El Dorado Springs is the largest city in

Cedar County Cedar County may refer to: * Cedar County, Iowa * Cedar County, Missouri * Cedar County, Nebraska * Cedar County, Choctaw Nation * Cedar County, Washington, a proposed county made up of part of King County * Cedar County, Utah Territory, a fo ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, United States. The population was 3,493 at the 2020 census.

Geography

El Dorado Springs is located at (37.870872, -94.021024). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,593 people, 1,591 households, and 908 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,918 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 1,591 households, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,775 people, 1,654 households, and 984 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,897 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96%

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 1,654 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were

living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $20,789, and the median income for a family was $26,366. Males had a median income of $23,109 versus $15,197 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,575. About 18.7% of families and 24.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 42.7% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

El Dorado Springs was founded in 1881, near a

natural spring A spring is a natural exit point at which groundwater emerges from an aquifer and flows across the ground surface as surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere, as well as a part of the water cycle. Springs have long been important fo ...

by brothers Nathaniel and Waldo Cruce who attempted to capitalize on the namesake's spring water. A post office has been in operation at El Dorado Springs since that year.

Education

El Dorado Springs R-II School District operates one elementary school, one middle school and El Dorado Springs High School. The city also contains El Dorado Christian School, a private institution. The town has a lending library, a branch of the Cedar County Library District.

Arts and culture

An annual tradition is the Founder's Day Picnic which began early in the town's existence as an annual gathering for residents. It is a three-night event which has grown to be the largest attraction of the year and brings thousands of visitors to town. In recent years, a carnival has provided rides and the City Council hires performers to give free concerts in the City Park. This upcoming picnic will be the city's 135th. El Dorado Springs boasts Missouri's oldest municipal band performing in the United States at the longest continually used

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornamen ...

Media

The city has two newspapers: ''The Star'' and ''The Sun''; along with local FM radio station KESM.

Notable people

* Eugene McCown - jazz pianist and painter * Donald Dawson - major general, lawyer, and perhaps the first modern American political advance man

References

External links

Chamber of Commerce

The ''El Dorado Springs Sun'' Newspaper Website

Cedar County Library

El Dorado Springs R-2 School District
* Historic maps of El Dorado Springs in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

{{Authority control Cities in Cedar County, Missouri Cities in Missouri