Eldorado

Eldorado
City
According to the 1945 Film Daily Yearbook, the 500-seat Grand was one of three movie houses in operation at that time, which also included the Orpheum and the Knox. Today the former Grand is used as a meeting place for a fraternal order.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Saline
Coordinates	37°48′51″N 88°26′27″W / 37.81417°N 88.44083°W / 37.81417; -88.44083
Area	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)
- land	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)
Population	4,122 (2010)
Density	1,967.8 / sq mi (760 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62930
Area code	618
Location of Eldorado within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Eldorado, Illinois

This article is about the Illinois city in Saline County. For the Illinois township in McDonough County, see Eldorado Township, McDonough County, Illinois.

Eldorado (ⁱ/ɛldəˈreɪdoʊ/ or /ɛldəˈreɪdə/) is a city in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,122 at the 2010 census, with a 1925 peak of 8,000. Although the city's name is spelled as if it were Spanish, the name was originally "Elder-Reado" -- a combination of the last names of the town's two founders, Judge Samuel Elder and Joseph Read. According to legend, a signpainter for the railroad painted the name "Eldorado" on the train depot; as a result, the spelling and pronunciation was forever changed.

Eldorado is included in the Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky Tri-State Area and is a bedroom community in the Harrisburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.^[1]

History

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In September, 1963, five months before The Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show brought them stardom in the United States, George Harrison performed at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Eldorado with a local band. This was the first performance by a Beatle in the United States. At the time, Harrison and his brother were visiting their sister, Louise, who had recently relocated with her husband to nearby Benton.^[2]

At one time there was an extensive maze of railroad tracks that arched out from the town's center. All but one are now replaced with bike trails.

In 1946, the adjacent village of Beulah Heights disincorporated and annexed to Eldorado.^[3]

Geography

Eldorado is located at 37°48′51″N 88°26′27″W / 37.81417°N 88.44083°W / 37.81417; -88.44083 (37.814212, -88.440937).^[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), of which, 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (1.28%) is water.

The junction of the pioneer Kaskaskia and Goshen Trails was located just south of the city. The Goshen Trail began in Old Shawneetown, Illinois and ran along the east side of Eldorado and on to the Goshen Settlement, a community near the present day East St. Louis.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census^[5], there were 4,122 people living within the city limits. Of the 4,078 persons who identified with one race, 4,010 (97.8%) were white, 33 (0.5%) were black or African-American, 9 American Indian, 4 Asian, 3 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders, and 19 who claimed some other race. The Hispanic population was 52 (1.0 percent). There were 2,053 total housing units; 1,796 (87.5%) were occupied and 257 (12.5%) vacant.

Media

Eldorado is home to one of the smallest daily newspapers in the United States, The Eldorado Daily Journal (circulation 1,200), which is a sister publication to Harrisburg's The Daily Register.^{[citation needed]}

Health Care

In 1925, Dr. J.V. Ferrell founded Ferrell Hospital, which exists today as a 52-bed facility operated by Southern Illinois Healthcare. Effective March 1, 2004, SIH entered into an agreement with Alliant Management Services to return the hospital to local ownership and governance. On April 1, 2005, Ferrell Hospital Community Foundation became a stand alone facility managed by Alliant Management Services.^{[citation needed]}

Sports

Eldorado holds a few records within the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Two all-time scorers Mike Duff (2,113 points) and Cody Lane (2,006 points) grew up here, and Roger Grumley and Eric Brannock of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame were born in Eldorado.^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

• Todd Duffee, record holder for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's fastest knockout; grew up in Eldorado.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• Eldorado Memorial Public Library District
• Eldorado Community Unit School District 4
• Eldorado Main Street
• Eldorado Historical Museum
• Egyptian Health Department
• The Deadly Dr. Dale Part 1
• The Deadly Dr. Dale Part 2

v t e Municipalities and communities of Saline County, Illinois, United States County seat: Harrisburg Cities Eldorado Harrisburg Villages Carrier Mills Galatia Muddy Raleigh Stonefort‡ Townships Brushy Carrier Mills Cottage East Eldorado Galatia Harrisburg Independence Long Branch Mountain Raleigh Rector Stone Fort Tate Unincorporated communities Andersonville Apple Tree Banklick Bankston Barnum Battlesford Beulah Heights Big Muddy Blackman Hill Bolton Brooklyn Brushy Cave Hill College Park Cookseyville Cornersville Cottage Grove Dallasanie Delta Derby Dooley Station Dorrisville Douglas Eagle Mountain Eagle Valley Eagle East Eldorado Flint Hill Francis Mills Garris Ridge Gaskins City Grayson Haley's Hill Halltown Hamburg Harco Hartford Hawkeye Highland Park Horseshoe Hull Independence Ingram Hill L'Aigle Lakeview Ledford Liberty Little Italy Little Ridge Little Saline Grove Long Branch Mitchellsville Mountain Mt. Airy New Castle New Hope North Galatia Old Stonefort Old Town Pankeyville Pick Prospect Hill Rathbone Station Rector Red Bank Red Bud Rileyville Rudement Saline City Somerset South America Tanner Tate Texas City Texas Station Texas Tison Wasson West End West Harrisburg Whiteside Whitesville Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties