[Daniel_T]

Hi there, I have been accepted to ASU and would like to know from your perspective, what Jonesboro is like? I have family in Arkansas (russellville) and like that area and would like to know if the two areas are similar,

Is Jonesboro a clean city? Is it all run-down or is it pretty kept up and safe? I would appreciate you responses.

Thanks,

Daniel

[northbound74]

Clean enough, I guess. The campus isn't too bad.
Very flat. Lot's of mosquitos, thanks to the surrounding rice fields.
Crime rate could be better, but not horrible.
Memphis is an hour away, and the Ozarks foothills are an hour in the other direction.
Sleepy town. Not as dominated by the college as you'd think for such a small town. It definitely has an impact, though.
Probably a bit different than Russellville culturally speaking. The Delta region is... different.

[HotSpringsLiving]

Sorry I cannot compare to Russellville, as I have never been there.

I went to college at ASU as well. I was orginally from the Delta, so it was not foreign to me. The Delta is very flat. However, Jonesboro lies along Crowley's Ridge which offers a few sparse hills to the town.
The town is clean as far as I could tell. ASU campus is ever-changing. This usually meant construction material in lots of places. Otherwise, the campus is nice and clean as well.

There are some older residential areas of town that have definitely seen better days. However, as a college student unless you live in those areas, you would never have to see many of these parts. There is what most people consider a poor area of the town just north of the college. There are many college students that rent here though. I would recommend living on campus, at least for a couple of years. It is much cheaper and with the recent improvements campus housing has become much nicer. Plus you cannot beat just walking a few minutes to class. Finding parking was something I dreaded there.

I almost always felt safe in Jonesboro. I cannot recall many times I did not. Maybe once when I made the trip to WalMart by myself a little too late at night. Just be aware of your surroundings if alone, which could be said of anywhere.

Good luck on your college career! Have fun and go to class. You'd be surprised how well you can do by just going to class!

[grmasterb]

Went to ASU myself. The campus has greatly improved over the years. Jonesboro is a clean town, but also very conservative. That, combined with Craighead County being dry, means Jonesboro lacks the true college-town atmosphere found in Fayetteville (i.e. Dickson Street).

[RogMar]

It's in a dry county, but has enough "private clubs" that you don't notice the "dry" thing.

We go over there to eat every now and then. It's got some decent places for whatever food mood you're in.

[HotSpringsLiving]

So true about the supposedly "dry" county. A $5 annual membership suffices at most of the private clubs. Trumann, Paragould, or Harrisburg are nearby for Package Stores.
There sure was alot of hydration around to be a dry county!

[gthog61]

In addition to going to class, READ WHAT IS LISTED ON THE SYLLABUS BEFORE YOU GO. You get a lot more out of the class if you have some idea beforehand what the prof will be discussing.

I tell that to every kid I know entering college and they hardly ever do it but it makes things so much easier.

[Daniel_T]

thanks so much. No offense to anyone but is it very religious in Jonesboro? Religion is fine but I don't like it being forced onto me and I kinda get that feeling in Russellville and surrounding areas. If your not one of them, your nobody. I don't like that. I'm more conservative so I think I wouldn't have a problem with that. Dry county is fine too. I don't drink.

A few more questions. 1. Is there a bus system in Jonesboro? At least something to get around.
2.What sorts of things are there to do in Jonesboro? In the city and recreational? I love the outdoors.
3. Is it really out in the middle of nowhere? I know Memphis and Little Rock are a ways away. Never lived in a "small" town or city before. And people on here say the Delta region is "different". What do you mean by that?

BTW I live in Arizona and have only been to Arkansas one time for 3 weeks in 2005. So I don't know much about the state.!

Thanks much,

Daniel

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by Daniel_T

thanks so much. No offense to anyone but is it very religious in Jonesboro? Religion is fine but I don't like it being forced onto me and I kinda get that feeling in Russellville and surrounding areas. If your not one of them, your nobody. I don't like that. I'm more conservative so I think I wouldn't have a problem with that. Dry county is fine too. I don't drink.

A few more questions. 1. Is there a bus system in Jonesboro? At least something to get around.
2.What sorts of things are there to do in Jonesboro? In the city and recreational? I love the outdoors.
3. Is it really out in the middle of nowhere? I know Memphis and Little Rock are a ways away. Never lived in a "small" town or city before. And people on here say the Delta region is "different". What do you mean by that?

BTW I live in Arizona and have only been to Arkansas one time for 3 weeks in 2005. So I don't know much about the state.!

Thanks much,

Daniel

It is religious, but people don't seem too overbearing about it.

Check the city website for current bus system info. They recently had one, but grounded it because of fuel prices. Not sure if it's back up yet.

Hunting, fishing, golf. Being a college town adds a little to the plate. Jonesboro has some decent city parks, and an okay downtown. Memphis is a very short drive.

Different means the culture is probably not what you're used to. Nothing as drastic as it once would have been a few years ago, but still very different.

[Kaye02]

Originally Posted by northbound74

It is religious, but people don't seem too overbearing about it.

Check the city website for current bus system info. They recently had one, but grounded it because of fuel prices. Not sure if it's back up yet.

Hunting, fishing, golf. Being a college town adds a little to the plate. Jonesboro has some decent city parks, and an okay downtown. Memphis is a very short drive.

Different means the culture is probably not what you're used to. Nothing as drastic as it once would have been a few years ago, but still very different.

They stopped the city bus system? When did that happen? The website says it's operating now.

To the OP: Jonesboro is not exactly the most exciting town in the world, but it is clean and relatively safe. Like someone else said, stay out of "Apartment City." There are some bible thumpers but since you'll be in college you'll most likely encounter more open minded people. Besides that, there's really not much to say about J-town. From what I've observed, most young people only stay for a short time after graduating college and then move on.