El Dorado Regional Park is a park in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, United States. It is on the east side of the city. The park is subdivided into Area I, Area II, and Area III. Area I, or El Dorado Park West, is bounded on the east by the San Gabriel River, on the north by Spring Street, and on the west by Studebaker Road. Area II is north of Spring Street, west of the 605 freeway, east of the river, and south of Wardlow Road. Area Ill is north of Wardlow Road, west of the 605 freeway, east of the river, and north of Wardlow Road. Areas II and III together compose El Dorado East Regional Park. The park sits in a flood zone, and it protects residences from spillover from the neighboring San Gabriel River. With a median household income of $130,959, the El Dorado Park area is reportedly the wealthiest in Long Beach.

History

The land for the park was sold to the City of Long Beach by members of the Bixby family and was financed using bond money floated in the 1950s and '60s, and the varied topography comes from soil removed to construct the San Gabriel Freeway. Recreation Commission member Milton B. Arthur is credited with ensuring that the site was acquired by the City for a park before it was developed into homes. The Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Department administration offices moved to the site of El Dorado Park West in 1962, beginning in a renovated home on the property after the City purchased the land. Most of Area I opened to the public in 1964, including a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

. A branch of Long Beach's

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

opened in 1970. Area II opened to the public on February 6, 1971; Area III opened in July 1974.

1984 Summer Olympics

200px, The archery range During the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

in neighboring

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, the park was the site for the

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

competitions. A temporary venue was set up as a result.

Former Naval Hospital

70 acres at the north end of the park was sold by the City of Long Beach to the Navy for $1 in 1965 to build a new naval hospital, replacing its World War II-era facilities located on Pacific Coast Highway on the facilities later used by the (closed) Brooks College and now as student housing at Cal State Long Beach. It became known for its alcoholism treatment program which launched in 1967 and became known as the hub of the military's dependency program. Perhaps its most famous patient was

Betty Ford Elizabeth Anne Ford (; formerly Warren; April 8, 1918 – July 8, 2011) was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. As first lady, she was active in social policy, and set a precedent as a politi ...

, who was admitted for drug and alcohol dependence in 1978. Another famous patient was Nazi war criminal Andrija Artukovic. This hospital closed in 1994 along with the closing of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and Naval Station and disbanding of the Long Beach Naval Fleet. Rather than returning the land to park use, the city proposed a shopping mall. After years of legal battles by neighboring cities, who were concerned with the loss of sales tax revenue as well as competition with their own shopping malls, the center opened in 2000.

Amenities

200px, Park Headquarters

El Dorado Park West

Area I includes six baseball diamonds, several

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

areas, two

playgrounds A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates Play (activity)#Children, play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for othe ...

, a 15-court

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

center, two

basketball courts In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor su ...

, a skateboard park, a duck pond, a disc golf course, soccer fields, and a

community center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

El Dorado East Regional Park

Area II includes lakes, paddle boats, an

range, group picnic areas, overnight camping facilities, and bicycle and walking trails. Area III contains lakes, group picnic areas, a

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...

, and trails. Area III is also the location of Glider Hill, which sits in an area originally intended to become an amphitheater and is popular with

model airplane A model aircraft is a physical model of an existing or imagined aircraft, and is built typically for display, research, or amusement. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed s ...

enthusiasts. El Dorado East also contains the El Dorado Nature Center and El Dorado Frontier, a small theme park that features a train. Fishing and a physical fitness course are also available. 200px, Train ride for Kids, the El Dorado Express

Bicycle paths

A 4-mile bikeway runs through the park and connects with the San Gabriel River Bike Trail at various locations. Both the Coyote Creek Bicycle Path and the San Gabriel River Bicycle Path cross the El Dorado Park Estates neighborhood.

Adjacent Neighborhoods

* El Dorado Park South * El Dorado Park Estates * El Dorado Lakes * El Dorado Park North * Rancho Estates

Nearby Facilities

The Long Beach Police Department maintains a police academy on the northern end of the park, complete with a pistol range. Camp Fire operates a 7-acre developed camping facility including a challenge course featuring rock walls, and high and low ropes course at the north end of the park between the San Gabriel River, the Long Beach Towne Center, and Heartwell Golf Course, leasing land owned by the City of Long Beach as part of Heartwell Park. Prior to the construction of the shopping center, this maintained an unbroken contiguity of open land between Heartwell Park and El Dorado Park. Long Beach Animal Care Services is adjacent to El Dorado Park East Regional Park.

References

External links

Official site
{{Olympic venues archery Venues of the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic archery venues Tourist attractions in Long Beach, California Parks in Los Angeles County, California Regional parks in California