Bigger homes available at lower prices in Jonesboro
About 20 miles of pine forests separate the town of Jonesboro from the larger city of Ruston, but the differences in real estate can be worlds apart. Lower home prices in Jonesboro drive many homebuyers there, including people who work in Ruston, says Hunter Green, a Realtor with Brasher Group LLC. “You can get a house and 5 acres between Ruston and Jonesboro for what you can get a house and a quarter of an acre in Ruston,” says Green, one of the top-selling agents in Jonesboro. For more than a century, Jonesboro’s economy has been anchored by a nearby paper mill, which still employs many of Jonesboro’s roughly 4,000 residents. Buyers in Jonesboro can find budget-friendly homes that are less than 30 minutes from a large lake and Ruston, a college town home to Louisiana Tech University.
Spacious lots, rental homes and five-figure sales prices
Jonesboro has a large rental market, but there are still plenty of active home listings available at any given time, Green says. “It’s a buyer’s market.” Ranch-style homes and bungalows border straight roads and line city blocks. On the outskirts of town, houses often come with several acres of land. Recent sales prices start around $40,000 and climb up to $160,000.
Dual enrollment available at Jonesboro-Hodge High School
Kids can start at Jonesboro-Hodge Elementary, before advancing to Jonesboro-Hodge Middle after fifth grade. Niche gives both schools C grades. Students at C-plus-rated Jonesboro-Hodge High can participate in dual enrollment through Louisiana Delta Community College. The college, which has a Jonesboro campus, teaches academic courses as well as career and technical education classes, such as its Structural Welding and Industrial Maintenance Technology programs.
Sports at the rec department and bass fishing at Caney
Small green spaces with playgrounds, such as Pearrie Park, dot Jonesboro. The Jackson Parish Recreation Department runs Little League softball and baseball programs, as well as youth basketball and football leagues. The department also maintains a nine-hole golf course that’s open to the public. Locals can drive about 15 miles east to Jimmie Davis State Park, where they can camp, relax on a lakeside beach or launch a boat into Caney Lake, a noted bass fishing destination.
Jonesboro lights up for Christmas Wonderland in the Pines
Five million Christmas lights turn on during the last Saturday in November, illuminating Jonesboro for the rest of the holiday season. Locals and visitors meander through town to see glowing live oaks and twinkling icicles dangling over storefronts. The lights are flipped on during a ceremony that concludes with a parade and fireworks show. Horse-drawn carriages take people on tours of the town every night until New Year’s Day.
In April, the Sunshine Festival takes over Jonesboro as antique cars line up in the Brookshire’s parking lot and bands and DJs perform downtown. The festival honors the late former Gov. Jimmie Davis, a Jackson Parish native and country music singer who wrote the tune “You Are My Sunshine.”
Churches unite to support His Hands Outreach Ministry
Several of the area’s 10-plus churches, including Jonesboro United Methodist Church and St. Lucy’s Catholic Church, support His Hands Outreach Ministry, sponsored by First Baptist Church of Jonesboro. The ministry’s downtown store gives out free groceries and clothes, helping hundreds of families in the area.
Local businesses in downtown, chains along Route 167
Brick buildings huddled along Jimmie Davis Boulevard house banks, clothing boutiques and Main St. Energy & Nutrition. Day-to-day shopping stops cluster along U.S. Route 167; Brookshire’s grocery store, Family Dollar and Walmart are located within a less-than-2-mile stretch of the highway. Route 167 extends to Jackson Parish Hospital on the north side of town.
Highways 167 and 4 route throughout Jackson Parish
Jonesboro lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 167 and Louisiana Highway 4. Residents who don’t work in the paper mill or timber industry may have jobs at the local hospital, Walmart or Jackson Parish Correctional Center, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility. It’s roughly a 20-mile drive to Ruston, a common destination for commuters. From there, drivers can merge onto Interstate 20, which extends 70 miles to Shreveport. Fifty miles from Jonesboro, planes depart Monroe Regional Airport and fly directly to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
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Alex Soderstrom
