Best Web Design in Jonesboro, AR (2026)

Web Design for Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is the largest city in northeast Arkansas, seat of Craighead County, and a regional hub for education, healthcare, retail, and food processing perched on the loess uplands of Crowley's Ridge. It grew from a sawmill town into a rice-and-agriculture powerhouse and is home to Arkansas State University and one of the world's largest rice mills. Its history runs from a bizarre 1931 'Church War' that drew in the National Guard to the tragic 1998 Westside school shooting.

AppWT works with Jonesboro, AR businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Jonesboro

Also known as. People, Pride, Progress (city motto). Regional hub of Northeast Arkansas.

History. Founded in 1859 as the seat of newly formed Craighead County, laid out by J.N. Burk on land donated by Fergus Snoddy and named for state senator William A. Jones. Originally spelled 'Jonesborough' before being shortened. Prospered as a sawmilling town until local timber was largely exhausted around 1910, then shifted to an agricultural market and processing center. Around 1910 area farmers began growing rice, leading to the 1930 creation of what was then the world's largest rice mill. In 1931 the 'Church War' between rival preachers Joe Jeffers and Dow H. Heard grew so heated that Governor Harvey Parnell sent in the Arkansas National Guard, drawing national headlines. On March 24, 1998, two boys aged 11 and 13 opened fire from woods outside Westside Middle School, killing four students and a teacher and wounding ten others.

Local economy. A regional agricultural processing center for rice, cotton, and soybeans, and a food-industry hub. Home to Riceland Foods facilities, including a Jonesboro rice mill long described as the world's largest, plus plants for companies such as Frito-Lay, ConAgra, Post (Kraft), and Nestle. Largest employers are Arkansas State University and St. Bernards Medical Center, with NEA Baptist another major healthcare provider. By 2024 the metro population topped 138,000, cementing Jonesboro as the economic and cultural center of northeast Arkansas.

Culture and community. The Downtown Jonesboro BBQ & Music Fest pairs a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned Arkansas State Championship (over $13,000 in prizes) with two nights of live music. Arkansas State University Red Wolves athletics drive much of the city's sports culture. A Downtown Entertainment District approved in 2024 has spurred street festivals, nightlife, and revitalized brick-storefront venues.

What makes Jonesboro distinct. The 1931 'Church War' pitted followers of two preachers against each other so intensely that the National Guard was deployed and the standoff made the front page of The New York Times. The city sits on Crowley's Ridge, a rare loess formation whose deep windblown silt geology exists in only a few places on Earth. Because it stands on high ground, Jonesboro escaped the devastating 1927 Mississippi flood that swamped its low-lying neighbors. Its Riceland mill has been billed as the largest rice mill in the world.

Jonesboro Landmarks and Local Life

• Arkansas State University - founded in 1909 atop Crowley's Ridge on roughly 1,376 acres, the flagship of the ASU System and the state's second-largest university
• Crowley's Ridge - a crescent-shaped, windblown-loess rise that is the highest ground in northeast Arkansas
• Craighead Forest Park - featuring a roughly 60-acre fishing lake and recreation facilities
• The Mall at Turtle Creek - once northeast Arkansas's largest mall, which suffered heavy tornado damage in 2020