| Official Name: | Jonesboro, Georgia |
| Flag Size: | 110px |
| Seal Size: | 90px |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Logo of Jonesboro, Georgia.svg |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 105px |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | Metro Atlanta |
| Pushpin Label: | Jonesboro |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Leader Name: | Donya Sartor |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 7.76 |
| Area Land Km2: | 7.71 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.05 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.00 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 2.98 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.02 |
| Population Total: | 4235 |
| Population Density Km2: | 549.16 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1422.10 |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 33.5244°N -84.3542°W |
| Elevation M: | 280 |
| Elevation Ft: | 919 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 30236-30238 |
| Blank Info: | 13-42604[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0332118[3] |
Jonesboro is a city in and the county seat of Clayton County, Georgia, United States.[4] 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.
Jonesboro was inhabited by settlers as early as 1821, as a result of the Treaty of Indian Springs,[5] and it was founded as Leaksville in 1823.[6] 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.[7]
Jonesboro hosted the beach volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympics with the artificial beach created at Clayton County International Park.[8] Jonesboro elected their first Black Mayor, Dr. Sonya Sartor, in March 2023.[9]
Jonesboro is located at (33.524512, -84.354290).[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6sqmi, of which 2.6sqmi is land and 0.1sqmi (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.
| 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% |
MARTA and Xpress GA/Georgia RTA buses serve the city.
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.
Clayton County Public Schools operates public schools.