Jonesboro, Louisiana

200px|thumb|[[Jimmie Davis Boulevard extends through downtown.]]

thumb|200x200px|Jonesboro State Bank is located downtown.

200px|right|thumb|The First [[Baptist Church of Jonesboro is located at the intersection of Jimmie Davis Boulevard and South Cooper Avenue.]]

200px|right|thumb|Another view of downtown Jonesboro on the Jimmie Davis Boulevard facing east

200px|right|thumb|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 4,106 in 2020. Jonesboro remains the parish's agricultural, industrial, economic, and governmental center.

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, whites violently resisted African-American efforts to gain their constitutional rights as citizens, even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Ku Klux Klan, which was active in the area, conducted what was called a "reign of terror" in 1964, including harassment of activists, "the burning of crosses on the lawns of African-American voters," murder, and destroying five black churches by fire, as well as their Masonic hall, and a Baptist center.

In November 1964, Earnest "Chilly Willy" Thomas and Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick (the latter ordained that year as a minister of the Church of God in Christ), founded the Deacons for Defense and Justice in Jonesboro. It was an armed self-defense group, largely made up of men who were World War II and Korean War veterans. At night, they conducted regular patrols of the city's black community which occupied an area known as "the Quarters". U.S. Route 167 passes through the town's northern and eastern sides, leading north to Ruston and south to Winnfield. Louisiana Highway 4 passes through the center of Jonesboro, leading east to Chatham and west to Lucky.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Jonesboro has an area of , of which are land and , or 1.17%, are water. Jonesboro water bodies drain north to the Little Dugdemona River, which turns southwest and forms the southward-flowing Dugdemona River.

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,106 people, 1,374 households, and 754 families residing in the town.

The median age was 36.4 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.6 males age 18 and over.

98.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.2% lived in rural areas.

Of all households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 27.0% were married-couple households, 21.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 44.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 1,531

| 37.29%

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 2,066

| 50.32%

!scope="row"| Native American

| 3

| 0.07%

!scope="row"| Asian

| 102

| 2.48%

!scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 2

| 0.05%

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 135

| 3.29%

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 268

| 6.5%

Government

The city has a mayor-council form of government; all persons are elected. Independent Dr. James Spoke Harris was inaugurated on December 31, 2022. Democrat James E. Bradford was inaugurated on December 29, 2014.

The previous mayor, Leslie Cornell Thompson, was suspended from office in September 2013 after being convicted of malfeasance in office. As of 2013, Jonesboro had not had a budget since 2008. His wife, Yoshi Chambers Thompson, was initially appointed by the city council to succeed him as interim mayor. Her legitimacy was questioned by Kenneth David Folden, the fiscal administrator appointed by the state the day after Thompson's conviction to bring 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.

A Democrat, Thompson had been elected mayor on October 2, 2010, with 82votes 4 (57.6 percent) to the Republican candidate, Freddie Brown's, 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.

In the runoff election for mayor held on December 8, 2018, Thompson unseated Bradford.

Arts and culture

Jonesboro is the home of "Christmas Wonderland in the Pines", a local festival held annually. It begins the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day and continues through December.

Jonesboro also has a "Sunshine Festival" in the summer, featuring antique cars and tractors, food, and games.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Highway 167 passes by Jackson, which is located twenty-four miles south of Ruston. SR 4 joins Highway 167 at Jonesboro, which is in the southwestern portion of Jackson Parish.

<big>Immigration Detention</big>

The Jackson Parish Correctional Center is an ICE detention facility located in Jonesboro. It is a medium security detention center with a capacity of 1,252.

Education

The Jackson Parish School Board oversees the public school system within Jonesboro from a parish-level.

Zoned schools include:

Jonesboro-Hodge Elementary School
Jonesboro-Hodge Middle School
Jonesboro-Hodge High School

The town is also home to the Louisiana Delta Community College Jonesboro campus, which offers courses in welding, business administration, and various general requirement courses.

Notable people

Rodney Alexander, Republican former U.S. Representative
Marty Booker, NFL wide receiver
Marvin T. Culpepper, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1964 to 1968
James Houston "Jimmie" Davis, was a Louisiana governor, and writer of the song "You Are My Sunshine".
John Garlington, football linebacker in the National Football League
Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, singer-songwriter, civil rights activist and co-founder of Deacons for Defense and Justice
Randy Moffett, president of the University of Louisiana System from 2008 to 2012
James P. Pope, former U.S. Senator from Idaho
Jerry Robinson, NFL kick returner
Addarren "Lil Snupe" Ross, Rapper from Jonesboro

References

External links

Town of Jonesboro official website