El Paso, Texas
Encyclopedia
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat
of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas
. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas
and the 19th largest city in the United States. Its metropolitan area
covers all of El Paso County, whose population in the 2010 census was 800,647.
El Paso stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte)
, across the border from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
. The image to the right shows Downtown El Paso
and Juárez, with the Juárez Mountains in the background. The two cities form a combined international metropolitan area, sometimes called Juarez-El Paso, with Juárez being the significantly larger of the two in population. Together they have a combined population of 2 million, with Juárez accounting for 2/3 of the population. In 2010 El Paso was awarded an All-America City Award
, the oldest community recognition program in the United States.
El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso
(founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and later, Texas Western College; its present name dates from 1967) and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
at El Paso. Fort Bliss
, one of the largest military complexes of the United States Army
, lies to the east and northeast of the city, with training areas extending north into New Mexico
, up to the White Sands Missile Range
and neighboring Holloman Air Force Base
in Alamogordo. The Franklin Mountains
extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections, the western half forming the beginnings of the Mesilla Valley
and with the eastern slopes connecting in the central business district at the south end of the mountain range.
s from hunter-gatherer
s found at Hueco Tanks
. The earliest known cultures in the region were maize
farmers. At the time of the arrival of the Spanish
the Manso
, Suma, and Jumano
tribes populated the area and were subsequently incorporated into the Mestizo
culture in the area, along with immigrants from central Mexico, captives from Comanchería
, and genízaro
s of various ethnic groups. The Mescalero Apache roamed the region as well.
Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate was the first European explorer known to have arrived at the Rio Grande
near El Paso, in 1598, celebrating Thanksgiving Mass
there on April 30, 1598 (several decades before the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving). However, it is thought that the 4 survivors of the Narváez expedition
passed through the area in the mid-1530s. El Paso del Norte (the present day Ciudad Juárez
), was founded on the south bank of the Río Bravo del Norte, (Rio Grande
) in 1659 by Spanish conquistadors. In 1680 the small village of El Paso became the base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico, remaining the largest settlement in New Mexico until its cession to the US in 1848, when Texas took it in 1850
.
Present day El Paso City largely remained undeveloped during most of Spanish control. Instead, Spanish settlement was centered on El Paso del Norte (the present day Ciudad Juárez
). Although, the Spanish Crown and the local authorities of El Paso del Norte had made several land concessions to bring agricultural production to the northern bank of the river in present day El Paso City, continual Indian raids and warfare overwhelmed any attempts. The Apache Wars
and subsequent Comanche Wars
left northern Mexico, then including present day New Mexico
, Texas
, Coahuila
, in a state of perpetual instability. Consequently, present day Juárez remained the northern-most villa with the Río Bravo del Norte, (Rio Grande
) and Apache attacks dissuading settlement and development north. The water of the river, the sand dunes to the south (médanos) and the fortifications at Paso del Norte and El Real de San Lorenzo, provided a natural defense against further raids although in some decades several thousand strong Apache armies made raids deep into Mexico, slaughtering the male population and enslaving the women and children. As a result, the Rio Grande proved a boundary line of actual Hispanic presence.
Nonetheless, in the early years of Spanish power, several attempts were made which successfully colonized areas north for some decades. Being a grassland then, the Hispanic civilian and military population, and the small community of Spanish friars and their Amerindian wards ranched the area and developed small scale but successful agriculture consisting of vineyards and fruits. However, in 1680, after the successful Pueblo Revolt
that decimated the Spanish colonies in northern New Mexico, Paso del Norte became the base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico with the present-day El Paso remaining a neutral battle-ground. From El Paso, the Spaniards led by Diego de Vargas
, grouped to recolonize the Spanish territory centered on Santa Fe
stretching from Socorro to Taos
. The Bourbon reforms
of the eighteenth century affected the Paso del Norte region, as New Spain's enlightened bureaucrats deemed the region—with a thriving population of over 10,000 by mid-century—capable of self-defense. Viceregal troops garrisoned in the Presidio of Paso del Norte were redeployed elsewhere on New Spain's frontier. New policies of Indian gifting helped to stabilize relations with the Apaches and Comanches, providing a respite to El Paso's agriculturalist population.
With the Mexican Constitution of 1824, part of present-day El Paso became the southernmost locality of the Territorio de Nuevo Mexico (modern New Mexico
) and part of the newly-established state of Chihuahua. It communicated with Santa Fe
and Mexico City
by the Royal Road (Camino Real de Tierra Adentro). American spies, traders and fur trappers visited the area since 1804 and some intermarried with the area's Hispanic elite, as occurred with fur trapper, miner, and merchant Hugh Stephenson (1798–1870). Although there was no combat in the region during the Mexican Independence, Paso del Norte experienced the negative effects it had on its wine trade.
The Texas Revolution
(1836) was not felt in the region as the area was never considered part of Texas until 1848. As early as the mid 1840s, alongside long extant Hispanic settlements such as the Rancho de Juan María Ponce de León, Anglo settlers like Simeon Hart and Hugh Stephenson began to establish themselves. Stephenson, who had married into the local Hispanic aristocracy, established the Rancho de San José de la Concordia, which became the nucleus of Anglo and Hispanic settlement within the limits of modern-day El Paso, in 1844. Given the reclamations of the Texas Republic that wanted a chunk of the Santa Fe trade, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo effectively made the settlements on the north bank of the river a formal American settlement, separate from Old El Paso del Norte on the Mexican side. The present Texas–New Mexico boundary placing El Paso on the Texas side was drawn in the Compromise of 1850
.
El Paso County was established in March 1850, with San Elizario
as the first county seat. The United States Senate fixed a boundary between Texas and New Mexico at the thirty-second parallel, thus largely ignoring history and topography. A military post called The Post opposite El Paso (meaning opposite El Paso del Norte, across the Rio Grande) was established in 1854. Further west, a settlement on Coons' Rancho called Franklin became the nucleus of the future El Paso, Texas. A year later pioneer Anson Mills
completed his plan of the town, calling it El Paso.
During the Civil War
, there was a Confederate presence in the area until it was captured by the Union California Column
in 1862. It was then headquarters for the 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
until December 1864.
After the war was concluded, the town's population began to grow. El Paso was incorporated in 1873 and encompassed the small area communities that had developed along the river. With the arrival of the Southern Pacific
, Texas and Pacific
and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads in 1881, the population boomed to 10,000 by the 1890 census attracting newcomers ranging from businessmen and priest
s, to gunfighters and prostitutes. El Paso became a violent and wild boomtown
known as the "Six Shooter Capital" because of its lawlessness. Prostitution
and gambling
flourished until World War I, when the Department of the Army pressured El Paso authorities to crack down on vice (thus benefitting vice in neighboring Ciudad Juárez). The city developed into the premier manufacturing, transportation, and retail center of the U.S. Southwest.
The Mexican Revolution
greatly impacted the city, bringing an influx of refugees—and capital—to the bustling boom town. Spanish-language newspapers, theaters, movie houses, and schools were established, many supported by a thriving Mexican refugee middle class. Large numbers of clerics, intellectuals, and businessmen took refuge in the city, particularly between 1913 and 1915. The population exceeded 100,000. The Jesuit Order established a network of schools catering to the children of the Mexican community, and the large number of refugee floating population was attended by various philanthropic organizations, including the National Catholic Welfare Fund.
Mining and other industries gradually developed in the area. The El Paso and Northeastern Railway
was chartered in 1897, in order to help exploit the natural resources of surrounding ares, especially in southeastern New Mexico Territory. The Arizona and Southeastern Railroad was slowly extended towards El Paso (owned by the Phelps Dodge company), in order to allow the construction of a second copper refinery in El Paso to refine copper ore being produced in Arizona and southwestern New Mexico by Phelps Dodge. In 1901, the Arizona and Southeastern was re-named the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad
, and the tracks finally reached El Paso in 1902. The 1920s and 1930s saw the emergence of major business development in the city partially enabled by Prohibition era bootlegging. The Depression era hit the city hard and population declined through the end of World War II. Following the war, military expansion in the area as well as oil discoveries in the Permian Basin (North America) helped to cause rapid economic expansion in the mid 1900s. Copper
smelting, oil
refining, and the proliferation of low wage industries (particularly garment making) led the city's growth. The expansion slowed again in the 1960s but the city has continued to grow in large part because of the increased importance of trade with Mexico.
El Paso is located at 31°47′25"N 106°25′24"W (31.790208, -106.423242). It lies at the intersection of three states (Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua) and two countries (the USA and Mexico). It is the only major Texas city on Mountain Time. Ciudad Juárez used to be on Central Time, but both cities are now on Mountain Time.
The city's elevation is 3,800 feet (1,140 m) above sea level. North Franklin Mountain
is the highest peak in the city at 7192 feet (2,192.1 m) above sea level. The peak can be seen from 60 miles (96.6 km) in all directions. Additionally, this mountain range is home to the famous natural red-clay formation, the Thunderbird, from which the local Coronado High School gets its mascot's name. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 250.5 square miles (648.9 km²).
The 24000 acres (9,712.5 ha) Franklin Mountains State Park
is the largest urban park in the United States and resides entirely in El Paso, extending from the north and dividing the city into several sections along with Fort Bliss
and El Paso International Airport
.
The Rio Grande Rift
, which passes around the southern end of the Franklin Mountains
, is where the Rio Grande
flows. The river defines the border between El Paso from Ciudad Juárez
to the south and west until the river turns north of the border with Mexico, separating El Paso from Doña Ana County, New Mexico
. Mt. Cristo Rey, a volcanic peak (an example of a pluton
) rises within the Rio Grande Rift
just to the west of El Paso on the New Mexico
side of the Rio Grande
. Other volcanic features include Kilbourne Hole
and Hunt's Hole, which are Maar volcanic craters 30 miles (50 km) west of the Franklin Mountains
.
El Paso is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert
, the easternmost section of the Basin and Range Region.
Being in the westernmost tip of Texas, and due to the huge size of the state, El Paso is closer to four other state capitals (US and Mexican) than it is to its own capital of Austin, Texas
(the other capitals being, Phoenix
(Arizona
), Santa Fe (New Mexico)
, neighboring Mexican
city Chihuahua
(Chihuahua), and Hermosillo
(Sonora
).
With the city limits are traditional suburban areas that are located on the far eastern and western edges.
, Sunland Park
, and Chaparral
lie adjacent to El Paso County, they are considered to be part of the Las Cruces, New Mexico
metropolitan area by the United States Census Bureau. Both metro areas do however, share a large commuter population, and also a media market.
El Paso has a hot desert climate
(Koppen
BWh) with very hot summers, usually with little or no humidity, and mild, dry winters. Rainfall averages 9.4 inches (23.9 cm) per year, much of which occurs during the summer from July through September and is predominantly caused by the monsoon. During this period, southerly and southeasterly winds carry moisture from the Pacific, the Gulf of California
, and the Gulf of Mexico
into the region. When this moisture moves into the El Paso area and places to the southwest, orographic lift from the mountains, combined with strong daytime heating, causes thunderstorm
s, some severe enough to produce flash flooding and hail, across the region.
The sun shines 302 days per year on average in El Paso, 83 percent of daylight hours, according to the El Paso Weather Bureau
. It is from this that the city is nicknamed "The Sun City
." Due to its dry climate, El Paso often experiences wind and dust storms during the spring, usually starting in March and lasting to early May. With an average wind speed of up to 30 mi/h with gusts that have been measured at over 75 mi/h, these wind storms kick up large amounts of sand causing loss of visibility.
El Paso, at 3800 feet (1,158.2 m) elevation, is also capable of receiving snow; weather systems have produced over a foot of snow on several occasions. In 1980, three major snowstorms produced over a foot of snow; one in February, another in April and the last one in December, producing a white Christmas for the city. A major snowstorm in December 1987 dumped over two feet (65 cm) of snow.
One example of El Paso's varying climate was the winter storm of early February 2011, which caused closures of schools, businesses, and City Hall. The snow stopped after about a day, but then because of below freezing temperatures El Paso utilities went into a crisis. Electric wires were broken, causing area blackouts; many water utility pipes froze, causing areas of the city to be without water for several days. When the pipes thawed, water was unsafe to drink due to filtration systems not working, therefore schools were closed again.
Monthly means range from 45.1 °F (7.3 °C) in January to 83.3 °F (28.5 °C) in July, but the warmest highs are typically in June. There are 60 nights below freezing, 109 days at or above 90 °F (32 °C) and 20 days above 100 °F (38 °C) each year. The city's record high is 114 °F (46 °C), and its record low is −14 °F, with weather records for the area maintained by the National Weather Service since 1879.
protected by flood-control dams and reservoirs, and the absence of any storm drain utility in the city to handle the flow of rain water.
10 Tallest Buildings in El Paso
El Paso's tallest building, the Wells Fargo Plaza, was built in the early-1970s as State National Plaza. The black-windowed, 296 feet (90.2 m) building is famous for its 13 white horizonal lights (18 lights per row on the east and west sides of the building, and 7 bulbs per row on the north and south sides) that were lit at night. The tower did use a design of the United States flag during the 4th of July
holidays as well as the American hostage crisis of 1980, and was lit continuously following the September 11 attacks in 2001 until around 2006. During the Christmas holidays, a design of a Christmas tree was used, and at times, the letters "UTEP" was used to support University of Texas at El Paso
athletics. The tower is now only lit during the holiday months, or when special events take place in the city.
According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey
, the racial composition of El Paso was as follows:
Source:
As of the census
of 2010, there were 649,121 people, 216,694 households, and 131,104 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,263.0 people per square mile (873.7/km²). There were 227,605 housing units at an average density of 777.5 per square mile (300.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.84% White, 3.39% African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 11.00% from other races
, and 3.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 86.62% of the population.
There are 182,063 households, out of which 42.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.54.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,124, and the median income for a family was $35,432. Males had a median income of $28,989 versus $21,540 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,388. About 19.0% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2006 United States Census Bureau
population estimates, the El Paso metropolitan area had a population of 736,310. In 2010 CQ Press ranked El Paso safest city in the U.S. with a population over 500,000.
In 2010, many Mexicans fleeing drug violence in Ciudad Juarez
settled in El Paso. Benjamin Sáenz, a novelist and a literature professor at the University of Texas at El Paso
, said during that year that El Paso was "becoming a lot more Mexican and a lot less Chicano
."
Nation, with its own governing body. It is one of the three Federally-recognized Indian tribes in Texas.
The Tigua Indians have been at their present location since a successful Pueblo Revolt
of 1680 that forced the Spaniards and New Spaniards (future Mexicans) to retreat south to present day Ciudad Juárez
, Chihuahua and El Paso. The tribe is led by a governor and a tribal council. Elections for tribal governor and tribal council are held once annually. As of January 2011, the governor is Frank Paiz.
The current mayor of El Paso is John Cook
, who defeated Mayor Joe Wardy
in 2005 and was reelected in 2009.
The current members of the El Paso City Council, who are elected every four years to staggered terms, are Emma Acosta (District 3), Susie Byrd (District 2), Steve Ortega (District 7), and Carl Robinson (District 4; Northeast), whose terms will end in 2013, and Eddie Holguin (District 6), Cortney Niland (District 8), Ann Lilly (District 1; Westside), and Dr. Mike Noe (District 5; Eastside), whose terms will end in 2015. Lilly, Byrd, Ortega, and Holguin, and have been on the council since 2005. Acosta has been on the council since 2008, Robinson since 2009, and Niland and Noe since 2011. Due to the term limits clause in the City Charter, several City Council members will not be eligible in the next election: Byrd, Holguin, Lilly, and Ortega, as well as Mayor Cook.
According to city charter amendments approved on February 7, 2004, the city of El Paso operates under a council-manager form of government. This system combines the strong political leadership of elected officials, in the form of eight Council Members, with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. All power is concentrated in the elected council, which hires a professionally trained manager to carry out its directives and oversee the delivery of public services. Joyce Wilson
was selected by the city council in 2004 as El Paso's first City Manager.
operates the El Paso I District Parole Office in the city. The El Paso II District Parole Office is in an unincorporated area
east of Horizon City
.
, like most of the Texas–Mexico border area and urban Texas. The El Paso metropolitan area is represented in the Texas State House by Democrats Marisa Marquez, Chente Quintanilla, Naomi Gonzalez
, and Joe Pickett
, and Republican
Dee Margo; and in the State Senate by José R. Rodríguez (D-El Paso). Quintanilla will not seek re-election in 2012.
(D-El Paso), former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Republican Quico Canseco
(R-San Antonio) in the House of Representatives. The current U.S. Senators for Texas are Kay Bailey Hutchison
(R-Texas) and John Cornyn
(R-Texas), however the El Paso area has heavily voted against them in Senatorial elections.
, a NASDAQ
listed company that manufactures personal health care products under many labels such as OXO, Dr. Scholl's, Vidal Sassoon, Sunbeam, among others. Also headquartered in El Paso is Western Refining
, listed on the New York Stock Exchange
, and Spira Footwear, and Fred Loya Insurance
, an insurance company.
Until 1996, El Paso was home to El Paso Natural Gas Company. It is now in Houston, Texas under the name El Paso Corporation. Farah Clothing Company was also headquartered in El Paso until 1998 when Farah along with other clothing manufacturing companies such as Levi's, moved their plants in search of cheaper labor. In the 1980s El Paso was known as the blue jeans capital of the world because it produced over 2 million pairs of jeans every week from different jean companies in El Paso. As of 2006, the only remaining companies in the clothing industry are Wrangler
and a smaller company by the name of Border Apparel.
More than 70 Fortune 500
companies have offices in El Paso, including The Hoover Company
, Eureka
, Boeing
, and Delphi (auto parts)
.
El Paso is an important entry point to the U.S. from Mexico. Once a major copper refining area, chief manufacturing industries in El Paso now include food production, clothing, construction materials, electronic and medical equipment, and plastics. Cotton, fruit, vegetables, livestock, and pecans are produced in the area. With El Paso's attractive climate and natural beauty, tourism has become a booming industry as well as trade with neighboring Ciudad Juárez
.
Education is also a driving force in El Paso's economy. El Paso's three large school districts are among the largest employers in the area, employing more than 19,000 people between them. The University of Texas at El Paso
(UTEP) has an annual budget of nearly $250 million and employs nearly 3,600 people. A 2002 study by the university's Institute for Policy and Economic Development stated that the University's impact on local businesses has resulted in $349 million.
The military installation of Fort Bliss
is a major contributor to El Paso's economy. Fort Bliss began as a Cavalry post in 1848. Today, Fort Bliss is the site of the United States Army's Air Defense Artillery Center and produces approximately $80 million in products and services annually, with about $60 million of those products and services purchased locally. Fort Bliss' total economic impact on the area has been estimated at more than $1 billion, with 12,000 soldiers currently stationed at the Fort. During the 2005 round of Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC), Fort Bliss came out an enormous winner. By 2013, BRAC growth is expected to add almost 28,000 new troops, 16,000 new spouses, and 21,000 new children to the El Paso community. The growth is expected to create a strong economic ripple throughout the El Paso area. With the growth in Fort Bliss, the economy is expected to profit an additional $10 billion by 2012, and an additional $5 billion each year after that.
In addition to the military, the federal government has a strong presence in El Paso to manage its status and unique issues as a border region. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA), and the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) all have agency operations in El Paso to regulate traffic and goods through ports of entry from Mexico. Including these agencies, government job growth in the area is expected to rise to 64,390 jobs by 2007. Many small businesses have been created with the growth of Fort Bliss. These companies support and provide many goods and services in areas as automotive, food and retail clothing. Another type of service provided by some companies are related directly to the Military itself such as Flags and Guidons, other areas that have flourished is the sewing and uniform companies
Call center operations make up 7 of the top 10 business employers in El Paso. With no signs of growth slowing in this industry, in 2005 the 14 largest call centers in El Paso employed more than 10,000 people. The largest of these in terms of employees are EchoStar, MCI
/GC Services, and West Telemarketing.
Analysts in the area say that job growth in 2005 will be in the form of health care, business and trade services, international trade, and telecommunications.
Items and goods produced: petroleum, metals, medical devices, plastics, machinery, automotive parts, food, defense-related goods, tourism, boots
All numbers are estimates as of 2006.
. El Paso is also the site of the Borderland Derby
horse race held in the nearby suburb of Sunland Park
.
Other arenas in El Paso include:
Nearby areas are served by:
:
Other private schools include the following:
, Amtrak
via the historic Union Depot
, Interstate 10, U.S. Highway 54 (known locally as "The Border Highway", "54", the "North-South Freeway" or officially as the Patriot Freeway), U.S. Highway 180 and U.S. Highway 62 (Montana Avenue), U.S. Highway 85 (Paisano Drive), Loop 375, Loop 478 (Copia Street-Pershing Drive-Dyer Street), numerous Texas Farm to Market Roads (a class of state highway commonly abbreviated to FM) and the city's original thoroughfare, State Highway 20
, the eastern portion of which is known locally as Alameda Avenue (formerly U.S. Highway 80). Texas 20 also includes portions of Texas Avenue in Central El Paso, Mesa Street from Downtown
to the West Side, and Doniphan Drive on the West Side. Northeast El Paso is connected to West El Paso by Transmountain Road. The city also shares 4 international bridges and one railbridge with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. In 2009, El Paso was home to number 52, number 98 and number 100 of the 100 most congested roads in Texas, which are, respectively: North Zaragoza Road between Sun Fire Boulevard and Interstate 10; Lee Trevino Drive between Montana Avenue and Interstate 10; and Interstate 10 between Patriot Freeway and Loop 375.
operates a system of medium to large capacity natural gas powered buses all around the city of El Paso.
El Paso County Transit makes trips with small capacity buses mainly in the Eastern El Paso area.
On September 1, 2009, NMDOT Park and Ride began operating commuter bus service to and from Las Cruces, New Mexico
.
Historically, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez had a shared streetcar system with a peak electrified route mileage of 64 miles (103 km) in 1920. The first electrified line across the Rio Grande which opened on January 11, 1902 was preceded by a network that relied on animal labor. The system quickly spread into residential and industrial areas of El Paso. In 1913 a 12 miles (19.3 km) interurban
line was built to Ysleta
. At the close of 1943 the holding company of El Paso Electric
sold its subsidiary the El Paso Electric Railway Company and its Mexican counterpart to one of National City Lines
' subsidiaries. This resulted in the formation of El Paso City Lines whose domestic streetcar lines were replaced by buses in 1947. The international streetcar line which crossed the border via the Stanton Street Bridge continued to operate until 1973. In 1977 El Paso City Lines and two other bus companies were bought by the municipality and merged to form Sun City Area Transit (SCAT). In 1987 SCAT restyled itself Sun Metro.
In 2011, Sun Metro has been named the most Outstanding Public Transit System of the Year in all of North America for a mid-size transit system by the American Public Transportation Association
.
, and Santa Fe Street in downtown El Paso.
Several bridges serve the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez area. In addition to the Santa Fe Street Bridge, there is the Bridge of the Americas, Stanton Street Bridge
, the Cordova Bridge, and the Zaragoza Bridge
.
There is also a land crossing at nearby Santa Teresa, New Mexico
, and the Fabens-Caseta International Bridge
in nearby Fabens, Texas
.
, founded in 1881; and the Spanish language daily El Diario de El Paso
.
The now defunct El Paso Herald Post was also founded in 1881 as the El Paso Herald, which then merged with the El Paso Post in 1931. The paper was shut down in 1997.
and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua can also be heard within the El Paso market.
independent channels: KTLA
, KHJ
, KTTV
and KCOP. Over time, as more television stations signed on and more cable channels were added (and the internet expanded), the L.A. stations would disappear from the lineup. The last to be removed was KTLA in the Fall of 2006, when KVIA-TV
opened its own CW station.
El Paso's current television stations are as shown in the table below:
– Chihuahua
, México – Jerez de la Frontera
, Spain – Mérida, Spain
– Juárez
, México – Torreón
, México – Zacatecas
, México
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and the 19th largest city in the United States. Its metropolitan area
El Paso metropolitan area
The El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of one county – El Paso – in far West Texas, anchored by the city of El Paso...
covers all of El Paso County, whose population in the 2010 census was 800,647.
El Paso stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte)
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, across the border from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
. The image to the right shows Downtown El Paso
Downtown El Paso
Downtown El Paso is the central business district of El Paso, Texas.-History:Dr. James Day, an El Paso historian, said that Downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a later point the main business area was centered around Stanton...
and Juárez, with the Juárez Mountains in the background. The two cities form a combined international metropolitan area, sometimes called Juarez-El Paso, with Juárez being the significantly larger of the two in population. Together they have a combined population of 2 million, with Juárez accounting for 2/3 of the population. In 2010 El Paso was awarded an All-America City Award
All-America City Award
The All-America City Award is given by the National Civic League annually to ten cities in the United States.The oldest community recognition program in the nation, the award recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon...
, the oldest community recognition program in the United States.
El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
(founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and later, Texas Western College; its present name dates from 1967) and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center offers programs in Allied Health Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. TTUHSC's main campus is in Lubbock, but campuses are also located in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, El Paso and the Permian Basin...
at El Paso. Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
, one of the largest military complexes of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, lies to the east and northeast of the city, with training areas extending north into New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, up to the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
and neighboring Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located six miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, a city in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The base was named in honor of Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research...
in Alamogordo. The Franklin Mountains
Franklin Mountains (Texas)
The Franklin Mountains of Texas are a small range that extend from El Paso, Texas north into New Mexico. The Franklins were formed due to crustal extension related to the Cenozoic Rio Grande rift...
extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections, the western half forming the beginnings of the Mesilla Valley
Mesilla Valley
The Mesilla Valley is a geographic feature of Southern New Mexico and far West Texas. It was formed by repeated heavy spring floods of the Rio Grande.The fertile Mesilla Valley extends from about Hatch, New Mexico to the west side of El Paso, Texas...
and with the eastern slopes connecting in the central business district at the south end of the mountain range.
History
The El Paso region has had human settlement for thousands of years, as evidenced by Folsom pointFolsom point
Folsom points are a distinct form of chipped stone projectile points associated with the Folsom Tradition of North America. The style of toolmaking was named after Folsom, New Mexico where the first sample was found within the bone structure of a bison in 1927....
s from hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s found at Hueco Tanks
Hueco Tanks
Hueco Tanks is an area of low mountains in El Paso County, Texas, USA. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the...
. The earliest known cultures in the region were maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
farmers. At the time of the arrival of the Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
the Manso
Manso Indians
The Manso Indians are a indigenous people who lived along the Rio Grande, near El Paso, Texas from the 16th to the 18th century. Their descendants remain in the area to this day....
, Suma, and Jumano
Suma-Jumano
The Suma and the Jumano were people in western Sonora and Trans-Pecos region of western Texas. The Suma was the western division and the Jumano were the eastern division.-History:...
tribes populated the area and were subsequently incorporated into the Mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
culture in the area, along with immigrants from central Mexico, captives from Comanchería
Comancheria
The Comancheria is the name commonly given to the region of New Mexico, west Texas and nearby areas occupied by the Comanche before the 1860s.-Geography:...
, and genízaro
Genizaro
Genízaros and their contemporary descendants were recognized as indigenous people by the 2007 New Mexico Legislature. Genizaros were Native American slaves who served as house servants, sheepherders, and in other capacities in Spanish, Mexican, and US households in the Southwest United States well...
s of various ethnic groups. The Mescalero Apache roamed the region as well.
Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate was the first European explorer known to have arrived at the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
near El Paso, in 1598, celebrating Thanksgiving Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
there on April 30, 1598 (several decades before the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving). However, it is thought that the 4 survivors of the Narváez expedition
Narváez expedition
The Narváez expedition was a Spanish attempt during the years 1527–1528 to colonize Spanish Florida. It was led by Pánfilo de Narváez, who was to rule as adelantado....
passed through the area in the mid-1530s. El Paso del Norte (the present day Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
), was founded on the south bank of the Río Bravo del Norte, (Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
) in 1659 by Spanish conquistadors. In 1680 the small village of El Paso became the base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico, remaining the largest settlement in New Mexico until its cession to the US in 1848, when Texas took it in 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
.
Present day El Paso City largely remained undeveloped during most of Spanish control. Instead, Spanish settlement was centered on El Paso del Norte (the present day Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
). Although, the Spanish Crown and the local authorities of El Paso del Norte had made several land concessions to bring agricultural production to the northern bank of the river in present day El Paso City, continual Indian raids and warfare overwhelmed any attempts. The Apache Wars
Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
and subsequent Comanche Wars
Comanche Wars
The Comanche Wars were forays by bands of Comanche native Americans along the Mexican and Texan frontier. Some of their forays extended well down into Mexico. The Apache conducted similar forays in the vicinity of southern Arizona...
left northern Mexico, then including present day New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, in a state of perpetual instability. Consequently, present day Juárez remained the northern-most villa with the Río Bravo del Norte, (Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
) and Apache attacks dissuading settlement and development north. The water of the river, the sand dunes to the south (médanos) and the fortifications at Paso del Norte and El Real de San Lorenzo, provided a natural defense against further raids although in some decades several thousand strong Apache armies made raids deep into Mexico, slaughtering the male population and enslaving the women and children. As a result, the Rio Grande proved a boundary line of actual Hispanic presence.
Nonetheless, in the early years of Spanish power, several attempts were made which successfully colonized areas north for some decades. Being a grassland then, the Hispanic civilian and military population, and the small community of Spanish friars and their Amerindian wards ranched the area and developed small scale but successful agriculture consisting of vineyards and fruits. However, in 1680, after the successful Pueblo Revolt
Pueblo Revolt
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, or Popé's Rebellion, was an uprising of several pueblos of the Pueblo people against Spanish colonization of the Americas in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.-Background:...
that decimated the Spanish colonies in northern New Mexico, Paso del Norte became the base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico with the present-day El Paso remaining a neutral battle-ground. From El Paso, the Spaniards led by Diego de Vargas
Diego de Vargas
Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras , commonly known as Don Diego de Vargas, was a Spanish Governor of the New Spain territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, today the U.S. states of New Mexico and Arizona, titular 1690 – 1692, effective 1692 – 1696 and 1703 – 1704...
, grouped to recolonize the Spanish territory centered on Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
stretching from Socorro to Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
. The Bourbon reforms
Bourbon Reforms
The Bourbon Reforms were a set of economic and political legislation introduced by the Spanish Crown under various kings of the House of Bourbon throughout the 18th century. The reforms were intended to stimulate manufacturing and technology in order to modernize Spain...
of the eighteenth century affected the Paso del Norte region, as New Spain's enlightened bureaucrats deemed the region—with a thriving population of over 10,000 by mid-century—capable of self-defense. Viceregal troops garrisoned in the Presidio of Paso del Norte were redeployed elsewhere on New Spain's frontier. New policies of Indian gifting helped to stabilize relations with the Apaches and Comanches, providing a respite to El Paso's agriculturalist population.
With the Mexican Constitution of 1824, part of present-day El Paso became the southernmost locality of the Territorio de Nuevo Mexico (modern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
) and part of the newly-established state of Chihuahua. It communicated with Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
by the Royal Road (Camino Real de Tierra Adentro). American spies, traders and fur trappers visited the area since 1804 and some intermarried with the area's Hispanic elite, as occurred with fur trapper, miner, and merchant Hugh Stephenson (1798–1870). Although there was no combat in the region during the Mexican Independence, Paso del Norte experienced the negative effects it had on its wine trade.
The Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
(1836) was not felt in the region as the area was never considered part of Texas until 1848. As early as the mid 1840s, alongside long extant Hispanic settlements such as the Rancho de Juan María Ponce de León, Anglo settlers like Simeon Hart and Hugh Stephenson began to establish themselves. Stephenson, who had married into the local Hispanic aristocracy, established the Rancho de San José de la Concordia, which became the nucleus of Anglo and Hispanic settlement within the limits of modern-day El Paso, in 1844. Given the reclamations of the Texas Republic that wanted a chunk of the Santa Fe trade, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo effectively made the settlements on the north bank of the river a formal American settlement, separate from Old El Paso del Norte on the Mexican side. The present Texas–New Mexico boundary placing El Paso on the Texas side was drawn in the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
.
El Paso County was established in March 1850, with San Elizario
San Elizario, Texas
San Elizario is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,046 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
as the first county seat. The United States Senate fixed a boundary between Texas and New Mexico at the thirty-second parallel, thus largely ignoring history and topography. A military post called The Post opposite El Paso (meaning opposite El Paso del Norte, across the Rio Grande) was established in 1854. Further west, a settlement on Coons' Rancho called Franklin became the nucleus of the future El Paso, Texas. A year later pioneer Anson Mills
Anson Mills
Anson Mills was a United States Army officer, surveyor, inventor, and entrepreneur. Engaged in south Texas as a land surveyor and civil engineer, he both named and laid out the city of El Paso, Texas...
completed his plan of the town, calling it El Paso.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, there was a Confederate presence in the area until it was captured by the Union California Column
California Column
The California Column, a force of Union volunteers, marched from April to August 1862 over 900 miles from California, across the southern New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and then into western Texas during the American Civil War. At the time, this was the longest trek through desert terrain...
in 1862. It was then headquarters for the 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
The 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, attached to the Department of the Pacific and Department of New Mexico....
until December 1864.
After the war was concluded, the town's population began to grow. El Paso was incorporated in 1873 and encompassed the small area communities that had developed along the river. With the arrival of the Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, Texas and Pacific
Texas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads in 1881, the population boomed to 10,000 by the 1890 census attracting newcomers ranging from businessmen and priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s, to gunfighters and prostitutes. El Paso became a violent and wild boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
known as the "Six Shooter Capital" because of its lawlessness. Prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
flourished until World War I, when the Department of the Army pressured El Paso authorities to crack down on vice (thus benefitting vice in neighboring Ciudad Juárez). The city developed into the premier manufacturing, transportation, and retail center of the U.S. Southwest.
The Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
greatly impacted the city, bringing an influx of refugees—and capital—to the bustling boom town. Spanish-language newspapers, theaters, movie houses, and schools were established, many supported by a thriving Mexican refugee middle class. Large numbers of clerics, intellectuals, and businessmen took refuge in the city, particularly between 1913 and 1915. The population exceeded 100,000. The Jesuit Order established a network of schools catering to the children of the Mexican community, and the large number of refugee floating population was attended by various philanthropic organizations, including the National Catholic Welfare Fund.
Mining and other industries gradually developed in the area. The El Paso and Northeastern Railway
El Paso and Northeastern Railway
The El Paso and Northeastern Railway was a short line railroad that was built around the beginning of the twentieth century to help connect the industrial and commercial center at El Paso, Texas, with physical resources and the United States' national transportation hub in Chicago...
was chartered in 1897, in order to help exploit the natural resources of surrounding ares, especially in southeastern New Mexico Territory. The Arizona and Southeastern Railroad was slowly extended towards El Paso (owned by the Phelps Dodge company), in order to allow the construction of a second copper refinery in El Paso to refine copper ore being produced in Arizona and southwestern New Mexico by Phelps Dodge. In 1901, the Arizona and Southeastern was re-named the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad
El Paso and Southwestern Railroad
The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was a short-line American railway company which operated in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with line extensions across the international border into Mexico. The railroad was known as the Arizona and South Eastern Railroad from 1888 to 1902.-Founding:James...
, and the tracks finally reached El Paso in 1902. The 1920s and 1930s saw the emergence of major business development in the city partially enabled by Prohibition era bootlegging. The Depression era hit the city hard and population declined through the end of World War II. Following the war, military expansion in the area as well as oil discoveries in the Permian Basin (North America) helped to cause rapid economic expansion in the mid 1900s. Copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
smelting, oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
refining, and the proliferation of low wage industries (particularly garment making) led the city's growth. The expansion slowed again in the 1960s but the city has continued to grow in large part because of the increased importance of trade with Mexico.
Geography
The city's elevation is 3,800 feet (1,140 m) above sea level. North Franklin Mountain
North Franklin Mountain
North Franklin Mountain is a mountain in the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, Texas, located in the Southwestern United States. North Franklin, at , is the highest point in El Paso, and the 27th-highest mountain in the state of...
is the highest peak in the city at 7192 feet (2,192.1 m) above sea level. The peak can be seen from 60 miles (96.6 km) in all directions. Additionally, this mountain range is home to the famous natural red-clay formation, the Thunderbird, from which the local Coronado High School gets its mascot's name. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 250.5 square miles (648.9 km²).
The 24000 acres (9,712.5 ha) Franklin Mountains State Park
Franklin Mountains State Park
Franklin Mountains State Park is a Texas state park in El Paso, Texas in the United States. It is at an elevation of . It is the largest urban park in the nation lying completely within city limits, covering...
is the largest urban park in the United States and resides entirely in El Paso, extending from the north and dividing the city into several sections along with Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
and El Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport is a public airport located four miles northeast of the central business district of the City of El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, USA....
.
The Rio Grande Rift
Rio Grande Rift
The Rio Grande Rift is a north-trending continental rift zone. It separates the Colorado Plateau in the west from the interior of the North American craton on the east. The rift extends from central Colorado in the north to the state of Chihuahua, Mexico in the south. The rift zone consists of four...
, which passes around the southern end of the Franklin Mountains
Franklin Mountains (Texas)
The Franklin Mountains of Texas are a small range that extend from El Paso, Texas north into New Mexico. The Franklins were formed due to crustal extension related to the Cenozoic Rio Grande rift...
, is where the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
flows. The river defines the border between El Paso from Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
to the south and west until the river turns north of the border with Mexico, separating El Paso from Doña Ana County, New Mexico
Doña Ana County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.1% White*1.7% Black*1.5% Native American*1.1% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.0% Two or more races*18.5% Other races*65.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. Mt. Cristo Rey, a volcanic peak (an example of a pluton
Pluton
A pluton in geology is a body of intrusive igneous rock that crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Plutons include batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, lopoliths, and other igneous bodies...
) rises within the Rio Grande Rift
Rio Grande Rift
The Rio Grande Rift is a north-trending continental rift zone. It separates the Colorado Plateau in the west from the interior of the North American craton on the east. The rift extends from central Colorado in the north to the state of Chihuahua, Mexico in the south. The rift zone consists of four...
just to the west of El Paso on the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
side of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
. Other volcanic features include Kilbourne Hole
Kilbourne Hole
Kilbourne Hole is a maar volcanic crater, located west of the Franklin mountains of El Paso, Texas, in the Potrillo Volcanic Field of Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Nearby Hunt's Hole lies several miles just south of Kilbourne Hole. These holes are rare examples of volcanic action without a...
and Hunt's Hole, which are Maar volcanic craters 30 miles (50 km) west of the Franklin Mountains
Franklin Mountains (Texas)
The Franklin Mountains of Texas are a small range that extend from El Paso, Texas north into New Mexico. The Franklins were formed due to crustal extension related to the Cenozoic Rio Grande rift...
.
El Paso is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
, the easternmost section of the Basin and Range Region.
Being in the westernmost tip of Texas, and due to the huge size of the state, El Paso is closer to four other state capitals (US and Mexican) than it is to its own capital of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
(the other capitals being, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
(Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
), Santa Fe (New Mexico)
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, neighboring Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
city Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
(Chihuahua), and Hermosillo
Hermosillo
Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...
(Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
).
Areas
- Central El PasoCentral El PasoCentral El Paso is part of the city of El Paso, Texas, USA, and contains some of the city's oldest and most historic neighborhoods. Located in the heart of the city, it is home to approximately 130,000 people. Development of Central El Paso started around 1875, when the city was barely beginning to...
- Downtown El PasoDowntown El PasoDowntown El Paso is the central business district of El Paso, Texas.-History:Dr. James Day, an El Paso historian, said that Downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a later point the main business area was centered around Stanton...
- Sunset HeightsSunset HeightsSunset Heights is a historic area in El Paso, Texas; which has existed since the latter part of 1890s. Many wealthy residents have had their houses and mansions built on this hill. Although some buildings have been renovated to its former glory, but many have been neglected and have deteriorated...
- Downtown El Paso
- East El PasoEast El PasoEast El Paso is an area of El Paso, Texas, United States, that is located north of Interstate 10, east of Airway Blvd., and south of Montana Ave. East El Paso is the fastest growing area of town. With a population of over 150,000, East El Paso is also the largest area of town...
- Ysleta
- Far East El Paso-Montana VistaMontana Vista, TexasMontana Vista is an unincorporated community in El Paso County, Texas, United States. It lies northeast of Horizon City and far east of El Paso....
- Mission Valley El PasoMission Valley El PasoMission Valley is an area of El Paso, Texas, USA which includes part of Eastside and all Lower Valley districts. It is the third largest area of the city, behind East El Paso and Central El Paso. Hawkins Road and Interstate 10 border the Mission Valley...
(Lower Valley and Ysleta, Texas) - Northwest El PasoNorthwest El PasoNorthwest El Paso is an area of El Paso, Texas that is located on the west side of the Franklin Mountains. It is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods within the city of El Paso, Texas. It has magnificent houses perched high on the mountains, as well as some spectacular houses in the...
(Commonly known as West El Paso or Upper Valley) - Northeast El PasoNortheast El PasoNortheast El Paso is part of the city of El Paso, Texas and is located North of Central El Paso, and East of the Franklin Mountains. Development of the area started during the 1950s, when many homes were demolished in the process of the construction of Interstate 10...
- West Central El PasoWest Central El PasoWest Central El Paso is part of the city of El Paso, Texas, USA. The area is located North of Interstate 10 Highway and West of the Franklin Mountains. The University of Texas at El Paso is located in the heart of the area...
With the city limits are traditional suburban areas that are located on the far eastern and western edges.
Texas suburbs outside the city
- AnthonyAnthony, TexasAnthony is an incorporated town in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,850 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Anthony is located at ....
- CanutilloCanutillo, TexasCanutillo is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,129 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Canutillo is located at ....
- ClintClint, TexasClint is a town in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 980 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Clint is located at ....
- FabensFabens, TexasFabens is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,043 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- Homestead Meadows NorthHomestead Meadows North, TexasHomestead Meadows North is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,232 at the 2000 census...
- Homestead Meadows SouthHomestead Meadows South, TexasHomestead Meadows South is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,807 at the 2000 census...
- Horizon CityHorizon City, TexasHorizon City is a city in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,233 at the 2000 census and 13,043 at the 2008 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area. Estimates for the 2010 census show the population at 16,735....
- Montana VistaMontana Vista, TexasMontana Vista is an unincorporated community in El Paso County, Texas, United States. It lies northeast of Horizon City and far east of El Paso....
- San ElizarioSan Elizario, TexasSan Elizario is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,046 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- SocorroSocorro, TexasSocorro is a city in El Paso County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 27,152. By the 2010 census, the number had grown to 32,013. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was reactivated in 1986 and has been a working city since then...
- SparksSparks, TexasSparks is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,974 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Sparks is located at ....
- VintonVinton, TexasVinton is a village in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,892 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Vinton is located at...
- TornilloTornillo, TexasTornillo is a census-designated place and border town in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,609 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- WestwayWestway, TexasWestway is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,829 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area...
New Mexico suburbs
Although New Mexican areas of AnthonyAnthony, New Mexico
Anthony is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, USA. The population was 7,904 at the 2000 census. It is located on the New Mexico–Texas state line in the Upper Mesilla Valley, and on Interstate 10, 27 miles south of Las Cruces and 21 miles north of El Paso, Texas...
, Sunland Park
Sunland Park, New Mexico
Sunland Park is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,106 at the 2010 census. Though it lies directly across from El Paso, Texas, being in Doña Ana County makes it instead a part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, some 30 miles to the north.The...
, and Chaparral
Chaparral, New Mexico
Chaparral is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,631 at the 2010 census. A portion of Chaparral is also in Otero County, New Mexico, United States....
lie adjacent to El Paso County, they are considered to be part of the Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
metropolitan area by the United States Census Bureau. Both metro areas do however, share a large commuter population, and also a media market.
- AnthonyAnthony, New MexicoAnthony is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, USA. The population was 7,904 at the 2000 census. It is located on the New Mexico–Texas state line in the Upper Mesilla Valley, and on Interstate 10, 27 miles south of Las Cruces and 21 miles north of El Paso, Texas...
- Sunland ParkSunland Park, New MexicoSunland Park is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,106 at the 2010 census. Though it lies directly across from El Paso, Texas, being in Doña Ana County makes it instead a part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, some 30 miles to the north.The...
- ChaparralChaparral, New MexicoChaparral is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,631 at the 2010 census. A portion of Chaparral is also in Otero County, New Mexico, United States....
Climate
El Paso has a hot desert climate
Desert climate
A desert climate , also known as an arid climate, is a climate that does not meet the criteria to be classified as a polar climate, and in which precipitation is too low to sustain any vegetation at all, or at most a very scanty scrub.An area that features this climate usually experiences less than...
(Koppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BWh) with very hot summers, usually with little or no humidity, and mild, dry winters. Rainfall averages 9.4 inches (23.9 cm) per year, much of which occurs during the summer from July through September and is predominantly caused by the monsoon. During this period, southerly and southeasterly winds carry moisture from the Pacific, the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
, and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
into the region. When this moisture moves into the El Paso area and places to the southwest, orographic lift from the mountains, combined with strong daytime heating, causes thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s, some severe enough to produce flash flooding and hail, across the region.
The sun shines 302 days per year on average in El Paso, 83 percent of daylight hours, according to the El Paso Weather Bureau
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
. It is from this that the city is nicknamed "The Sun City
Sun City
-South Africa:* Sun City, North West, a luxury casino resort, situated in the North West Province-United States:* The Sun City is a nickname or moniker for El Paso, TX because of the fact that sun shines for more than 302 days on average in the city....
." Due to its dry climate, El Paso often experiences wind and dust storms during the spring, usually starting in March and lasting to early May. With an average wind speed of up to 30 mi/h with gusts that have been measured at over 75 mi/h, these wind storms kick up large amounts of sand causing loss of visibility.
El Paso, at 3800 feet (1,158.2 m) elevation, is also capable of receiving snow; weather systems have produced over a foot of snow on several occasions. In 1980, three major snowstorms produced over a foot of snow; one in February, another in April and the last one in December, producing a white Christmas for the city. A major snowstorm in December 1987 dumped over two feet (65 cm) of snow.
One example of El Paso's varying climate was the winter storm of early February 2011, which caused closures of schools, businesses, and City Hall. The snow stopped after about a day, but then because of below freezing temperatures El Paso utilities went into a crisis. Electric wires were broken, causing area blackouts; many water utility pipes froze, causing areas of the city to be without water for several days. When the pipes thawed, water was unsafe to drink due to filtration systems not working, therefore schools were closed again.
Monthly means range from 45.1 °F (7.3 °C) in January to 83.3 °F (28.5 °C) in July, but the warmest highs are typically in June. There are 60 nights below freezing, 109 days at or above 90 °F (32 °C) and 20 days above 100 °F (38 °C) each year. The city's record high is 114 °F (46 °C), and its record low is −14 °F, with weather records for the area maintained by the National Weather Service since 1879.
Flooding
Although the average annual rainfall is only about 9 inches (225 mm), many parts of El Paso are subject to occasional flooding during intense summer monsoonal thunderstorms. In late July and early August 2006, over 15 inches (381 mm) of rain fell in a week, overflowing all the flood-control reservoirs and causing major flooding city-wide. The city staff has estimated damage to public infrastructure as $21 million, and to private property (residential & commercial) as $77 million. Much of the damage was associated with development in recent decades in arroyosArroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
protected by flood-control dams and reservoirs, and the absence of any storm drain utility in the city to handle the flow of rain water.
Temperature statistics
Cityscape
| Rank | Name | Height | Floors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wells Fargo Plaza Wells Fargo Plaza (El Paso) The Wells Fargo Plaza is a high-rise skyscraper located on 221 North Kansas Street in Downtown El Paso, Texas, United States. It opened as the First National Bank Plaza on October 25, 1971, and was later renamed the State National Plaza. It is 296 feet tall... |
296 feet (90 m) | 21 |
| 2 | Chase Tower Chase Tower (El Paso) - Chase Tower :The Chase is located at 201 East Main Drive in El Paso. It is a very prominent part of the El Paso skyline and is most visible heading eastbound on I-10... |
250 feet (76 m) | 20 |
| 3 | Plaza Hotel Plaza Hotel (El Paso) The Plaza Hotel, formerly the Hilton Hotel, is a landmark skyscraper located at 106 Mills Avenue in El Paso, Texas.-Sheldon Hotel site:The hotel was constructed on the site of the Sheldon Hotel, which burned in 1929... |
239 feet (73 m) | 19 |
| 4 | Kayser Building | 232 feet (71 m) | 20 |
| 5 | El Paso Natural Gas Company Building | 208 feet (63 m) | 18 |
| 6 | Camino Real Hotel Camino Real Hotels Camino Real Hotels is a Mexican-based hotel chain consisting of hotels and resorts.-History:Camino Real was the name given by 16th century Spaniards to the road that led to the capital of New Spain, today known as Mexico.... |
205 feet (62 m) | 17 |
| 7 | Doubletree Hotel | 202 feet (62 m) | 17 |
| 8 | O. T. Bassett Tower | 196 feet (60 m) | 15 |
| 9 | El Paso County Courthouse | 185 feet (56 m) | 13 |
| 10 | Anson Mills Building Anson Mills Building The Anson Mills Building is an historic building located at 303 North Oregon Street in El Paso, Texas. The Building stands on the original site of the 1832 Ponce de León ranch. Anson Mills hired Henry C. Trost of the Trost & Trost architectural firm to design and construct the building. Trost was... |
145 feet (44 m) | 12 |
El Paso's tallest building, the Wells Fargo Plaza, was built in the early-1970s as State National Plaza. The black-windowed, 296 feet (90.2 m) building is famous for its 13 white horizonal lights (18 lights per row on the east and west sides of the building, and 7 bulbs per row on the north and south sides) that were lit at night. The tower did use a design of the United States flag during the 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
holidays as well as the American hostage crisis of 1980, and was lit continuously following the September 11 attacks in 2001 until around 2006. During the Christmas holidays, a design of a Christmas tree was used, and at times, the letters "UTEP" was used to support University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
athletics. The tower is now only lit during the holiday months, or when special events take place in the city.
Demographics
El Paso has historically been predominantly Hispanic. In the 1870s, a population of 23 Non-Hispanic whites and 150 Hispanics was reported. In 1916, the Census Bureau reported El Paso's population as 53% Hispanic and 44% non-Hispanic white.According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
, the racial composition of El Paso was as follows:
- WhiteWhite AmericanWhite Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
: 77.8% (Non-Hispanic WhitesNon-Hispanic WhitesNon-Hispanic Whites or White, Not Hispanic or Latino are people in the United States, as defined by the Census Bureau, who are of the White race and are not of Hispanic or Latino origin/ethnicity. Hence the designation is exclusive in the sense that it defines who is not included as opposed to who is...
: 15.0%) - Black or African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
: 3.1% - Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
: 0.5% - AsianAsian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
: 1.2% - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific IslanderPacific Islander AmericanPacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
: 0.1% - Some other race: 15.1%
- Two or more racesMultiracial AmericanMultiracial Americans, US residents who identify themselves as of "two or more races", were numbered at around 9 million, or 2.9% of the population, in the census of 2010. However there is considerable evidence that the real number is far higher. Prior to the mid-20th century many people hid their...
: 2.2%
- Hispanic or LatinoHispanic and Latino AmericansHispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
(of any race): 80.0% (MexicanMexican AmericanMexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
: 75.0%)
Source:
As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 649,121 people, 216,694 households, and 131,104 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,263.0 people per square mile (873.7/km²). There were 227,605 housing units at an average density of 777.5 per square mile (300.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.84% White, 3.39% African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 11.00% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 86.62% of the population.
There are 182,063 households, out of which 42.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.54.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,124, and the median income for a family was $35,432. Males had a median income of $28,989 versus $21,540 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $14,388. About 19.0% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2006 United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
population estimates, the El Paso metropolitan area had a population of 736,310. In 2010 CQ Press ranked El Paso safest city in the U.S. with a population over 500,000.
In 2010, many Mexicans fleeing drug violence in Ciudad Juarez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
settled in El Paso. Benjamin Sáenz, a novelist and a literature professor at the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
, said during that year that El Paso was "becoming a lot more Mexican and a lot less Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
."
The Tigua Indians of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
Located between the cities of El Paso and Socorro lies the sovereign Ysleta del Sur PuebloYsleta del Sur Pueblo
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo is a Puebloan Native American tribal entity in the Ysleta section of El Paso, Texas, comprising a formerly Southern Tiwa-speaking people who were displaced from New Mexico in 1680 and 1681 during the Pueblo Revolt against the Spaniards.-Tigua:In Spanish the people and...
Nation, with its own governing body. It is one of the three Federally-recognized Indian tribes in Texas.
The Tigua Indians have been at their present location since a successful Pueblo Revolt
Pueblo Revolt
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, or Popé's Rebellion, was an uprising of several pueblos of the Pueblo people against Spanish colonization of the Americas in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.-Background:...
of 1680 that forced the Spaniards and New Spaniards (future Mexicans) to retreat south to present day Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
, Chihuahua and El Paso. The tribe is led by a governor and a tribal council. Elections for tribal governor and tribal council are held once annually. As of January 2011, the governor is Frank Paiz.
Municipal
The city government is officially non-partisan; the county government is not. Mayors and City Council members may not serve for more than ten years in their respective offices.The current mayor of El Paso is John Cook
John Cook (El Paso)
John Cook is an American teacher, businessman, veteran, civic leader, and member of the Paso Del Norte Group. Cook has been Mayor of El Paso, Texas since defeating incumbent Joe Wardy in June 2005, and was reelected in 2009 to a second four-year term...
, who defeated Mayor Joe Wardy
Joe Wardy
Joseph D. Wardy , is the former mayor of El Paso, Texas. He was elected mayor in 2003, when he defeated the previous incumbent Raymond Caballero...
in 2005 and was reelected in 2009.
The current members of the El Paso City Council, who are elected every four years to staggered terms, are Emma Acosta (District 3), Susie Byrd (District 2), Steve Ortega (District 7), and Carl Robinson (District 4; Northeast), whose terms will end in 2013, and Eddie Holguin (District 6), Cortney Niland (District 8), Ann Lilly (District 1; Westside), and Dr. Mike Noe (District 5; Eastside), whose terms will end in 2015. Lilly, Byrd, Ortega, and Holguin, and have been on the council since 2005. Acosta has been on the council since 2008, Robinson since 2009, and Niland and Noe since 2011. Due to the term limits clause in the City Charter, several City Council members will not be eligible in the next election: Byrd, Holguin, Lilly, and Ortega, as well as Mayor Cook.
According to city charter amendments approved on February 7, 2004, the city of El Paso operates under a council-manager form of government. This system combines the strong political leadership of elected officials, in the form of eight Council Members, with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. All power is concentrated in the elected council, which hires a professionally trained manager to carry out its directives and oversee the delivery of public services. Joyce Wilson
Joyce Wilson
Joyce Wilson is currently the city manager of El Paso, Texas.She was appointed in 2004, when the post of City Manager was created.-References:...
was selected by the city council in 2004 as El Paso's first City Manager.
El Paso County
The El Paso County Judge is Democrat Veronica Escobar, and the County Commissioners are as follows: Democrats Anna Perez (Precinct 1), Sergio Lewis (Precinct 2), Willie Gandara, Jr. (Precinct 3), and Republican Dan Haggerty (Precinct 4). Escobar and Lewis were first elected to their position in 2010, and have been in office since 2011. Perez and Gandara were first elected to their positions in 2008, and have been in office since 2009. Haggerty was first elected to his position in 1994, and has been in office since 1995. The El Paso County Sheriff is Richard Wiles, Democrat, since 2009.State
The Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
operates the El Paso I District Parole Office in the city. The El Paso II District Parole Office is in an unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
east of Horizon City
Horizon City, Texas
Horizon City is a city in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,233 at the 2000 census and 13,043 at the 2008 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area. Estimates for the 2010 census show the population at 16,735....
.
Texas Legislature
El Paso City and County vote overwhelmingly DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, like most of the Texas–Mexico border area and urban Texas. The El Paso metropolitan area is represented in the Texas State House by Democrats Marisa Marquez, Chente Quintanilla, Naomi Gonzalez
Naomi Gonzalez
Naomi R. Gonzalez is an attorney and politician from El Paso, Texas. She is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, where she represents the 76th district in El Paso County.-Early life and career:...
, and Joe Pickett
Joe Pickett
Joseph C. “Joe” Pickett is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives for the 79th District. Pickett has represented the El Paso County district since 1995. He also wrote a children's book called "Margo the Weird Cat."...
, and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Dee Margo; and in the State Senate by José R. Rodríguez (D-El Paso). Quintanilla will not seek re-election in 2012.
Federal
The El Paso metropolitan area is represented by Silvestre ReyesSilvestre Reyes
Silvestre "Silver" Reyes is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997, and the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the primary Committee in the U.S...
(D-El Paso), former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Republican Quico Canseco
Quico Canseco
Francisco "Quico" R. Canseco is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life and education:...
(R-San Antonio) in the House of Representatives. The current U.S. Senators for Texas are Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
(R-Texas) and John Cornyn
John Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
(R-Texas), however the El Paso area has heavily voted against them in Senatorial elections.
Economy
El Paso is the Operational Headquarters of Helen of Troy LimitedHelen of Troy Limited
Helen of Troy Limited is a manufacturer of personal care electrical products under brands licensed from Vidal Sassoon, Revlon, Dr. Scholl's, Sunbeam, Health o meter, Sea Breeze, and Vitapoint. It is also the parent corporation of OXO International. The company is headquartered in Hamilton,...
, a NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
listed company that manufactures personal health care products under many labels such as OXO, Dr. Scholl's, Vidal Sassoon, Sunbeam, among others. Also headquartered in El Paso is Western Refining
Western Refining
Western Refining Company, L.P. is an independent crude oil refiner and marketer headquartered in El Paso, Texas. Western Refining Company operates primarily in the Southwestern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Western Refining has been publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange...
, listed on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, and Spira Footwear, and Fred Loya Insurance
Fred Loya Insurance
Fred Loya Insurance is a car insurance company headquartered in El Paso, Texas. As of 2010 the company has 2,500 employees in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, and Texas....
, an insurance company.
Until 1996, El Paso was home to El Paso Natural Gas Company. It is now in Houston, Texas under the name El Paso Corporation. Farah Clothing Company was also headquartered in El Paso until 1998 when Farah along with other clothing manufacturing companies such as Levi's, moved their plants in search of cheaper labor. In the 1980s El Paso was known as the blue jeans capital of the world because it produced over 2 million pairs of jeans every week from different jean companies in El Paso. As of 2006, the only remaining companies in the clothing industry are Wrangler
Wrangler Jeans
Wrangler is a manufacturer of jeans and other clothing items. The brand is owned by the VF Corporation, who also own Lee, JanSport and The North Face, among others. Its headquarters is in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, with production plants in a variety of locations throughout the world...
and a smaller company by the name of Border Apparel.
More than 70 Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies have offices in El Paso, including The Hoover Company
The Hoover Company
The Hoover Company started out as an American floor care manufacturer based in North Canton, Ohio. It also established a major base in the United Kingdom and for most of the early-and-mid-20th century, it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry, to the point where the "hoover" brand name...
, Eureka
Eureka (company)
Eureka is a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners. The company is best known for "The Boss" line of vacuum cleaners, which were heavily promoted in the late 1980s.-History:...
, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, and Delphi (auto parts)
Delphi (auto parts)
Delphi Automotive PLC is an automotive parts company headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA. Delphi is one of the world's largest automotive parts manufacturers and has approximately 146,600 employees ....
.
El Paso is an important entry point to the U.S. from Mexico. Once a major copper refining area, chief manufacturing industries in El Paso now include food production, clothing, construction materials, electronic and medical equipment, and plastics. Cotton, fruit, vegetables, livestock, and pecans are produced in the area. With El Paso's attractive climate and natural beauty, tourism has become a booming industry as well as trade with neighboring Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
.
Education is also a driving force in El Paso's economy. El Paso's three large school districts are among the largest employers in the area, employing more than 19,000 people between them. The University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
(UTEP) has an annual budget of nearly $250 million and employs nearly 3,600 people. A 2002 study by the university's Institute for Policy and Economic Development stated that the University's impact on local businesses has resulted in $349 million.
The military installation of Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
is a major contributor to El Paso's economy. Fort Bliss began as a Cavalry post in 1848. Today, Fort Bliss is the site of the United States Army's Air Defense Artillery Center and produces approximately $80 million in products and services annually, with about $60 million of those products and services purchased locally. Fort Bliss' total economic impact on the area has been estimated at more than $1 billion, with 12,000 soldiers currently stationed at the Fort. During the 2005 round of Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC), Fort Bliss came out an enormous winner. By 2013, BRAC growth is expected to add almost 28,000 new troops, 16,000 new spouses, and 21,000 new children to the El Paso community. The growth is expected to create a strong economic ripple throughout the El Paso area. With the growth in Fort Bliss, the economy is expected to profit an additional $10 billion by 2012, and an additional $5 billion each year after that.
In addition to the military, the federal government has a strong presence in El Paso to manage its status and unique issues as a border region. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
(DEA), and the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) all have agency operations in El Paso to regulate traffic and goods through ports of entry from Mexico. Including these agencies, government job growth in the area is expected to rise to 64,390 jobs by 2007. Many small businesses have been created with the growth of Fort Bliss. These companies support and provide many goods and services in areas as automotive, food and retail clothing. Another type of service provided by some companies are related directly to the Military itself such as Flags and Guidons, other areas that have flourished is the sewing and uniform companies
Call center operations make up 7 of the top 10 business employers in El Paso. With no signs of growth slowing in this industry, in 2005 the 14 largest call centers in El Paso employed more than 10,000 people. The largest of these in terms of employees are EchoStar, MCI
MCI
MCI may refer to:* 1101 in Roman numerals*mCi, millicurie, 1/1000 of a curie, a non-SI unit of radioactivity*MCi, megacurie, 1,000,000 times a curie-Company:...
/GC Services, and West Telemarketing.
Analysts in the area say that job growth in 2005 will be in the form of health care, business and trade services, international trade, and telecommunications.
Items and goods produced: petroleum, metals, medical devices, plastics, machinery, automotive parts, food, defense-related goods, tourism, boots
Largest city employers
- El Paso Independent School DistrictEl Paso Independent School DistrictThe El Paso Independent School District is one of several public school districts serving El Paso, Texas . Originally organized in 1883, it is currently the largest district in the Texas Education Agency's Educational Service Center Region 19, as well as the largest district within the city of...
8,663 - Fort BlissFort BlissFort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
(civilian employees) 6,803 - Ysleta Independent School DistrictYsleta Independent School DistrictYsleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas . Ysleta ISD is the second largest school district in the city of El Paso.Ysleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas...
6,500 - CityCityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of El PasoEl PasoEl Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
6,264 - University of Texas at El PasoUniversity of Texas at El PasoThe University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
4,871 - Socorro Independent School DistrictSocorro Independent School DistrictThe Socorro Independent School District or SISD is a school district located in El Paso, Texas in an area referred to as East El Paso and is rapidly growing.The interim Superintendent is Mrs...
3,995 - Sierra Providence Health Network 3,761
- El Paso Community CollegeEl Paso Community CollegeEl Paso Community College is a community college district headquartered in El Paso, Texas. EPCC operates five campuses in the Greater El Paso area, as well as courses offered at nearby Fort Bliss....
3,728 - Wal-MartWal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
3,706 - El Paso County 2,700
- Las Palmas and Del Sol Regional Health Care System 2,244
- Echostar 2,012
All numbers are estimates as of 2006.
Major league teams
El Paso does not have any major league sports team. El Paso is the second largest city without a major sports team (Basketball, Baseball, Football, Hockey) in the continental United States. El Paso hosts the annual NCAA Hyundai Sun BowlSun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
. El Paso is also the site of the Borderland Derby
Borderland Derby
The Borderland Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually early in the year at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico. The final local prep for April's WinStar Derby, and an official prep race for the Kentucky Derby, the Borderland Derby is open to three-year-olds...
horse race held in the nearby suburb of Sunland Park
Sunland Park, New Mexico
Sunland Park is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,106 at the 2010 census. Though it lies directly across from El Paso, Texas, being in Doña Ana County makes it instead a part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, some 30 miles to the north.The...
.
Sports
| Club | Sport | League | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso Diablos El Paso Diablos The El Paso Diablos are a professional baseball team based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The Diablos are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2005 season to the... |
Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
American Association of Independent Professional Baseball (South Division) | Cohen Stadium Cohen Stadium Cohen Stadium is a stadium on the Northeast side of El Paso, Texas, by the Patriot Freeway, next to the Franklin Mountains. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the El Paso Diablos minor league baseball team. It opened in 1990 and holds 9,725 people... |
| Chivas El Paso Patriots | Soccer | USL Premier Development League USL Premier Development League The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid... |
Patriot Stadium Patriot Stadium Patriot Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in El Paso, Texas. It is the home stadium of the PDL club, Chivas El Paso Patriots. The stadium replaced Dudley Field. Its capacity is about 3,000.... |
| El Paso Rhinos El Paso Rhinos The El Paso Rhinos are a Junior "A" Tier III ice hockey team, based in El Paso, Texas. The Rhinos compete as part of the Mid-West Conference of the Western States Hockey League they are the current Conference Champions and the USA Hockey Junior A National Silver Medalists... |
Ice Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Western States Hockey League Western States Hockey League The Western States Hockey League is a Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned Junior 'A' ice hockey league that has teams located in the Southwest and Western United States.-History:... |
El Paso County Coliseum El Paso County Coliseum El Paso County Coliseum is a 5,250-seat multi-purpose arena, in El Paso, Texas. It opened on May 22, 1942 and seats up to 7,000 people, for concerts.-Late 1940s – 1970s:In addition to rodeo, many legendary music artists have performed here.... |
| UTEP Miners UTEP Miners The UTEP Miners is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Texas at El Paso. Informally, the UTEP Miners have also been referred to as the Miners, UTEP, or Texas-El Paso. UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967 to 2005, when they joined Rice, Tulsa, and SMU in... |
Division I | Conference USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... |
Don Haskins Center Don Haskins Center The Don Haskins Center is the home of UTEP Miners men's and women's basketball. The 'Don', as it is known by local residents, is located in the heart of El Paso, Texas. In addition to hosting sporting events, the Don is also used by many area schools, such as El Paso Community College, for... |
Arenas
UTEP owns the two largest stadiums in El Paso:- Sun Bowl StadiumSun Bowl StadiumThe Sun Bowl is an outdoor football stadium, on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. It is home to the UTEP Miners of Conference USA , and the late December college football bowl game, the Hyundai Sun Bowl...
has a capacity of 51,400 and is home to the UTEP Miners football team, coached by Mike PriceMike PriceMike Price is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso , a position he has held since 2004...
. It is also home to the annual Sun BowlSun BowlThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
, soccer games, and special events such as concerts. - Don Haskins CenterDon Haskins CenterThe Don Haskins Center is the home of UTEP Miners men's and women's basketball. The 'Don', as it is known by local residents, is located in the heart of El Paso, Texas. In addition to hosting sporting events, the Don is also used by many area schools, such as El Paso Community College, for...
has a capacity of 12,222 and is used for UTEP's basketball teams and special events such as concerts and boxing matches. It is also where the graduation ceremony takes place for UTEP students.
- Cohen StadiumCohen StadiumCohen Stadium is a stadium on the Northeast side of El Paso, Texas, by the Patriot Freeway, next to the Franklin Mountains. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the El Paso Diablos minor league baseball team. It opened in 1990 and holds 9,725 people...
has a capacity of 9,725 and is used primarily for the El Paso DiablosEl Paso DiablosThe El Paso Diablos are a professional baseball team based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The Diablos are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2005 season to the...
Independent baseball club. It also hosts concerts and boxing matches and is able to host soccer games as well. - El Paso County ColiseumEl Paso County ColiseumEl Paso County Coliseum is a 5,250-seat multi-purpose arena, in El Paso, Texas. It opened on May 22, 1942 and seats up to 7,000 people, for concerts.-Late 1940s – 1970s:In addition to rodeo, many legendary music artists have performed here....
has a capacity of 5,250. It is currently used primarily for special events such as concerts, wrestling matches, and others. It can also be utilized for hockey and arena football. - Memorial Gym is a 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena located on the UTEP campus. It was home to the Miners basketball teams until the Don Haskins CenterDon Haskins CenterThe Don Haskins Center is the home of UTEP Miners men's and women's basketball. The 'Don', as it is known by local residents, is located in the heart of El Paso, Texas. In addition to hosting sporting events, the Don is also used by many area schools, such as El Paso Community College, for...
, then known as the Special Events Center, opened in 1976. - Patriot StadiumPatriot StadiumPatriot Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in El Paso, Texas. It is the home stadium of the PDL club, Chivas El Paso Patriots. The stadium replaced Dudley Field. Its capacity is about 3,000....
has a capacity of around 3,000 and is solely used for the Chivas El Paso Patriots soccer club.
Public school districts
The city of El Paso is served by:- Canutillo Independent School DistrictCanutillo Independent School DistrictCanutillo Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Canutillo, Texas .In addition to Canutillo, the district serves a portion of Vinton as well as the communities of Prado Verde and Westway. A small portion of El Paso also lies within the district.The...
- El Paso Independent School DistrictEl Paso Independent School DistrictThe El Paso Independent School District is one of several public school districts serving El Paso, Texas . Originally organized in 1883, it is currently the largest district in the Texas Education Agency's Educational Service Center Region 19, as well as the largest district within the city of...
- Socorro Independent School DistrictSocorro Independent School DistrictThe Socorro Independent School District or SISD is a school district located in El Paso, Texas in an area referred to as East El Paso and is rapidly growing.The interim Superintendent is Mrs...
- Ysleta Independent School DistrictYsleta Independent School DistrictYsleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas . Ysleta ISD is the second largest school district in the city of El Paso.Ysleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas...
Nearby areas are served by:
- Anthony Independent School DistrictAnthony Independent School DistrictAnthony Independent School District is a public school district based in Anthony, Texas, United States.As of 2007, the Texas State Energy Conservation Office awards Anthony ISD money due to the colonias served by the district ....
- Clint Independent School DistrictClint Independent School District-High Schools:*Grades 9-12**Clint High School**Horizon High School**Mountain View High School-Middle Schools:*Grades 6-8**Clint Junior High School**East Montana Middle School**Horizon Middle School-Elementary Schools:*Grades PK-5...
- Fabens Independent School DistrictFabens Independent School DistrictFabens Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Fabens, Texas . The district is in El Paso County and its Superintendent is Edefonso Garcia....
- Gadsden Independent School District (in New Mexico)
- San Elizario Independent School DistrictSan Elizario Independent School DistrictSan Elizario Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of San Elizario, Texas . The district is in El Paso County and its Superintendent is Mike Quatrini....
- Tornillo Independent School DistrictTornillo Independent School DistrictTornillo Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Tornillo, Texas . The district is in El Paso County and its Superintendent is Paul Vranish....
Two-year and vocational colleges
- El Paso Community College
- International Business College
- Western Technical College
- Doña Ana Branch Community College with campuses in the El Paso Suburbs of Sunland ParkSunland Park, New MexicoSunland Park is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,106 at the 2010 census. Though it lies directly across from El Paso, Texas, being in Doña Ana County makes it instead a part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, some 30 miles to the north.The...
and Anthony, New MexicoAnthony, New MexicoAnthony is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, USA. The population was 7,904 at the 2000 census. It is located on the New Mexico–Texas state line in the Upper Mesilla Valley, and on Interstate 10, 27 miles south of Las Cruces and 21 miles north of El Paso, Texas...
, with a new campus in Chaparral, New MexicoChaparral, New MexicoChaparral is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,631 at the 2010 census. A portion of Chaparral is also in Otero County, New Mexico, United States....
. This college is a part of the New Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
system.
Four-year colleges & satellite campuses
- University of Texas at El PasoUniversity of Texas at El PasoThe University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
, or UTEP. - Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso CampusTexas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso CampusTexas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Campus is a branch of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas. It has been in operation since 1969.-History:...
- Texas Tech College of Architecture at El Paso
- University of PhoenixUniversity of PhoenixThe University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
-Santa Teresa, NMSanta Teresa, New MexicoSanta Teresa is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, although geographically it is considerably closer to El Paso, Texas than to Las Cruces.-Geography:Santa...
Campus - Park UniversityPark UniversityPark University is an independent, private institution of higher education based in Parkville, Missouri. Established in 1875 as a small church-related college, it has now expanded into an electronic learning institution and provider of education courses for the U.S...
- Webster UniversityWebster UniversityWebster University is an American non-profit private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Webster University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...
Medical school
- Texas Tech University-Paul L. Foster School of MedicinePaul L. Foster School of MedicineThe Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso has the following mission: "to provide exceptional opportunities for students, trainees, and physicians; to advance knowledge through innovative scholarship and research in medicine with a focus on...
Private and parochial schools
There are several parochial schools within the Roman Catholic Diocese of El PasoRoman Catholic Diocese of El Paso
The Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in West Texas. Covering , it encompasses the Texas counties of El Paso, Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Presidio, Reeves, Ward and Winkler with approximately 668,000 professing members,...
:
- Primary schools:
- Father Yermo Primary SchoolFather Yermo High SchoolFather Yermo High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in El Paso, Texas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso.-Background:...
- Loretto Academy Primary SchoolLoretto Academy (El Paso, Texas)Loretto Academy is a private Roman Catholic school in El Paso, Texas. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso alongside Cathedral High School and Father Yermo. Grades K-5 are coeducational, while grades 6-12 are all girls.-Background:...
- Most Holy Trinity Catholic School
- Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School
- Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School
- St. Joseph's Catholic School
- St. Matthew's Catholic School
- St. Patrick Cathedral School
- St. Pius X Catholic School
- St. Raphael Catholic School
- Father Yermo Primary School
- Secondary schools:
- Cathedral High SchoolCathedral High School (El Paso, Texas)Cathedral High School is a private, Catholic high school for boys, in El Paso, Texas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso which owns and administers the school. Its mission is to "Teach minds and touch hearts"-Background:...
- Father Yermo High SchoolFather Yermo High SchoolFather Yermo High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in El Paso, Texas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso.-Background:...
- Loretto AcademyLoretto Academy (El Paso, Texas)Loretto Academy is a private Roman Catholic school in El Paso, Texas. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso alongside Cathedral High School and Father Yermo. Grades K-5 are coeducational, while grades 6-12 are all girls.-Background:...
- Cathedral High School
Other private schools include the following:
- Bethel Christian School
- Bridges Academy
- Covenant Christian Academy
- Community of Faith Christian School
- El Paso Adventist Junior Academy
- El Paso Country Day School
- El Paso Jewish Academy
- Faith Christian AcademyAbundant Living Faith CenterThe Abundant Living Faith Center is a nondenominational, multicultural church in El Paso, Texas, USA, with about 20,000 members in 2009.As of 2009, it ranked number 41 by size on the Outreach Magazine's list of largest churches in the USA....
- Jesus Chapel School
- Immanuel Christian School
- Journey Academy
- Lydia Patterson InstituteLydia Patterson InstituteLydia Patterson Institute is a Methodist Christian college-preparatory school located in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913, it offers programs for Spanish-speaking children, primarily from Juarez, to attend high school in the United States and attend an American undergraduate university...
- Mount Franklin Christian Academy
- Northeast Christian Academy
- North Loop Christian Academy
- Palm Tree Academy
- Radford School
- Rose of Sharon Academy
- St. Clement's Parish School
- Trinity Lutheran Church and School
Hospitals
- Del Sol Medical Center
- Las Palmas – Del Sol Rehab. Hospital
- Las Palmas Medical Center
- Horizon Specialty Hospital
- University Medical Center- The city's general hospital and the only Level I trauma center in the area (Formerly Thomason Hospital)
- Rio Vista Rehab. Hospital
- Sierra Medical Center
- Southwestern General Hospital
- William Beaumont Army Medical CenterWilliam Beaumont Army Medical CenterWilliam Beaumont Army Medical Center is a Department of Defense medical facility located in El Paso, Texas. It provides comprehensive care to all beneficiaries including active duty military, their family members, and retirees...
- Providence Memorial Hospital
- Physicians Hospital
- Highlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital
- Sierra Providence East Medical Center
Literature
El Paso has been home to these figures such as:- Alicia Gaspar de AlbaAlicia Gaspar de AlbaAlicia Gaspar de Alba is a scholar, cultural critic, novelist, and poet whose works include historical novels and scholarly studies on Chicana/o art, culture and sexuality.-Biography:...
- Frank Ambriz
- José Antonio BurciagaJosé Antonio BurciagaJosé Antonio "Tony" Burciaga was a Chicano artist, poet, and writer who explored issues of Chicano identity and American society.-Early life:...
- Dagoberto GilbDagoberto GilbDagoberto Gilb is an American writer born in Los Angeles, California, whose reputation, after years between L.A. and Texas, is as one of the leading voices from the American Southwest....
- Arturo IslasArturo IslasArturo Islas , a native of El Paso, Texas, was a professor of English and a novelist, writing about the experience of Chicano cultural duality....
- Tom LeaThomas C. Lea, IIIThomas Calloway "Tom" Lea, III was a noted American muralist, illustrator, artist, war correspondent, novelist, and historian....
- Cormac McCarthyCormac McCarthyCormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. He has written ten novels, spanning the Southern Gothic, Western, and modernist genres. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction for The Road...
- Howard McCordHoward McCordHoward McCord is an American writer. He is Professor Emeritus of English at Bowling Green State University, where he was Director of the Creative Writing Program for most of the past quarter-century...
- Pat MoraPat MoraPat Mora is a Chicana author known primarily for her poetry and children's books.- Writer's Life and Work:Pat Mora is a writer and cultural preservationist who seeks to document the lives of Mexican Americans and U.S. Latinas and Latinos through varying genres such as children's books, poetry, and...
- John RechyJohn RechyJohn Francis Rechy, , is an American author, the child of a half-Scottish and half-Mexican father, Roberto Rechy, and a Mexican-American mother, Guadalupe Flores. In his novels he has written extensively about homosexual culture in Los Angeles and wider America, and is among the pioneers of modern...
- Benjamin Alire SaenzBenjamin Alire SaenzBenjamin Alire Sáenz is an award-winning American poet, novelist and writer of children's books.-Life:He was born at Old Picacho, New Mexico, the fourth of seven children, and was raised on a small farm near Mesilla, New Mexico....
- Eddie GuerreroEddie GuerreroEduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
- Debbie ReynoldsDebbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
Area museums
- The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert GardensCentennial MuseumThe Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens is a cultural history and natural history museum in El Paso, Texas, United States.The Centennial Museum is located on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. Its cultural focus is on the indigenous, colonial, pre-urban, and folk cultures...
is located on the grounds of UTEP, including a comprehensive collection of El Paso Brown, Native American pottery, as well as educational exhibits for students.
- The El Paso Museum of Archaeology is located on the eastern slope of North Franklin MountainNorth Franklin MountainNorth Franklin Mountain is a mountain in the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, Texas, located in the Southwestern United States. North Franklin, at , is the highest point in El Paso, and the 27th-highest mountain in the state of...
. Its grounds include native plants of the American Southwest as well samples of Native American shelters, in an unspoiled location. The museum includes dioramaDioramaThe word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
s for schoolchildren which illustrate the culture and geology of the American Southwest, such as Hueco TanksHueco TanksHueco Tanks is an area of low mountains in El Paso County, Texas, USA. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the...
in El Paso County. One diorama (see image to the right) is of the Cueva de la Olla (cave of the pot) which is located in the Sierra MadreSierra Madre OccidentalThe Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
of Chihuahua, an example of the Paquimé culture. - The El Paso Museum of ArtEl Paso Museum of ArtFounded in 1959, The El Paso Museum of Art is located in downtown El Paso, Texas. First accredited in 1972, it is the only accredited art museum within a 250 mile radius and serves approximately 100,000 visitors per year. A new building was completed in 1998...
is located next to the Plaza TheaterPlaza Theatre (El Paso)The Plaza Theatre is a historic building in El Paso, Texas. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks , and remains operational today, showing various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers.-History:...
next to San Jacinto Plaza, the public square downtown. It contains works of southwestern artists such as Tom LeaThomas C. Lea, IIIThomas Calloway "Tom" Lea, III was a noted American muralist, illustrator, artist, war correspondent, novelist, and historian....
. - El Paso Museum of History
- Fort Bliss Museums & Study Center
- Insights El Paso Science Museum
- The Magoffin HomesteadMagoffin HomesteadMagoffin Homestead was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The surrounding area was declared the Magoffin Historic District on February 19, 1985...
, dating from 1875, is now a State Historic Site. - The National Border Patrol Museum is located adjacent to the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.
- Railroad & Transportation Museum of El Paso
- War Eagles Air Museum, Santa Teresa, New MexicoSanta Teresa, New MexicoSanta Teresa is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, although geographically it is considerably closer to El Paso, Texas than to Las Cruces.-Geography:Santa...
- Gene Roddenberry Planetarium
- El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center
- Lynx Exhibits
Theaters
- The AbrahamAbrahamAbraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
Chavez TheatreChavez TheatreAbraham Chavez Theatre, known simply is Chavez Theatre, is a 2,500-seat concert hall located in El Paso, Texas. It is adjacent to the Williams Convention Center. Its exterior resembles a sombrero and features a three-story glass main entrance...
is located adjacent to the El Paso Convention & Performing Arts Center, welcomes patrons with a three-story-high glass-windowed entry and unique sombrero-shaped architecture making it a distinct feature on El Paso's southwestern landscape. - The Plaza TheatrePlaza Theatre (El Paso)The Plaza Theatre is a historic building in El Paso, Texas. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks , and remains operational today, showing various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers.-History:...
is a historic building located at 125 Pioneer Plaza in El Paso, Texas. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks. It shows various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers. It has a seating capacitySeating capacitySeating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 2,100. - McKelligon CanyonMcKelligon CanyonMcKelligon Canyon is the location of a 1,503-seat amphitheater located in El Paso, Texas, United States, where the play Viva El Paso! is presented. The amphitheater is also used for concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other special events....
is a 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) park, located in the Franklin Mountains, open to hikers and picnickers. In the canyon, McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre is surrounded on three sides by dramatic canyon walls; the 1,500-seat amphitheatre is used for concerts and special events, such as Viva El Paso!
Sites within the city limits
- Chamizal National MemorialChamizal National MemorialChamizal National Memorial, located in El Paso, Texas, along the United States–Mexico international border, commemorates the peaceful settlement of the Chamizal boundary dispute....
- El Paso ZooEl Paso ZooThe El Paso Zoo is a zoo located in El Paso, Texas. The facility houses animals representing over 220 species, including such critically endangered species as the Amur leopard and the Aruba rattlesnake...
- Fort BlissFort BlissFort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
- Franklin Mountains State ParkFranklin Mountains (Texas)The Franklin Mountains of Texas are a small range that extend from El Paso, Texas north into New Mexico. The Franklins were formed due to crustal extension related to the Cenozoic Rio Grande rift...
- Cathedral Church of Saint Patrick
- El Paso High SchoolEl Paso High SchoolEl Paso High School is the oldest operating high school in El Paso, Texas and is part of the El Paso Independent School District. It serves the West-Central section of the city, roughly west of the Franklin Mountains and north of Interstate 10 to the vicinity of Executive Center Boulevard...
- Magoffin Home State Historic SiteMagoffin HomesteadMagoffin Homestead was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The surrounding area was declared the Magoffin Historic District on February 19, 1985...
- Plaza HotelPlaza Hotel (El Paso)The Plaza Hotel, formerly the Hilton Hotel, is a landmark skyscraper located at 106 Mills Avenue in El Paso, Texas.-Sheldon Hotel site:The hotel was constructed on the site of the Sheldon Hotel, which burned in 1929...
- Plaza TheatrePlaza Theatre (El Paso)The Plaza Theatre is a historic building in El Paso, Texas. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks , and remains operational today, showing various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers.-History:...
- Union DepotUnion Depot (El Paso)The El Paso Union Depot, also known as El Paso Union Passenger Depot, was designed by architect Daniel Burnham, who also designed Washington D.C. Union Station. It was built between 1905 and 1906 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.Currently served by Amtrak's Texas...
- University of Texas at El PasoUniversity of Texas at El PasoThe University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
- Wyler Aerial TramwayWyler Aerial TramwayWyler Aerial Tramway is an aerial tramway in El Paso, Texas, United States. The tramway is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is located in Franklin Mountains State Park. The tramway complex covers on the east side of the Franklin Mountains. The gondolas travel along two 2600...
- Ysleta MissionYsleta MissionThe Ysleta Mission, located in the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo within the municipality of El Paso, Texas, is recognized as the oldest continuously operated parish in the State of Texas...
Transportation
El Paso is served by El Paso International AirportEl Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport is a public airport located four miles northeast of the central business district of the City of El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, USA....
, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
via the historic Union Depot
Union Depot (El Paso)
The El Paso Union Depot, also known as El Paso Union Passenger Depot, was designed by architect Daniel Burnham, who also designed Washington D.C. Union Station. It was built between 1905 and 1906 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.Currently served by Amtrak's Texas...
, Interstate 10, U.S. Highway 54 (known locally as "The Border Highway", "54", the "North-South Freeway" or officially as the Patriot Freeway), U.S. Highway 180 and U.S. Highway 62 (Montana Avenue), U.S. Highway 85 (Paisano Drive), Loop 375, Loop 478 (Copia Street-Pershing Drive-Dyer Street), numerous Texas Farm to Market Roads (a class of state highway commonly abbreviated to FM) and the city's original thoroughfare, State Highway 20
State Highway 20 (Texas)
State Highway 20 or SH 20 is a highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation that runs from New Mexico State Road 460 at the state line between Texas and New Mexico at Anthony in El Paso County to Interstate 10 at McNary in Hudspeth County. The route passes through the city of El...
, the eastern portion of which is known locally as Alameda Avenue (formerly U.S. Highway 80). Texas 20 also includes portions of Texas Avenue in Central El Paso, Mesa Street from Downtown
Downtown El Paso
Downtown El Paso is the central business district of El Paso, Texas.-History:Dr. James Day, an El Paso historian, said that Downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a later point the main business area was centered around Stanton...
to the West Side, and Doniphan Drive on the West Side. Northeast El Paso is connected to West El Paso by Transmountain Road. The city also shares 4 international bridges and one railbridge with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. In 2009, El Paso was home to number 52, number 98 and number 100 of the 100 most congested roads in Texas, which are, respectively: North Zaragoza Road between Sun Fire Boulevard and Interstate 10; Lee Trevino Drive between Montana Avenue and Interstate 10; and Interstate 10 between Patriot Freeway and Loop 375.
Airports
- El Paso International AirportEl Paso International AirportEl Paso International Airport is a public airport located four miles northeast of the central business district of the City of El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, USA....
- Horizon AirportHorizon Airport (El Paso, Texas)Horizon Airport is a public-use airport in El Paso, Texas, located 11 miles southeast of the central business district on Pellicano Drive about 1.5 miles east of Joe Battle Boulevard...
Passenger rail
- AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national passenger rail system, serves El Paso at the historic Union DepotUnion Depot (El Paso)The El Paso Union Depot, also known as El Paso Union Passenger Depot, was designed by architect Daniel Burnham, who also designed Washington D.C. Union Station. It was built between 1905 and 1906 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.Currently served by Amtrak's Texas...
, operating its Sunset LimitedSunset LimitedThe Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
three times weekly between New Orleans and Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Major highways
-
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Interstate 10 The primary thoroughfare through the city, connecting the city with other major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, New Orleans, Gulfport,& Mobile, with the east end located in Jacksonville, Florida. I-10 is also a connector to Interstate 25Interstate 25Interstate 25 is an Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway. I-25 stretches from Interstate 10 at Las Cruces, New Mexico, , to Interstate 90 in Buffalo, Wyoming, .Interstate 25 is the main north–south expressway through...
, which connects with the cities of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Cheyenne, Casper, and north to the junction with I-90, located in Buffalo, Wyoming. -
U.S. Highway 54 Officially called the Patriot Freeway; also known as the North-South Freeway. A business route runs along Dyer Street, the former US 54, from the freeway near Fort Bliss to the Texas–New Mexico border, where it again rejoins the expressway. The original U.S. 54 was a transcontinental route connecting El Paso with Chicago. -
U.S. Highway 62 Santa Fe Street south of Paisano Drive concurrently with US 85, Paisano Drive east of Santa Fe Street to Montana Avenue, then Montana Avenue concurrently with US 180. -
U.S. Highway 85 Santa Fe Street south of Paisano Drive concurrently with US 62 and Paisano Drive west of Santa Fe Street to I-10. -
U.S. Highway 180 Montana Avenue, which is a bypass route to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the east, and Flagstaff, ArizonaFlagstaff, ArizonaFlagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
to the west. -
SH 20State Highway 20 (Texas)State Highway 20 or SH 20 is a highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation that runs from New Mexico State Road 460 at the state line between Texas and New Mexico at Anthony in El Paso County to Interstate 10 at McNary in Hudspeth County. The route passes through the city of El...
Alameda Avenue (formerly US 80), Texas Avenue, Mesa Street and Doniphan Drive. -
SH 178 Artcraft Road in Northwest El Paso extends from Interstate 10 west to the New Mexico state line, at which point it becomes New Mexico Highway 136, the Pete V. Domenici International Highway. -
Loop 375State Highway Loop 375 (Texas)Loop 375 partially encircles the city of El Paso, Texas. Locally, it is known as Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive in the Northern section, Purple Heart Memorial Freeway in the Northeastern section, the Cesar E...
Texas Highway Loop 375 encircles the city of El Paso. Between Interstate 10 and Fort Bliss, including the stretch that crosses the Franklin Mountains via Smuggler's Pass, it is TransMountain Road. In the Ft. Bliss Military Reservation in between Northeast and East El Paso, it is officially the Purple Heart Memorial Highway. In East El Paso, the north- and southbound section is known as Joe Battle Boulevard, or simply as "the Loop". South of I-10Interstate 10 in TexasInterstate 10 is the major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. In the U.S. state of Texas, it runs east from El Paso, near the border with New Mexico, through San Antonio and Houston to the border with Louisiana in Orange, Texas....
, in the east and westbound portion, it is known as the Cesar Chavez Border Highway, a four-lane expressway which is located along the U.S.-Mexico border between Downtown El PasoDowntown El PasoDowntown El Paso is the central business district of El Paso, Texas.-History:Dr. James Day, an El Paso historian, said that Downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a later point the main business area was centered around Stanton...
and the Ysleta area. -
Loop 478: Copia Street, Pershing Drive and Dyer Street. - Spur 601. Once known as the Inner Loop, it was officially named the Liberty Expressway by the El Paso City Council in April 2010 at the request of Maj. Gen. Howard Bromberg, the commanding general of Fort Bliss. It was fully completed on April 27, 2011; it connects the Patriot Freeway (US 54) and Biggs Army Air Field to the Purple Heart Memorial Highway (Loop 375State Highway Loop 375 (Texas)Loop 375 partially encircles the city of El Paso, Texas. Locally, it is known as Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive in the Northern section, Purple Heart Memorial Freeway in the Northeastern section, the Cesar E...
). -
North Loop Road, as well as Delta Drive between North Loop Road and Alameda Avenue (Texas Highway 20). -
Zaragoza Road, running more or less north from the Ysleta International Bridge to US 62-180 (Montana Avenue); it lies mostly in East El Paso. - A portion of Clark Drive from Alameda Avenue (Texas Highway 20) north to Trowbridge Drive in South-Central El Paso.
-
McRae Boulevard, running north from Interstate 10 to US 62-180 (Montana Avenue) in East El Paso. - Texas Farm Road 2529 includes Stan Roberts Avenue and McCombs Street between Dyer Street and Stan Roberts Avenue in Northeast El Paso.
- Runs east from McCombs Street (Texas Farm Road 2529) in far Northeast El Paso; does not have a city street name.
- Texas Farm Road 3255 runs north from US 54 to the New Mexico state line in Northeast El Paso and bears the city street name Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Mass transit
The Sun Metro Mass Transit SystemSun Metro Mass Transit System
Sun Metro Mass Transit Department, simply known as Sun Metro, is the public transportation provider that serves El Paso, Texas. Consisting of buses and paratransit service, it is a department of the City of El Paso, and the agency also serves the rest of El Paso County and Sunland Park, New Mexico...
operates a system of medium to large capacity natural gas powered buses all around the city of El Paso.
El Paso County Transit makes trips with small capacity buses mainly in the Eastern El Paso area.
On September 1, 2009, NMDOT Park and Ride began operating commuter bus service to and from Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
.
Historically, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez had a shared streetcar system with a peak electrified route mileage of 64 miles (103 km) in 1920. The first electrified line across the Rio Grande which opened on January 11, 1902 was preceded by a network that relied on animal labor. The system quickly spread into residential and industrial areas of El Paso. In 1913 a 12 miles (19.3 km) interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
line was built to Ysleta
Ysleta, Texas
Ysleta is a community in El Paso, Texas. Ysleta was settled between October 9 and October 12, 1680, when Spanish conquistadors, Franciscan clerics and Tigua Indians took refuge along the southern bank of the Rio Grande. This is the oldest European settlement in the area that is the present-day U.S....
. At the close of 1943 the holding company of El Paso Electric
El Paso Electric
El Paso Electric is an Electric utility that provides electricity to western Texas and southern New Mexico. Its service area covers an area from Van Horn, Texas in the east and goes west to Luna, New Mexico and from the United States-Mexico border north to Holloman Air Force Base...
sold its subsidiary the El Paso Electric Railway Company and its Mexican counterpart to one of National City Lines
National City Lines
National City Lines, Inc. , was a controversial company founded in Minnesota, United States in 1920 as a modest local transport company operating two buses which was reorganized into a holding company in 1936 with equity funding from General Motors, Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California and...
' subsidiaries. This resulted in the formation of El Paso City Lines whose domestic streetcar lines were replaced by buses in 1947. The international streetcar line which crossed the border via the Stanton Street Bridge continued to operate until 1973. In 1977 El Paso City Lines and two other bus companies were bought by the municipality and merged to form Sun City Area Transit (SCAT). In 1987 SCAT restyled itself Sun Metro.
In 2011, Sun Metro has been named the most Outstanding Public Transit System of the Year in all of North America for a mid-size transit system by the American Public Transportation Association
American Public Transportation Association
The American Public Transportation Association is a non-profit organization which serves as an advocate for the advancement of public transportation programs and initiatives in the United States. Since its founding in 1882, APTA has educated the public about the benefits of public transportation...
.
Walkability
A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked El Paso 44th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.International border crossings
The first bridge to cross the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte was built in the time of Nueva España, over 250 years ago, from wood hauled in from Santa Fe. Today, this bridge is honored by the modern Santa Fe Street BridgePaso del Norte International Bridge
The Paso del Norte International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. The bridge is also known as "Paso del Norte Bridge", "Santa Fe Street Bridge", "Puente Benito Juárez",...
, and Santa Fe Street in downtown El Paso.
Several bridges serve the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez area. In addition to the Santa Fe Street Bridge, there is the Bridge of the Americas, Stanton Street Bridge
Good Neighbor International Bridge
The Good Neighbor International Bridge, commonly known as the Stanton Street Bridge, is an international bridge connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua across the Rio Grande . The bridge is also known as "Friendship Bridge", "Puente Río...
, the Cordova Bridge, and the Zaragoza Bridge
Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge
The Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge is an international crossing consisting of two international bridges which crosses the Rio Grande connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua...
.
There is also a land crossing at nearby Santa Teresa, New Mexico
Santa Teresa, New Mexico
Santa Teresa is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, although geographically it is considerably closer to El Paso, Texas than to Las Cruces.-Geography:Santa...
, and the Fabens-Caseta International Bridge
Fabens-Caseta International Bridge
The Fabens–Caseta International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande connecting the United States–Mexico border cities of Tornillo, Texas and Guadalupe, Chihuahua. The bridge is also known as "Puente La Caseta" and "Tornillo-Guadalupe Bridge". The two-lane bridge was...
in nearby Fabens, Texas
Fabens, Texas
Fabens is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,043 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Newspapers
The main newspapers are the English language daily El Paso TimesEl Paso Times
The El Paso Times is the English-language newspaper for the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas. The paper was founded in 1881 by Marcellus Washington Carrico. It originally started out as a weekly but within a year's time, it became the daily newspaper for the frontier town.The newspaper has a daily...
, founded in 1881; and the Spanish language daily El Diario de El Paso
El Diario de El Paso
The El Diario de El Paso is the primary Spanish-language newspaper for the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas. The paper was founded on May 16, 2005 by El Diario de Juárez. It originally started out as a Mexican newspaper circulated throughout Ciudad Juárez under the name Diario de Juárez...
.
The now defunct El Paso Herald Post was also founded in 1881 as the El Paso Herald, which then merged with the El Paso Post in 1931. The paper was shut down in 1997.
Radio stations
Radio stations from Las Cruces, New MexicoLas Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua can also be heard within the El Paso market.
Television
El Paso was the largest city in the United States without a PBS television station within the city limits until 1978. El Paso viewers had to watch channel 22, KRWG from Las Cruces until 1978. In fact, the city had only three English-speaking channels and two Spanish language channels (channel 2 and channel 5) from Juarez, and cable TV subscribers in the 1970s and 1980s could receive four Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
independent channels: KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
, KHJ
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
, KTTV
KTTV
KTTV, channel 11, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Los Angeles, California. Serving the vast Los Angeles metropolitan area, KTTV is a sister station to KCOP , Los Angeles' MyNetworkTV station...
and KCOP. Over time, as more television stations signed on and more cable channels were added (and the internet expanded), the L.A. stations would disappear from the lineup. The last to be removed was KTLA in the Fall of 2006, when KVIA-TV
KVIA-TV
KVIA-TV is an ABC affiliate television station in El Paso, Texas. It broadcasts its digital signal on channel 7 and channel 17. It is owned by and was the flagship television station of the News-Press & Gazette Company of St. Joseph, Missouri before the company acquired KRDO-TV. Its transmitter is...
opened its own CW station.
El Paso's current television stations are as shown in the table below:
Cellular phone coverage
KTSM TV reports that cellular phone users in El Paso are subject to International Calling fees (unless they disable roaming with their cellular phone providers).Popular culture
- "El PasoEl Paso (song)"El Paso" is a country and western ballad written and originally recorded by Marty Robbins, and first released on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959. It was released as a single the following month, and became a major hit on both the country and pop music charts, reaching number...
" by Marty RobbinsMarty RobbinsMartin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
was a popular Country ballad released in 1959. Robbins followed it up with a sequel, "El Paso City," in 1976. - Fleetwood MacFleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
held their first concert that featured Stevie NicksStevie NicksStephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
and Lindsey BuckinghamLindsey BuckinghamLindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
in El Paso in 1975. Stevie NicksStevie NicksStephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
attended Loretto Academy and Bassett Junior High in El Paso as a teenager. - "Take The Money and RunTake the Money and Run (song)"Take the Money and Run" is a song recorded in 1976 by the Steve Miller Band. A song about two young bandits, it was one of the many hit singles produced by the Steve Miller Band in the 1970s and featured on Fly Like an Eagle. The song peaked at #11 on the U.S...
"- a hit song by the Steve Miller BandSteve Miller BandThe Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967 in San Francisco, California. The band is managed by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is known for a string of mid-1970s hit singles that are staples of the classic rock radio format.-History:In 1965, Steve Miller and...
- tells the story of two bandits who "go down to old El Paso" and "get into a great big hassle." - The current Blue Beetle comic book series takes place in El Paso.
- El Paso has become a favored destination for musicians of all stripes. See Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
's March 2009 article. - In Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, the penultimate mission is set in El Paso.
- The Chinga ChavinChinga ChavinNick "Chinga" Chavin became known in the mid-1970s for his musical album, Country Porn.Perhaps his best-known song is "Asshole From El Paso", which has since been covered by Kinky Friedman. The song was a parody of "Okie From Muskogee" by Merle Haggard....
song "Asshole From El Paso" (most famously recorded by Kinky FriedmanKinky FriedmanRichard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American Texas Country singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election...
), a parody of Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
's "Okie from MuskogeeOkie from MuskogeeOkie from Muskogee is an album by Merle Haggard and the Strangers, released in 1969. The album won the Academy of Country Music award for Album of the Year in 1969. Haggard also won Single of the Year for "Okie from Muskogee" as well as Top Male Vocalist.Haggard has stated that the title song on...
", mentions El Paso in both the lyrics and the title. - American artist Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
references El Paso in her song, "Mother Revolution," featured on 2005's The BeekeeperThe BeekeeperThe Beekeeper is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It deals with the topics of death, adultery and romantic conflict, and makes brief reference to ancient Gnostic mysticism from the Apocryphon of John...
. - In the film 'For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars More is a 1965 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonté. German actor Klaus Kinski also plays a supporting role as a secondary villain...
', a bank in El Paso is robbed. - In the second season of "Breaking BadBreaking BadBreaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
", DEADEADEA is the commonly used acronym for the Drug Enforcement Administration, a United States law enforcement agency.DEA or Dea may also refer to:- Organizations :* DEA , UK development education charity...
Agent Hank Schrader is transferred from his office in Albuquerque to the headquarters in El PasoEl PasoEl Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
.
Filmed in El Paso
- The Burning PlainThe Burning PlainThe Burning Plain is a 2008 drama film directed and written by Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter of Amores perros , 21 Grams , and Babel . The film stars Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Basinger and Joaquim de Almeida...
(2009) starring Charlize TheronCharlize TheronCharlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
. One scene was shot on 2nd floor at Southwest General Hospital. - Stephen Fry In AmericaStephen Fry in AmericaStephen Fry in America is a six part BBC television series in which Stephen Fry travels across America to reveal a country in which he was almost born. Just before Fry was born, his father was offered a job at Princeton University, in New Jersey, but chose to turn it down in favour of Hampstead. In...
(2008) documentary - The Last Conquistador (2008), a PBS POVP.O.V.POV is a Public Broadcasting Service Public television series which features independent nonfiction films. POV is a cinema term for "point of view"....
documentary about the Oñate statue controversy - Glory RoadGlory Road (film)Glory Road is an American sports film directed by James Gartner, based on a true story dealing with the events leading to the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, in which the late Don Haskins – played by Josh Lucas – head coach of the Texas Western College led a team...
(2006) starring Josh LucasJosh LucasJosh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
is set in El Paso. - Man on FireMan on Fire (2004 film)Man on Fire is a 2004 American thriller film, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. Another film based on the same novel was also filmed in 1987....
(2004) starring Denzel WashingtonDenzel WashingtonDenzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
and Dakota FanningDakota FanningHannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
. - The Day After TomorrowThe Day After TomorrowThe Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally...
(2004) starring Dennis QuaidDennis QuaidDennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
and Sela WardSela WardSela Ann Ward is an American movie and television actress, perhaps best known for her television roles as Teddy Reed on the American TV series Sisters and as Lily Manning on Once and Again...
. - Saving Jessica LynchSaving Jessica LynchSaving Jessica Lynch is a 2003 American television film that aired on NBC and featured Canadian actress Laura Regan in the title role. The film begins with the ambush of Jessica Lynch's convoy in the middle of an Iraqi city and follows a version of events that credits an Iraqi citizen, Mohammed...
(2003) starring Laura ReganLaura ReganLaura Regan is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Jessica Lynch in the TV movie Saving Jessica Lynch.-Private life:...
. - Kingpin (NBC pilot)Kingpin (TV series)Kingpin is an American crime drama television series which debuted on the NBC network in the U.S. and CTV in Canada on February 2, 2003 and lasted 6 episodes. NBC's answer to The Sopranos and also influenced by The Godfather, Macbeth and Traffik, the story was about a Mexican drug trafficker named...
(2003) starring Yancey AriasYancey AriasYancey Arias is an American actor, perhaps most noted for his work on television crime dramas, particularly his roles as Miguel Cadena in the NBC series Kingpin and as Gabriel Williams in the FX series Thief.-Life and career:...
and Brian Benben. - The Original Latin Kings of ComedyThe Original Latin Kings of ComedyThe Original Latin Kings of Comedy is a 2002 stand-up comedy film directed by Jeb Brien, and the sequel to The Original Kings of Comedy. This special starred: George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Joey Medina, Alex Reymundo, and Paul Rodríguez. Nayib Estéfan deejayed. It was shot entirely at the Abraham...
(2002) featuring George LopezGeorge LopezGeorge Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...
, Cheech MarinCheech MarinRichard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
, Joey Medina, Alex Reymundo and Paul RodriguezPaul RodríguezPaul Rodriguez is a Mexican-American stand-up comedian and actor.-Personal life:Rodriguez was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México to Mexican agriculture ranchers.. His family migrated to East Los Angeles, where he enlisted in the military; he was stationed in Iceland and Duluth, Minnesota...
was shot at the Abraham Chavez Theater. - TrafficTraffic (2000 film)Traffic is a 2000 American crime drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Stephen Gaghan. It explores the illegal drug trade from a number of perspectives: a user, an enforcer, a politician and a trafficker. Their stories are edited together throughout the film, although some of the...
(2000) starring Benicio del ToroBenicio del ToroBenicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
, Michael DouglasMichael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
, Catherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-Jones, CBE, is a British actress. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of United Kingdom and United States television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as the 1998 action film The Mask of...
, Dennis QuaidDennis QuaidDennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
and Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
. - CommittedCommitted (2000 film)- Plot :The ever-optimistic Joline faces a challenge when her husband, flaky news photographer Carl , leaves her to find himself in Texas. Joline tracks Carl down and observes him, acquainting herself with his schedule and new friends - Plot :The ever-optimistic Joline (Heather Graham) faces a...
(2000) starring Heather Graham. - On the BorderOn the BorderOn the Border is the third studio album by the Eagles, released in 1974. During the making of the album, the band experienced significant changes. As the band tried to lean towards a more hard rock sound, they felt that producer Glyn Johns emphasized too much on their country sound. After recording...
(1998) starring Casper Van DienCasper Van Dien-Early life:Van Dien was born and grew up in Milton, Florida, the son of Diane , a retired nursery school teacher, and Casper Robert Van Dien, Sr., a retired U.S. Navy Commander and fighter pilot. There is a long military tradition in Van Dien's family. Aside from his father, his grandfather was a...
, Bryan BrownBryan BrownBryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John Brown and Molly Brown, a house cleaner who worked as a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet. He grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown and began working at...
, Daniel BaldwinDaniel BaldwinDaniel Leroy Baldwin is an American actor, producer and director. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Daniel Baldwin is known for his role as Detective Beau Felton in the popular NBC TV series Homicide: Life on the Street...
. - LolitaLolita (1997 film)Lolita is a 1997 French-American drama film directed by Adrian Lyne. It is the second screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name and stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert and Dominique Swain as Dolores "Lolita" Haze, with supporting roles by Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze,...
(1997) starring Jeremy IronsJeremy IronsJeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
and Melanie GriffithMelanie GriffithMelanie Richards Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
. - Last Man StandingLast Man Standing (film)Last Man Standing is a 1996 action film written and directed by Walter Hill, starring Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, and Bruce Dern. It is a credited remake of the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo.- Plot :...
(1996) starring Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Bruce DernBruce DernBruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
, Christopher WalkenChristopher WalkenChristopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
, Karina LombardKarina LombardKarina Lombard is an actress and singer.- Early life :Lombard was born in Tahiti. Her mother, Nupuree Lightfoot, is a medicine woman of the Lakota Nation and was an immigrant living in Tahiti. Her father, Henry Lombard, a banker, is a European aristocrat of Russian, Italian and Swiss descent....
. - Blue Sky (1994) starring Jessica LangeJessica LangeJessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
and Tommy Lee JonesTommy Lee JonesTommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
. - Wild at HeartWild at Heart (film)Wild at Heart is a 1990 American film written and directed by David Lynch, and based on Barry Gifford's 1989 novel Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula. Both the book and the film revolve around Sailor Ripley and Lula Pace Fortune , a young couple from Cape Fear, North Carolina who go on...
(1990) starring Nicolas CageNicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Laura DernLaura DernLaura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
. - Extreme PrejudiceExtreme Prejudice (film)Extreme Prejudice is an American action film originally released in 1987.The film was directed by Walter Hill; it was written by John Milius, Fred Rexer and Deric Washburn...
(1987) starring Nick NolteNick NolteNicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
and Powers BoothePowers BoothePowers Allen Boothe is an American television and film actor. Some of his most notable roles include his Emmy-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones and his turn as Cy Tolliver on Deadwood, as well as Vice-President Noah Daniels on 24....
. - Lost in AmericaLost in AmericaLost in America is a 1985 comedy film directed by Albert Brooks that was co-written by Brooks with Monica McGowan Johnson. Brooks stars alongside Julie Hagerty.-Plot:...
(1985) starring Albert BrooksAlbert BrooksAlbert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
and Julie HagertyJulie HagertyJulie Hagerty is an American actress and former model.-Early life:Hagerty was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Harriet Yuellig, a model and singer, and Jerry Hagerty, a musician. Her brother Michael Hagerty was also an actor. Her parents later divorced. Hagerty attended Indian Hill High...
. - Paris, TexasParis, Texas (film)Paris, Texas is a 1984 drama film directed by Wim Wenders. The screenplay is by L.M. Kit Carson and playwright Sam Shepard, and the distinctive musical score was composed by Ry Cooder. The cinematography is by Robby Müller....
(1984) starring Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
and Dean StockwellDean StockwellDean Stockwell is an American actor of film and television, with a career spanning over 65 years. As a child actor under contract to MGM he first came to the public's attention in films such as Anchors Aweigh and The Green Years; as a young adult he played a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and...
. - Lone Wolf McQuadeLone Wolf McQuadeLone Wolf McQuade is a 1983 action film, starring Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, and Robert Beltran, and is directed by Steve Carver. The film score was written by Francesco De Masi and borrows heavily from Ennio Morricone's score for Once Upon a Time in the West...
(1983) starring Chuck NorrisChuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
and David CarradineDavid CarradineDavid Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
. - Wrong is RightWrong Is RightWrong Is Right is a black comedy thriller about the theft of two suitcase nukes, featuring the plot conventions of media bias, reality television, government conspiracy, and Islamic terrorism...
(1982) starring Sean ConnerySean ConnerySir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
. - The Border (1982) starring Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
and Harvey KeitelHarvey KeitelHarvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
. All the border scenes, the refugee camp scene, and the U.S. Embassy scene were shot in and around El Paso. - ResurrectionResurrection (1980 film)Resurrection is a 1980 film which tells the story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people...
(1980) starring Ellen BurstynEllen BurstynEllen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
. - When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? is a play by Mark Medoff.The setting is Foster's Diner, a New Mexico rest stop that lost most of its clientele when a new highway bypass opened. Employees include restless cook Stephen , mousy waitress Angel, and their no-nonsense boss Clark...
(1979) starring Hal LindenHal LindenHal Linden is an American stage and television actor and television director, best known for his role in the television comedy series Barney Miller and as presenter on the ABC educational series Animals, Animals, Animals....
and Lee GrantLee GrantLee Grant is an American stage, film and television actress, and film director. She was blacklisted for 12 years from film work beginning in the mid-1950s, but worked in the theatre, and would eventually win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Felicia Carp in the...
. - Big WednesdayBig WednesdayBig Wednesday is an American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Milius co-wrote Big Wednesday with Denny Aaberg, and it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu and a short story Aaberg had published in a 1974 Surfer Magazine entitled "No Pants Mance." The picture stars...
(1978) starring Jan Michael Vincent and Gary BuseyGary BuseyWilliam Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
. - I Thought It Was A Go (2007) starring Kaelo Makua James and Chris "Nyph" Ashness. A DeathcoreDeathcoreDeathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
music video featuring the DeathcoreDeathcoreDeathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
band The Odessa Trail. - The Bad News Bears in Breaking TrainingThe Bad News Bears in Breaking TrainingThe Bad News Bears in Breaking Training is the 1977 sequel to the feature film The Bad News Bears.This film picks up the Bears' career a year after their infamous second-place finish in the North Valley League. However, after winning this year, they are left reeling by the departure of Buttermaker...
(1977) starring William DevaneWilliam DevaneWilliam Joseph Devane is an American film, television and theater actor.-Life and career:Devane was born in Albany, New York in 1937 or 1939 , the son of Joseph Devane, who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
. - The GetawayThe Getaway (1972 film)The Getaway is a 1972 American action-crime film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw.The film is based on a novel by Jim Thompson, with the screenplay written by Walter Hill...
(1972) starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGrawAli MacGrawElizabeth Alice "Ali" MacGraw is an American actress. She is known for her role in Love Story, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.-Early life:...
. - Manos: The Hands of FateManos: The Hands of FateManos: The Hands of Fate is an American horror film written, directed, produced by, and starring Harold P. Warren. It is widely recognized to be one of the worst films ever made...
(1966), which is reputed to be one of the worst films ever made, was shot in and around El Paso. It premiered in 1966 at the downtown Capri Theater. - Take the High Ground!Take the High Ground!Take the High Ground! is a film about the Korean War, starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden as drill instructors who must transform a batch of everyday civilians into soldiers.-Plot:...
(1953), starring Richard WidmarkRichard WidmarkRichard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
and Karl MaldenKarl MaldenKarl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
.
Sister cities
El Paso, Texas has the following sister cities:– Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
, México – Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
, Spain – Mérida, Spain
Mérida, Spain
Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, western central Spain. It has a population of 57,127 . The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993.- Climate :...
– Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
, México – Torreón
Torreón
Torreón is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2010, the city's population was 608,836 with 639,629 in the municipality. The metropolitan population, including Matamoros, Coahuila, and Gómez Palacio and Lerdo in adjacent Durango,...
, México – Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
, México
See also
- List of people from El Paso, Texas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in El Paso County, Texas
External links
- City of El Paso Website
- Chamber of Commerce Website
- Forty years at El Paso, 1858–1898; recollections of war, politics, adventure, events, narratives, sketches, etc., by W. W. Mills, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization
- El Paso - The Best Little Music City in Texas, from Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, March 2009.