El Dorado Regional Park is a park in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, 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 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a major north–south List of auxiliary Interstate Highways, auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California ...

, 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 The Bixby family is an American family that was heavily involved in the development of California ranches and real estate in the 19th and 20th centuries. Through various companies, they controlled at one time or another large swathes of California ...

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 tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

. A branch of Long Beach's

public library A public library is a 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 service, civil servants. There are ...

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 also 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 secon ...

in neighboring

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the park was the site for the

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

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 California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

. 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, who was admitted for drug and alcohol dependence in 1978. Another famous patient was Nazi war criminal

Andrija Artukovic Andrija ( sr-cyr, Андрија, ) is the South Slavic variant of Greek ''Andreas'' (Andrew). It may refer to: *Andrija Stipanović, basketballer *Andrija Žižić (born 1980), Croatian basketballer *Andrija Kaluđerović (born 1987), Serbian foot ...

. This hospital closed in 1994 along with the closing of the

Long Beach Naval Shipyard The Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach NSY or LBNSY), which closed in 1997, was located on Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International ...

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 A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

, several

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''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 such as preceding ...

areas, two

playgrounds A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people w ...

, a 15-court

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

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 sur ...

, a

skateboard park A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert r ...

, a

duck pond A duck pond is a pond for ducks and other waterfowl. Duck ponds provide habitats for water fowl and other birds, who use the water to bathe in and drink. Typically, such ponds are round, oval or kidney-shaped. An example is the lily pond in th ...

, a

disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course,

soccer fields Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to ...

, and a

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

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, 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 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 The San Gabriel River Trail (also known as SGRT) is a bike path along the San Gabriel River through El Dorado Regional Park and onto street bike trails near the Alamitos Bay Marina in Los Angeles County, California. The South end is Seal B ...

at various locations. Both the

Coyote Creek Bicycle Path The Coyote Creek bikeway is a Class 1 bike path in Los Angeles County that runs adjacent to the Coyote Creek flood control channel for approximately 9.5 miles. The bike path is controlled by Caltrans. The path begins in Santa Fe Springs on ...

and the

San Gabriel River Bicycle Path The San Gabriel River Trail (also known as SGRT) is a bike path along the San Gabriel River through El Dorado Regional Park and onto street bike trails near the Alamitos Bay Marina in Los Angeles County, California. The South end is Seal Beac ...

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 A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

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 Long Beach Towne Center is a large power center in northeastern Long Beach, California at Carson St. and the I-605, with of retail space on a site. It is the largest shopping center in Long Beach. Tenants Tenants include: *Retail stores: Walm ...

, and Heartwell Golf Course, leasing land owned by the

City of Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the list of United States cities by population, 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the List of citie ...

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