Jonesboro

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 Goode Jones (son of Thomas G. Jones), who was also honored by its citizens. Jonesboro hosted the beach volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympics with the artificial beach created at Clayton County International Park. Jonesboro elected its first Black Mayor, Dr. Sonya Sartor, in March 2023. In 2024, an investigation by the "FOX 5 I-Team" in Atlanta discovered that hundreds of traffic tickets had been issued improperly by robotic traffic control cameras in school zones. The city was compelled to issue refunds and an apology.

Geography

Jonesboro is located at (33.524512, −84.354290). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (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.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Georgia Cyber Academy
  Other · Atlanta · 8,876 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Lovejoy High School
  High · Hampton · 2,136 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• Morrow High School
  High · Morrow · 1,980 students · 20.6:1 ratio
• Forest Park High School
  High · Forest Park · 1,765 students · 19:1 ratio
• Charles R. Drew High School
  High · Riverdale · 1,652 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Mundy's Mill High School
  High · Jonesboro · 1,629 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Jonesboro High School
  High · Jonesboro · 1,535 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Eddie White Middle School
  Middle · Hampton · 1,438 students · 16.9:1 ratio