Jonesboro, Georgia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jonesboro is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,829 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Clayton County.^GR6

The city's name was originally spelled Jonesborough, and 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 of 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.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Movies & Literature
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Jonesboro is located at 33°31′28″N, 84°21′15″W (33.524512, -84.354290).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²). 6.7 km² (2.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.89%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,829 people, 1,466 households, and 1,023 families residing in the city. The population density was 570.8/km² (1,477.4/mi²). There were 1,561 housing units at an average density of 232.7/km² (602.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.63% White, 30.79% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.31% Pacific Islander, 3.45% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.55% of the population.

There were 1,466 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 25.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,951, and the median income for a family was $39,143. Males had a median income of $29,236 versus $25,797 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,178. About 19.2% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 19.7% of those age 65 or over.

The high percentage of those below the poverty line may be explained by the presence of a multi-unit public housing complex within the city limits.

It should also be noted that although the population listed above includes those living within the city limits, the city limits is a small area and includes only a fraction of households with "Jonesboro" addresses. Jonesboro is part of the greater Metropolitan Atlanta area. As a result, although some residual elements of small town life are still to be found, since the early 1960s its position as an Atlanta suburb is the primary factor driving economic and demographic changes.

[edit] Movies & Literature

Many of the scenes from the 1977 hit Smokey and the Bandit where filmed in Jonesboro, GA.

Tara, the well-known fictional plantation from Margaret Mitchell's classic novel "Gone with the Wind" was supposed to be located approximately 5 miles outside of Jonesboro, the closest town.