Welcome to El Dorado, Kansas! (Wichita, Andover: appointed, city hall, crime rates)

[ltinpdx]

Visit El Dorado at http://www.eldoradoks.com today!

El Dorado used to be a nice town. The oil industry brought with it many fine, upstanding leaders of a stature communities its size would not normally attract. But the oil fields eventually played out, the leaders died or moved away, and, by the mid-1980's, the town was in an economic and emotional funk. Jobs were scarce and the suicide rate among young men was alarmingly high.

As often occurs in such situations (take post-World War I Germany, for example), an opportunistic group of individuals was waiting in the wings to take over. These folks promised to make El Dorado prosperous again. Desperate for better times, the people swept their candidates into City Hall and just about every other elected or appointed office inside and outside local government.

This group scored a couple of early economic development victories, bringing a prison and a balloon factory to town. These people also set up a system of political cronyism reminiscent of Chicago in the early 1930's minus the gangland "hits." Regardless of one's vocation, one either belonged or did not belong. Making one's way in El Dorado became difficult for those who did not belong.

The system worked fine for awhile, but as the nation prospered during the 1990's, El Dorado -- particularly its downtown retail sector -- began to implode. In order to make the public believe their candidates still stood for prosperity, the group embarked on a program of statue-building, streetscaping, cheerleading and a host of other welfare-state diversion tactics.

The voters eventually wised up, however, and elected a majority of city commissioners who promised to make government fair for all citizens and to stop wasteful spending on feel-good public relations initiatives. These brave and honest men include Mayor Brian Shepherd and commissioners Todd Peterson and Mike Fagg.

But the dregs of the corrupt former regime wasted no time in fighting back. On February 7, 2006, they succeeded in recalling Commissioner Peterson. Mayor Shepherd narrowly escaped bring removed from office.

Dark days lie ahead for El Dorado. The town remains sharply divided. All persons and business owners considering relocating to El Dorado should avoid doing so. Consider yourself forewarned.

[Crazy_Daisy]

I have been here a few times. It is just a small town with a little bit of nothing. I actually liked it.

[lakerat66]

ElDorado is not that bad of a town! I'll take ElDorado over Wichita's crime, traffic, exhaust fumes, and noise ANYDAY! Plus there's a nice lake and state park right outside of town! Butler Community College is a great place if you need basic classes too.

[j_k_k]

All I really know/knew of El Dorado was the Texaco refinery, because my cousin was chief chemist there. Did they shut it down?

[upandrunning]

I have lived in El Dorado and still have a brother and family who lives there. The town is small, and if you ain’t from here they will let you know it. It has the small minded Baptist god is great and this car will be driverless when rapture comes written all over it. The prison and oil refinery are the only real employers. The latter will waft a smell of sulfur that will make you want to pull the covers over your head and fart for fresh air. The major store is Wal-Mart. The balloon factory pays only about 8 an hour on avg. I had a brother who worked there and quit to go to work for Sherwin Williams in Andover now making 20 and hour. Homes are either way to expensive for what you get, like the ones by the state park by the prison, going for 165k and worth maybe 120k or less, or you get to the middle of town and they sell for 25 to 40k for a fixer upper. For my money I would move to Wichita ten times faster than El Dorado. I do not love Wichita by any stretch of the imagination. But It is much better then El Dorado.

[Modron]

[quote=ltinpdx;1198]Visit El Dorado at eldoradoks.com today!

...

Why did you even post about El Dorado, especially a post of this nature, out of the blue? BTW, I've lived there and have no, absolutely no, love lost for the community. But, I don't get why you'd hurl this post at the community in this way. If you live there and don't like it, it's seems like the person who's responsible for your situation is you: move.

[upandrunning]

I have lived there and have family in El Dorado. Its small, not much there. Its OK for a small town. I prefer to be closer to Wichita. But I have never had a problem there. I don’t like that there is nothing to do there. But family makes it a good place. I moved to Arkansas outside of Little Rock, which is a very nice town. But I am moving as soon as the house sells to Wichita where I have family there and El Dorado. Kansas is a crazy religious area, not my cup of tea since I am an atheist. I have had people get mad at my bumper sticker that says "God is only Pretend" I guess they can not live and let live. I have had people beep the horn and shake their finger at me, spit on my car ect. I guess that is what Jesus would do. LOL
When Christians do this, I know I am on the right road of thinking. When they are so mad and angry and full of hate for a different idea, it reminds me of the Islamic teachers who instill hate in the suicide bombers.

[averagejoe76]

Someone please write a thread on Park City lol

[TinaMcG]

Barack Obama's Kansas roots are in El Dorado -- did you all know that?

[lakerat66]

To upandrunning- good luck on that cheap house in Wichita! Better check the crime rates in those "reasonable" priced places/neighborhoods In Wichita, or any other town that size. By the way, 165K is AVERAGE for a house- NOT expensive!! ha.