Jonesboro, Arkansas#Metropolitan Statistical Area

The Jonesboro area was first inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. At the time of the European encounter, historic tribes included the Osage, the Caddo, and the Quapaw.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jonesboro.org/History/History.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228124933/http://www.jonesboro.org/History/History.htm|title=History of Jonesboro|archive-date=December 28, 2007}} The name for the state of Arkansas comes from the Quapaw language. The French and Spanish traders and trappers had relations with those groups.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

After the United States acquired this territory in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, American settlers eventually made their way to an area near Jonesboro. They began exploring, hunting, trapping, and trading with local Indian tribes. The permanent settlement of Jonesboro was established shortly after 1859, when Craighead County was established.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

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. As the population increased to the west of the county, Lake City was named as the second seat.{{cite web |url=http://genealogytrails.com/ark/craig/ |title=Craighead County Arkansas Genealogy Trails |publisher=Genealogytrails.com |date=March 3, 2006 |access-date=August 13, 2012}} Jonesboro had 150 residents in 1859. It was named after State Senator William A. Jones{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |author=Gannett, Henry |year=1905 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n169 170]}} in recognition of his support for the formation of Craighead County. Originally spelled Jonesborough, the city name was later shortened to its present-day spelling.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

In 1881, a young woman was brutally murdered in an apparent robbery. Her father had left their farm for a short while and returned to find her in a pool of her own blood. Four black men were arrested in conjunction with the crime, and after their trial, The Jonesboro Lynching of 1881 took place at midnight on March 12. The Decatur Daily Republican reported that the four men, called Green Harris (sometimes referred to as Hawes), Giles Peck, John Woods (sometimes referred to as Jud Woods), and Burt Hoskins (sometimes referred to as Haskins)—had been arrested and tried before magistrates Jackson and Akers at New Haven Church, eight miles north of Jonesboro. The hearing, which found that the men were guilty, was attended by several hundred people. According to this and several other reports, the accused made a complete confession. The magistrates bound them over to the grand jury, and they were ordered taken to the jail in Jonesboro. The hour being late, however, it was decided to hold them overnight in the church under a strong guard. The large crowd gradually dispersed, "muttering threats of vengeance." Around midnight, between 200 and 300 masked men surrounded the church, overpowered the guards, and broke in the doors and windows. They seized the accused, dragged them to a tree about 200 yards away, and hanged them. Once again, the crowd dispersed, "leaving the bodies of their victims dangling in the air and presenting a horrible spectacle in the moonlight." According to the Republican, "The crime and punishment form one of the blackest pages in the annals of the state.""[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=7673 "Jonesboro Lynching of 1881"]. Encyclopedia of Arkansas

File:Jonesboro AR historic Bell House 303 Cherry St.JPG is one of twelve Jonesboro sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.]]

During the late 19th century, the city tried to develop its court system and downtown infrastructure. Shortly after the city was named county seat, the highest point in Jonesboro was identified and a courthouse was planned for construction. This was delayed for several years, for the locals did not want to ruin their deer hunting. The first courthouse was finally completed but was destroyed by a fire in 1869. A store across from this site was rented and used as a courthouse. It was destroyed in an 1876 fire. Another building was constructed on the same site, but it fell to a fire in 1878, a major one that destroyed most of downtown Jonesboro. Soon afterward, another courthouse was constructed; it was replaced by the present courthouse in 1934.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

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. During the first train's journey, it became stuck and supplies had to be carried into town. It connected St. Louis to points in Arkansas and Texas. Other major railways began to construct tracks to and from Jonesboro, including the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway and Missouri Pacific Railroad. Some of the rail companies still own and use the tracks that run through Jonesboro.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The city set up the Jonesboro School District in 1899.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jps.k12.ar.us/|title=Jonesboro Public School System|access-date=December 12, 2007|archive-date=August 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828133649/http://www.jps.k12.ar.us/|url-status=dead}} In 1900, St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center was established by the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters.{{Cite web|url=http://www.stbernards.info/html_history_facts/|title=St. Bernard's Medical Center: History & Facts|access-date=December 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114041250/http://www.stbernards.info/html_history_facts/|archive-date=November 14, 2017|url-status=dead}} The Grand Leader Department Store, the first department store in the city, was opened in 1900. Woodland College and two schools within the Jonesboro School District were opened in 1904. Arkansas State College (now Arkansas State University) was established in 1909,{{Cite web|url=http://asunews.astate.edu/about.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112030259/http://asunews.astate.edu/about.htm|title=About Arkansas State University|archive-date=January 12, 2008|website=asunews.astate.edu}} a year in which the first horseless carriages were driven in the city. There is a recording on a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map dating back to March 1897 of a Presbyterian Church existing at the corner of Church St. and Monroe, and a Christian church located at the corner of Union and Huntington Ave. Other early churches of the city were started in the 1910s. First Baptist Church was founded in 1911, and First Methodist Church in 1916.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Wade Thomas was lynched on December 26, 1920, in downtown Jonesboro. A large white mob seized Thomas after he allegedly shot local Patrolman Elmer Ragland during a Christmas Day raid on a local dice game. He was paraded through the town and then hanged and his body riddled with bullets.{{cite web |last=Lancaster |first=Guy |date=February 1, 2019 |url=https://arktimes.com/history/2019/02/01/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-being |title=The unbearable whiteness of being - What's lost when we consider the history of racial violence from a white perspective |publisher=Arkansas Times |access-date=December 28, 2020}}{{cite news |date=1920 |title=Arkansas Mob Hangs Slayer of Policeman |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1920-12-27/ed-1/seq-3/# |newspaper=New-York Tribune |location=New York City |issn=1941-0646 |oclc=9405688 |page=3 |access-date=December 28, 2020}}

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. Jeffers' supporters also attacked the mayor and police chief, resulting in front-page coverage of the incident in The New York Times.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

On May 15, 1968 an F4 tornado struck Jonesboro, destroying 164 homes.{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |title=Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |date=1993 |publisher=Environmental Films |location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont |isbn=1-879362-03-1 |page=1099}} At least 34 people died and more than 350 people were injured as a result of the tornado which struck the town without warning at 10:00pm that night.

On May 27, 1973, shortly after midnight, an F4 tornado struck Jonesboro, killing 3 and injuring 289.{{cite web|title=Storm Prediction Center WCM Page: Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2014)|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/#data|website=Storm Prediction Center|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=February 26, 2016|date=March 17, 2015}} Damage was estimated at 60 million in 1973 dollars.{{cite web | url=https://memphismagazine.com/ask-vance/remembering-the-1973-jonesboro-arkansas-tornado/ | title=Remembering the 1973 Jonesboro, Arkansas, Tornado | date=May 26, 2013 }}

The 1998 Westside Middle School shooting occurred on March 24. Two young boys (aged 11 and 13 years) fired upon students at Westside Middle School while hidden in woodlands near the school. They killed four students and one teacher, and injured 10 persons.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/03/23/596103091/20-years-later-jonesboro-shooting-survivors-conflicted-over-parkland |title=20 Years Later, Jonesboro Shooting Survivors Conflicted Over Parkland|website=NPR|date=March 23, 2018|access-date=January 1, 2019|last1=Goodwyn|first1=Wade}}

In the 2007–2008 school year the Jonesboro Public School District elementary schools were reclassified as magnet schools.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=6815261|title=KAIT - Jonesboro, AR: Teachers get Ready for Magnet Schools|access-date=June 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114093232/http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=6815261|archive-date=November 14, 2017|url-status=dead}}

{{Main|2020 Jonesboro tornado}}

A "large, destructive" EF3 tornado struck Jonesboro on March 28, 2020, causing severe damage to The Mall at Turtle Creek and at least twenty minor injuries, and two severe injuries.{{Cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/03/28/jonesboro-arkansas-tornado/ |title = Large, destructive tornado strikes Jonesboro, Ark., leaving behind 'severe' damage|newspaper = The Washington Post}}

Jonesboro is located atop Crowley's Ridge in northeastern Arkansas.Arkansas Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 2nd ed. 2004, p. 36, {{ISBN|0-89933-345-1}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|208.4|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|206.9|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|1.5|km2|order=flip}}, or 0.72%, is water.{{cite web|title=QuickFacts Jonesboro city, Arkansas|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/jonesboro-ar-population|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212183433/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0535710|archive-date=February 12, 2020|access-date=|website=US CENSUS|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder}}

Jonesboro has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

{{Weather box

| single line = Y

| location = Jonesboro 2 NE, AR (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)

| Jan record high F = 82

| Feb record high F = 83

| Mar record high F = 95

| Apr record high F = 96

| May record high F = 101

| Jun record high F = 110

| Jul record high F = 116

| Aug record high F = 111

| Sep record high F = 110

| Oct record high F = 98

| Nov record high F = 88

| Dec record high F = 79

| year record high F = 116

| Jan avg record high F = 66.7

| Feb avg record high F = 71.1

| Mar avg record high F = 78.4

| Apr avg record high F = 84.7

| May avg record high F = 90.1

| Jun avg record high F = 95.6

| Jul avg record high F = 97.7

| Aug avg record high F = 97.8

| Sep avg record high F = 94.0

| Oct avg record high F = 87.5

| Nov avg record high F = 77.4

| Dec avg record high F = 68.4

| year avg record high F = 99.5

| Jan high F = 45.6

| Feb high F = 50.5

| Mar high F = 60.0

| Apr high F = 70.7

| May high F = 79.2

| Jun high F = 87.2

| Jul high F = 89.7

| Aug high F = 89.0

| Sep high F = 83.0

| Oct high F = 72.4

| Nov high F = 58.8

| Dec high F = 48.6

| year high F = 69.6

| Jan mean F = 36.1

| Feb mean F = 40.4

| Mar mean F = 49.0

| Apr mean F = 59.2

| May mean F = 68.2

| Jun mean F = 76.6

| Jul mean F = 79.7

| Aug mean F = 78.5

| Sep mean F = 71.5

| Oct mean F = 60.3

| Nov mean F = 48.0

| Dec mean F = 39.3

| year mean F = 58.9

| Jan low F = 26.7

| Feb low F = 30.2

| Mar low F = 38.0

| Apr low F = 47.7

| May low F = 57.2

| Jun low F = 66.1

| Jul low F = 69.6

| Aug low F = 68.0

| Sep low F = 60.0

| Oct low F = 48.1

| Nov low F = 37.2

| Dec low F = 30.1

| year low F = 48.2

| Jan avg record low F = 10.9

| Feb avg record low F = 15.7

| Mar avg record low F = 22.0

| Apr avg record low F = 33.2

| May avg record low F = 44.1

| Jun avg record low F = 56.0

| Jul avg record low F = 61.8

| Aug avg record low F = 59.1

| Sep avg record low F = 46.9

| Oct avg record low F = 33.7

| Nov avg record low F = 23.1

| Dec avg record low F = 16.1

| year avg record low F = 8.4

| Jan record low F = -18

| Feb record low F = -13

| Mar record low F = 1

| Apr record low F = 26

| May record low F = 32

| Jun record low F = 41

| Jul record low F = 50

| Aug record low F = 45

| Sep record low F = 33

| Oct record low F = 21

| Nov record low F = 9

| Dec record low F = -7

| year record low F = -18

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 3.90

| Feb precipitation inch = 4.11

| Mar precipitation inch = 5.23

| Apr precipitation inch = 5.36

| May precipitation inch = 5.73

| Jun precipitation inch = 3.35

| Jul precipitation inch = 3.61

| Aug precipitation inch = 3.69

| Sep precipitation inch = 3.50

| Oct precipitation inch = 3.97

| Nov precipitation inch = 4.89

| Dec precipitation inch = 4.68

| year precipitation inch = 52.02

| Jan snow inch = 1.0

| Feb snow inch = 1.2

| Mar snow inch = 1.2

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| May snow inch = 0.0

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.0

| Oct snow inch = 0.0

| Nov snow inch = 0.1

| Dec snow inch = 0.4

| year snow inch = 3.9

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 9.1

| Feb precipitation days = 8.6

| Mar precipitation days = 10.2

| Apr precipitation days = 9.4

| May precipitation days = 10.1

| Jun precipitation days = 7.3

| Jul precipitation days = 7.8

| Aug precipitation days = 7.2

| Sep precipitation days = 6.6

| Oct precipitation days = 8.3

| Nov precipitation days = 9.2

| Dec precipitation days = 9.6

| year precipitation days = 103.4

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 0.7

| Feb snow days = 0.8

| Mar snow days = 0.3

| Apr snow days = 0.0

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.0

| Nov snow days = 0.1

| Dec snow days = 0.3

| year snow days = 2.2

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=meg

| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = June 22, 2021

| archive-date = June 8, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210608134514/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=meg

| url-status = dead

}}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00033734&format=pdf

| title = Station: Jonesboro 2 NE, AR

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = June 21, 2021}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1890= 2065

|1900= 4508

|1910= 7123

|1920= 9384

|1930= 10326

|1940= 11729

|1950= 16310

|1960= 21418

|1970= 27050

|1980= 31530

|1990= 46534

|2000= 55515

|2010= 67263

|2020= 78579

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015 }}

}}

It is the principal city of the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 78,576 people, 29,688 households, and 19,637 families residing in the city.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

As of the census of 2013, there were 71,551 people, 26,111 households, and 16,637 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|697.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 28,321 housing units at an average density of {{convert|304.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 74.7% White, 18.4% Black, 0.4% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. 5.2% of the population were Hispanic.{{cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov |access-date=January 31, 2008 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}

There were 26,111 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 2.47 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 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.

{{see also|Mayors of Jonesboro, Arkansas}}

File:Mall at Turtle Creek Entrance.jpg

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.{{cite web |title=The Mall at Turtle Creek to hold grand opening March 28-April 8 - Memphis Business Journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2006/03/27/newscolumn1.html |website=Memphis Business Journal |access-date=February 24, 2016}} The mall closed in 2020 due to tornado damage; currently, the only stores in operation at Turtle Creek are Dillard's, JCPenney, and Target.{{Cite web |date=September 4, 2020 |title=Barnes & Noble to not reopen, will seek alternative locations if economic conditions improve |url=https://www.kait8.com/2020/09/04/barnes-noble-closing-its-store-jonesboro/ |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=KAIT8}} Before The Mall at Turtle Creek opened, Indian Mall, named for the former mascot of Arkansas State University,{{Cite web |last=Waldon |first=George |date=November 3, 2003 |title=Developers vie for new mall in Jonesboro. |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Developers+vie+for+new+mall+in+Jonesboro.-a0110474561 |access-date=August 17, 2022 |website=Arkansas Business}} was the primary shopping destination in northeast Arkansas. The Indian Mall was demolished in 2012.{{Cite web |date=January 18, 2012 |title=The walls of Indian Mall will soon come down |url=https://www.kait8.com/story/16537468/the-walls-of-indian-mall-will-soon-come-down |access-date=August 17, 2022 |website=KAIT8 |language=en}}

Craighead Forest Park is a city-owned park located on Crowley's Ridge featuring a 60-acre fishing lake, camping facilities, hiking/biking trails, nature areas, picnic sites and recreational fields.{{cite web | url=https://www.jonesboro.org/facilities/facility/details/Craighead-Forest-Park-19 | title=Craighead Forest Park }}

Crowley's Ridge Parkway runs through Jonesboro. It was designated one of Arkansas' Scenic Byways in 1997, and it was designated Arkansas' first National Scenic Byway in 1998.{{Cite web |title=Crowley's Ridge Parkway National Scenic Byway {{!}} Jonesboro, AR {{!}} Arkansas.com |url=http://www.arkansas.com/jonesboro/tours-experiences/crowleys-ridge-parkway-national-scenic-byway |access-date=March 9, 2023 |website=www.arkansas.com |language=en}}

In 2004 the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission opened the 160-acre Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center in south Jonesboro, adjacent to Craighead Forest Park. 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.{{cite web | url=https://www.agfc.com/en/explore-outdoors/nature-centers/flwcrnc/ | title=Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center }}

Located on the ASU campus, 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.{{Cite web |last=University |first=Arkansas State |title=A-State |url=https://www.astate.edu/ |access-date=March 9, 2023 |website=www.astate.edu |language=en}}

Arkansas State University is located in Jonesboro. New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine maintains a second location on Arkansas State University's campus in Wilson Hall.{{cite web |url=https://www.nyit.edu/arkansas |title=Jonesboro, Arkansas |website=New York Institute of Technology |access-date=January 29, 2021}}

The Northeast Arkansas Career & Tech Center is also located in Jonesboro.{{Cite web|url=http://neactc.ss7.sharpschool.com/Home|title=Home|website=neactc.ss7.sharpschool.com}}

File:Dean B. Ellis Library, Arkansas State University (3 September 2005).jpg's main campus]]

There are six public school districts operating within the city limits of Jonesboro:{{cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st05_ar/c05031_craighead/DC10SD_C05031_001.pdf |title=SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Craighead County, AR |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=June 4, 2018}}

• Jonesboro School District
• Valley View School District
• Nettleton School District
• Westside Consolidated School District
• Bay School District
• Brookland School District

Prior to School integration in the United States, a separate set of schools was maintained for White and Black children. Booker T. Washington High School provided education for Black children from surrounding areas under contract at until the schools were finally integrated.{{Cite web|title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/booker-t-washington-high-school-11951/|access-date=February 9, 2022|website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|language=en-US}} Jonesboro was a leader in educating African-American Children.{{who|date=March 2023}}{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The region is served by the Jonesboro Municipal Airport.

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.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Greyhound Lines.{{cite web|url=https://www.greyhound.com/bus-routes|title=Bus Routes|access-date=July 21, 2023}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=width|

• Blake Anderson, football coach
• Gordon Anderson, sculptor
• David Auburn, playwright and screenwriter, best known for Proof
• Earl Bell, pole vaulter and Olympian
• Wes Bentley, Actor, born in Jonesboro
• Gene Bradley, former quarterback for the New Jersey Generals
• Al Bramlet, former labor union leader
• Rodger Bumpass, voice of Squidward on SpongeBob SquarePants
• Hattie Wyatt Caraway, first woman elected to the U.S. Senate
• Paul Caraway, son of Hattie Caraway; high commissioner of U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands
• Matt Cavenaugh, Broadway actor
• Francis Cherry, former Arkansas governor (1953–1955)
• Austin Cook, professional golfer
• Harold Copenhaver, current mayor of Jonesboro
• Rick Crawford, U.S. Congressman
• Ferd Dreher, football player
• Michelle Gray, state representative since 2013{{cite web |url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/150249/michelle-gray#.VSrsrcstEqR |title=Michelle Gray's Biography |publisher=Project Vote Smart |access-date=April 12, 2015}}
• John Grisham, novelist
• Jeff Hartwig, pole vaulter
• Julia Butterfly Hill, environmental activist
• Larry Lacewell, former director of scouting for Dallas Cowboys
• Evan Lindquist, first Artist Laureate of Arkansas
• Kyle Dean Massey, Broadway actor
• Dustin McDaniel, former Arkansas attorney general
• Malik Monk, basketball player
• Ben Murphy, actor, known for role in Alias Smith and Jones
• Jon Olsen, Olympic gold medalist swimmer
• Billy Lee Riley, rockabilly musician
• David Ring, Christian evangelist and motivational speaker
• Jeremy Sivits, former U.S. Army soldier discharged after connections to Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
• Brandt Smith, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
• W. Stephen Smith, voice teacher, author, and Northwestern University professor
• John W. Snyder, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Harry S. Truman
• Dan A. Sullivan, member of Arkansas House of Representatives since 2015
• Charley Thornton, college sports administrator
• Dwight Tosh, member of Arkansas House of Representatives since 2015
• Bobby Lee Trammell, rockabilly musician
• Debbye Turner, winner of Miss America 1990
• Frederick C. Turner, Jr., one of the first Black students and first Black faculty member at ASU; U.S. Army officer{{Cite web|url=https://www.astate.edu/a/military-science/hall-of-heroes/turner-frederick/index.dot|title = Frederick C. Turner, Jr}}
• Zach Williams, Christian rock artist}}

• List of cities and towns in Arkansas
• List of municipalities in Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Craighead County, Arkansas

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite encyclopedia |title=Jonesboro (Craighead County) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |date=July 14, 2021 |last=Hendricks |first=Nancy |publisher=CALS |location=Little Rock, Ark. |id=jonesboro-862 |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jonesboro-862/ |access-date=September 14, 2021}}
• {{cite magazine|last=Spiva|first=Dave|date=August 2021|title=Arkansas Post Distributes $200,000 in Federal Grants to Veterans in Need|magazine=VFW Magazine|volume=108|number=10|location=Kansas City, Mo.|publisher=Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States|pages=36–37|issn=0161-8598|quote=The state of Arkansas granted federal pandemic-relief funds to a VFW Post in northern Arkansas. The Post Commander says all funds have gone to veterans and families in need.}}

• {{official website}}
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• {{Ballotpedia|Jonesboro,_Arkansas|Jonesboro, Arkansas}}
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{{Jonesboro, Arkansas}}

{{Craighead County, Arkansas}}

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Category:1859 establishments in Arkansas

Category:Cities in Arkansas

Category:Cities in Craighead County, Arkansas

Category:County seats in Arkansas

Category:Jonesboro metropolitan area

Category:Populated places established in 1859