinger's personal finance magazines in the United Safest Cities, including the nation where Jonesboro ranked 9th out of 10 cities for cheap shoppers.

Arts and culture

Crowley's Ridge Parkway was designated one of Arkansas' Scenic Byways in 1997. Craighead Forest Park features a 60-acre fishing lake, camping facilities, hiking/biking trails, nature areas, picnic sites and recreational fields. The Arkansas State University Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums and features 21,000 square feet of historic, archaeological, and natural history exhibits. The museum focuses on the history and cultural heritage of Northeast Arkansas and the Mississippi River Delta region. In 2004 the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission opened the 160-acre Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center in south Jonesboro. The center includes exhibits on the origins and history of the Ridge, wildlife, educational models and displays, land and water features, hiking trails, an observation tower and an auditorium. It was designated Arkansas' first National Scenic byway in 1998. It is located on the edge of the town of Jonesboro and runs through the town's central business district. The town is home to the University of Arkansas at Jonesboro, which was founded in 1883. The university is one of the state's oldest universities and has a history of more than 100 years. The city is also home to a number of colleges, including Arkansas State, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas Presbyterian, and Arkansas Tech University. It also has a high school that was established in 1881 and is known as the "Home of the Razorbacks" It is the only high school in the state to be located in the city's central area.

Education

There are six public school districts operating within the city limits of Jonesboro. Jonesboro was a leader in educating African-American Children, providing education for Black children from surrounding areas under contract at Booker T. Washington High School until the schools were finally integrated. Arkansas State University and New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine are located in the city. The Northeast Arkansas Career & Tech Center is also located in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The city is home to the University of Arkansas at Jonesboro and the Arkansas State College of Science and Technology. The Jonesboro High School football team won the state championship in 2008. The school's football team finished second in the state in the 2008-2009 season. The football team also won the district championship in the 2007-2008 school year. The high school football team was runner-up in the 2010-2011 season. It was the first time Jonesboro had won a state title in the history of the school district. The team was also the first Jonesboro team to win a state championship since it was founded in the 1970s. The town has a reputation for being a good place to live and raise a family. It has a population of 6,000. It is located near the junction of the Arkansas Turnpike and the Little Rock Expressway. It also is near the Arkansas River, which runs through the city and into the town of Nettleton. The Little Rock area is known as the "Red River Valley" because of the Red River and Arkansas River.

Infrastructure

The city 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. The Jonesboro Municipal Airport is the city's main airport. The city is also served by a number of state highways, including Interstate Highways I and I-70. The region is also serviced by the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs from Jonesboro to Jerome Phenomenon in Rhode Island, and from New Jersey to New Jersey and New Jersey to New Jersey and back again. The town has a population of about 3,000. It is located in the northeastern part of the state, near the border with New Jersey and the state of Massachusetts. Jonesboro is the largest city in the state with a population in excess of 1,000,000 people. It also has one of the highest rates of obesity in the United States, with 1.7% of the population living in the town of Jonesboro in 2010. It has a high rate of obesity, with 2.4% of its residents living in areas with more than 1,500 square miles (3,000 km) of land. The state has a low rate of diabetes, with only 1.3% of residents suffering from the disease in 2010, compared to 2.8% of Americans overall.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas = 84. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 91. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 98. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Jonesboro = 4.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 78,576 individuals with a median age of 33.3 age the population grows by 15.98% in Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,022.40 residents per square mile of area (393.41/km²). There are average 2.36 people per household in the 26,155 households with an average household income of $38,692 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.40% of the available work force and has dropped -1.39% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 30.82%. The number of physicians in Jonesboro per 100,000 population = 293.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Jonesboro = 47.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 6.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 97. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 218. 93 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 29.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 31, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas which are owned by the occupant = 54.55%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 25 years with median home cost = $112,070 and home appreciation of -1.62%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $6.07 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,379 per student. There are 12.9 students for each teacher in the school, 385 students for each Librarian and 373 students for each Counselor. 3.85% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.07% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 10.24% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).