Jonesboro, Louisiana

Town of Jonesboro
Town
250px Jonesboro City Hall
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Jackson
Elevation	223 ft (68 m)
Coordinates
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)
Mayor	James E. Bradford
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

File:Downtown Jonesboro, LA, along the Jimmie Davis Blvd MVI 2684.jpg

Downtown Jonesboro is split along the Jimmie Davis Boulevard.

File:MVI 2702 Jonesboro State Bank.jpg

Jonesboro State Bank is located downtown.

File:First Baptist Church of Jonesboro, LA MVI 2693.jpg

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

File:MVI 2682 Another street scene in Jonesboro.jpg

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

File:MVI 2697 Garden of Memories in Jonesboro, LA.jpg

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 (32.239611, -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.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Jonesboro has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	1,134		—
1920	837		−26.2%
1930	1,949		132.9%
1940	2,639		35.4%
1950	3,097		17.4%
1960	3,848		24.2%
1970	5,072		31.8%
1980	5,061		−0.2%
1990	4,305		−14.9%
2000	3,914		−9.1%
2010	4,704		20.2%
Est. 2014	4,623		−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

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.

Government

Two years into his second term, Jonesboro Mayor Leslie Cornell Thompson was suspended for malfeasance in office. As of 2013, Jonesboro has not had a budget since 2008. Thompson's wife, Yoshi Chambers Thompson, was initially appointed to succeed him as interim mayor, but her legitimacy is under fire from Kenneth David Folden, the fiscal administrator appointed the day after Thompson's conviction to get city finances back into order. Tammy Sheridan Lee, the Monroe city judge who administered the oath to Yoshi Thompson, has withdrawn the authorization. Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is reviewing the legality of the situation.

Meanwhile, Judge James Cecil "Jimmy" Teat of the Louisiana 2nd Judicial District Court in Jonesboro ruled that Thompson had violated the conditions of his bond through continued interference in municipal business. Judge Teat ordered Thompson to be incarcerated in the Jackson Parish Correctional Center until his sentencing on the malfeasance charges.

A Democrat, Thompson was elected mayor on October 2, 2010, over the Republican candidate, Freddie Brown, 824 (57.6 percent) to 607 (42.4 percent).

On October 17, 2013, based on the conviction of malfeasance, Judge Teat sentenced Mayor Thompson to six years of hard labor, large fines, $51,000 in restitution to the city of Jonesboro, five years' suspended sentence, and five years of supervised probation. Thompson will remain incarcerated pending appeal.

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.

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.

Education

Jackson Parish School Board serves the town.

Zoned schools include:

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

Notable people

• Rodney Alexander, Republican former U.S. Representative and secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs in Baton Rouge.
• H. Welborn Ayres, former judge of the Louisiana Second Judicial District based in Jonesboro
• David T. Caldwell, judge of the Second Judicial District from 1970 to 1982
• Bobby Culpepper, lawyer and Democratic politician; Jonesboro native and resident
• Robert C. Culpepper, Jackson Parish clerk of court, state senator, and later judge in Alexandria
• Marvin T. Culpepper, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Jackson Parish from 1964 to 1968
• 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; nephew-by-marriage of Jimmie Davis
• John Garlington (1946 – 2000), American football linebacker in the National Football League, played with the Cleveland Browns
• Charles Henry Garrett, DVM (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, lawyer in Baton Rouge
• Lil Snupe, Addarren Ross (June 13, 1995 - June 20, 2013) Rapper affiliated with Meek Mill's Dream Chasers Records
• Randy Moffett, president of the University of Louisiana System from 2008 to 2012, was born in Jonesboro in 1947.
• James P. Pope, former U.S. Senator from Idaho and former mayor of Boise.
• Bob Reese, Louisiana Republican political activist
• Jerry Robinson, NFL kick returner, born in Jonesboro, played professional football for the San Diego Chargers/NYJets, 1962-1965
• Joseph Tabarlet, mayor of Jonesboro, 1938–1942; 1948-1951

External links

• Town of Jonesboro