El Dorado, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
El Dorado is a city in Union County, Arkansas
, USA
. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 18,884. The city is the county seat
of Union County, and is headquarters of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission as well as large corporations and Fortune 500
companies such as Murphy Oil Corporation, Deltic Timber Corporation, and Lion Oil Refinery
. The city contains a community college, South Arkansas Community College
("SouthArk"), a multi-cultural arts center: South Arkansas Arts Center (SAAC), an award-winning renovated downtown, and numerous sporting, shopping, and dining opportunities. El Dorado is the population, cultural, and business center of the 7,300 mi² (11,748.21 km²) regional area. The city is best known as being the heart of the 1920s oil boom in South Arkansas, earning it the nickname “Arkansas’s Original Boomtown”. El Dorado is located about 100 miles (160.9 km) from Little Rock
.
in the state of Arkansas
and borders the state of Louisiana
. The area has the unique feature of sharing its border with eight counties and parishes: Ouachita County, Arkansas; Calhoun County, Arkansas; Bradley County, Arkansas
; Columbia County, Arkansas
; Ashley County, Arkansas; Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
; Union Parish, Louisiana
; and Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
. The city of El Dorado is the largest urban
population center in the region.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 16.3 square miles (42.2 km²), of which 16.3 square miles (42.2 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.31%) is water.
: In Arkansas, the West Gulf Coastal Plain covers the southeastern and south central portions of the state along the border of Louisiana. This Lowland area of Arkansas is characterized by pine forests and farmlands. Natural resources include natural gas, petroleum deposits and beds of bromine
flats. The lowest point in the state is found on the Ouachita River in the West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas. El Dorado is located about 28 miles (45.1 km) to the west of Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge
, the world's largest green tree reservoir
.
: Cfa). El Dorado is hot during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 90's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 92.70 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 32.90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 22 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 23 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at El Dorado is 54.11 inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is May with an average rainfall of 5.49 inches.
airport, both of which are owned by the city. The South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field
offers mostly private aircraft, as well as commercial service via one airline carrier. El Dorado's second airport is located within the city limits and closer to the downtown area. The El Dorado Downtown Airport has flights in and out for local industries, including Fortune 500
oil and gas companies and those who own small private planes have the option to lease or own their own hangar
.
SeaPort Airlines
offers scheduled flights from Goodwin Field to Dallas, Texas
; Harrison, Arkansas
; Hot Springs, Arkansas
; Jonesboro, Arkansas
; Kansas City, Missouri
; and Memphis, Tennessee
.
of Arkansas. Other utility companies serving El Dorado and surrounding areas include Centerpoint Energy
(natural gas), Southern Lp-Gas Inc (Liquid Gas
), Bcs Inc (Commercial and Residential Bottled Gas, Metered Gas Service), Suddenlink Television (Cable TV, Internet and Phone), Verizon Wireless
, AT&T
(residential and wireless phone services), among others.
The Med Center is also home to the Heart and Vascular Institute. The Cardiovascular Services Center, located on the campus of the Medical Center of South Arkansas, is a regional leader in cardiovascular care, offering one of the largest and most comprehensive programs, from cardiac to interventional to surgical care.
A Women’s Center is also located on campus and provides healthcare to women in our community and surrounding areas. It also has one of the only Neonatal Specialty Care Units in the state, for even the tiniest and most critical patients.
Outpatient services include one-day surgery, speech therapy, physical and occupational therapies, hyperbaric oxygen therapy
, wound care, a gastroenterology
laboratory, and radiation therapy. Other support services include home health care and senior health center.
With more than 40 million dollars in facility and equipment improvements since 1996, this modern facility provides state-of-the-art technologies, including open MRI, PET imaging, interventional radiology
and digital mammography with CAD over-read capabilities. The Med Center has more than 100 primary care and specialty physicians on staff, providing a wide range of medical and surgical specialties.
Chaplaincy Services and Education at MCSA provides spiritual care, emotional support, and crisis ministry to Medical Center of South Arkansas patients, their families, and MCSA employees.
of 2000, there were 21,530 people, 8,686 households, and 5,732 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,323.3 people per square mile (510.9/km²). There were 9,891 housing units at an average density of 607.9 per square mile (234.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.66% White
, 44.18% Black
or African American
, 0.20% Native American
, 0.71% Asian
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
, 0.39% from other races
, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 8,686 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples
living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. Of 8,686 households, 304 are unmarried partner households: 243 heterosexual, 19 same-sex male, and 42 same-sex female. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,045, and the median income for a family was $34,753. Males had a median income of $30,876 versus $19,211 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,332. About 20.0% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.3% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Starting with the class of 2007, The El Dorado Promise is a unique scholarship program established and funded by Murphy Oil Corporation. The Promise provides graduates of El Dorado High School with a scholarship covering tuition and mandatory fees that can be used at any accredited two- or four-year public or private educational institution in the US. The maximum amount payable is up to the highest annual resident tuition at an Arkansas public university.
A new high school construction is currently underway with an expected completion date of June 2011. The new school is for 1,500 students and will be a 320,000-sq-ft, 2-story structure made of wood, masonry, concrete, and steel. Located in the original 1920s oil field, the project includes a 2,000 seat arena/gymnasium, 450-seat fine arts auditorium, and seven classroom zones on a site totaling 62 acres.
Murphy Oil
’s $50 million gift to education in El Dorado set the wheels in motion for the new school.
The new EHS will also include more than 100 classrooms and instructional spaces, six dedicated computer labs, media center, theater with sloped and tiered lecture
seating, a basketball arena, 75-seat “black box” theatre, 13 science
labs, “Main Street” circulation corridors and central octunda, and an 8000 sq ft (743.2 m²) student dining/commons with serving area.
Key Facts:
South Arkansas Community College
(SouthARK), is a public two-year institution
providing educational programs, services, and resources for students. SouthArk offers degrees and certificates in health sciences, industrial technologies, liberal arts
, and business. For students who want to obtain two years of education and transfer to a four-year college, SouthArk offers the Associate of Arts degree, the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree, and a number of associates degrees with professional emphasis. SouthArk is a leading institution for training health care professionals in Arkansas. Programs include, but are not limited to: Nursing, Emergency Medical Technology, Health Information Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, and Surgical Technology.
Wildcat Baseball Field and Ladycat Softball Field.
is an arboretum
and botanical garden
owned by the local school system but operated as Arkansas's 50th state park by the South Arkansas Community College
. It is located next to El Dorado High School
and is open daily except for holidays. Opened in 1965, the arboretum is Arkansas's only state park located within a city. It includes more than two miles (3 km) of paved trails.
of 116. Designed by Herman Hackbarth, the El Dorado golf course opened in 1925. Ronnie Hughes manages the course as the General Manager.
and the University of Arkansas- Monticello
.
for many years. The South Arkansas Arts Center(www.saac-arts.org), or known locally as SAAC, is an independent community-supported nonprofit organization
. The mission of the South Arkansas Arts Center in serving the people of the bi-state region is to promote, bridge, facilitate and support the ideas and forms of artistic appreciation, education, ability, confidence and cooperation for all age, cultural, social and racial groups. This 22500 square feet (2,090.3 m²) facility houses three visual art galleries, a ballet studio, a 207 seat theatre, educational classroom space, and an open studio for artists in the community.
SAAC presents a series of eight to twelve contemporary performance events each year on stage and hosts rotating art exhibitions each year of national, regional and local significance in the Merkle, Price, and Lobby art galleries. SAAC also rents its performance facilities to independent groups who present their own programs in the Callaway Theatre, a 207 seat auditorium
with a 35 feet (10.7 m) prosceniums style stage.
The Rialto was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986. It has long been rumored to be haunted. Dozens of former employees have reported unexplained footsteps, strange apparitions
and even the fleeting scent of a woman’s cologne in an upstairs bathroom. Many supernatural experts and network television teams have spent time at the Rialto.
and Choral Society. The purpose of the organization was to form a symphony orchestra which would provide an outlet for musicians in the community, especially students of unusual ability. Felix Spooner, string instructor in the local schools, was named the conductor. The first concert was performed in 1957 by a 30 piece orchestra to an audience of the same size. John Shenaut, violinist and conductor of the Shreveport Symphony was guest artist. Interest grew in the orchestra and its mission expanded to fulfill a regional role serving as the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Growth of the orchestra continued under the direction of Dr. Eloy Fominaya, Dr. Joe Barry Mullins, Jimmie Reynolds, Gerald Kiger, Richard Oliver, Dr. Richard Worthington, Alan Burdick, and Kermit Poling. All played an integral part in providing South Arkansas access to high quality artistic music through extensive touring, recording, and community education concerts. All activity benefited the South Arkansas region, both in terms of economic and cultural impact.
Currently, Kermit Poling
is fulfilling his 16th year as conductor with Scott Watkins serving as Executive Director. The South Arkansas Symphony performs five concerts per season, as well as several educational concerts. This professional orchestra also performs several special events, such as the community concert that honors Martin Luther King. The South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is the largest performing arts organization in South Arkansas.
Festival hosted by the South Arkansas Historical Foundation the first Saturday of each May which coincides with a crawfish boil, "Battle of the Bands", a bike show/one day motorcycle rally, a motorcycle parade, a pool tournament, and other activities. The official name of the event is "Bugs, Bands and Bikes".
The city hosts a Fantastic Fourth Celebration during July (including a 5k run, an antique car show, and fireworks), the SouthArk Outdoor Expo in September, the two-day MusicFest: a music festival which takes place the first weekend in October each year. The event takes up eight city blocks and features over 30 acts on five stages. Past headliners have included Toby Keith
, the Charlie Daniels Band, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Tracy Lawrence
, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
, John Anderson
, Eddie Money
, Blues Traveler
, Jack Ingram
, Joe Nichols, Patrice Pike
and Trout Fishing in America. The event received the Festival of the Year Award in 2009 by the Arkansas Festival & Event Association in 2008. The city hosts many winter holiday events, including the Festival of Lights and the largest Christmas parade in the state.
style seating and theatre
seating for up to 2,500. In addition to the main hall, there are 5 small meeting rooms that are capable of being joined together or separated by moveable walls to allow for many classroom, meeting or training arrangements. A full commercial kitchen facilitates catering and banquet dining. The building houses enrollment management functions for South Arkansas Community College
. This area includes a bookstore, café, meeting rooms, counseling, curriculum and financial advisement, training and testing rooms.
, the third and current courthouse boasts 40 freestanding ionic exterior columns spanning four stories, and a richly detailed marble two-story atrium
with art deco
accents. The exterior medallions of the scales of justice
and lanterns of light signify the search for truth. The building's largest courtroom features a walnut wainscot, painting and scoring on textured plaster walls to resemble stone, and an ornately detailed plaster cast ceiling of gilded rosettes. Back when the square was flanked by log cabin structures there was a large duck pond on this site. Emigrants camped on its banks. Many pioneer citizens recorded incidents where deer and even bears came to drink – and hunters would frequently bag their dinner by shooting the wild ducks that lit there in the mid-1800. It was filled in under contract by Ben Mathews.
, and El Dorado Broadcasting.
El Dorado Broadcasting owns:
Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation owns and operates five radio stations:
The public radio station is:
All three transmitters are located east of El Dorado, in Huttig, Arkansas
. While KTVE no longer considers El Dorado their primary newsroom, the station is licensed to El Dorado by the FCC. The station moved primary operations to Monroe, Louisiana
in 1988.
Over the air HD
television programming is currently available for two of the four major networks:
K18AB
is a translator station of KNOE
, the CBS
affiliate in Monroe, Louisiana
. However, the translator broadcasts KNOE's full HD
signal; a major service to the HD viewers in Union County who cannot receive KNOE's main digital signal broadcasting from Columbia, Louisiana
; over 75 miles (120.7 km) away.
Additionally, over the air television programming is also available from KETZ-DT, the AETN/PBS
affiliate for El Dorado. Currently, KETZ broadcasts HD programming on channel 12.1, in 720p
resolution.
El Dorado is also served by stations broadcast from nearby Shreveport
and Monroe, Louisiana
:
Monroe:
Print
El Dorado is also served by the El Dorado News-Times, one of the oldest newspapers in South Arkansas. El Dorado News Times is a daily newspaper covering local news, sports, business, jobs, and community events.
El Dorado News-Times is owned by the Walter E. Hussman
Company (WEHCO), owner of the state's largest newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
. The newspaper's Sunday edition is called South Arkansas Sunday News.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 18,884. The city is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Union County, and is headquarters of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission as well as large corporations and Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies such as Murphy Oil Corporation, Deltic Timber Corporation, and Lion Oil Refinery
Lion Oil
Lion Oil Company was established in 1922. Thomas Harry Barton was instrumental in the development of the company.In 1955, Lion Oil was sold to the Monsanto Company along with what is now El Dorado Chemical Company. Lion Oil is the only oil refinery Monsanto has owned...
. The city contains a community college, South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College is a public two-year college in downtown El Dorado in Union County, Arkansas.-Historical summary:...
("SouthArk"), a multi-cultural arts center: South Arkansas Arts Center (SAAC), an award-winning renovated downtown, and numerous sporting, shopping, and dining opportunities. El Dorado is the population, cultural, and business center of the 7,300 mi² (11,748.21 km²) regional area. The city is best known as being the heart of the 1920s oil boom in South Arkansas, earning it the nickname “Arkansas’s Original Boomtown”. El Dorado is located about 100 miles (160.9 km) from Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
.
Geography
El Dorado is located at 33°12′49"N 92°39′45"W (33.213521, -92.662553). in Union County, Arkansas in the southern part of the state. Union County is the largest countyCounty
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
in the state of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and borders the state of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The area has the unique feature of sharing its border with eight counties and parishes: Ouachita County, Arkansas; Calhoun County, Arkansas; Bradley County, Arkansas
Bradley County, Arkansas
Bradley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population to be 14,683 in 2006. The county seat is Warren. Bradley County is Arkansas's 43rd county, formed on December 18, 1840, and named for Captain Hugh Bradley, who fought in the...
; Columbia County, Arkansas
Columbia County, Arkansas
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 24,552. The county seat is Magnolia. Columbia County was formed on December 17, 1852, and was named for Christopher Columbus...
; Ashley County, Arkansas; Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.-History:The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne....
; Union Parish, Louisiana
Union Parish, Louisiana
Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville....
; and Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Bastrop. In 2000, the parish population was 31,021....
. The city of El Dorado is the largest urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
population center in the region.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 16.3 square miles (42.2 km²), of which 16.3 square miles (42.2 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.31%) is water.
Topography
El Dorado is located in the West Gulf Coastal PlainGulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
: In Arkansas, the West Gulf Coastal Plain covers the southeastern and south central portions of the state along the border of Louisiana. This Lowland area of Arkansas is characterized by pine forests and farmlands. Natural resources include natural gas, petroleum deposits and beds of bromine
Bromine
Bromine ") is a chemical element with the symbol Br, an atomic number of 35, and an atomic mass of 79.904. It is in the halogen element group. The element was isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig and Antoine Jerome Balard, in 1825–1826...
flats. The lowest point in the state is found on the Ouachita River in the West Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas. El Dorado is located about 28 miles (45.1 km) to the west of Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge
Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge
The Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge is a 64,902.14 acre wildlife refuge located in south-central Arkansas in Ashley, Bradley, and Union counties. It is the world's largest green tree reservoir....
, the world's largest green tree reservoir
Green tree reservoir
Green tree reservoirs consist of bottomland hardwood forest land which is shallowly flooded in the fall and winter.Studies have shown that the availability of flooded bottomland hardwood timber from late fall through early spring is critical to the breeding success of birds such as the mallard duck...
.
Climate
El Dorado is located in the humid subtropical zone (Köppen climate classificationKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
: Cfa). El Dorado is hot during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 90's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 92.70 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 32.90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 22 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 23 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at El Dorado is 54.11 inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is May with an average rainfall of 5.49 inches.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 63
U.S. Highway 82
U.S. Highway 167
Highway 7
Highway 15
I-69 proposed Interstate 69 (Arkansas)
Airports
El Dorado has two airports, one commercial and a small general aviationGeneral aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport, both of which are owned by the city. The South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field
South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field
South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field is a city-owned public-use airport located eight nautical miles west of the central business district of the City of El Dorado, in Union County, Arkansas, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by SeaPort...
offers mostly private aircraft, as well as commercial service via one airline carrier. El Dorado's second airport is located within the city limits and closer to the downtown area. The El Dorado Downtown Airport has flights in and out for local industries, including Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
oil and gas companies and those who own small private planes have the option to lease or own their own hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
.
SeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines is an American regional airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon. It operates scheduled service from its hubs at Portland International Airport and Memphis International Airport...
offers scheduled flights from Goodwin Field to Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
; Harrison, Arkansas
Harrison, Arkansas
Harrison is a city in Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is the county seat. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,108. Boone County was organized in 1869, during reconstruction after the civil war. Harrison was platted and made the county seat. It is...
; Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
; Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
; Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
; and Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
Utilities
El Dorado water is served locally by El Dorado Water Utilities, a private company categorized under Water and Sewage Companies-Utility. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $10 to 20 million and employs a staff of approximately 50 to 99. The electric power is provided by EntergyEntergy
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. It is headquartered in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...
of Arkansas. Other utility companies serving El Dorado and surrounding areas include Centerpoint Energy
CenterPoint Energy
CenterPoint Energy is a Fortune 500 electric and natural gas utility serving several markets in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. It was formerly known as Reliant Energy , NorAm Energy, Houston Industries, and HL&P...
(natural gas), Southern Lp-Gas Inc (Liquid Gas
Liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been converted temporarily to liquid form for ease of storage or transport....
), Bcs Inc (Commercial and Residential Bottled Gas, Metered Gas Service), Suddenlink Television (Cable TV, Internet and Phone), Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
(residential and wireless phone services), among others.
Health systems
The city and surrounding area is served by the Medical Center of South Arkansas, MCSA, accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, is a general acute-care hospital licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health. The 166-bed facility’s inpatient services include obstetrics and newborn care (with neonatal intensive care), medical care surgical care, pediatric care, intensive care, intermediate care, recuperative care, physical medicine and rehabilitation.The Med Center is also home to the Heart and Vascular Institute. The Cardiovascular Services Center, located on the campus of the Medical Center of South Arkansas, is a regional leader in cardiovascular care, offering one of the largest and most comprehensive programs, from cardiac to interventional to surgical care.
A Women’s Center is also located on campus and provides healthcare to women in our community and surrounding areas. It also has one of the only Neonatal Specialty Care Units in the state, for even the tiniest and most critical patients.
Outpatient services include one-day surgery, speech therapy, physical and occupational therapies, hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric medicine, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy , is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure. The equipment required consists of a pressure chamber, which may be of rigid or flexible construction, and a means of delivering 100% oxygen...
, wound care, a gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
laboratory, and radiation therapy. Other support services include home health care and senior health center.
With more than 40 million dollars in facility and equipment improvements since 1996, this modern facility provides state-of-the-art technologies, including open MRI, PET imaging, interventional radiology
Interventional radiology
Interventional radiology is a specialty of radiology, in which image-guided procedures are used to diagnose and treat a multitude of diseases across all body systems...
and digital mammography with CAD over-read capabilities. The Med Center has more than 100 primary care and specialty physicians on staff, providing a wide range of medical and surgical specialties.
Chaplaincy Services and Education at MCSA provides spiritual care, emotional support, and crisis ministry to Medical Center of South Arkansas patients, their families, and MCSA employees.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 21,530 people, 8,686 households, and 5,732 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,323.3 people per square mile (510.9/km²). There were 9,891 housing units at an average density of 607.9 per square mile (234.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.66% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 44.18% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.20% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.71% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.39% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 8,686 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. Of 8,686 households, 304 are unmarried partner households: 243 heterosexual, 19 same-sex male, and 42 same-sex female. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,045, and the median income for a family was $34,753. Males had a median income of $30,876 versus $19,211 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,332. About 20.0% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.3% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Schools and Education
According to the 2000 Census, 22.5% of the population age 25+ had an Associates Degree or higher. More than 400 teachers and administrators work to meet the needs of all students regardless of age, ability, or background. Approximately 50 percent of these teachers and administrators hold advanced degrees.Public
More than 4,600 students attend the 9 El Dorado Public Schools in the El Dorado School District #15. The superintendent is Bob Watson.Elementary
There are 5 Elementary Schools in the district divided into academies (K-4) and 1 (K-6):- Hugh Goodwin Elementary School of the Arts
- Murmil Heights Elementary School
- Northwest Elementary School of Environment
- Retta Brown Elementary School of Communication and Technologies
- Union Academy of Health and Wellness (K-6)
- Yocum Elementary School of Math and Science
Secondary
- Washington Middle School (5-6)
- Barton Junior High School (7-8)
- El Dorado High SchoolEl Dorado High School (Arkansas)El Dorado High School is a public secondary school located in El Dorado, Arkansas and serves students in grades 9 through 12. El Dorado High School is administered by the El Dorado School District.-Mission statement:...
(9-12)
El Dorado Promise
Starting with the class of 2007, The El Dorado Promise is a unique scholarship program established and funded by Murphy Oil Corporation. The Promise provides graduates of El Dorado High School with a scholarship covering tuition and mandatory fees that can be used at any accredited two- or four-year public or private educational institution in the US. The maximum amount payable is up to the highest annual resident tuition at an Arkansas public university.
New El Dorado High School
A new high school construction is currently underway with an expected completion date of June 2011. The new school is for 1,500 students and will be a 320,000-sq-ft, 2-story structure made of wood, masonry, concrete, and steel. Located in the original 1920s oil field, the project includes a 2,000 seat arena/gymnasium, 450-seat fine arts auditorium, and seven classroom zones on a site totaling 62 acres.
Murphy Oil
Murphy Oil
Murphy Oil Corporation is an international oil and gas company, founded in 1944 as C.H. Murphy & Co by Charle H Murphy Sr., that conducts business through various operating subsidiaries. Murphy produces oil and/or natural gas in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Republic...
’s $50 million gift to education in El Dorado set the wheels in motion for the new school.
The new EHS will also include more than 100 classrooms and instructional spaces, six dedicated computer labs, media center, theater with sloped and tiered lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
seating, a basketball arena, 75-seat “black box” theatre, 13 science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
labs, “Main Street” circulation corridors and central octunda, and an 8000 sq ft (743.2 m²) student dining/commons with serving area.
Key Facts:
- Cost: $43.3 million
- Start/Completion: March 2009/June 2011
- Owner: El Dorado Public School District #15
- General Contractor: Baldwin & Shell Construction Co., Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. - Architect: CADM Architecture Inc.
- Civil Engineer: Hunt Guillot Associates LLC, Ruston, LouisianaRuston, LouisianaRuston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
. - Structural Engineer: Engineering Consultants Inc.
- MEP Engineer: TME Inc.
Collegiate
South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College is a public two-year college in downtown El Dorado in Union County, Arkansas.-Historical summary:...
(SouthARK), is a public two-year institution
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
providing educational programs, services, and resources for students. SouthArk offers degrees and certificates in health sciences, industrial technologies, liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, and business. For students who want to obtain two years of education and transfer to a four-year college, SouthArk offers the Associate of Arts degree, the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree, and a number of associates degrees with professional emphasis. SouthArk is a leading institution for training health care professionals in Arkansas. Programs include, but are not limited to: Nursing, Emergency Medical Technology, Health Information Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, and Surgical Technology.
Private
- Maranatha Baptist Christian School (PK-12)
- West Side Christian School (PK-12) ANSAA Accredited School Website
- Light Brigade Christian Academy (PK-12)
Parks and recreation
The city offers many outdoor activities and parks in all corners of the city for recreation including tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, golf courses, and walking trails. The city also contains a botanical state park.Parks
- Bodenhamer Skate Park
- Bozeman Park
- Lions Club Park and Golf Course
- Mattocks Park
- Mellor Park
- Mitchell Park
- Mosby Park
- Neel Park
- Old City Park
- South Side Park
Recreation Complex
El Dorado Recreation Complex and Pavilion has a playground area, multiple baseball/softball facilities and two spacious pavilions. It is home of the El Dorado High SchoolEl Dorado High School (Arkansas)
El Dorado High School is a public secondary school located in El Dorado, Arkansas and serves students in grades 9 through 12. El Dorado High School is administered by the El Dorado School District.-Mission statement:...
Wildcat Baseball Field and Ladycat Softball Field.
South Arkansas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
The South Arkansas ArboretumSouth Arkansas Arboretum
The South Arkansas Arboretum is an arboretum and botanical garden owned by the local school system but operated as Arkansas's 50th state park by the South Arkansas Community College...
is an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
and botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
owned by the local school system but operated as Arkansas's 50th state park by the South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College is a public two-year college in downtown El Dorado in Union County, Arkansas.-Historical summary:...
. It is located next to El Dorado High School
El Dorado High School (Arkansas)
El Dorado High School is a public secondary school located in El Dorado, Arkansas and serves students in grades 9 through 12. El Dorado High School is administered by the El Dorado School District.-Mission statement:...
and is open daily except for holidays. Opened in 1965, the arboretum is Arkansas's only state park located within a city. It includes more than two miles (3 km) of paved trails.
El Dorado Golf and Country Club
Private golf course. The 18-hole "El Dorado" course at the El Dorado Golf & Country Club facility features 6,449 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course rating is 70.2 and it has a slope ratingSlope rating
The slope rating of a golf course is a measure of its difficulty for bogey golfers. The term comes from the fact that when playing on more difficult courses, players' scores will rise more quickly than their handicaps would predict. The "slope rating" of a course thus predicts that rise...
of 116. Designed by Herman Hackbarth, the El Dorado golf course opened in 1925. Ronnie Hughes manages the course as the General Manager.
El Dorado Racquet Club
Private Club - Accepts Non-Members. 4 stadium-lit outdoor hard surface tennis courts, pro shop, clubhouse, lounge, gym, swimming pools and banquet opportunities.Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium is a fully equipped 6,000-seat football stadium and track, and home of the El Dorado Wildcats. After a major field and stadium renovation in 2010, the stadium features a synthetic turf field by Athletic Surfaces Plus and a video scoreboard. The stadium hosts sports events year round, most notably the "Boomtown Classic", an annual college football match between Southern Arkansas UniversitySouthern Arkansas University
Southern Arkansas University is a public four-year institution located in Magnolia, the seat of Columbia County in Arkansas, United States, not far from the Louisiana state line.-Location:Southern Arkansas University is located in Magnolia, which, as of the census...
and the University of Arkansas- Monticello
University of Arkansas at Monticello
The University of Arkansas at Monticello is a public university and college for vocational and technical education located in Monticello, Arkansas, United States....
.
South Arkansas Arts Center
El Dorado has been a regional center for the performing artsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
for many years. The South Arkansas Arts Center(www.saac-arts.org), or known locally as SAAC, is an independent community-supported nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. The mission of the South Arkansas Arts Center in serving the people of the bi-state region is to promote, bridge, facilitate and support the ideas and forms of artistic appreciation, education, ability, confidence and cooperation for all age, cultural, social and racial groups. This 22500 square feet (2,090.3 m²) facility houses three visual art galleries, a ballet studio, a 207 seat theatre, educational classroom space, and an open studio for artists in the community.
SAAC presents a series of eight to twelve contemporary performance events each year on stage and hosts rotating art exhibitions each year of national, regional and local significance in the Merkle, Price, and Lobby art galleries. SAAC also rents its performance facilities to independent groups who present their own programs in the Callaway Theatre, a 207 seat auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
with a 35 feet (10.7 m) prosceniums style stage.
Rialto Theater Music Hall
Built on the site of an earlier Rialto Theater (1921–1928), the Rialto Theater opened in 1929, with seating for 1,400, originally presenting both live stage shows in addition to films. The Rialto Theater closed in 1980, but was restored in 1987 and reopened once more showing movies, subdivided into 3-screens. The theater closed again in the early 2000s to be renovated into a music hall with performances given weekly by local and touring musical acts and shows.The Rialto was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986. It has long been rumored to be haunted. Dozens of former employees have reported unexplained footsteps, strange apparitions
Apparitional experience
In psychology and parapsychology, an apparitional experience is an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience.It is characterized by the apparent perception of either a living being or an inanimate object without there being any material stimulus for such a perception...
and even the fleeting scent of a woman’s cologne in an upstairs bathroom. Many supernatural experts and network television teams have spent time at the Rialto.
- Style: Neo-Classical
- Function: Movies (First Run), Music Hall, Performances
- Seats: 1400
- Chain: Independent
- Firm: Kolben, Hunter & Boyd
- NRHP ID#: 86001888
Municipal Auditorium
The historic 1,830 seat El Dorado Municipal Auditorium is a multi-purpose auditorium facility with large lobby, grand hall seating, and multi-tiered sloping balcony. For more than 50 years, Municipal Auditorium has been the mainstay of many musical acts, entertainment shows, school productions, dance recitals and is home to the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1956 as one of the first orchestras in Arkansas, a group of local music lovers formed the El Dorado SymphonySymphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
and Choral Society. The purpose of the organization was to form a symphony orchestra which would provide an outlet for musicians in the community, especially students of unusual ability. Felix Spooner, string instructor in the local schools, was named the conductor. The first concert was performed in 1957 by a 30 piece orchestra to an audience of the same size. John Shenaut, violinist and conductor of the Shreveport Symphony was guest artist. Interest grew in the orchestra and its mission expanded to fulfill a regional role serving as the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Growth of the orchestra continued under the direction of Dr. Eloy Fominaya, Dr. Joe Barry Mullins, Jimmie Reynolds, Gerald Kiger, Richard Oliver, Dr. Richard Worthington, Alan Burdick, and Kermit Poling. All played an integral part in providing South Arkansas access to high quality artistic music through extensive touring, recording, and community education concerts. All activity benefited the South Arkansas region, both in terms of economic and cultural impact.
Currently, Kermit Poling
Kermit Poling
Kermit Poling is a conductor, violinist and composer.Kermit Poling is Resident Conductor of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of both the and the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet. He has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad, including concerts in Mexico,...
is fulfilling his 16th year as conductor with Scott Watkins serving as Executive Director. The South Arkansas Symphony performs five concerts per season, as well as several educational concerts. This professional orchestra also performs several special events, such as the community concert that honors Martin Luther King. The South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is the largest performing arts organization in South Arkansas.
Annual events
El Dorado is the site for several annual events, including the MayhawMayhaw
Mayhaw is the name given to the fruit of the species of Crataegus series Aestivales that are common in wetlands throughout the southern United States. The principal species are C. aestivalis, the eastern Mayhaw, and C...
Festival hosted by the South Arkansas Historical Foundation the first Saturday of each May which coincides with a crawfish boil, "Battle of the Bands", a bike show/one day motorcycle rally, a motorcycle parade, a pool tournament, and other activities. The official name of the event is "Bugs, Bands and Bikes".
The city hosts a Fantastic Fourth Celebration during July (including a 5k run, an antique car show, and fireworks), the SouthArk Outdoor Expo in September, the two-day MusicFest: a music festival which takes place the first weekend in October each year. The event takes up eight city blocks and features over 30 acts on five stages. Past headliners have included Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
, the Charlie Daniels Band, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence is an American country music artist. He started at a country music restaurant called "Live At Libby's" where owner Libby Knight would help local talent find their way into country music...
, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced a rare level of commercial success both as a blues artist and a young musician.-Biography:Shepherd graduated Caddo Magnet High School in Shreveport, Louisiana...
, John Anderson
John Anderson (musician)
John David Anderson is an American country music artist with a successful career that has lasted more than 30 years...
, Eddie Money
Eddie Money
Eddie Money is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...
, Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
, Jack Ingram
Jack Ingram
Jack Owen Ingram is an American Texas Country artist signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eight studio albums, one extended play, six live albums and eighteen singles. Although active since 1992, Ingram did not reach the U.S. country Top 40 until the late...
, Joe Nichols, Patrice Pike
Patrice Pike
Patrice Pike is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She's been a professional musician and songwriter since she was sixteen. Billboard magazine proclaimed her "one of the finest up and coming contemporary rock singers in America"....
and Trout Fishing in America. The event received the Festival of the Year Award in 2009 by the Arkansas Festival & Event Association in 2008. The city hosts many winter holiday events, including the Festival of Lights and the largest Christmas parade in the state.
El Dorado Conference and Multi-Purpose Facility
Built in 2010 and dedicated in 2011, this new $14.4 million, 50764 square feet (4,716.1 m²) multi-purpose facility contains a large assembly hall with a capacity for 1,000 banquetBanquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
style seating and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
seating for up to 2,500. In addition to the main hall, there are 5 small meeting rooms that are capable of being joined together or separated by moveable walls to allow for many classroom, meeting or training arrangements. A full commercial kitchen facilitates catering and banquet dining. The building houses enrollment management functions for South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College
South Arkansas Community College is a public two-year college in downtown El Dorado in Union County, Arkansas.-Historical summary:...
. This area includes a bookstore, café, meeting rooms, counseling, curriculum and financial advisement, training and testing rooms.
- Architects: Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects
- Contractors: CDI Contractors
- Size: 50764 square feet (4,716.1 m²)
- Total Meeting Rooms / Total Meeting Area: 8 / 14,560 square feet
- Meeting Space for up to 2,500
- Murphy Convention Hall and large concourse
Union County Courthouse
Union County Courthouse was Built from 1927 – 28 as a Greek revival by Mann & Stern architects of Little Rock. The original Union County Courthouse, built in 1844 at a cost of $200 stood where Larry's Rexall Drug Store is today. As the county seat, El Dorado quickly outgrew even its second courthouse (built on this site in 1848) in the 1920s due to the oil boom's voluminous deed and title transactions. Faceted in smooth-dressed limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, the third and current courthouse boasts 40 freestanding ionic exterior columns spanning four stories, and a richly detailed marble two-story atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
with art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
accents. The exterior medallions of the scales of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
and lanterns of light signify the search for truth. The building's largest courtroom features a walnut wainscot, painting and scoring on textured plaster walls to resemble stone, and an ornately detailed plaster cast ceiling of gilded rosettes. Back when the square was flanked by log cabin structures there was a large duck pond on this site. Emigrants camped on its banks. Many pioneer citizens recorded incidents where deer and even bears came to drink – and hunters would frequently bag their dinner by shooting the wild ducks that lit there in the mid-1800. It was filled in under contract by Ben Mathews.
- Designer: Peterson/Mann & Stern
- Date: 1928
- Building Type: Government
- Construction System: Limestone, Terra Cotta
- Architectural Style: Greek Revival
- National Register: 1983
- NRHP ID Number: 83001169
Other points of interest
- Courthouse Square (including public artwork)
- Historic Main Street Pizza
- Madison Square Shopping Center
- Murphy Oil Corp. headquarters located in downtown El Dorado
- Former West and Company department store outlet owned by H. O. WestH. O. WestHerman O. West, known as H. O. West , was the co-founder and later owner of a chain of thirty-three department stores in mostly north Louisiana and southern Arkansas...
of MindenMinden, LouisianaMinden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, Louisiana. - Club Anthony
- The Blue Building
Radio
El Dorado is home to one public radio station and seven commercial radio stations which are operated by two ownership groups, Noalmark Broadcasting CorporationNoalmark Broadcasting Corporation
Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation is a radio and media company based in El Dorado, Arkansas. The company was founded by William C. Nolan, Jr. who currently serves as the company's President. Current Executive Vice President Edwin B. Alderson, Jr...
, and El Dorado Broadcasting.
El Dorado Broadcasting owns:
- KLBQ, 98.7 FM also known as Q99. The format is Country.
- KDMSKDMSKDMS is a radio station licensed to El Dorado, Arkansas, USA, the station serves the El Dorado area. The station is currently owned by El Dorado Broadcasting Co....
1290 AM is a Southern GospelSouthern GospelSouthern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
station.
Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation owns and operates five radio stations:
- KIXBKIXBKIXB is a radio station licensed to serve El Dorado, Arkansas, USA. The station is owned by Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation.KIXB broadcasts a country music format....
KIX 103, (http://www.kix1033.com) The Country Leader. The format is Country. - KMRXKMRXKMRX is a hot adult contemporary music formatted radio station located and licensed in El Dorado, Arkansas and serves North Louisiana and South Arkansas. The station is owned and operated by Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation....
Mix 96.1 FM, (http://www.totalradio.com/96x.htm) The Continuous Hit Music Station. The format is Hot Adult Contemporary. - KAGLKAGLKAGL is a radio station broadcasting a Classic rock format. Licensed to El Dorado, Arkansas, USA, the station serves the El Dorado area. The station is currently owned by Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation and features programing from ABC Radio ....
93.1 FM "The Eagle", (http://www.totalradio.com/93.htm) carries a Classic rockClassic rockClassic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format. - KELDKELD (AM)KELD is a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to El Dorado, Arkansas, USA, the station serves the El Dorado area. The station is currently owned by Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation....
AM 1400, "The Fan" (http://www.totalradio.com/keldam.htm) The format is 24hr Sports Talk. - KELD-FMKELD-FMKELD-FM is a radio station licensed to Hampton, Arkansas, USA, the station serves the El Dorado area. The station is currently owned by Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation....
106.5 FM (http://www.totalradio.com/keld.htm, licensed to Hampton, ArkansasHampton, ArkansasHampton is a city in Calhoun County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,579 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County.Hampton is part of the Camden Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in Calhoun County. The format is News Talk. - KMLKKMLKKMLK is a radio station broadcasting a Urban Contemporary format. Licensed to El Dorado, Arkansas, USA, the station serves the El Dorado area. The station is currently owned by Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation and features programing from ABC Radio .-History:The station went on the air as KHBX...
101.5 FM (http://www.totalradio.com/kmlk.htm) The Touch. The format is Urban Adult ContemporaryUrban Adult ContemporaryUrban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
.
The public radio station is:
- KBSA 90.9 FM Red River RadioRed River RadioRed River Radio is the regional public radio station for northwest Louisiana, southern Arkansas, eastern Texas, and the southeasternmost corner of Oklahoma. The network is headquartered on the campus of Louisiana State University in Shreveport...
(http://www.redriverradio.org) is a four station public radio network and NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
affiliate based out of Shreveport, LA. As part of the network, KBSA became the first HD Digital Radio broadcaster in the South Arkansas region. The station and network is supported primarily through listener and corporate contributions.
Television
El Dorado broadcast outlets consist of three full-power television stations; two commercial, and one public.- KTVEKTVEKTVE, Channel 10, is the NBC affiliate television station for the El Dorado, Arkansas–Monroe, Louisiana DMA. The station is licensed to El Dorado, but its main studio is located in West Monroe, Louisiana. KTVE is owned by Mission Broadcasting, and operated by Nexstar Broadcasting...
10 (NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) - KEJBKEJBKEJB was a television station in El Dorado, Arkansas, broadcasting locally on channel 43 as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. Founded in 2003, the station was owned by KM Communications...
43 (MNTV) (inc. 2001) - KETZArkansas Educational Television NetworkArkansas Educational Television Network is a state network of simulcast non-commercial educational public television station covering the state of Arkansas...
12 (PBS) local station of the Arkansas Educational Television NetworkArkansas Educational Television NetworkArkansas Educational Television Network is a state network of simulcast non-commercial educational public television station covering the state of Arkansas...
(AETN) (inc. 2006)
All three transmitters are located east of El Dorado, in Huttig, Arkansas
Huttig, Arkansas
Huttig is a city in Union County, Arkansas, United States of America. The population was 731 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Huttig is located at ....
. While KTVE no longer considers El Dorado their primary newsroom, the station is licensed to El Dorado by the FCC. The station moved primary operations to Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
in 1988.
Over the air HD
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
television programming is currently available for two of the four major networks:
- K18ABKNOE-TVKNOE-TV, Channel 8, is the CBS affiliate television station for Monroe, Louisiana. The station is owned by Hoak Media Corporation, which also controls ABC affiliate KAQY, Channel 11 through a local marketing agreement.-History:KNOE-TV went on the air in 1953...
- 8.1 (CBS-HDCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, 1080i1080i1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
) - KTVE-HDKTVEKTVE, Channel 10, is the NBC affiliate television station for the El Dorado, Arkansas–Monroe, Louisiana DMA. The station is licensed to El Dorado, but its main studio is located in West Monroe, Louisiana. KTVE is owned by Mission Broadcasting, and operated by Nexstar Broadcasting...
- 10.1 (NBC-HDNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, 1080i1080i1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
)
K18AB
KNOE-TV
KNOE-TV, Channel 8, is the CBS affiliate television station for Monroe, Louisiana. The station is owned by Hoak Media Corporation, which also controls ABC affiliate KAQY, Channel 11 through a local marketing agreement.-History:KNOE-TV went on the air in 1953...
is a translator station of KNOE
KNOE-TV
KNOE-TV, Channel 8, is the CBS affiliate television station for Monroe, Louisiana. The station is owned by Hoak Media Corporation, which also controls ABC affiliate KAQY, Channel 11 through a local marketing agreement.-History:KNOE-TV went on the air in 1953...
, the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate in Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
. However, the translator broadcasts KNOE's full HD
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
signal; a major service to the HD viewers in Union County who cannot receive KNOE's main digital signal broadcasting from Columbia, Louisiana
Columbia, Louisiana
Columbia is a town in and the parish seat of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbia is located at ....
; over 75 miles (120.7 km) away.
Additionally, over the air television programming is also available from KETZ-DT, the AETN/PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
affiliate for El Dorado. Currently, KETZ broadcasts HD programming on channel 12.1, in 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
resolution.
El Dorado is also served by stations broadcast from nearby Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
and Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
:
- KTBSKTBS-TVKTBS-TV, virtual channel 3, is the ABC-affiliated television station in Shreveport, Louisiana. Its transmitter is located near Mooringsport. The station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 28 and is owned locally by the Wray family as part of a duopoly with the CW affiliate KPXJ...
3 (ABC) - Shreveport
Monroe:
- KNOEKNOE-TVKNOE-TV, Channel 8, is the CBS affiliate television station for Monroe, Louisiana. The station is owned by Hoak Media Corporation, which also controls ABC affiliate KAQY, Channel 11 through a local marketing agreement.-History:KNOE-TV went on the air in 1953...
8 (CBS) - KARDKARDKARD-TV, Channel 14, is the Fox affiliate for the El Dorado, Arkansas/Monroe, Louisiana market area. KARD's transmitter is located in Columbia, Louisiana. The station is licensed to West Monroe, Louisiana...
14 (FOX) - KAQYKAQYKAQY ABC11, is the ABC affiliate for the El Dorado, Arkansas/Monroe, Louisiana market, licensed in Columbia, Louisiana. Operates a digital signal on VHF channel 11. KAQY's transmitter is located in Columbia, and its studios are in Monroe.-History:...
11 (ABC)
El Dorado News-Times is owned by the Walter E. Hussman
Walter E. Hussman, Sr.
Walter Edward Hussman, Sr. , was a mass media magnate from Camden, Arkansas, whose holdings included six daily newspapers in Arkansas, several radio and television stations, including the NBC outlet KTAL-TV in Texarkana, Texas, and seventeen cable systems in four states.-Early years, education,...
Company (WEHCO), owner of the state's largest newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell...
. The newspaper's Sunday edition is called South Arkansas Sunday News.
- Circulation: 9,371 copies
- Published seven days a week
- This newspaper is owned by Wehco Media Inc.WEHCO Media, Inc.WEHCO Media, Inc., based in Little Rock, is a privately held media company with holdings that include newspapers, cable television systems, and internet service. Walter E. Hussman, Jr. , is the president....
Notable natives and residents
- Donna AxumDonna AxumDonna Axum was crowned Miss America in 1964.Axum from El Dorado, Arkansas, now lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a member of the boards of the National Committee for the Performing Arts of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Fort Worth Symphony, the Van Cliburn Foundation, named for the...
, 1964 Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands... - Doreen Dumas Bailey, writer/author
- Bruce BennettBruce Bennett (Arkansas politician)Bruce Bennett was a Democratic politician from El Dorado, Arkansas, who served as his state's attorney general from 1957–1960 and from 1963–1966...
, former Arkansas Attorney GeneralArkansas Attorney GeneralThe Arkansas Attorney General is an executive position and constitutional officer within the Arkansas government. The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement/legal officer and lawyer for Arkansas. The position is elected every four years, e.g... - Lou BrockLou BrockLouis Clark "Lou" Brock is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league...
, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame - Reese Cates, PBR bull riderBull ridingBull riding refers to rodeo sports that involve a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider....
and 2008 PBR Rookie of the Year; currently lives in Carthage, TexasCarthage, TexasCarthage is a city in Panola County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Panola County, and is situated in East Texas near the Louisiana state line.-Geography:...
. - Albert H. CrewsAlbert H. CrewsAlbert Hanlin Crews, Jr. is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former USAF astronaut. He was born on in El Dorado, Arkansas and is married with three children....
, astronaut and United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
officer - Charlie DanielsCharlie Daniels (politician)Charlie Daniels is an American Democratic Party politician from Arkansas. He is currently Auditor for the state of Arkansas and previously served as Arkansas’s Secretary of State and Commissioner of State Lands.-Early Life and Career:...
, Arkansas politician - Candice EarleyCandice EarleyCandice Jean Earley is an American actress.Earley was born in Fort Hood, Texas to Harold E Earley and Jean D Daily. While she had Broadway roles in "Hair" and "Grease", she is most famous for her role as Donna Beck Tyler Cortlandt Sago Tyler on the soap opera All My Children, a role she played...
, actress - Michael G. FitzgeraldMichael G. FitzgeraldMichael G. Fitzgerald a native of El Dorado, Arkansas, was a film historian and author.His best known work was 1977's Universal Pictures: A Panoramic History in Words, Pictures, and Filmographies , which chronicled the history of the studio.He also co-authored two books with Boyd Magers, Western...
, film historian and author - David FrizzellDavid FrizzellDavid Frizzell is an American country music singer. He is the younger brother of country music legend Lefty Frizzell. His career first started in the late 1950s, but his biggest success came in the '80s, 30 years into his career....
, country music singer - Lefty FrizzellLefty FrizzellLefty Frizzell , born William Orville Frizzell, was an American country music singer and songwriter of the 1950s, and a proponent of honky tonk music. His relaxed style of singing was an influence on later stars Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, George Jones and John Fogerty...
, country music singer born in CorsicanaCorsicana, TexasCorsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and reared in his youth in El Dorado - Dave Gibson, country music singer
- Hogan GidleyHogan GidleyHogan Gidley is the director of Huck PAC.His past activities include director of media operations for Governor Mike Huckabee, Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party, Press Secretary to the David Beasley for Senate campaign, the Karen Floyd for Superintendent of Education...
, former Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party. Gidley previously served as Press Secretary to the David Beasley for Senate campaign and Karen Floyd for Superintendent of Education. Gidley served on the campaign committee of former U.S. Senator Elizabeth DoleElizabeth DoleMary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
of North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. - Walter John Giller, III, Deputy Surgeon General of the Air Force
- Benito Glosson, former dancer for M.C. Hammer and current solo R&B performer
- Gerry Haner, singer, song writer and guitarist for Kcor (band)Kcor (band)Kcor was an American rock band in the 1990s, formerly on The Legendary Sun Studio’s 706 Records label in Memphis, TN. The band was started by Gerry Haner, Micka Porter, Jared Walters and Jeff Harris. They gigged around the South playing clubs, outdoor festivals and benefit shows such as St. Jude...
- Glen Ray HinesGlen Ray HinesGlen Ray Hines is a former American college and professional football player.Hines played collegiately for the University of Arkansas and was drafted by the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals and the American Football League's Houston Oilers in 1965...
, professional football player - Lamar HuntLamar HuntLamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
, sports promoter and member of Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees... - E. Fay Jones, architect & student of Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
- Kevin Payne, NFL strong safety for the Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
- Charles PortisCharles PortisCharles McColl Portis is an American author best known for his novels Norwood and the 1968 classic Western novel True Grit , both adapted as films. The latter also inspired a film sequel and made-for-TV movie sequel...
, author - William RagsdaleWilliam RagsdaleRobert William Ragsdale is an American actor.-Life and career:Ragsdale was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. He attended Hendrix College, where he appeared in plays with Sling Blade actress and fellow Arkansan Natalie Canerday....
, actor - Albert RustAlbert RustAlbert Rust was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas, and a delegate to the Provisional Confederate Congress...
, former U.S. Representative - Adam SetliffAdam SetliffAdam Setliff is a retired discus thrower from the United States, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics , finishing 12th and 5th respectively. He set his personal best in the men's discus throw on July 21, 2001 at a meet in La Jolla, California. He retired prior to...
, two time Olympic discus thrower - George W. ShannonGeorge W. ShannonGeorge Washington Shannon was a conservative Louisiana journalist.Shannon was born in El Dorado, the seat of Union County, in southern Arkansas. He began his career as a reporter and sports editor at the El Dorado News-Times, one of the Clyde E. Palmer newspapers...
, journalist - Reece Tatum, of the Harlem GlobetrottersHarlem GlobetrottersThe Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
- Dave WhitlockDave WhitlockDave Whitlock was a Canadian race car driver in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. He drove and owned the #39 Dickies Dodge Charger for his own team Whitlock Motorsports. He used to drive in the Castrol Super Series and Cascar where he had 12 wins in the series...
, light heavyweightLight heavyweightIn boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
professional prize fighter who fought Floyd PattersonFloyd PattersonFloyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...
in September 1955 - Leon "Pee Wee" WhittakerLeon "Pee Wee" WhittakerLeon "Pee Wee" Whittaker was an African American musician from the Mississippi River delta country of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas who was particularly known as a trombonist of jazz, blues, and rock music. From 1919 until his death, Whittaker performed with minstrel shows, carnival bands,...
, African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
trombonist lived in El Dorado in the early 1950s. - Josh Wilson (musician)Josh Wilson (musician)Josh Wilson is a contemporary Christian musician from El Dorado, Arkansas. He is best known for the radio singles "Savior, Please" from his 2008 album Trying to Fit the Ocean In a Cup and "Before the Morning" from his 2009 EP, Life is Not a Snapshot....
, contemporary Christian musician - Nolan Crall, King of all the world
External links
- City of El Dorado
- El Dorado Promise
- El Dorado News-Times
- South Arkansas Community College
- History of El Dorado's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: El Dorado (Union County)
- The South Arkansas Leader
- KIX 103
- MIX96
- KAGL
- KELD
- KMLK