South Arkansas City Claims the Title “America’s Best Downtown”

Each year the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognizes the best American downtowns through the Great American Main Street Awards, and El Dorado, Arkansas was recently named one of 2009’s winners.

Selected for this honor by a nationwide jury of 10 community development experts, El Dorado was recognized for celebrating its past as an oil boomtown while overcoming urban sprawl to create a thriving downtown square. Listed as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places, downtown El Dorado combines rehabilitated historic buildings, complementary new construction and an array of special events hosted by an engaged and excited citizenry to become a regional center of commerce.

Visitors flock to downtown from across the state and the South, drawn by world-class boutique shopping and restaurants specializing in cuisines ranging from fine dining to classic barbecue. Spending a weekend (or even longer) is a welcoming experience, thanks to a variety of downtown lodging, as well as the friendly locals.

Live music is a fixture each weekend, and a variety of festivals and special events bring diverse groups to town. Showdown at Sunset, named one of the “Top 100 Events in America” by the American Bus Association last year, is a historic reenactment of a 1902 duel, while MusicFest, named “Festival of the Year” by the Arkansas Festival Association, elicits crowds of more than 20,000 people.

As a further draw to downtown, El Dorado has recently broken ground on a new downtown convention center. Built as a partnership between the city of El Dorado and South Arkansas Community College, the building will seat more than 1,000 people for conventions and special events, as well as house SouthArk’s student union, business offices and bookstore.

Working cooperatively, El Dorado business owners, residents, building owners and commercial organizations have created a downtown success story truly worthy of this national honor.

Located in Union County, El Dorado has a population of 20,000 people and is the headquarters of Murphy Oil Corporation. El Dorado is also known as the home of the El Dorado Promise, a scholarship program funded by Murphy Oil that can be used at any accredited two- or four-year public or private educational institution in the United States and is awarded to every graduate of the El Dorado Public Schools.

For more information on El Dorado, contact:

For more information or to schedule a tour of El Dorado, contact:
Don Hale
The Diamond Agency
870-862-1010