Gourt Home::Gourt :: El Dorado, Arkansas
El Dorado (pronounced to rhyme with 'tornado') is a city in Union County, Arkansas, USA. The population was 21,530 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Union County, and home to the headquarters of Murphy Oil Corporation and Deltic Timber Corporation. The city hosts a community college, South Arkansas Community College ("Southark").
El Dorado is the site for several annual events, including the Mayhaw Festival hosted by the South Arkansas Historical Foundation the first Saturday of each May (with a crawfish boil the same weekend), 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 in October (with pop, rock, blues and country perfomers, among other events), and various winter holiday events, including the largest Christmas parade in the state. During June, July, and August, reenactments of a historic gunfight are performed at the Courthouse Square every Saturday, with live music beforehand starting at 6 p. m.
Visitors may wish to stroll the shops surrounding Courthouse Square for antiques and gifts, or try local cuisine at restaurants such as Abe's Ole Feed House (a barbecue buffet).
Geography
El Dorado is located at (33.213521, -92.662553).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.3 km² (16.3 mi²). 42.1 km² (16.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.31%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,530 people, 8,686 households, and 5,732 families residing in the city. The population density was 510.9/km² (1,323.3/mi²). There were 9,891 housing units at an average density of 234.7/km² (607.9/mi²). 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. (Note: Stigmatization of homosexuality may prevent same-sex couples from reporting themselves as such on the US Census, especially in more conservative areas.) 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.
Points of interest
- South Arkansas Arboretum
- South Arkansas Arts Center
- Courthouse Square (including public artwork)
Trivia
- Known as Arkansas' boomtown due to "booms" because of oil discoveries in the 1920s and 1937. Several oil refineries are based or got their start in El Dorado.*
- The obscure 1975 film Psycho from Texas was partially filmed in El Dorado.
Notable natives and residents
- Donna Axum, 1964 Miss America
- Lou Brock, baseball player
- Michael G. Fitzgerald, film historian and author
- David Frizzell, country singer
- Lefty Frizzell, country singer
- Dave Gibson, country singer
- Lamar Hunt, sports promoter
- Charles Portis, author
- William Ragsdale, actor
- Albert Rust, congressional representative
- Adam Setliff, discus thrower
- Reece Tatum of the Harlem Globetrotters
External links
- City of El Dorado
- El Dorado News-Times electronic edition
- South Arkansas Community College
- Union Square Guest Quarters
References
Cities in Arkansas | Micropolitan areas of Arkansas | Union County, Arkansas
"El Dorado, Arkansas"