Jonesboro () is a city in Union County,

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. The population was 1,821 at the 2010 census, a decline from 1,853 in 2000. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Union County. The city is known for being tied to its close neighbor Anna, together known as Anna-Jonesboro.

History

Jonesboro was named for Doctor Jones, a pioneer settler. It was the location of the third of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, on September 15, 1858. The Trail of Tears State Forest is nearby.

Geography

Jonesboro is located at (37.451126, -89.268566). According to the 2010 census, Jonesboro has a total area of , of which (or 99.78%) is land and (or 0.22%) is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,853 people, 740 households, and 489 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 792 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.87%

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, 0.65%

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, 0.59% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.76% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population. There were 740 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,441, and the median income for a family was $40,066. Males had a median income of $31,691 versus $24,464 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,372. About 12.5% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Jonesboro Elementary School District, which operates Jonesboro Elementary School (JES), and by Anna-Jonesboro Community High School in Anna.

References

External links

Mr. Lincoln and Freedom: Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Jonesboro1994 reenactment of Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Jonesboro
televised by

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{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Union County, Illinois County seats in Illinois