Arkansas City Hopes $100 Million Effort Will Restore Glory [View all]

EL DORADO, Ark. — An oil and timber town that was Arkansas’ richest community nearly a century ago believes that building a $100 million arts district in its historic downtown will spark a “cultural infusion” that can reverse a decadeslong population slide.

El Dorado, with about 18,300 residents near the Louisiana border, believes that after shoring up its tax base, infrastructure and school system, the entertainment hub will bring back the glory years that followed a 1920s oil boom.

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“We went around the region to make sure we were right about what people were looking for,” Stewart said. “That takes us into all kinds of entertainment: something for kids, good food, good service.”

Rebooting a boomtown began a decade ago — after El Dorado lost a quarter of its population in a quarter of a century. Murphy Oil launched the El Dorado Promise, a 20-year pledge to pay college tuition for graduates from the local high school, then voters approved a property tax increase to build a state-of-the-art high school and a 1-cent sales tax increase for economic development.

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