Jonesboro sits on Crowley's Ridge, a long, narrow rise of hills running through the flat Delta farmland of northeast Arkansas, and its roads climb onto the ridge from every direction. I-555 runs southeast from town, concurrent with US 63, toward Marked Tree and I-55 near Memphis. US 63 also heads northwest toward Hoxie and Walnut Ridge, and US 49 runs northeast to Paragould and southwest across the Delta toward Brinkley.
Inside the city, Caraway Road, Red Wolf Boulevard, Stadium Boulevard and Highland Drive carry most of the traffic, along with Johnson Avenue, Southwest Drive and Harrisburg Road. Caraway and Red Wolf are lined with shopping and restaurants and get congested at rush hour, and the I-555 interchanges fill with commuters and farm trucks. Many neighborhoods sit on rolling streets atop the ridge, while the outskirts quickly turn into straight, flat farm roads. Those long, empty stretches are fine for driving but poor places to break down, with few businesses, little shade and narrow shoulders beside deep drainage ditches.
Jonesboro Municipal Airport serves private aviation, and most air travel means a drive to Memphis. Arkansas State University anchors the east side, and the hospital campuses draw staff and visitors from across the region. JET buses serve the main corridors, but most people drive, and long distances to surrounding towns make a reliable car essential for daily life in northeast Arkansas.