The City of Jonesboro is on the emergency 911 system. For Police or Fire Emergencies Dial 911.
Non Emergency Numbers Listed Below
The following are the non emergency numbers for the City of Jonesboro;
Mayor's Office City Attorney City Clerk City Collector
515 W Washington Ave 410 W Washington Ave 515 W Washington Ave 515 W Washington Ave
Jonesboro, Ar 72401 Jonesboro, Ar 72401 Jonesboro, Ar 72401 Jonesboro, Ar 72401
870.932.1052 870.932.0917 870.935.0305 870.932.3042
Harold Perrin Phillip Crego Donna Jackson
Police Department Fire Administration Sanitation Department Information Systems
410 W Washington Ave 3215 Johnson Ave 1624 Strawfloor Ave 515 W Washington Ave
Jonesboro, Ar 72401 Jonesboro, Ar 72401 Jonesboro, Ar 72404 Jonesboro, Ar 72401
870.935.5553 870.932.2428 870.932.7520 870.933.4611
For additional information try the City of Jonesboro website.
To purchase auto license plates you need to contact the ; State Revenue Office
206 Southwest Dr
Jonesboro, Ar 72401
870.932.2716
Dept of Finance Website
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Jonesboro Information
City Services
For EMERGENCY contact of police department, fire department, or
ambulance services please DIAL 911. If you need to contact the police
dept., fire dept., or an ambulance company in a non emergency situation
please use the non emergency numbers, 911 can not help you with these
calls and should never be used for anything other than an actual emergency.
When you needlessly tie the 911 lines up you may be placing someone
elses life at risk. Please call 911 only in an actual emergency.
Jonesboro's History FROM THE JONESBORO.ORG WEBSITE
The following is a highly-requested brief history and list of little known facts about Jonesboro and its past. We
hope to have some more information soon.
History of Jonesboro
The first settlers in what is now Jonesboro and Craighead County were the Indians. When white men began to
arrive in Arkansas, they found the territory inhabited by Osages, Caddoes, and Quapaws. The Osages were
warlike buffalo hunters who roved over northern Arkansas and the upper valleys of the Arkansas River. The
Caddoes were peaceful farmers who lived along the streams of southwest Arkansas. The Quapaws (or
Arkansas) Indians inhabited the east central part. It is from them that the name Arkansas (land of the Arkansas
Indian) came. Voyagers, trappers, Indian traders, and adventurers were here shortly after 1800 trafficking with
the Indians for furs and pelts, but no attempt at permanent settlement was made prior to 1815.
Jonesboro, located on Crowley's Ridge and bordering the Mississippi delta, was selected as permanent seat of
justice in 1859 when the county was formed out of parts of Mississippi, Greene, and Poinsett counties.
Jonesboro was named after William A. Jones for his support of the legislative act creating the county. The
county, itself, received its name through a practical joke. Senator Thomas B. Craighead, who represented
Crittenden and Mississippi counties, was against the formation of the county and campaigned actively against
it. Senator Jones waited until a day when Craighead was absent to call for a vote on the act. Senator Craighead
didn't know anything about it until he got back and found that the county had been named for him.
After Jonesboro had been selected as the permanent seat of justice, a two-story frame court house was
planned. The site was chosen because it had the highest elevation in the city limits. (Of course, the city has
spread out over outlying hills, so this is no longer the case.) After the site was chosen, however, the plans for
the building were delayed because the building would be right in the middle of a deer trail and the early settlers
didn't want to ruin the good deer hunting. Finally, the structure was built and stood until February 14, 1869
when it was consumed by fire. A frame store across the street was then rented and used as a court house until
1876, when it also burned. A similar building was then erected on the same ground and used as a court house
until 1878 when it was destroyed in a general fire which burned most of the businesses in the downtown area.
This fire reportedly started in a bar room brawl. Soon after, the court house, which is still standing, was built.
The yard of this court house was the scene of a minor skirmish during the civil war.
The first railroads reached Jonesboro in 1881, when the Cotton Belt Railroad laid its tracks just north of town.
The first train stuck on a hill outside of town and the supplies had to be carried up the hill. Today, the Missouri
Pacific, St. Louis San Francisco Railroad, Burlington Northern, and Cotton Belt railroads provide the city with
daily scheduled arrivals and departures.
Today, Jonesboro has established itself as the perennial hub of Northeast Arkansas' agricultural production. To
the east lies the alluvial cotton delta and to the southwest is the fertile rice land. Large farms produce
soybeans, rice, cotton, fish, and livestock. One of the world's two largest rice mills, Riceland Rice, is located
here.
The city has not limited itself to agriculture. It is the trade, cultural, and medical center of a 7,000 square mile
area. Because of its shopping centers, shops, restaurants, and other attractions, Jonesboro has become the
major trade center for 500,000 people in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri. Jonesboro has a modern
hospital which has been serving the area since 1902. The Arkansas Services Center provides the area with the
most extensive medical facilities available. Jonesboro has several hospitals including St. Bernard's Regional
Medical Center, Methodist Hospital, Northeast Arkansas Rehabilitation Hospital, and Green Leaf Center.
Jonesboro has been called the "City of Churches." It has more than 75 churches representing most major
denominations. First Baptist Church and First Methodist Church are two of the oldest, coming to the city
between 1911 and 1916.
Jonesboro is the home of Arkansas State University, the second largest institution of higher learning in the
state. The arts and drama departments and the historical museum on campus provide a cultural background
for the city
Miscellaneous Historical Facts About Jonesboro
At the time Jonesboro was incorporated, it had a population of 150.
1860, the first complete census was made in Jonesboro, totaling 1,160.
In 1900, Jonesboro's first real department store was established -- The Grand Leader Department Store.
In 1903, the first long distance calls were made by Southwestern Telephone and Telegraph Company.
In 1904, Woodland College was opened, located where Annie Camp Junior High School is at present. North and
East Schools were established.
Also in 1904, Jonesboro first heard its own band, the Jonesboro Military Band, a 20-piece group, which
performed on the Bandstand at Courthouse Square, where the Soldier's Monument is now located.
In 1906, the first sewer lines were established, gravity fed lines as deep as 28 feet.
In 1907, the following were established: West School, South School, and the Y.M.C.A.
In 1909, Jonesboro saw its first horseless carriages which included the one-cylinder Cadillac and Reo. The Reo
had a top speed of 18 miles per hour, and it took two hours to get to Nettleton (now part of Jonesboro's city
limits) and six hours to Paragould, Arkansas (24 miles away).
In 1910, Jonesboro started growing rice, now one of its largest crops. At that time, water was provided by steam
pumps and contour levees.In 1909, the State Agriculture School was established at Jonesboro, the beginning
of Arkansas State University. Also that year, the downtown was paved and kept clean with a horse-drawn
sweeper.
In September 1910, Jonesboro was honored with a visit by William Jennings Bryant, the famous stateman.
By 1911, Jonesboro saw its first Jonesboro High School graduation. There was a highway engineer in each
county. Jonesboro had its first Trade Week and its first Craighead County Fair. Between 1911 and 1916, three
new churches were established -- Presbyterian, First Baptist, and First Methodist.
In 1912, a new lighting system was put in for the streets of Jonesboro.
In 1914, John W. Snyder, famous American banker and administrator, graduated from Jonesboro High School
Jonesboro's Boy Scouts Council was formed.In 1930, the summer was one of the hottest on record. There was
no rain for 76 days. On June 10, the temperature was 111 degrees, there were twelve days over 105 degrees,
and there was a severe water shortage. In January of 1931, there were 150,000 people hungry in Northeast
Arkansas due to crop failures. Eggs were $.05 per dozen, cotton sold for $.045 - $.05 per pound. It was the
middle of the Depression Era, and in 1931, the Bank of Jonesboro failed.