El Dorado Gets CNN Attention
By: Brea Douglas
Updated: March 12, 2013
"It's not everyday a city with a population of just under 19,000 people gets recognized by CNN, but that's what's happened in El Dorado after the city was featured on the network's website for being one of 5 small towns to rise up out of economic setbacks."
"Here that's a really big deal because there seeing the things that we think we see and the things that we like about this community and now their telling the whole world."
One of the captivating features of El Dorado that caught the attention of CNN is the city's downtown sprawling with shops, eateries, and places for entertainment. El Dorado was once known for its booming oil industry and had a population of 30 thousand people, but like other cities across America fell victim to the Great Depression. Now, decades later life is springing up again.
"Look around, go walk around the square, go drive around town, look at the new high school, and talk to the kids that have been able to go to college because of the El Dorado Promise. There are some really special stuff going on here."
Main Street El Dorado Director Mark Givens talks about what the national recognition means for El Dorado.
"I don't think you can buy that kind of advertisement and you can't solicit that kind of attention for something as huge as CNN Travel so just to be recognized proves a point to people to acknowledge and be aware of what we are doing."
"Other cities on CNN's list of America's Best Small Town Comebacks include DeLand, Florida, Libertyville, Illinois, Ely, Nevada, and Coronado, California.
