City in Georgia, United States
| Jonesboro, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Buildings in the Jonesboro Historic District | |
 Flag Seal Logo | |
 Location in Clayton County and the state of Georgia | |
  JonesboroLocation of Jonesboro in Metro Atlanta | |
| Coordinates: 33°31′28″N 84°21′15″W / 33.52444°N 84.35417°W / 33.52444; -84.35417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Clayton |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Donya Sartor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.00 sq mi (7.76 km) |
| • Land | 2.98 sq mi (7.71 km) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km) |
| Elevation | 919 ft (280 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 4,235 |
| • Density | 1,422.10/sq mi (549.16/km) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 30236-30238 |
| Area code(s) | 770/678/470 |
| FIPS code | 13-42604 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332118 |
| Website | jonesboroga.com |
Jonesboro (/ˈdʒoʊnzbʌrə/) is a city in and the county seat of Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,235 in 2020.
The city's name was originally spelled Jonesborough. During the American Civil War, the final skirmish in the Atlanta Campaign was fought here south of Atlanta, cutting off the city and forcing the mayor of Atlanta to surrender at Marietta in early September 1864. The final fall of Atlanta in the Battle of Jonesborough ended up being a decisive point in the nation's history, propelling Abraham Lincoln to re-election two months later, and continuing the war until the Confederacy finally surrendered the following year.
History
Jonesboro was inhabited by settlers as early as 1821, as a result of the Treaty of Indian Springs, and it was founded as Leaksville in 1823. In 1825, the Flint River Baptist Church was erected on a hill in Leaksville. After the Macon and Western Railroad arrived into the area in 1846, the town was renamed to Jonesboro, in order to honor railroad official Samuel G. Jones who was also honored by its citizens. Jonesboro was incorporated over three decades later, in 1859.
Jonesboro hosted the beach volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympics with the artificial beach created at Clayton County International Park. Jonesboro elected their first Black Mayor, Dr. Sonya Sartor, in March 2023.
Geography
Jonesboro is located at 33°31′28″N 84°21′15″W / 33.52444°N 84.35417°W / 33.52444; -84.35417 (33.524512, -84.354290).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km), of which 2.6 square miles (6.7 km) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km) (1.89%) is water.
The railroad through Jonesboro is built on the Eastern Continental Divide and there are no bridges for the tracks for many miles in either direction.
Climate
| Climate data for Jonesboro, Georgia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1994–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) |
81 (27) |
89 (32) |
92 (33) |
95 (35) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
104 (40) |
99 (37) |
98 (37) |
86 (30) |
78 (26) |
104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 69.7 (20.9) |
73.6 (23.1) |
80.7 (27.1) |
85.3 (29.6) |
90.4 (32.4) |
95.9 (35.5) |
96.1 (35.6) |
95.9 (35.5) |
92.5 (33.6) |
82.8 (28.2) |
76.8 (24.9) |
72.6 (22.6) |
97.7 (36.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52.7 (11.5) |
56.5 (13.6) |
64.7 (18.2) |
73.0 (22.8) |
80.5 (26.9) |
86.7 (30.4) |
89.6 (32.0) |
88.6 (31.4) |
83.2 (28.4) |
73.4 (23.0) |
62.4 (16.9) |
54.7 (12.6) |
72.2 (22.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 42.5 (5.8) |
45.9 (7.7) |
53.3 (11.8) |
61.0 (16.1) |
69.7 (20.9) |
76.6 (24.8) |
79.8 (26.6) |
78.8 (26.0) |
73.3 (22.9) |
62.5 (16.9) |
51.7 (10.9) |
45.1 (7.3) |
61.7 (16.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 32.3 (0.2) |
35.3 (1.8) |
41.8 (5.4) |
49.1 (9.5) |
58.8 (14.9) |
66.5 (19.2) |
70.0 (21.1) |
69.0 (20.6) |
63.3 (17.4) |
51.6 (10.9) |
40.9 (4.9) |
35.4 (1.9) |
51.2 (10.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 17.1 (−8.3) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
36.3 (2.4) |
45.9 (7.7) |
58.2 (14.6) |
63.4 (17.4) |
63.5 (17.5) |
53.1 (11.7) |
37.1 (2.8) |
27.7 (−2.4) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
15.9 (−8.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 5 (−15) |
6 (−14) |
14 (−10) |
29 (−2) |
37 (3) |
50 (10) |
52 (11) |
57 (14) |
42 (6) |
29 (−2) |
19 (−7) |
7 (−14) |
5 (−15) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.02 (128) |
4.86 (123) |
4.95 (126) |
4.19 (106) |
3.47 (88) |
4.59 (117) |
5.09 (129) |
4.42 (112) |
3.56 (90) |
3.62 (92) |
4.19 (106) |
4.96 (126) |
52.92 (1,343) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.8 (2.06) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.5 | 10.6 | 9.7 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 10.8 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 7.9 | 6.8 | 8.2 | 10.4 | 113.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020) | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 531 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,048 | 97.4% | |
| 1890 | 803 | −23.4% | |
| 1900 | 877 | 9.2% | |
| 1910 | 970 | 10.6% | |
| 1920 | 1,060 | 9.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,065 | 0.5% | |
| 1940 | 1,204 | 13.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,741 | 44.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,014 | 73.1% | |
| 1970 | 4,105 | 36.2% | |
| 1980 | 4,132 | 0.7% | |
| 1990 | 3,635 | −12.0% | |
| 2000 | 3,829 | 5.3% | |
| 2010 | 4,724 | 23.4% | |
| 2020 | 4,235 | −10.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,126 | 26.59% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,247 | 53.06% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.24% |
| Asian | 124 | 2.93% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.07% |
| Other/Mixed | 146 | 3.45% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 583 | 13.77% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,235 people, 1,195 households, and 771 families residing in the city.
Infrastructure
Transit systems
MARTA and Xpress GA/Georgia RTA buses serve the city.
Movies and literature
Many of the scenes from the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit were filmed in Jonesboro. Another 1977 movie, the obscure 'In Hot Pursuit (aka The Polk County Pot Plane), was filmed in and around Jonesboro.
Tara, the fictional plantation in Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind was supposed to be located approximately five miles outside of Jonesboro, the closest town.
"We Are Marshall" was briefly filmed at Tara Stadium in Jonesboro. The stadium was changed from green to light blue and light yellow for the scene.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) album cover was photographed near the corner of Mill and Main streets.
Landmarks
- Rural Home (now demolished)
- Stately Oaks
Education
Clayton County Public Schools operates public schools.
Notable people
- Dan T. Cathy (born 1953), CEO of Chick-fil-A
- Chidi "Chi Chi" Osondu, Nigerian-American record producer and songwriter
- Tashard Choice, former running back in National Football League
- Harry Douglas, former NFL wide receiver
- Toney Douglas (born 1986), basketball player for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Jesse Fuller, Afro-American blues musician
- Sister Mary Melanie Holliday, Catholic nun
- Garrett Liberty, racing driver
- Steve Lundquist, two-time gold medal swimmer in 1984 Olympics
- Johnny Nave, racing driver
- Thomas Milton Rivers, bacteriologist and virologist with the Rockefeller Institute, Rear Admiral of the U.S. Navy
- Adam Smith (born 1992), basketball player for Hapoel Holon in the Israel Basketball Premier League
- Annie Fitzgerald Stephens, landowner and businesswoman, grandmother of Margaret Mitchell
- Cameron Sutton, cornerback for the Detroit Lions
- M. J. Walker, shooting guard for Florida State
References
- "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Jonesboro, GA - City History". www.jonesboroga.com. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 234. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- "City History." (Archive) City of Jonesboro. Retrieved on September 21, 2012.
- Georgia Department of Economic Development. "Clayton County International Park". Explore Georgia.
- "Jonesboro voters elect Dr. Donya Sartor as their first-ever Black mayor". March 24, 2023.
- "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Jonesboro, GA". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Atlanta". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
External links
Media related to Jonesboro, Georgia at Wikimedia Commons- City of Jonesboro
| Municipalities and communities of Clayton County, Georgia, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Jonesboro | ||
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
