Jonesboro, one of the state's most progressive cities, was established in 1859 among the rolling hills of Crowley's Ridge in northeast Arkansas. Downtown is filled with gift shops, restaurants, art galleries, a day spa and an active civic center called the Forum. Arkansas State University offers one of the mid-South's finest museums, a fine arts center and an indoor sports/entertainment complex. Crowley's Ridge Nature Center will open at the southern edge of Jonesboro in the spring of 2004 providing an interesting tour of the natural wonders of the region, plus serve as a stop along Crowley's Ridge National Scenic Byway.