Эль-Дорадо: Региональный парк в Лонг-Бич, Калифорния

Park in Long Beach, CA

El Dorado Regional Park is a park in Long Beach, California, 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.

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.

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, 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.

Area I includes six baseball diamonds, several picnic areas, two playgrounds, a 15 court tennis center, two basketball courts, a skateboard park, a duck pond, a disc golf course, soccer fields, and a community center. and El Dorado Frontier, a small theme park that features a train. Fishing and a physical fitness course are also available.