These three cities form a combined international metropolitan area sometimes referred to as the Paso del Norte or the Borderplex. The region of 2.7 million people constitutes the largest bilingual and binational work force in the Western Hemisphere.[12]
The city is home to three publicly traded companies, and former Western Refining, now Marathon Petroleum,[13] as well as home to the Medical Center of the Americas,[14] the only medical research and care provider complex in West Texas and Southern New Mexico,[15] and the University of Texas at El Paso, the city's primary university. The city hosts the annual Sun Bowl college football postseason game, the second-oldest bowl game in the country.[16]
El Paso is a five-time All-America City Award winner, winning in 1969, 2010, 2018, 2020, and 2021,[18] and Congressional Quarterly ranked it in the top-three safest large cities in the United States between 1997 and 2014,[19] including holding the title of safest city between 2011 and 2014.[20]
The El Paso region has had human settlement for thousands of years, as evidenced by Folsom points from hunter-gatherers found at Hueco Tanks. This suggests 10,000 to 12,000 years of human habitation.[21] The earliest known cultures in the region were maize farmers. When the Spanish arrived, the Manso, Suma, and Jumano tribes populated the area. These were subsequently incorporated into the mestizo culture, along with immigrants from central Mexico, captives from Comanchería, and genízaros of various ethnic groups. The Mescalero Apache were also present.
The Chamuscado and Rodríguez Expedition trekked through present-day El Paso and forded the Rio Grande where they visited the land that is present-day New Mexico in 1581–1582. The expedition was led by Francisco Sánchez, called "El Chamuscado", and Fray Agustín Rodríguez, the first Spaniards known to have walked along the Rio Grande and visited the Pueblo Indians since Francisco Vásquez de Coronado 40 years earlier. Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate was born in 1550 in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico and was the first New Spain (Mexico) explorer known to have rested and stayed 10 days by the Rio Grande near El Paso, in 1598,[22] celebrating a Thanksgiving Mass there on April 30, 1598. Four survivors of the Narváez expedition, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, and his enslaved Moor Estevanico, are thought to have crossed the Rio Grande into present-day Mexico about 75 miles south of El Paso in 1535.[23] El Paso del Norte (present-day Ciudad Juárez) was founded on the south bank of the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande), in 1659 by Fray Garcia de San Francisco. In 1680, the small village of El Paso became the temporary base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico as a result of the Pueblo Revolt, until 1692, when Santa Fe was reconquered and once again became the capital.
The Texas Revolution (1836) was generally not felt in the region, as the American population was small, not being more than 10% of the population. However, the region was claimed by Texas as part of the treaty signed with Mexico and numerous attempts were made by Texas to bolster these claims, but the villages that consisted of what is now El Paso and the surrounding area remained essentially a self-governed community with both representatives of the Mexican and Texan governments negotiating for control until Texas irrevocably took control in 1846. During this interregnum, 1836–1848, Americans nonetheless continued to settle the region. As early as the mid-1840s, alongside long extant Hispanic settlements such as the Rancho de Juan María Ponce de León, Anglo-American settlers such as Simeon Hart and Hugh Stephenson had established thriving communities of American settlers owing allegiance to Texas. Stephenson, who had married into the local Hispanic aristocracy, established the Rancho de San José de la Concordia, which became the nucleus of Anglo-American and Hispanic settlement within the limits of modern-day El Paso, in 1844: the Republic of Texas, which claimed the area, wanted a chunk of the Santa Fe trade. During the Mexican–American War, the Battle of El Bracito was fought nearby on Christmas Day, 1846. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo effectively made the settlements on the north bank of the river part of the US, separate from Old El Paso del Norte on the Mexican side.[24] The present New Mexico–Texas boundary placing El Paso on the Texas side was drawn in the Compromise of 1850.
El Paso remained the largest settlement in New Mexico as part of the Republic of Mexico until its cession to the U.S. in 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo specified the border was to run north of El Paso De Norte around the Ciudad Juárez Cathedral which became part of the state of Chihuahua.
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 32nd 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 1849 on Coons' Rancho beside the settlement of Franklin, which became the nucleus of the future El Paso, Texas; after the army left in 1851, the rancho went into default and was repossessed; in 1852, a post office was established on the rancho bearing the name El Paso as an example of cross-border town naming until El Paso del Norte was renamed Juarez in 1888. After changing hands twice more, the El Paso company was set up in 1859 and bought the property, hiring Anson Mills to survey and lay out the town, thus forming the current street plan of downtown El Paso.[25]
In Beyond the Mississippi (1867), Albert D. Richardson, traveling to California via coach, described El Paso as he found it in late 1859:
The Texan town of El Paso had four hundred inhabitants, chiefly Mexicans. Its business men were Americans, but Spanish was the prevailing language. All the features were Mexican: low, flat adobe buildings, shading cottonwoods under which dusky, smoking women and swarthy children sold fruit, vegetables, and bread; habitual gambling universal, from the boys' game of pitching quartillas (three cent coins) to the great saloons where huge piles of silver dollars were staked at monte. In this little village, a hundred thousand dollars often changed hands in a single night through the potent agencies of monte and poker. There were only two or three American ladies; and most of the whites kept Mexican mistresses. All goods were brought on wagons from the Gulf of Mexico, and sold at an advance of three or four hundred per cent on Eastern prices.
From hills overlooking the town, the eye takes in a charming picture—a far-stretching valley, enriched with orchards, vineyards and corn-fields, through which the river traces a shining pathway. Across it appear the flat roofs and cathedral towers of the old Mexican El Paso; still further, dim misty mountains melt into blue sky.[26]
After the Civil War's conclusion, the town's population began to grow as Texans continued to move into the villages and soon became the majority. El Paso itself, incorporated in 1873, encompassed the small area communities that had developed along the river. In the 1870s, a population of 23 non-Hispanic Whites and 150 Hispanics was reported.[28] With the arrival of the Southern Pacific, Texas and Pacific, and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads in 1881, the population boomed to 10,000 by the 1890 census, with many Anglo-Americans, recent immigrants, old Hispanic settlers, and recent arrivals from Mexico. The location of El Paso and the arrival of these more wild newcomers caused the city to become a violent and wild boomtown known as the "Six-shooter Capital" because of its lawlessness.[25] Indeed, 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). With the suppression of the vice trade and in consideration of the city's geographic position, the city continued into developing as a premier manufacturing, transportation, and retail center of the U.S. Southwest.
Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas (postcard, c. 1917)
General Pershing's punitive expedition camp near the border, El Paso, Texas (postcard, c. 1916): Franklin Mountains, left-to-right (i.e., south-to-north) are: Ranger Peak, Sugarloaf Mountain, and part of South Franklin Mountain
In 1909, William Howard Taft and Porfirio Díaz planned a summit in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a historic first meeting between a U.S. president and a Mexican president and also the first time an American president crossed the border into Mexico,[29] but tensions rose on both sides of the border, including threats of assassination, so the Texas Rangers, 4,000 U.S. and Mexican troops, U.S. Secret Service agents, FBI agents, and U.S. marshals were all called in to provide security.[30]Frederick Russell Burnham, a celebrated scout, was put in charge of a 250-strong private security detail hired by John Hays Hammond, who in addition to owning large investments in Mexico, was a close friend of Taft from Yale and a U.S. vice presidential candidate in 1908.[31][32] On October 16, the day of the summit, Burnham and Private C.R. Moore, a Texas Ranger, discovered a man holding a concealed palm pistol standing at the El Paso Chamber of Commerce building along the procession route.[33][34] Burnham and Moore captured, disarmed, and arrested the assassin within only a few feet of Taft and Díaz.[35][36] By 1910, an overwhelming number of people in the city were Americans, creating a settled environment, but this period was short-lived as 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. Ultimately, the violence of the Mexican Revolution followed with the large Mexican diaspora, who had fled into El Paso. In 1915 and again in 1916 and 1917, various Mexican revolutionary societies planned, staged, and launched violent attacks against both Texans and their political Mexican opponents in El Paso. This state of affairs eventually led to the vast Plan de San Diego, which resulted in the murder of 21 American citizens.[37] The subsequent reprisals by local militia soon caused an escalation of violence, wherein an estimated 300 Mexicans and Mexican-Americans lost their lives. These actions affected almost every resident of the entire Rio Grande Valley, resulting in millions of dollars of losses; the end result of the Plan of San Diego was long-standing enmity between the two ethnic groups.[37]
Simultaneously, other Texans and Americans gravitated to the city, and by 1920, along with the U.S. Army troops, the population exceeded 100,000 and non-Hispanic Whites once again were in the clear majority. Nonetheless, the city increased the segregation between Mexicans and Mexican-Americans with non-Hispanic Whites. One prominent form of segregation, in the form of immigration controls to prevent disease, allegedly were abused to create nonconsensualpornographic images of women distributed in local bars.[38] These rumors along with the perceived hazard from kerosene baths led to the 1917 Bath riots.[39] As a result of the increased segregation, the Catholic Church attempted to garner the Mexican-American community's allegiance through education and political and civic involvement organizations, including the National Catholic Welfare Fund.[40] In 1916, the Census Bureau reported El Paso's population as 53% Mexican and 44% Non-Hispanic whites.[41] Mining and other industries gradually developed in the area. The El Paso and Northeastern Railway was chartered in 1897, to help extract the natural resources of surrounding areas, especially in southeastern New Mexico Territory. The 1920s and 1930s had the emergence of major business development in the city, partially enabled by Prohibition-era bootlegging.[25] The military demobilization, and an agricultural economic depression, which hit places like El Paso first before the larger Great Depression was felt in the big cities, though, hit the city hard. In turn, as in the rest of the United States, the Depression era overall hit the city hard, and El Paso's population declined through the end of World War II, with most of population losses coming from the non-Hispanic White community. Nonetheless, they remained the majority to the 1940s.[citation needed]
During and following the war, military expansion in the area, as well as oil discoveries in the Permian Basin, helped to engender 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. Additionally, the departure of region's rural population, which was mostly non-Hispanic White, to cities like El Paso, brought a short-term burst of capital and labor, but this was balanced by additional departures of middle-class Americans to other parts of the country that offered new and better-paying jobs. In turn, local businesses looked south to the opportunities afforded by cheap Mexican labor. Furthermore, the period from 1942 to 1956 had the bracero program, which brought in cheap Mexican labor into the rural area to replace the losses of the non-Hispanic White population. In turn, seeking better-paying jobs, these migrants also moved to El Paso. By 1965, Hispanics once again were a majority. Meanwhile, the postwar expansion slowed again in the 1960s, but the city continued to grow with the annexation of surrounding neighborhoods and in large part because of its significant economic relationship with Mexico.[citation needed]
The Farah Strike, 1972–1974, occurred in El Paso, Texas. This strike was originated and led by Chicanas, or Mexican-American women, against the Farah Manufacturing Company, due to complaints against the company inadequately compensating workers.[42]Texas Monthly described the Farah Strike as the "strike of the century".[43]
False-color satellite image of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez: Paved streets and buildings appear in varying shades of blue-gray, and red indicates vegetation.
El Paso is located at the intersection of three states (Chihuahua, New Mexico, and Texas) and two countries (Mexico and the U.S.). It is the only major Texas city in the Mountain Time Zone. Ciudad Juarez was once in the Central Time Zone,[47] but both cities are now on Mountain Time.
El Paso is on the Mexico–U.S. border.
El Paso is closer to the capital cities of four other states: Phoenix, Arizona (430 miles (690 km) away);[48]Santa Fe, New Mexico (273 miles (439 km) away);[49]Ciudad Chihuahua, Chihuahua, (218 miles (351 km) away),[50] and Hermosillo, Sonora (325 miles (523 km) away)[51]—than it is to the capital of its own state, Austin (528 miles (850 km) away).[52] It is closer to Los Angeles, California (700 miles (1,100 km) away)[53] than it is to Orange, Texas (858 miles (1,381 km) away),[54] the easternmost town in the same state as this city.
El Paso is located within the Chihuahuan Desert, the easternmost section of the Basin and Range Region. The Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections; the west side forms the beginnings of the Mesilla Valley, and the east side expands into the desert and lower valley. They connect in the central business district at the southern end of the mountain range.
The city's elevation is 3,740 ft (1,140 m) above sea level. North Franklin Mountain is the highest peak in the city at 7,192 ft (2,192 m) above sea level. The peak can be seen from 60 mi (100 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 256.3 sq mi (663.7 km2).[55]
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 and 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, 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. Nearby volcanic features include Kilbourne Hole and Hunt's Hole, which are Maar volcanic craters 30 miles (50 km) west of the Franklin Mountains.
The Rio Grande in west El Paso, near New Mexico–Texas state line
El Paso has a transitional climate between cold desert climate (KöppenBWk) and hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) featuring hot summers, with little humidity, and cool to mild dry winters. Rainfall averages 8.8 in (220 mm) per year, much of which occurs from June through September, and is predominantly caused by the North American 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 thunderstorms, 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% of daylight hours, according to the National Weather Service; from this, the city is nicknamed "The Sun City".[57] Due to its arid, windy climate, El Paso often experiences sand and dust storms during the dry season, particularly during the springtime between March and early May. With an average wind speed often exceeding 30 mph (50 km/h) and gusts that have been measured at over 75 mph (120 km/h), these wind storms kick up large amounts of sand and dust from the desert, causing loss of visibility.
El Paso and the nearby mountains also receive snow. Weather systems have produced over 1 ft (30 cm) of snow on several occasions. In the 1982–1983 winter season, three major snowstorms produced record seasonal snowfall. On December 25–26, 1982, 6.0 in (15 cm) of snow fell, producing a white Christmas for the city.[58] This was followed by another 7.0 in (18 cm) on December 30–31, 1982. On April 4–7, 1983, 16.5 in (42 cm) of snow fell on El Paso, bringing the seasonal total to nearly 30 in (76 cm). On December 13–14, 1987, a record storm dumped over 22 in (56 cm) of snow on El Paso, and two weeks later (December 25–26), another 3 in (7.6 cm) fell, bringing the monthly total for December 1987 to an all-time record high of 25.9 in (66 cm)[59] of snow.[60] The average annual snowfall for the city varies widely between different neighborhoods at different elevations, but is 2.6 in (6.6 cm) at the airport (but with a median of 0, meaning most years see no snow at all).[61] Snow is most rare around Ysleta and the eastern valley area, which usually include large numbers of palm trees; in the higher neighborhoods, palm trees are more vulnerable to snow and cold snaps and are often seen with brown, frost-damaged fronds.
One example of El Paso's varying climate at its most extreme was the damaging winter storm of early February 2011, which caused closures of schools, businesses, and City Hall. The snow, which was light, stopped after about a day, but during the ensuing cold episode, municipal utilities went into a crisis. The high temperature on February 2, 2011, was 15 °F (−9 °C), the lowest daily maximum on record. In addition, the low temperature on February 3 was 1 °F (−17 °C), breaking the 5 °F (−15 °C) monthly record low set during the cold wave of 1899.[58] Loss of desert vegetation, such as Mexican/California palm trees, oleanders, and iceplants to the cold weather was one of the results. Two local power plants failed, forcing El Paso Electric to institute rolling blackouts over several days,[62] and electric wires were broken, causing localised blackouts. Many water utility pipes froze, causing areas of the city to be without water for several days.
Monthly means range from 46.1 °F (7.8 °C) in December to 84.4 °F (29.1 °C) in July, but high temperatures typically peak in June before the monsoon arrives, while daily low temperatures typically peak in July or early August with the higher humidity the monsoon brings (translating to warmer nights). On average, 42 night lows are at or below freezing, with 118 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs and 28 days of 100 °F (38 °C)+ highs annually; extremely rarely do temperatures stay below the freezing mark all day.[60] The city's record high is 114 °F (46 °C) on June 30, 1994, and its record low is −8 °F (−22 °C) on January 11, 1962; the highest daily minimum was 85 °F (29 °C) on July 1 and 3, 1994, with weather records for the area maintained by the National Weather Service since 1879.
Flooding
Although the average annual rainfall is only about 8.8 in (225 mm), many parts of El Paso are subject to occasional flooding during intense summer monsoonal thunderstorms. In late July and early August 2006, up to 10 in (250 mm) of rain fell in a week, the flood-control reservoirs overflowed and caused major flooding citywide.[63] The city staff estimated damage to public infrastructure at $21 million, and to private property (residential and commercial) at $77 million.[64] Much of the damage was associated with development in recent decades in 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.
Climate data for El Paso Int'l, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1879–present)[a]
This part of town contains some of the city's oldest and most historic neighborhoods. Located in the heart of the city, it is home to about 44,993 people.[67] Development of the area started in 1827 with the first resident, Juan Maria Ponce de Leon, a wealthy merchant from Paso del Norte (present-day Ciudad Juárez), who built the region's first structure establishing Rancho Ponce within the vicinity of S. El Paso Street and Paisano Dr. when the city was barely beginning. Today, central El Paso has grown into the center of the city's economy and a thriving urban community. It contains numerous historic sites and landmarks, mostly in the Sunset Heights district. It is close to the El Paso International Airport, the international border, and Fort Bliss. It is part of the El Paso Independent School District.
Dr. James Day, an El Paso historian, said that downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Avenue (now Paisano Drive) and San Francisco Avenue. At a later point, the main business area was centered around Stanton Street and Santa Fe Street. In the late 1800s, most of the White American residents lived to the north of the non-White areas, living in brick residences along Magoffin, Myrtle, and San Antonio Avenues. Hispanic-American residents lived in an area called Chihuahuita ("little Chihuahua"), which was located south of Second Avenue and west of Santa Fe Street. Several African Americans and around 300 Chinese Americans also lived in Chihuahuita. Many of the Chinese Americans participated in the building of railroads in the El Paso area.[68] Another downtown neighborhood is El Segundo Barrio, which is near the Mexico–U.S. border.[69]
Better known as West El Paso or the West Side, the area includes a portion of the Rio Grande floodplain upstream from downtown, which is known locally as the Upper Valley and is located on the west side of the Franklin Mountains. The Upper Valley is the greenest part of the county due to the Rio Grande. The West Side is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods within the city, such as the Coronado Hills, Country Club, and Three Hills neighborhoods. It is one of the fastest-growing areas of El Paso. The main high schools in the westside include Canutillo High School, Coronado High School (El Paso, Texas), and Franklin High School (El Paso, Texas).
West-central El Paso is located north of Interstate 10 and west of the Franklin Mountains. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Cincinnati Entertainment district are located in the heart of the area. Historic districts Kern Place and Sunset Heights are in this part of town.
Kern Place was founded in 1914 by Peter E. Kern, for whom the neighborhood was named.[70] The homes of Kern Place are unique in architecture and some were built by residents themselves.[70] One of the better known homes is the Paul Luckett Home located at 1201 Cincinnati Ave. above Madeline Park, and is made of local rock. It is known as "The Castle" due to its round walls and a crenelated rooftop.[70]
Kern Place is extremely popular with college and university students. The area is known for its glitzy entertainment district, restaurants and coffee shops that cater to both business patrons and university students.[71][72] After UTEP's basketball and football games, UTEP fans pack the Kern Place area for food and entertainment at Cincinnati Street, a small bar district. This bar scene has grown over the years and has attracted thousands to its annual Mardi Grasblock party, as well as after sporting events or concerts. Young men and women make up the majority of the crowds who stop in between classes or after work.[citation needed]
Sunset Heights is one of the most historic areas in town, which has existed since the latter part of the 1890s. Many wealthy residents have had their houses and mansions built on this hill. Although some buildings have been renovated to their former glory, many have been neglected and have deteriorated. During the Mexican Revolution, a widely popular Mexican revolutionary leader, Doroteo Arango (also known as Francisco "Pancho" Villa), owned and resided in this area during the 1910s.[73] During the 1910 Mexican Revolution many Mexicans fled Mexico and settled in Sunset Heights.[74]
This part of town is located north of central El Paso and east of the Franklin Mountains. Development of the area was extensive during the 1950s and 1960s. It is one of the more ethnically diverse areas in the city due to the concentration of military families. The Northeast has not developed as rapidly as other areas, such as east El Paso and northwest El Paso, but its development is steadily increasing. The population is expected to grow more rapidly as a result of the troop increase at Ft. Bliss in the coming years. The area has also gained recognition throughout the city for the outstanding high-school athletic programs at Andress High School, Parkland High School, Irvin High School, and Chapin High School.
In May 2021 a major developer announced plans for a Master Planned Community in the Northeast modeled after Scarborough's Sunfield Master Planned Community in Buda, Texas. The first phase of the development is to include about 2,500 homes, 10-acre park, walking trails, a four-acre resort-like area with a lazy river, kiddy splash pad, pool, grass areas, and a food truck area, the developers reported. Jessica Herrera, director of the city of El Paso Economic and International Development Department, in a statement released by the developers, said Campo del Sol will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues, "which will stimulate other growth and development on the north side of town".[75]
The area is located north of Interstate 10, east of Airway Blvd., and south of Montana Ave. It is the largest and fastest growing area of town with a population over 200,000.[76] It includes the 79936 ZIP Code, which was considered in 2013 as the most populous in the nation with over 114,000 people.[77]
Formerly known as the lower valley, it 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. This location is considered the oldest area of El Paso, dating back to the late 16th century when present-day Texas was under the rule of New Spain.
In 1680, the Isleta Pueblo tribe revolted against the Spaniards who were pushed south to what is now El Paso. Some Spaniards and tribe members settled here permanently. Soon afterward, three Spanish missions were built; they remain standing, currently functioning as churches: Ysleta Mission-1682 (La Misión de Corpus Christi y de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur/Our Lady of Mt. Carmel), Socorro Mission-1759 (Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción del Socorro)-1759, and San Elizario Chapel (Capilla de San Elcear)-1789.
On April 30, 1598, the northward-bound Spanish conquistadors crossed large sand dunes about 27 miles south of present-day downtown El Paso. The expeditionaries and their horses reportedly ran toward the river, and two horses drank themselves to death. Don Juan de Oñate, a New Spain-born conquistador of Spanish parents, was an expedition leader who ordered a big feast north of the Río Grande in what is now San Elizario. This was the first documented and true Thanksgiving in North America.[citation needed] Oñate declaredla Toma (taking possession), claiming all territory north of the Río Grande for King Philip II of Spain.
Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo (related to the insurgent Isleta Pueblo Tribe) is also located in this valley. The Tigua is one of three Indian tribes in Texas whose sovereignty is recognized by the United States government. Ysleta is spelled with a "Y" because 19th-century script did not differentiate between a capital "Y" and a capital "I".
Some people in this area and its twin city across the river, Ciudad Juárez, are direct descendants of the Spaniards.
Texas and New Mexico suburbs
El Paso is surrounded by many cities and communities in both Texas and New Mexico. The most populated suburbs in Texas are Socorro, Horizon City, Fort Bliss, and San Elizario. Other Texas suburbs are Anthony, Canutillo, Sparks, Fabens, and Vinton.
A panoramic view of El Paso, looking northeast through south, near Scenic Drive. The Hueco Mountains can be seen toward the east, and Downtown El Paso can be seen to the south (far right of the image).
El Paso's second-tallest building, the Wells Fargo Plaza, was built in the early 1970s as State National Plaza. The black-windowed, 302-foot (92 m)[79] building is famous for its 13 white horizontal lights (18 lights per row on the east and west sides of the building, and seven 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 July 4 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" were 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.
U.S. Decennial Census[83] Texas Almanac: 1850–2000[84] 2010–2010[4] El Paso 1850 to 2006[85] TX State Historical Association[86]
At the 2010 U.S. census, 649,121 people, 216,694 households, and 131,104 families resided in the city. The 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimates determined El Paso had a population of 681,728, an increase of 5.2% since the 2010 census.[87] By the 2020 United States census, there were 678,815 people, 230,905 households, and 162,460 families residing in the city.
The population density was 2,263.0 people per square mile (873.7/km2) in 2010. There were 227,605 housing units at an average density of 777.5 per square mile (300.2/km2). Of the 216,894 households in 2010, 37.6% had children under 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were not families. About 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.47. The 226,787 households in 2019 averaged of 2.97 people per household.
In the city, the age distribution was 29.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 20 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.5 years according to census statistics from 2010.
As of 2010, the median income for a household in the city was $44,431, and for a family was $50,247. Males had a median income of $28,989 versus $21,540 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,120. About 17.3% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.5% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over. The 2019 census estimates determined the city had an owner-occupied housing rate of 58.9% and median value of owner-occupied housing units at $127,400.[87] The median gross rent from 2015 to 2019 was $837. From 2015 to 2019, the city's median monthly homeowner cost with a mortgage was $1,255 and without a mortgage $429. El Paso had a median household income of $47,568 and per capita income of $22,734 in 2019. Roughly 19% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.
Census estimates from 2012 to 2013 determined the city's population was: White – 92.0% (non-Hispanic whites: 11.8%), African American or Black – 3.9%, two or more races – 1.5%, Asian – 1.3%, Native American – 1.0%, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander – 0.2%.[92] Ethnically, the city was 82.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race as of 2013. In 2019, 12.8% of the population was non-Hispanic white, 3.6% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 2.7% two or more races, and 81.4% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.[87] At the 2020 census, its population was 12.2% non-Hispanic white, 3.1% Black or African American, 82.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 1.3% Asian alone.
By 1996, a German community existed in El Paso, as the German Air Force headquarters for North America is in El Paso. A German school in El Paso serves all grade levels, though as of 1996, most of its students begin attending American schools at the secondary level.[93] The German school is on Fort Bliss.[94]
Religion
Christianity is the largest religion in the city and its metropolitan statistical area. Nearly 45% of its population claim affiliation with the Catholic Church as of 2020, and are served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso.[95][96]Protestants form a minority of Christians in the city limits, and the remainder of the non-Christian population were followers of Judaism, Islam, or eastern faiths, including Buddhism or Hinduism. The irreligious made the second largest non-Christian demographic.
El Paso has a diversified economy focused primarily within international trade, military, government civil service, oil and gas, health care, tourism, and service sectors. The El Paso metro area had a GDP of $29.03 billion in 2017.[98] There was also $92 billion worth of trade in 2012.[99] Over the past 15 years the city has become a significant location for American-based call centers. Cotton, fruit, vegetables, and livestock are also produced in the area. El Paso has added a significant manufacturing sector with items and goods produced that include petroleum, metals, medical devices, plastics, machinery, defense-related goods, and automotive parts. On July 22, 2020, Amazon announced plans to open the first 625,000 square foot fulfillment center in El Paso.[100] The city is the second-busiest international crossing point in the U.S. behind San Diego.[101]
El Paso is home to one Fortune 500 company, Western Refining, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).[102] This makes the city one of six Texas metro areas to have at least one Fortune 500 company call it home; the others being Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi.[103] The second publicly traded company is Helen of Troy Limited, a NASDAQ-listed company that manufactures personal health-care products under many labels, such as OXO, Dr. Scholl's, Vidal Sassoon, Pert Plus, Brut, and Sunbeam, and the third is El Paso Electric listed on the NYSE, a public utility engaging in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in West Texas and southern New Mexico. The fourth publicly traded company is Western Refining Logistics, also traded in the NYSE. It is a Western Refining subsidiary, which owns, operates, develops, and acquires terminals, storage tanks, pipelines, and other logistics assets.
The city also has a large military presence with Fort Bliss, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, and Biggs Army Airfield. The defense industry in El Paso employs over 41,000 and provides a $6 billion annual impact to the city's economy.[107] In 2013, Fort Bliss was chosen as the newly configured U.S. Air Force Security Forces Regional Training Center which added 8,000 to 10,000 Air Force personnel annually.[108]
In addition to the military, the federal government has a strong presence in El Paso to manage its status and unique issues as an important border region. Operations headquartered in El Paso include the DEA Domestic Field Division 7, El Paso Intelligence Center, Joint Task Force North, U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, and U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Group.
Call-center operations employ more than 10,000 people in the area.[citation needed]Automatic Data Processing has an office in West El Paso, employing about 1,100 people with expansion plans to reach 2,200 by 2020.[109]
Tourism is another major industry in El Paso, bringing in $1.5 billion and over 2.3 million visitors annually due to the city's sunny weather, natural beauty, rich cultural history, and many outdoor attractions.[110]
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 20,000 people among them. UTEP has an annual budget of nearly $418 million and employs nearly 4,800 people.[111][112] A 2010 study by the university's Institute for Policy and Economic Development stated the university's impact on local businesses is $417 million annually.[113]
The Amigo Airsho is one of El Paso's premier events, and is ranked as one of the top-10 air shows in the country, filled with air entertainment and ground activities. Acts include the Franklin's Flying Circus, where performers walk on the wings of an airborne plane. Ground activities include a jet-powered school bus. After 31 years of being held at Biggs Army Airfield, the show was moved to Dona Ana Airport in 2014.[114]
KLAQ Great River Raft Race
Great River Raft Race held annually on the Rio Grande in El Paso's upper valley
The KLAQ Great River Raft Race is an annual event celebrated on the second to last Saturday of June. Participants are encouraged to ride the river and float the Rio Grande with family and friends. The organizers encourage the building of unique rafts that get down the river, with prizes and trophies awarded for the most points earned, best-looking crew, and best-decorated raft. The race starts at the Vinton Bridge and ends 3 miles downstream at the Canutillo Bridge.[115]
Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo
The Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo is the 17th-oldest rodeo in the nation and El Paso's longest-running sporting event. Consistently ranked as one of the top 50 shows in the country by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, this charitable event is a true celebration of western culture and heritage.[116]
Fiesta de las Flores
Cleveland Square in downtown El Paso is where many of the festivals are held annually.
La Fiesta de las Flores is one of the oldest Hispanic festivals in the Southwest. The three-day fiesta is held each year during the Labor Day weekend and emphasizes El Paso's Hispanic heritage and culture. The festival attracts 20,000 to 30,000 visitors from El Paso County, New Mexico, West Texas, and the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.[117] Activities included in the fiesta are crowning of the queen, a Fiesta Parade, Senior Appreciation Dance, Military Appreciation Day, and live entertainment. The fiesta is also well known for the authentic regional cuisine, arts and crafts, games, and services available for the enjoyment of all attendees. Over 80 booths, sponsored by local vendors and nonprofit organizations, create the Hispanic ambience and culture.
El Paso Balloonfest
The El Paso Balloonfest is an annual event celebrated on Memorial Day weekend and is self described as "3 days of hot air balloons filling the El Paso skies, 3 afternoons of concerts and fun in the sun at Wet N' Wild Waterworld in Anthony, Texas". Over 60 balloons take to the air from TFCU launch field, which is adjacent to the water park. After the balloons launch, visitors have a weekend of water rides, swimming, concerts, and grilling. The concert aspect of the event features local bands, starting at noon, and different headlining artists in the afternoon.[118] Overnight camping has been added for 2014.[119]
El Paso Sun City Pride
The El Paso Sun City Pride is the largest annual LGBT event in the region, attracting thousands every June. The event was established in 2007.[120][121]
Music festivals
El Paso Downtown Street Festival
The annual El Paso Downtown Street Festival is held during the last weekend of June in downtown El Paso near the El Paso Convention Center.[122] It is the oldest musical festival in the city and brings local, regional, and nationally known acts.
Neon Desert Music Festival
The annual Neon Desert Music Festival is a two-day event usually held on the last Saturday and Sunday of May on five stages in downtown El Paso, stretching from San Jacinto Plaza to Cleveland Square.[123] The festival brings over 30 acts from the worlds of indie rock, Latin, and electronic dance music.
Music Under the Stars
The outdoor concert series, started in 1983, is held annually at the Chamizal National Memorial and draws over 60,000 attendees. It features local and international performers with wide-ranging musical genres: Classical, Country, Tejano, rock and others. The evening concerts are showcased every Sunday afternoon and start in early June and end in the middle of August.[124]
Sun City Music Festival
The only El Paso musical festival not held downtown, instead it is held at Ascarate Park. The Sun City Music Festival is a two-day event dubbed as the largest electronic dance music festival in Texas.[125]
Texas Showdown Festival
The Texas Showdown Festival is an annual event celebrating musicians and tattoo artists under one roof.[126] Dubbed as the world's largest tattoo and musical festival, the event is held usually the last weekend of July at the El Paso County Coliseum.
The outdoor musical extravaganza Viva! El Paso is performed in the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre. It is locally produced and chronicles the 400-year history and cultural evolution of the El Paso region. The show is performed each Friday and Saturday night in June, July, and August. It has entertained local residents and out-of-town visitors for over 35 years.[127]
El Paso Symphony Orchestra
The El Paso Symphony was established in the 1930s, and is the oldest performing-arts organization in El Paso and the longest continuously running symphony orchestra in Texas.[128] It has received both national and international recognition as a result of its very successful tours of Germany in 1996 and Turkey in 2000, and continues to represent the El Paso region with pride and distinction. The El Paso Symphony Orchestra Association season is anchored by 12 classical concerts. Special events serve as outreach toward new audiences.
Ballet in El Paso
Ballet was largely nonexistent in El Paso until the arrival of Ingeborg Heuser, a professional ballerina from Germany, in the 1950s. Heuser taught ballet at UTEP for 47 years and founded the city's first professional ballet company, firstly known as Texas Western Civic Ballet and eventually as Ballet El Paso. The company dissipated due to financial trouble in 1997 and Heuser retired from UTEP soon after.[129][130]
The El Paso Youth Ballet was founded in 2009 by Heuser's student, Marta Katz, following Heuser's departure from the university. With students from the youth ballet, Heuser staged her last Nutcracker in 2006. The youth company continues to perform the Nutcracker and other preprofessional pieces in and around the El Paso area. The company provides the only platform for young ballet dancers to train and perform at such a level within the city since the folding of Ballet El Paso.[131]
El Paso City Ballet is a current professional ballet company in El Paso, providing local employment for professional dancers in the field of ballet. The company performs a variety of classical and contemporary works choreographed by Artistic Director Lisa Skaf and artists from the US and Latin America.[132] It has been active since 2005, performing yearly productions.
The Abraham Chavez Theatre is a 2,500-seat concert hall adjacent to the Williams Convention Center. Its exterior resembles a sombrero and features a three-story glass main entrance. The theatre is named after Maestro Abraham Chavez, who was the longtime conductor of the El Paso Symphony. Inside, the theatre has a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) lobby and a 40-by-56-ft stage, as well as 14 dressing rooms. The theater's seating is in three levels. Also, a meeting room is adjacent to the theater.[133]
Events held at Chavez Theatre include concerts, Broadway shows, graduation ceremonies, performances of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, and other special events.
McKelligon Canyon is a 90-acre (360,000 m2) park, located in the Franklin Mountains, open to hikers and picnickers. In the canyon, McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre is surrounded on three sides by canyon walls; the 1,500-seat amphitheater is used for concerts and special events, such as Viva! El Paso.[134]
The El Paso Playhouse, a community theatre, provides entertainment and educational experiences to a diverse multicultural population through the high-quality production of plays and theatrical events. The playhouse provides a venue for artists, technicians, patrons, and community members to participate in the arts through regularly scheduled season productions and holiday performances. The theater is affiliated with Kids-N-Co, a theater for child actors to children's performances .[135]
The UTEP Dinner Theatre located inside the UTEP campus, and was founded in 1983 and is entirely produced, designed and directed by students. The theatre presents 4 fully staged musicals each season and a fully staged student produced musical.[136]
Area museums
El Paso Museum of Archaeology, diorama shows Cueva de la Olla (cave of the pot – a large pot-shaped storage container for grain), Paquimé, Sierra Madre of Chihuahua
The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, located on the grounds of UTEP, includes 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 Mountain, west of Gateway South Blvd. on TransMountain Rd.[137] Its grounds include native plants of the American Southwest, as well samples of Native American shelters, in an unspoiled location. The museum includes dioramas for school children that illustrate the culture and geology of the American Southwest, such as Hueco Tanks in El Paso County. One diorama (see image to the right) is of the Cueva de la Olla[138] (cave of the pot) which is located in the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua, an example of the Paquimé culture.[139]
The El Paso Museum of Art is located next to the Plaza Theater adjacent to San Jacinto Plaza, the public square downtown. It contains works of Southwestern artists such as Tom Lea.
University of Texas at El Paso The university's distinctive style is a type of fortress architecture, Dzong, found in the present and former Buddhist mountain kingdoms of the Himalayas, Bhutan and Tibet.[147][148]
El Paso is home to the Sun Bowl,[149] the second-oldest consecutive college football contest (after the Rose Bowl). Its first game was held in 1935.[149]
On September 18, 2012, the city council voted to approve the demolition of its city hall to make way for Southwest University Park,[150] the new home of the El Paso ChihuahuasTriple-A team (San Diego Padres affiliate); it opened in 2014. The team was purchased by Mountainstar Sports Group of El Paso.[151] City Hall was demolished on April 14, 2013.
The El Paso Marathon takes place annually since 2007. The El Paso Locomotive soccer team began playing in 2019 in the USL. They play at the Southwest University Park.[152]
El Paso is home to the largest urban park in the nation.[153] The Franklin Mountains State Park, with its more than 24,248 acres (9,813 ha), is completely located within the city limits. It is considered a small range (23 miles long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide) that extends from the city north into New Mexico.[154] It is home to the highest peak in the county North Franklin Mountain at 7,192 feet.The park is open year-round for recreation including hiking, mountain biking, picnicking, scenic driving and views of the city. Scenic Drive runs along the mountain range, [155]and is designated as a city park[156] to allow better vandalism control and cleanup,[157][158] The city closes the road to vehicles on some Sundays to allow walking, running, cycling, and skating.[159][160] The road offers views of El Paso, as well as nearby Ciudad Juárez, across the Mexico–United States border.[161][162]
The Wyler Aerial Tramway is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is in the Franklin Mountains State Park. The tramway complex covers 196 acres (0.79 km2) on the east side of the Franklin Mountains. The gondolas travel along two 2,600-foot (790 m) 1+3⁄8-diameter steel cables to Ranger Peak, 5,632 feet (1,717 m) above sea level. The trip takes about four minutes and lifts riders 940 feet (290 m) above the boarding area.The tramway was built in 1959 by KTSM radio to aid in the construction of a transmitter tower. Karl O. Wyler managed the project. First opening to the public as the El Paso Aerial Tramway, the facility provided rides from 1960 to 1986, when high liability insurance costs forced the tram to stop public operations. The tram was only used to service the transmitter towers. Wyler donated the tramway for public use in his will. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department accepted the donation in 1997 and renovated and re-opened the tramway to the public in 2001. The tramway was closed indefinitely on September 18, 2020.[163]
Hueco Tanks State Historic Site is a Texas historic site in the Hueco Tanks area, approximately 32 miles (51 km) northeast of downtown El Paso and just west of the Hueco Mountains. The park is popular for recreation such as birdwatching and bouldering, and is culturally and spiritually significant to many Native Americans. This significance is partially manifested in the pictographs (rock paintings) that can be found throughout the region, many of which are thousands of years old.[164] Hueco Tanks is also widely regarded as one of the best areas in the world for bouldering (rock climbing, low enough to attempt without ropes for protection), unique for its rock type, the concentration and quality of the climbing, and after which the Hueco bouldering grades are named. In any given climbing season, which generally lasts from October through March, it is common for climbers from across Europe, Asia, and Australia to visit the park. Since implementation of the Public Use Plan, following a brief closure of the entire park due to the park service's inability to manage the growing crowds of international climbers, volunteer or commercial guides are required to access more than 2/3 of the park's area. Only North Mountain is accessible without guides, and then only for about 70 people at any given time. The park offers camping and showers for a small fee a day or, as is most popular for climbers, the nearby Hueco Rock Ranch offers camping where climbers can relax and socialize.
Located in downtown El Paso, San Jacinto Plaza is a historical park notable for its alligator statues in the middle of the area. Known as "Alligator Plaza", it used to have a pond that held live alligators that the community can interact with starting in 1962. They were removed and relocated to the El Paso Zoo in 1974. The area around the park is typically used to hold major events such as "Chalk the Block Arts Festival"[165] and "Winterfest".
The Chamizal National Memorial is a 54.90-acre (22.22 ha) memorial park that serves primarily as a cultural center and contains art galleries, a theater, and an amphitheatre. A museum detailing the history of the Mexico–U.S. border is located inside the visitor center.
The city is also home to 242 municipal parks.[166][167]
The Chihuahuan Desert Gardens (CDG) display the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert and adjacent regions in the United States and Mexico. The Gardens were formally dedicated in September 1999 and contain over 625 different species of plants, comprising one of the largest captive assemblages of Chihuahuan Desert flora in the world.[168]
The El Paso Municipal Rose Garden (officially named the All-American Rose Selection (AARS) public garden) is one of over 100 certified gardens within the United States. There are over 1,900 rosebushes with 500 varieties. The wrought-iron fenced garden has wide walkways with handicap accessibility, raised beds, a waterfall, and trees and shrubs. Several new rose varieties are planted each year, and after two years the highest-rated are named and receive the AARS symbol.[169]
Feather Lake is a 43.5-acre (17.6 ha) wildlife sanctuary based on a 40-acre (16 ha) wetland built by the City of El Paso in 1969 as a stormwater-retention basin. Since 1976, the El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society has leased this land from the city and managed it for wildlife. Over 200 different species of birds, especially those associated with water, have been observed at the sanctuary. Fauna residing there include muskrats, spiny softshell turtles, pond sliders, and Trans-Pecos striped whiptail lizards.[170]
Keystone Heritage Park comprises an Archaic-period archaeological site, wetlands, and a desert botanical garden. The 4,500-year-old site is one of the oldest villages in the United States. The wetlands are home to many birds, and over 200 species have been spotted there on their seasonal migrations. The botanical garden features a variety of native plants, and includes a pavilion and a replica of an Archaic period brush hut. The newest component, The Chihuahuan Desert Experience, is a work in progress that will allow visitors to stroll the 900-mile (1,400 km) length of desert over a 17-acre (6.9 ha) recreation of the plant indigenous life.[171]
Rio Bosque Wetlands is a 372-acre (151 ha) city park, managed by the Center for Environmental Resource Management of the University of Texas at El Paso, which began restoration efforts in 1998. In the fall and winter, water flows through the park along the route of the river before it was confined within levees in the 1930s. Many animals and birds have returned to the area as the restoration proceeds, and over 200 species of birds have been sighted.[172]
Golf courses
The metro area has 16 golf courses including Butterfield Trail Golf Club, the only public premium daily fee Tom Fazio designed golf course in the state of Texas.[173] It was ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 3 in the Nation on Golfweek's 2013 Best Municipal Golf Courses.[174] Other golf courses found in the county include:
The city government is officially nonpartisan. Mayors and city council members are elected for four year terms and may not serve more than two full terms or for more than 10 years total in their respective offices.[183] Municipal elections were held in May in odd-numbered years until a voter-approved charter amendment changed this to November in even-numbered years, beginning in 2018.[184]
The city operates under a council–manager form of government. Power is concentrated in the eight-member elected city council and mayor, who hire a manager to carry out its directives and oversee the delivery of public services. The current city manager is Tommy Gonzalez[185] and the current mayor of El Paso is Oscar Leeser, who was elected to the office in 2020 (Leeser served an earlier non-consecutive term from 2013 to 2017).[186] The terms of Canales, Fierro, Kennedy, and Salcido will end in 2026. The terms of Leeser, Annello, Hernandez, Molinar, and Rivera will end in 2024.
Annello, Hernandez, and Rivera have been on the council since 2017; Salcido since 2019; Molinar since 2021; Canales, Fierro, and Kennedy since 2023. Due to the term limits clause of the city charter, Leeser, Annello, Hernandez, Rivera, and Salcido are ineligible for reelection. All other councilors are eligible for reelection.
County
The El Paso County Judge is Ricardo Samaniego, and the county commissioners are Carlos Leon (Precinct 1), David Stout (Precinct 2), Iliana Holguin (Precinct 3), and Carl Robinson (Precinct 4). The commissioners and the county judge are Democrats.
Leon was first elected to his position in 2012, and was re-elected in 2016. Stout was first elected to his position in 2014, and was re-elected in 2018. Samaniego and Robinson were first elected in 2018. Holguin was first elected to her position in 2020.
State
The El Paso metropolitan area is represented in the Texas State House by Democrats Art Fierro, Mary Gonzalez, Joe Moody, Claudia Ordaz Perez, and Lina Ortega, and in the State Senate by Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso).[187] After the 2020 Census, El Paso will only have four seats in the state house. In the 2022 Democratic primaries, Ordaz Perez defeated Fierro.
El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso, the largest public university in the region. UTEP was ranked as the 7th best university in Washington Monthly's 2013 National University Rankings, just behind Stanford and ahead of Harvard.[191] Also, the university's School of Engineering is the nation's top producer of Hispanic engineers with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.[192]
El Paso is home to bi-national economic development groups; the Hub of Human Innovation and Technology Hub. The industry groups' tertiary vocational programs, give workforce training in automation, robotics and AI technology.[196][197]
Public libraries
The El Paso Public Library serves the needs of the public in El Paso. It consists of 12 branches, a bookmobile, a mobile computer classroom and a mobile outreach unit (Kidsmobile). It also has multiple outreach services available.[198]
The main newspapers are the English-language daily El Paso Times, founded in 1881; the Spanish-language daily El Diario de El Paso, and the online newspaper El Paso Herald Post started in 2015. The original and 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. El Paso Matters is an online newspaper.[199]
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 Angeles independent channels: KTLA, KHJ, KTTV and KCOP as well as Spanish-language stations KMEX of Los Angeles and KWEX of San Antonio usually sharing the same cable channel slot. Over time, as more television stations signed on, more cable channels were added and those stations added network affiliations, the Los Angeles and San Antonio stations disappeared from the lineup. The last to be removed was KTLA in the fall of 2006 as a consequence of the WB-UPN merger into The CW, when KVIA-TV launched a digital subchannel with the network's programming.[citation needed]
El Paso Children's Hospital at the Medical Center of the Americas
El Paso is the medical hub of West Texas and Southern New Mexico, hosting numerous state-of-the-art medical centers. Some of the city's top hospitals include University Medical Center, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Sierra Medical Center, Las Palmas Medical Center, Del Sol Medical Center, Sierra Providence East Medical Center, El Paso Children's Hospital,[207] and Providence Memorial Hospital. University Medical Center is the only level I trauma center in the region. William Beaumont Army Medical Center will be replaced by a new state of the art $1.2 billion Fort Bliss Replacement Hospital[208] expected to open in 2020.[209] El Paso's newest hospital, The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus opened in Northwest El Paso on January 27, 2017. The 106-bed teaching hospital is a collaboration between Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and The Hospitals of Providence. The hospitals were strained during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, and 10 refrigerated morgue trailers were installed to handle increased mortality.[210][211]
El Paso is also home to the Medical Center of the Americas, an integrated complex of medical facilities anchored by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, University Medical Center, the El Paso Psychiatric Center and by the El Paso Children's Hospital. It is also the site to the , the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine is expected to open in 2021 in the MCA area as well.
Transportation
Hotel Bristol and the Union Depot at El Paso, Texas (postcard, c. 1912)
Several roads and highways connect El Paso, including Interstate 10, US Highway 54 (known locally as "54", the "North-South Freeway" or officially as the Patriot Freeway), Spur 601 (Liberty Expressway), US Highway 180 and US Highway 62 (Montana Avenue), US 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 US 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 (Loop 375). The city also shares four 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.[212]
In 2009, 79.8% of El Paso (city) commuters drive to work alone. The 2009 mode share for El Paso (city) commuters are 10.3% for carpooling, 2.4% for transit, 2.5% for walking, and .2% for cycling.[213] In 2016, Walk Score ranked El Paso as the 32nd most walkable of the 50 largest U.S. cities, rating it "car-dependent".[214] The city of El Paso has a slightly lower than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 7.4 percent of El Paso households lacked a car, and increased to 8.4 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. El Paso averaged 1.82 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.[215]
US Highway 54: Officially called the Patriot Freeway, it is 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 US 54 was a transcontinental route connecting El Paso with Chicago.
IH-10–US-54 Interchange
US Highway 62: Santa Fe Street south of Paisano Drive concurrently runs with US 85, Paisano Drive east of Santa Fe Street to Montana Avenue, then Montana Avenue concurrently with US 180.
US Highway 85: Santa Fe Street south of Paisano Drive concurrently runs with US 62 and Paisano Drive west of Santa Fe Street to I-10.
US Highway 180: Montana Avenue is a bypass route to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the east, and Flagstaff, Arizona to the west.
SH 20: 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 375: 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 between northeast and east El Paso, it is officially the Purple Heart Memorial Highway. In east El Paso, the north- and south-bound sections are known as Joe Battle Boulevard, or simply as "the Loop". South of I-10, in the east and westbound portion, it is known as the Cesar Chavez Border Highway, a four-lane expressway which is located along the Mexico–U.S. border between downtown El Paso and the Ysleta area.
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 then Fort Bliss commander Maj. Gen. Howard Bromberg.[217] It was fully completed on April 27, 2011;[218] it connects the Patriot Freeway (US 54) and Biggs Army Airfield to the Purple Heart Memorial Highway (Loop 375).
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.
Texas Farm-to-Market 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.
Border West Expressway under construction (as of 2018), parallel to I-10 through downtown and the west side.
Mass transit
The Sun Metro Mass Transit System operates a system of medium- to large-capacity natural gas-powered buses all around the city of El Paso.[219] In 2011, Sun Metro was 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.
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-mile (19 km) interurban line was built to Ysleta. At the close of 1943, the holding company 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.[221] 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.[222]
El Paso Streetcar
The El Paso Streetcar is a streetcar system that opened for service on November 9, 2018, and uses a fleet of restored PCC streetcars[223] that had served the city's previous system until its closure in 1974.[224] The system covers 4.8 miles (7.7 km)[225][226] (round trip) in two loops from Downtown El Paso to University of Texas at El Paso. The system was constructed under the authority of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, but when the major construction was completed, around spring 2018, it was transferred to Sun Metro, for operation and maintenance.[224] As of 2016[update], construction of the system was projected to cost $97 million.[225] In 2019, it was reported that the system is losing money and that the number of people using it only reached half its goal in the inaugural year.[227]
International border crossings
The Bridge of the Americas as seen from El Paso, Texas, in June 2016
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.[228] Today, this bridge is honored by the modern Santa Fe Street Bridge, and Santa Fe Street in downtown El Paso.
Several bridges serve the El Paso–Ciudad Juárez area:
The city collects tolls at its international bridges,[229] except for the Bridge of the Americas, which is free. All bridges are open year-round.[230]
Water
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant takes in brackish groundwater from an aquifer that is too salty for human consumption and treats it through reverse osmosis.[231] A joint study by Fort Bliss and El Paso-area city governments found that desalination was a viable method for increasing El Paso's water supply by 25%.[232] The plant on Fort Bliss property desalinates the groundwater of the Hueco Bolson for use by El Paso and Fort Bliss.[233]
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paso, texas, paso, redirects, here, other, uses, paso, disambiguation, paso, spanish, ˈpaso, pass, city, seat, paso, county, western, corner, state, texas, 2020, population, city, from, census, bureau, making, 23rd, largest, city, sixth, largest, city, texas, . El Paso redirects here For other uses see El Paso disambiguation El Paso ɛ l ˈ p ae s oʊ Spanish el ˈpaso the pass is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U S state of Texas The 2020 population of the city from the U S Census Bureau was 678 815 4 making it the 23rd largest city in the U S the sixth largest city in Texas and the second largest city in the Southwestern United States behind Phoenix Arizona 7 The city is also the second largest majority Hispanic city in the U S with 81 of its population being Hispanic 8 Its metropolitan statistical area covers all of El Paso and Hudspeth counties in Texas and had a population of 868 859 in 2020 9 El Paso has consistently been ranked as one of the safest large cities in America El Paso TexasCityCity of El PasoFrom top left to right Downtown El Paso Southwest University Park the Ysleta Mission the University of Texas at El Paso and the Franklin MountainsFlagSealNicknames The Sun City 1 El Chuco 2 Location in El Paso County and the State of TexasEl Paso TexasShow map of TexasEl Paso TexasShow map of the United StatesEl Paso TexasShow map of North AmericaCoordinates 31 45 33 N 106 29 19 W 31 75917 N 106 48861 W 31 75917 106 48861 Coordinates 31 45 33 N 106 29 19 W 31 75917 N 106 48861 W 31 75917 106 48861CountryUnited StatesStateTexasCountyEl PasoFirst settlement1680Settled as Franklin1849Renamed El Paso1852Town laid out1859Incorporated1873Government TypeCouncil manager City CouncilMayor Oscar Leeser D Brian Kennedy Alexsandra Annello Cassandra Hernandez Joe Molinar Isabel Salcido Art Fierro Henry Rivera Chris Canales City managerTommy GonzalezArea 3 City259 25 sq mi 671 46 km2 Land258 43 sq mi 669 33 km2 Water0 82 sq mi 2 13 km2 Elevation3 740 ft 1 140 m Population 2020 4 City678 815 Rank23rd in the United States6th in Texas Density2 626 69 sq mi 1 014 17 km2 Urban854 584 US 53rd Urban density3 339 7 sq mi 1 289 5 km2 Metro 5 868 859 US 67th DemonymEl PasoanTime zoneUTC 07 00 MST Summer DST UTC 06 00 MDT ZIP Codes79900 79999 88500 88599 PO boxes Area codes915FIPS code48 24000GNIS feature ID1380946 6 Websitewww wbr elpasotexas wbr govEl Paso stands on the Rio Grande across the Mexico United States border from Ciudad Juarez the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua with over 1 5 million people 10 The Las Cruces area in the neighboring U S state of New Mexico has a population of 219 561 11 On the U S side the El Paso metropolitan area forms part of the larger El Paso Las Cruces combined statistical area with a population of 1 088 420 11 These three cities form a combined international metropolitan area sometimes referred to as the Paso del Norte or the Borderplex The region of 2 7 million people constitutes the largest bilingual and binational work force in the Western Hemisphere 12 The city is home to three publicly traded companies and former Western Refining now Marathon Petroleum 13 as well as home to the Medical Center of the Americas 14 the only medical research and care provider complex in West Texas and Southern New Mexico 15 and the University of Texas at El Paso the city s primary university The city hosts the annual Sun Bowl college football postseason game the second oldest bowl game in the country 16 El Paso has a strong federal and military presence William Beaumont Army Medical Center Biggs Army Airfield and Fort Bliss are located in the area Fort Bliss is one of the largest military complexes of the United States Army and the second largest training area in the U S behind nearby White Sands Missile Range The fort is headquartered in El Paso but a large part of the training area is in New Mexico 17 Also headquartered in El Paso are the Drug Enforcement Administration domestic field division 7 El Paso Intelligence Center Joint Task Force North United States Border Patrol El Paso Sector and U S Border Patrol Special Operations Group El Paso is a five time All America City Award winner winning in 1969 2010 2018 2020 and 2021 18 and Congressional Quarterly ranked it in the top three safest large cities in the United States between 1997 and 2014 19 including holding the title of safest city between 2011 and 2014 20 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early years 1 2 1900 present 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 2 1 1 Flooding 3 Neighborhoods 3 1 Downtown and central El Paso 3 2 Northwest El Paso 3 3 West central El Paso 3 4 Northeast El Paso 3 5 East El Paso 3 6 Mission Valley 3 7 Texas and New Mexico suburbs 3 8 Cityscape 3 9 Tallest buildings 4 Demographics 4 1 Race and ethnicity 4 2 Religion 5 Economy 6 Arts and culture 6 1 Annual cultural events and festivals 6 1 1 Amigo Airsho 6 1 2 KLAQ Great River Raft Race 6 1 3 Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo 6 1 4 Fiesta de las Flores 6 1 5 El Paso Balloonfest 6 1 6 El Paso Sun City Pride 6 2 Music festivals 6 2 1 El Paso Downtown Street Festival 6 2 2 Neon Desert Music Festival 6 2 3 Music Under the Stars 6 2 4 Sun City Music Festival 6 2 5 Texas Showdown Festival 6 3 Performing arts 6 3 1 Viva El Paso 6 3 2 El Paso Symphony Orchestra 6 3 3 Ballet in El Paso 6 4 Theaters 6 5 Area museums 6 6 Sites within the city limits 7 Sports 8 Parks and recreation 8 1 Botanical gardens 8 2 Golf courses 9 Government 9 1 City 9 2 County 9 3 State 9 4 Federal 10 Education 10 1 Public libraries 11 Media 11 1 Newspapers 11 2 Radio stations 11 3 Television 12 In popular culture 13 Infrastructure 13 1 Healthcare 13 2 Transportation 13 2 1 Airports 13 2 2 Passenger rail 13 2 3 Major highways 13 2 4 Mass transit 13 2 5 El Paso Streetcar 13 2 6 International border crossings 13 3 Water 14 Notable people 15 Sister Cities 234 16 See also 17 Notes 17 1 Footnotes 17 2 Source notes 18 References 19 External linksHistory EditMain articles History of El Paso Texas and Timeline of El Paso Texas This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Early years Edit The El Paso region has had human settlement for thousands of years as evidenced by Folsom points from hunter gatherers found at Hueco Tanks This suggests 10 000 to 12 000 years of human habitation 21 The earliest known cultures in the region were maize farmers When the Spanish arrived the Manso Suma and Jumano tribes populated the area These were subsequently incorporated into the mestizo culture along with immigrants from central Mexico captives from Comancheria and genizaros of various ethnic groups The Mescalero Apache were also present The Chamuscado and Rodriguez Expedition trekked through present day El Paso and forded the Rio Grande where they visited the land that is present day New Mexico in 1581 1582 The expedition was led by Francisco Sanchez called El Chamuscado and Fray Agustin Rodriguez the first Spaniards known to have walked along the Rio Grande and visited the Pueblo Indians since Francisco Vasquez de Coronado 40 years earlier Spanish explorer Don Juan de Onate was born in 1550 in Zacatecas Zacatecas Mexico and was the first New Spain Mexico explorer known to have rested and stayed 10 days by the Rio Grande near El Paso in 1598 22 celebrating a Thanksgiving Mass there on April 30 1598 Four survivors of the Narvaez expedition Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca Alonso del Castillo Maldonado Andres Dorantes de Carranza and his enslaved Moor Estevanico are thought to have crossed the Rio Grande into present day Mexico about 75 miles south of El Paso in 1535 23 El Paso del Norte present day Ciudad Juarez was founded on the south bank of the Rio Bravo del Norte Rio Grande in 1659 by Fray Garcia de San Francisco In 1680 the small village of El Paso became the temporary base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico as a result of the Pueblo Revolt until 1692 when Santa Fe was reconquered and once again became the capital The Texas Revolution 1836 was generally not felt in the region as the American population was small not being more than 10 of the population However the region was claimed by Texas as part of the treaty signed with Mexico and numerous attempts were made by Texas to bolster these claims but the villages that consisted of what is now El Paso and the surrounding area remained essentially a self governed community with both representatives of the Mexican and Texan governments negotiating for control until Texas irrevocably took control in 1846 During this interregnum 1836 1848 Americans nonetheless continued to settle the region As early as the mid 1840s alongside long extant Hispanic settlements such as the Rancho de Juan Maria Ponce de Leon Anglo American settlers such as Simeon Hart and Hugh Stephenson had established thriving communities of American settlers owing allegiance to Texas Stephenson who had married into the local Hispanic aristocracy established the Rancho de San Jose de la Concordia which became the nucleus of Anglo American and Hispanic settlement within the limits of modern day El Paso in 1844 the Republic of Texas which claimed the area wanted a chunk of the Santa Fe trade During the Mexican American War the Battle of El Bracito was fought nearby on Christmas Day 1846 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo effectively made the settlements on the north bank of the river part of the US separate from Old El Paso del Norte on the Mexican side 24 The present New Mexico Texas boundary placing El Paso on the Texas side was drawn in the Compromise of 1850 El Paso remained the largest settlement in New Mexico as part of the Republic of Mexico until its cession to the U S in 1848 when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo specified the border was to run north of El Paso De Norte around the Ciudad Juarez Cathedral which became part of the state of Chihuahua 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 32nd 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 1849 on Coons Rancho beside the settlement of Franklin which became the nucleus of the future El Paso Texas after the army left in 1851 the rancho went into default and was repossessed in 1852 a post office was established on the rancho bearing the name El Paso as an example of cross border town naming until El Paso del Norte was renamed Juarez in 1888 After changing hands twice more the El Paso company was set up in 1859 and bought the property hiring Anson Mills to survey and lay out the town thus forming the current street plan of downtown El Paso 25 In Beyond the Mississippi 1867 Albert D Richardson traveling to California via coach described El Paso as he found it in late 1859 The Texan town of El Paso had four hundred inhabitants chiefly Mexicans Its business men were Americans but Spanish was the prevailing language All the features were Mexican low flat adobe buildings shading cottonwoods under which dusky smoking women and swarthy children sold fruit vegetables and bread habitual gambling universal from the boys game of pitching quartillas three cent coins to the great saloons where huge piles of silver dollars were staked at monte In this little village a hundred thousand dollars often changed hands in a single night through the potent agencies of monte and poker There were only two or three American ladies and most of the whites kept Mexican mistresses All goods were brought on wagons from the Gulf of Mexico and sold at an advance of three or four hundred per cent on Eastern prices From hills overlooking the town the eye takes in a charming picture a far stretching valley enriched with orchards vineyards and corn fields through which the river traces a shining pathway Across it appear the flat roofs and cathedral towers of the old Mexican El Paso still further dim misty mountains melt into blue sky 26 El Paso c 1880During the Civil War Confederate military forces were in the area until it was captured by the Union California Column in August 1862 It was then headquarters for the 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry from August 1863 until December 1864 27 Map of the city in 1886 After the Civil War s conclusion the town s population began to grow as Texans continued to move into the villages and soon became the majority El Paso itself incorporated in 1873 encompassed the small area communities that had developed along the river In the 1870s a population of 23 non Hispanic Whites and 150 Hispanics was reported 28 With the arrival of the Southern Pacific Texas and Pacific and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroads in 1881 the population boomed to 10 000 by the 1890 census with many Anglo Americans recent immigrants old Hispanic settlers and recent arrivals from Mexico The location of El Paso and the arrival of these more wild newcomers caused the city to become a violent and wild boomtown known as the Six shooter Capital because of its lawlessness 25 Indeed 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 Juarez With the suppression of the vice trade and in consideration of the city s geographic position the city continued into developing as a premier manufacturing transportation and retail center of the U S Southwest 1900 present Edit Downtown El Paso in 1908 Mesa Avenue the heart of El Paso Texas postcard c 1917 General Pershing s punitive expedition camp near the border El Paso Texas postcard c 1916 Franklin Mountains left to right i e south to north are Ranger Peak Sugarloaf Mountain and part of South Franklin Mountain In 1909 William Howard Taft and Porfirio Diaz planned a summit in El Paso Texas and Ciudad Juarez Mexico a historic first meeting between a U S president and a Mexican president and also the first time an American president crossed the border into Mexico 29 but tensions rose on both sides of the border including threats of assassination so the Texas Rangers 4 000 U S and Mexican troops U S Secret Service agents FBI agents and U S marshals were all called in to provide security 30 Frederick Russell Burnham a celebrated scout was put in charge of a 250 strong private security detail hired by John Hays Hammond who in addition to owning large investments in Mexico was a close friend of Taft from Yale and a U S vice presidential candidate in 1908 31 32 On October 16 the day of the summit Burnham and Private C R Moore a Texas Ranger discovered a man holding a concealed palm pistol standing at the El Paso Chamber of Commerce building along the procession route 33 34 Burnham and Moore captured disarmed and arrested the assassin within only a few feet of Taft and Diaz 35 36 By 1910 an overwhelming number of people in the city were Americans creating a settled environment but this period was short lived as 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 Ultimately the violence of the Mexican Revolution followed with the large Mexican diaspora who had fled into El Paso In 1915 and again in 1916 and 1917 various Mexican revolutionary societies planned staged and launched violent attacks against both Texans and their political Mexican opponents in El Paso This state of affairs eventually led to the vast Plan de San Diego which resulted in the murder of 21 American citizens 37 The subsequent reprisals by local militia soon caused an escalation of violence wherein an estimated 300 Mexicans and Mexican Americans lost their lives These actions affected almost every resident of the entire Rio Grande Valley resulting in millions of dollars of losses the end result of the Plan of San Diego was long standing enmity between the two ethnic groups 37 Simultaneously other Texans and Americans gravitated to the city and by 1920 along with the U S Army troops the population exceeded 100 000 and non Hispanic Whites once again were in the clear majority Nonetheless the city increased the segregation between Mexicans and Mexican Americans with non Hispanic Whites One prominent form of segregation in the form of immigration controls to prevent disease allegedly were abused to create nonconsensual pornographic images of women distributed in local bars 38 These rumors along with the perceived hazard from kerosene baths led to the 1917 Bath riots 39 As a result of the increased segregation the Catholic Church attempted to garner the Mexican American community s allegiance through education and political and civic involvement organizations including the National Catholic Welfare Fund 40 In 1916 the Census Bureau reported El Paso s population as 53 Mexican and 44 Non Hispanic whites 41 Mining and other industries gradually developed in the area The El Paso and Northeastern Railway was chartered in 1897 to help extract the natural resources of surrounding areas especially in southeastern New Mexico Territory The 1920s and 1930s had the emergence of major business development in the city partially enabled by Prohibition era bootlegging 25 The military demobilization and an agricultural economic depression which hit places like El Paso first before the larger Great Depression was felt in the big cities though hit the city hard In turn as in the rest of the United States the Depression era overall hit the city hard and El Paso s population declined through the end of World War II with most of population losses coming from the non Hispanic White community Nonetheless they remained the majority to the 1940s citation needed During and following the war military expansion in the area as well as oil discoveries in the Permian Basin helped to engender 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 Additionally the departure of region s rural population which was mostly non Hispanic White to cities like El Paso brought a short term burst of capital and labor but this was balanced by additional departures of middle class Americans to other parts of the country that offered new and better paying jobs In turn local businesses looked south to the opportunities afforded by cheap Mexican labor Furthermore the period from 1942 to 1956 had the bracero program which brought in cheap Mexican labor into the rural area to replace the losses of the non Hispanic White population In turn seeking better paying jobs these migrants also moved to El Paso By 1965 Hispanics once again were a majority Meanwhile the postwar expansion slowed again in the 1960s but the city continued to grow with the annexation of surrounding neighborhoods and in large part because of its significant economic relationship with Mexico citation needed The Farah Strike 1972 1974 occurred in El Paso Texas This strike was originated and led by Chicanas or Mexican American women against the Farah Manufacturing Company due to complaints against the company inadequately compensating workers 42 Texas Monthly described the Farah Strike as the strike of the century 43 On August 3 2019 a domestic terrorist shooting committed by a white supremacist occurred at a Walmart in El Paso which left 23 people dead and 23 others injured 44 45 46 Geography Edit False color satellite image of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez Paved streets and buildings appear in varying shades of blue gray and red indicates vegetation El Paso is located at the intersection of three states Chihuahua New Mexico and Texas and two countries Mexico and the U S It is the only major Texas city in the Mountain Time Zone Ciudad Juarez was once in the Central Time Zone 47 but both cities are now on Mountain Time El Paso is on the Mexico U S border El Paso is closer to the capital cities of four other states Phoenix Arizona 430 miles 690 km away 48 Santa Fe New Mexico 273 miles 439 km away 49 Ciudad Chihuahua Chihuahua 218 miles 351 km away 50 and Hermosillo Sonora 325 miles 523 km away 51 than it is to the capital of its own state Austin 528 miles 850 km away 52 It is closer to Los Angeles California 700 miles 1 100 km away 53 than it is to Orange Texas 858 miles 1 381 km away 54 the easternmost town in the same state as this city El Paso is located within the Chihuahuan Desert the easternmost section of the Basin and Range Region The Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections the west side forms the beginnings of the Mesilla Valley and the east side expands into the desert and lower valley They connect in the central business district at the southern end of the mountain range The city s elevation is 3 740 ft 1 140 m above sea level North Franklin Mountain is the highest peak in the city at 7 192 ft 2 192 m above sea level The peak can be seen from 60 mi 100 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 256 3 sq mi 663 7 km2 55 The 24 000 acre 9 700 ha Franklin Mountains State Park one of the largest urban parks in the United States lies 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 and Ciudad Juarez to the south and west until the river turns north of the border with Mexico separating El Paso from Dona Ana County New Mexico Mt Cristo Rey 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 Nearby volcanic features include Kilbourne Hole and Hunt s Hole which are Maar volcanic craters 30 miles 50 km west of the Franklin Mountains Climate Edit El Paso TexasClimate chart explanation J F M A M J J A S O N D 0 4 59 35 0 4 64 39 0 2 72 45 0 4 80 53 0 7 89 62 0 9 97 71 1 6 96 73 1 7 94 72 1 5 88 65 0 6 79 54 0 4 67 42 0 6 58 34Average max and min temperatures in FPrecipitation totals in inchesSource 56 Metric conversionJ F M A M J J A S O N D 10 15 2 10 18 4 5 1 22 7 10 27 12 18 32 17 23 36 22 41 36 23 43 34 22 38 31 18 15 26 12 10 19 6 15 14 1Average max and min temperatures in CPrecipitation totals in mm The Rio Grande in west El Paso near New Mexico Texas state line El Paso has a transitional climate between cold desert climate Koppen BWk and hot desert climate Koppen BWh featuring hot summers with little humidity and cool to mild dry winters Rainfall averages 8 8 in 220 mm per year much of which occurs from June through September and is predominantly caused by the North American 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 thunderstorms 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 of daylight hours according to the National Weather Service from this the city is nicknamed The Sun City 57 Due to its arid windy climate El Paso often experiences sand and dust storms during the dry season particularly during the springtime between March and early May With an average wind speed often exceeding 30 mph 50 km h and gusts that have been measured at over 75 mph 120 km h these wind storms kick up large amounts of sand and dust from the desert causing loss of visibility El Paso and the nearby mountains also receive snow Weather systems have produced over 1 ft 30 cm of snow on several occasions In the 1982 1983 winter season three major snowstorms produced record seasonal snowfall On December 25 26 1982 6 0 in 15 cm of snow fell producing a white Christmas for the city 58 This was followed by another 7 0 in 18 cm on December 30 31 1982 On April 4 7 1983 16 5 in 42 cm of snow fell on El Paso bringing the seasonal total to nearly 30 in 76 cm On December 13 14 1987 a record storm dumped over 22 in 56 cm of snow on El Paso and two weeks later December 25 26 another 3 in 7 6 cm fell bringing the monthly total for December 1987 to an all time record high of 25 9 in 66 cm 59 of snow 60 The average annual snowfall for the city varies widely between different neighborhoods at different elevations but is 2 6 in 6 6 cm at the airport but with a median of 0 meaning most years see no snow at all 61 Snow is most rare around Ysleta and the eastern valley area which usually include large numbers of palm trees in the higher neighborhoods palm trees are more vulnerable to snow and cold snaps and are often seen with brown frost damaged fronds One example of El Paso s varying climate at its most extreme was the damaging winter storm of early February 2011 which caused closures of schools businesses and City Hall The snow which was light stopped after about a day but during the ensuing cold episode municipal utilities went into a crisis The high temperature on February 2 2011 was 15 F 9 C the lowest daily maximum on record In addition the low temperature on February 3 was 1 F 17 C breaking the 5 F 15 C monthly record low set during the cold wave of 1899 58 Loss of desert vegetation such as Mexican California palm trees oleanders and iceplants to the cold weather was one of the results Two local power plants failed forcing El Paso Electric to institute rolling blackouts over several days 62 and electric wires were broken causing localised blackouts Many water utility pipes froze causing areas of the city to be without water for several days Monthly means range from 46 1 F 7 8 C in December to 84 4 F 29 1 C in July but high temperatures typically peak in June before the monsoon arrives while daily low temperatures typically peak in July or early August with the higher humidity the monsoon brings translating to warmer nights On average 42 night lows are at or below freezing with 118 days of 90 F 32 C highs and 28 days of 100 F 38 C highs annually extremely rarely do temperatures stay below the freezing mark all day 60 The city s record high is 114 F 46 C on June 30 1994 and its record low is 8 F 22 C on January 11 1962 the highest daily minimum was 85 F 29 C on July 1 and 3 1994 with weather records for the area maintained by the National Weather Service since 1879 Flooding EditAlthough the average annual rainfall is only about 8 8 in 225 mm many parts of El Paso are subject to occasional flooding during intense summer monsoonal thunderstorms In late July and early August 2006 up to 10 in 250 mm of rain fell in a week the flood control reservoirs overflowed and caused major flooding citywide 63 The city staff estimated damage to public infrastructure at 21 million and to private property residential and commercial at 77 million 64 Much of the damage was associated with development in recent decades in 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 Climate data for El Paso Int l Texas 1991 2020 normals extremes 1879 present a Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high F C 80 27 86 30 93 34 98 37 105 41 114 46 112 44 108 42 104 40 96 36 87 31 80 27 114 46 Mean maximum F C 71 2 21 8 76 9 24 9 85 9 29 9 90 7 32 6 98 7 37 1 105 7 40 9 103 6 39 8 102 5 39 2 98 8 37 1 90 8 32 7 78 5 25 8 71 3 21 8 106 7 41 5 Average high F C 58 6 14 8 64 1 17 8 71 9 22 2 80 0 26 7 88 7 31 5 97 1 36 2 95 8 35 4 94 0 34 4 88 3 31 3 79 4 26 3 67 0 19 4 57 8 14 3 78 6 25 9 Daily mean F C 46 5 8 1 51 5 10 8 58 7 14 8 66 6 19 2 75 4 24 1 83 9 28 8 84 4 29 1 82 9 28 3 76 9 24 9 66 7 19 3 54 5 12 5 46 1 7 8 66 2 19 0 Average low F C 34 5 1 4 38 9 3 8 45 5 7 5 53 3 11 8 62 1 16 7 70 6 21 4 73 0 22 8 71 8 22 1 65 4 18 6 54 0 12 2 42 0 5 6 34 4 1 3 53 8 12 1 Mean minimum F C 19 1 7 2 22 6 5 2 27 6 2 4 35 8 2 1 46 7 8 2 56 6 13 7 63 9 17 7 62 8 17 1 52 6 11 4 37 8 3 2 25 1 3 8 17 9 7 8 15 6 9 1 Record low F C 8 22 1 17 14 10 23 5 31 1 46 8 56 13 52 11 41 5 25 4 1 17 5 21 8 22 Average precipitation inches mm 0 39 9 9 0 40 10 0 24 6 1 0 17 4 3 0 43 11 0 73 19 1 60 41 1 67 42 1 52 39 0 59 15 0 43 11 0 63 16 8 80 224 Average snowfall inches cm 0 6 1 5 0 2 0 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 3 1 1 2 8 2 6 6 6 Average precipitation days 0 01 in 3 3 2 1 2 3 8 8 6 4 3 4 47Average snowy days 0 1 in 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 1 3 1Average relative humidity 50 5 41 6 32 4 26 9 27 1 29 9 43 9 48 4 50 5 47 1 46 1 51 5 41 3Mean monthly sunshine hours 254 5 263 0 326 0 348 0 384 7 384 1 360 2 335 4 304 1 298 6 257 6 246 3 3 762 5Percent possible sunshine 80 85 88 89 90 90 83 81 82 85 82 79 85Source NOAA relative humidity 1962 1990 sun 1961 1990 58 65 66 Neighborhoods EditDowntown and central El Paso Edit Main articles Downtown El Paso and Central El Paso This part of town contains some of the city s oldest and most historic neighborhoods Located in the heart of the city it is home to about 44 993 people 67 Development of the area started in 1827 with the first resident Juan Maria Ponce de Leon a wealthy merchant from Paso del Norte present day Ciudad Juarez who built the region s first structure establishing Rancho Ponce within the vicinity of S El Paso Street and Paisano Dr when the city was barely beginning Today central El Paso has grown into the center of the city s economy and a thriving urban community It contains numerous historic sites and landmarks mostly in the Sunset Heights district It is close to the El Paso International Airport the international border and Fort Bliss It is part of the El Paso Independent School District Dr James Day an El Paso historian said that downtown s main business area was originally centered between Second Avenue now Paisano Drive and San Francisco Avenue At a later point the main business area was centered around Stanton Street and Santa Fe Street In the late 1800s most of the White American residents lived to the north of the non White areas living in brick residences along Magoffin Myrtle and San Antonio Avenues Hispanic American residents lived in an area called Chihuahuita little Chihuahua which was located south of Second Avenue and west of Santa Fe Street Several African Americans and around 300 Chinese Americans also lived in Chihuahuita Many of the Chinese Americans participated in the building of railroads in the El Paso area 68 Another downtown neighborhood is El Segundo Barrio which is near the Mexico U S border 69 Northwest El Paso Edit Main article Northwest El Paso El Paso s upper valley in northwest El Paso Better known as West El Paso or the West Side the area includes a portion of the Rio Grande floodplain upstream from downtown which is known locally as the Upper Valley and is located on the west side of the Franklin Mountains The Upper Valley is the greenest part of the county due to the Rio Grande The West Side is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods within the city such as the Coronado Hills Country Club and Three Hills neighborhoods It is one of the fastest growing areas of El Paso The main high schools in the westside include Canutillo High School Coronado High School El Paso Texas and Franklin High School El Paso Texas West central El Paso Edit Main article West central El Paso Historic home at Kern Place West central El Paso is located north of Interstate 10 and west of the Franklin Mountains The University of Texas at El Paso UTEP and the Cincinnati Entertainment district are located in the heart of the area Historic districts Kern Place and Sunset Heights are in this part of town Kern Place was founded in 1914 by Peter E Kern for whom the neighborhood was named 70 The homes of Kern Place are unique in architecture and some were built by residents themselves 70 One of the better known homes is the Paul Luckett Home located at 1201 Cincinnati Ave above Madeline Park and is made of local rock It is known as The Castle due to its round walls and a crenelated rooftop 70 Kern Place is extremely popular with college and university students The area is known for its glitzy entertainment district restaurants and coffee shops that cater to both business patrons and university students 71 72 After UTEP s basketball and football games UTEP fans pack the Kern Place area for food and entertainment at Cincinnati Street a small bar district This bar scene has grown over the years and has attracted thousands to its annual Mardi Gras block party as well as after sporting events or concerts Young men and women make up the majority of the crowds who stop in between classes or after work citation needed Sunset Heights is one of the most historic areas in town which has existed since the latter part of the 1890s Many wealthy residents have had their houses and mansions built on this hill Although some buildings have been renovated to their former glory many have been neglected and have deteriorated During the Mexican Revolution a widely popular Mexican revolutionary leader Doroteo Arango also known as Francisco Pancho Villa owned and resided in this area during the 1910s 73 During the 1910 Mexican Revolution many Mexicans fled Mexico and settled in Sunset Heights 74 Northeast El Paso Edit Main article Northeast El Paso This part of town is located north of central El Paso and east of the Franklin Mountains Development of the area was extensive during the 1950s and 1960s It is one of the more ethnically diverse areas in the city due to the concentration of military families The Northeast has not developed as rapidly as other areas such as east El Paso and northwest El Paso but its development is steadily increasing The population is expected to grow more rapidly as a result of the troop increase at Ft Bliss in the coming years The area has also gained recognition throughout the city for the outstanding high school athletic programs at Andress High School Parkland High School Irvin High School and Chapin High School In May 2021 a major developer announced plans for a Master Planned Community in the Northeast modeled after Scarborough s Sunfield Master Planned Community in Buda Texas The first phase of the development is to include about 2 500 homes 10 acre park walking trails a four acre resort like area with a lazy river kiddy splash pad pool grass areas and a food truck area the developers reported Jessica Herrera director of the city of El Paso Economic and International Development Department in a statement released by the developers said Campo del Sol will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues which will stimulate other growth and development on the north side of town 75 East El Paso Edit Main article East El Paso The area is located north of Interstate 10 east of Airway Blvd and south of Montana Ave It is the largest and fastest growing area of town with a population over 200 000 76 It includes the 79936 ZIP Code which was considered in 2013 as the most populous in the nation with over 114 000 people 77 Mission Valley Edit Main article Mission Valley El Paso Formerly known as the lower valley it 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 This location is considered the oldest area of El Paso dating back to the late 16th century when present day Texas was under the rule of New Spain In 1680 the Isleta Pueblo tribe revolted against the Spaniards who were pushed south to what is now El Paso Some Spaniards and tribe members settled here permanently Soon afterward three Spanish missions were built they remain standing currently functioning as churches Ysleta Mission 1682 La Mision de Corpus Christi y de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur Our Lady of Mt Carmel Socorro Mission 1759 Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion del Socorro 1759 and San Elizario Chapel Capilla de San Elcear 1789 On April 30 1598 the northward bound Spanish conquistadors crossed large sand dunes about 27 miles south of present day downtown El Paso The expeditionaries and their horses reportedly ran toward the river and two horses drank themselves to death Don Juan de Onate a New Spain born conquistador of Spanish parents was an expedition leader who ordered a big feast north of the Rio Grande in what is now San Elizario This was the first documented and true Thanksgiving in North America citation needed Onate declaredla Toma taking possession claiming all territory north of the Rio Grande for King Philip II of Spain Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo related to the insurgent Isleta Pueblo Tribe is also located in this valley The Tigua is one of three Indian tribes in Texas whose sovereignty is recognized by the United States government Ysleta is spelled with a Y because 19th century script did not differentiate between a capital Y and a capital I Some people in this area and its twin city across the river Ciudad Juarez are direct descendants of the Spaniards Texas and New Mexico suburbs Edit El Paso is surrounded by many cities and communities in both Texas and New Mexico The most populated suburbs in Texas are Socorro Horizon City Fort Bliss and San Elizario Other Texas suburbs are Anthony Canutillo Sparks Fabens and Vinton Although Anthony Santa Teresa 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 78 Cityscape Edit A panoramic view of El Paso looking northeast through south near Scenic Drive The Hueco Mountains can be seen toward the east and Downtown El Paso can be seen to the south far right of the image Tallest buildings Edit WestStar Tower Wells Fargo Plaza See also List of tallest buildings in El Paso Rank Building Height Floors Built1 WestStar Tower 314 ft 96 m 79 20 20212 Wells Fargo Plaza 302 ft 92 m 79 21 19713 One San Jacinto Plaza 280 ft 85 m 80 20 19624 Stanton Tower 260 ft 79 m 80 18 19825 Plaza Hotel 246 ft 75 m 19 19306 Hotel Paso del Norte Tower 230 ft 70 m 17 19867 El Paso County Courthouse 230 ft 70 m 14 81 19918 Blue Flame Building 230 ft 70 m 18 19549 O T Bassett Tower Aloft Hotel 216 ft 66 m 15 193010 One Texas Tower 205 ft 62 m 15 192111 Albert Armendariz Sr U S Federal Courthouse 205 ft 62 m 9 82 2010El Paso s second tallest building the Wells Fargo Plaza was built in the early 1970s as State National Plaza The black windowed 302 foot 92 m 79 building is famous for its 13 white horizontal lights 18 lights per row on the east and west sides of the building and seven 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 July 4 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 were 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 Demographics EditHistorical populationCensus Pop 1850200 1860428114 0 1880736 189010 3381 304 6 190015 90653 9 191039 279146 9 192077 56097 5 1930102 42132 1 194096 810 5 5 1950130 48534 8 1960276 687112 0 1970339 61522 7 1980425 25925 2 1990515 34221 2 2000563 6629 4 2010649 12115 2 2020678 8154 6 U S Decennial Census 83 Texas Almanac 1850 2000 84 2010 2010 4 El Paso 1850 to 2006 85 TX State Historical Association 86 At the 2010 U S census 649 121 people 216 694 households and 131 104 families resided in the city The 2019 U S Census Bureau estimates determined El Paso had a population of 681 728 an increase of 5 2 since the 2010 census 87 By the 2020 United States census there were 678 815 people 230 905 households and 162 460 families residing in the city The population density was 2 263 0 people per square mile 873 7 km2 in 2010 There were 227 605 housing units at an average density of 777 5 per square mile 300 2 km2 Of the 216 894 households in 2010 37 6 had children under 18 living with them 48 5 were married couples living together 20 7 had a female householder with no husband present and 25 3 were not families About 21 5 of all households were made up of individuals and 24 9 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 95 and the average family size was 3 47 The 226 787 households in 2019 averaged of 2 97 people per household In the city the age distribution was 29 1 under the age of 18 7 5 from 20 to 24 26 2 from 25 to 44 22 8 from 45 to 64 and 11 1 who were 65 or older The median age was 32 5 years according to census statistics from 2010 As of 2010 the median income for a household in the city was 44 431 and for a family was 50 247 Males had a median income of 28 989 versus 21 540 for females The per capita income for the city was 21 120 About 17 3 of families and 20 3 of the population were below the poverty line including 28 5 of those under age 18 and 18 4 of those age 65 or over The 2019 census estimates determined the city had an owner occupied housing rate of 58 9 and median value of owner occupied housing units at 127 400 87 The median gross rent from 2015 to 2019 was 837 From 2015 to 2019 the city s median monthly homeowner cost with a mortgage was 1 255 and without a mortgage 429 El Paso had a median household income of 47 568 and per capita income of 22 734 in 2019 Roughly 19 of the population lived at or below the poverty line Race and ethnicity Edit Demographic profile 2020 88 2010 89 2000 90 1990 91 1970 91 Hispanic or Latino 82 8 80 7 76 6 69 0 57 3 b White non Hispanic 12 2 14 2 18 3 26 4 40 4 b African American or Black 3 1 3 4 3 5 3 4 2 3 Asian 1 3 1 2 1 5 1 2 0 3 Census estimates from 2012 to 2013 determined the city s population was White 92 0 non Hispanic whites 11 8 African American or Black 3 9 two or more races 1 5 Asian 1 3 Native American 1 0 and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0 2 92 Ethnically the city was 82 8 Hispanic or Latino of any race as of 2013 In 2019 12 8 of the population was non Hispanic white 3 6 Black or African American 0 6 American Indian or Alaska Native 1 4 Asian 0 2 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 2 7 two or more races and 81 4 Hispanic or Latin American of any race 87 At the 2020 census its population was 12 2 non Hispanic white 3 1 Black or African American 82 8 Hispanic or Latino of any race and 1 3 Asian alone By 1996 a German community existed in El Paso as the German Air Force headquarters for North America is in El Paso A German school in El Paso serves all grade levels though as of 1996 most of its students begin attending American schools at the secondary level 93 The German school is on Fort Bliss 94 Religion Edit Christianity is the largest religion in the city and its metropolitan statistical area Nearly 45 of its population claim affiliation with the Catholic Church as of 2020 and are served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso 95 96 Protestants form a minority of Christians in the city limits and the remainder of the non Christian population were followers of Judaism Islam or eastern faiths including Buddhism or Hinduism The irreligious made the second largest non Christian demographic Economy EditLargest Employers in El Paso 97 Number of Employees1 Fort Bliss 47 6282 El Paso Independent School District 7 8753 Socorro Independent School District 7 1954 City of El Paso 6 8405 T amp T Staff Management 6 1876 Ysleta Independent School District 6 0227 The Hospitals of Providence 5 3008 University of Texas at El Paso 3 1709 El Paso Community College 3 10210 El Paso County 2 98011 University Medical Center 2 80012 DATAMARK Inc 2 80013 Alorica 2 50014 GC Services Lp 2 25015 Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare 2 184 Helen of Troy Limited corporate office El Paso products treemap 2020 El Paso has a diversified economy focused primarily within international trade military government civil service oil and gas health care tourism and service sectors The El Paso metro area had a GDP of 29 03 billion in 2017 98 There was also 92 billion worth of trade in 2012 99 Over the past 15 years the city has become a significant location for American based call centers Cotton fruit vegetables and livestock are also produced in the area El Paso has added a significant manufacturing sector with items and goods produced that include petroleum metals medical devices plastics machinery defense related goods and automotive parts On July 22 2020 Amazon announced plans to open the first 625 000 square foot fulfillment center in El Paso 100 The city is the second busiest international crossing point in the U S behind San Diego 101 El Paso is home to one Fortune500 company Western Refining which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange NYSE 102 This makes the city one of six Texas metro areas to have at least one Fortune 500 company call it home the others being Houston Dallas Fort Worth San Antonio Austin and Corpus Christi 103 The second publicly traded company is Helen of Troy Limited a NASDAQ listed company that manufactures personal health care products under many labels such as OXO Dr Scholl s Vidal Sassoon Pert Plus Brut and Sunbeam and the third is El Paso Electric listed on the NYSE a public utility engaging in the generation transmission and distribution of electricity in West Texas and southern New Mexico The fourth publicly traded company is Western Refining Logistics also traded in the NYSE It is a Western Refining subsidiary which owns operates develops and acquires terminals storage tanks pipelines and other logistics assets More than 70 Fortune 500 companies have offices in El Paso including AT amp T ADP Boeing Charles Schwab Delphi Dish Network Eureka Hoover Raytheon Prudential Financial USAA and Verizon Wireless 104 105 Hispanic Business Magazine included 28 El Paso companies in its list of the 500 largest Hispanic owned businesses in the United States 106 El Paso s 28 companies are second only to Miami s 57 The list of the largest Hispanic owned businesses includes companies like Fred Loya Insurance a Hispanic 500 company and the 18th largest Hispanic business in the nation Other companies on the list are Dos Lunas Spirits Dynatec Labs Spira Footwear DATAMARK Inc and El Taco Tote El Paso was home to El Paso Corporation formerly known as El Paso Natural Gas Company The city also has a large military presence with Fort Bliss William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Biggs Army Airfield The defense industry in El Paso employs over 41 000 and provides a 6 billion annual impact to the city s economy 107 In 2013 Fort Bliss was chosen as the newly configured U S Air Force Security Forces Regional Training Center which added 8 000 to 10 000 Air Force personnel annually 108 In addition to the military the federal government has a strong presence in El Paso to manage its status and unique issues as an important border region Operations headquartered in El Paso include the DEA Domestic Field Division 7 El Paso Intelligence Center Joint Task Force North U S Border Patrol El Paso Sector and U S Border Patrol Special Operations Group Call center operations employ more than 10 000 people in the area citation needed Automatic Data Processing has an office in West El Paso employing about 1 100 people with expansion plans to reach 2 200 by 2020 109 Tourism is another major industry in El Paso bringing in 1 5 billion and over 2 3 million visitors annually due to the city s sunny weather natural beauty rich cultural history and many outdoor attractions 110 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 20 000 people among them UTEP has an annual budget of nearly 418 million and employs nearly 4 800 people 111 112 A 2010 study by the university s Institute for Policy and Economic Development stated the university s impact on local businesses is 417 million annually 113 Arts and culture EditMain article Culture of El Paso Annual cultural events and festivals Edit Amigo Airsho Edit The Amigo Airsho is one of El Paso s premier events and is ranked as one of the top 10 air shows in the country filled with air entertainment and ground activities Acts include the Franklin s Flying Circus where performers walk on the wings of an airborne plane Ground activities include a jet powered school bus After 31 years of being held at Biggs Army Airfield the show was moved to Dona Ana Airport in 2014 114 KLAQ Great River Raft Race Edit Great River Raft Race held annually on the Rio Grande in El Paso s upper valley The KLAQ Great River Raft Race is an annual event celebrated on the second to last Saturday of June Participants are encouraged to ride the river and float the Rio Grande with family and friends The organizers encourage the building of unique rafts that get down the river with prizes and trophies awarded for the most points earned best looking crew and best decorated raft The race starts at the Vinton Bridge and ends 3 miles downstream at the Canutillo Bridge 115 Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo Edit The Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo is the 17th oldest rodeo in the nation and El Paso s longest running sporting event Consistently ranked as one of the top 50 shows in the country by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association this charitable event is a true celebration of western culture and heritage 116 Fiesta de las Flores Edit Cleveland Square in downtown El Paso is where many of the festivals are held annually La Fiesta de las Flores is one of the oldest Hispanic festivals in the Southwest The three day fiesta is held each year during the Labor Day weekend and emphasizes El Paso s Hispanic heritage and culture The festival attracts 20 000 to 30 000 visitors from El Paso County New Mexico West Texas and the State of Chihuahua Mexico 117 Activities included in the fiesta are crowning of the queen a Fiesta Parade Senior Appreciation Dance Military Appreciation Day and live entertainment The fiesta is also well known for the authentic regional cuisine arts and crafts games and services available for the enjoyment of all attendees Over 80 booths sponsored by local vendors and nonprofit organizations create the Hispanic ambience and culture El Paso Balloonfest Edit The El Paso Balloonfest is an annual event celebrated on Memorial Day weekend and is self described as 3 days of hot air balloons filling the El Paso skies 3 afternoons of concerts and fun in the sun at Wet N Wild Waterworld in Anthony Texas Over 60 balloons take to the air from TFCU launch field which is adjacent to the water park After the balloons launch visitors have a weekend of water rides swimming concerts and grilling The concert aspect of the event features local bands starting at noon and different headlining artists in the afternoon 118 Overnight camping has been added for 2014 119 El Paso Sun City Pride Edit The El Paso Sun City Pride is the largest annual LGBT event in the region attracting thousands every June The event was established in 2007 120 121 Music festivals Edit El Paso Downtown Street Festival Edit The annual El Paso Downtown Street Festival is held during the last weekend of June in downtown El Paso near the El Paso Convention Center 122 It is the oldest musical festival in the city and brings local regional and nationally known acts Neon Desert Music Festival Edit The annual Neon Desert Music Festival is a two day event usually held on the last Saturday and Sunday of May on five stages in downtown El Paso stretching from San Jacinto Plaza to Cleveland Square 123 The festival brings over 30 acts from the worlds of indie rock Latin and electronic dance music Music Under the Stars Edit The outdoor concert series started in 1983 is held annually at the Chamizal National Memorial and draws over 60 000 attendees It features local and international performers with wide ranging musical genres Classical Country Tejano rock and others The evening concerts are showcased every Sunday afternoon and start in early June and end in the middle of August 124 Sun City Music Festival Edit The only El Paso musical festival not held downtown instead it is held at Ascarate Park The Sun City Music Festival is a two day event dubbed as the largest electronic dance music festival in Texas 125 Texas Showdown Festival Edit The Texas Showdown Festival is an annual event celebrating musicians and tattoo artists under one roof 126 Dubbed as the world s largest tattoo and musical festival the event is held usually the last weekend of July at the El Paso County Coliseum Performing arts Edit Viva El Paso Edit Viva El Paso performance at the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre The outdoor musical extravaganza Viva El Paso is performed in the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre It is locally produced and chronicles the 400 year history and cultural evolution of the El Paso region The show is performed each Friday and Saturday night in June July and August It has entertained local residents and out of town visitors for over 35 years 127 El Paso Symphony Orchestra Edit The El Paso Symphony was established in the 1930s and is the oldest performing arts organization in El Paso and the longest continuously running symphony orchestra in Texas 128 It has received both national and international recognition as a result of its very successful tours of Germany in 1996 and Turkey in 2000 and continues to represent the El Paso region with pride and distinction The El Paso Symphony Orchestra Association season is anchored by 12 classical concerts Special events serve as outreach toward new audiences Ballet in El Paso Edit Ballet was largely nonexistent in El Paso until the arrival of Ingeborg Heuser a professional ballerina from Germany in the 1950s Heuser taught ballet at UTEP for 47 years and founded the city s first professional ballet company firstly known as Texas Western Civic Ballet and eventually as Ballet El Paso The company dissipated due to financial trouble in 1997 and Heuser retired from UTEP soon after 129 130 The El Paso Youth Ballet was founded in 2009 by Heuser s student Marta Katz following Heuser s departure from the university With students from the youth ballet Heuser staged her last Nutcracker in 2006 The youth company continues to perform the Nutcracker and other preprofessional pieces in and around the El Paso area The company provides the only platform for young ballet dancers to train and perform at such a level within the city since the folding of Ballet El Paso 131 El Paso City Ballet is a current professional ballet company in El Paso providing local employment for professional dancers in the field of ballet The company performs a variety of classical and contemporary works choreographed by Artistic Director Lisa Skaf and artists from the US and Latin America 132 It has been active since 2005 performing yearly productions Theaters Edit Plaza Theater at night The Plaza Theatre is a National Historic Building of Significance built in 1930 133 It features the 2 050 seat Kendall Kidd Performance Hall and the smaller 200 seat Philanthropy Theatre It hosts Broadway productions musical concerts individual performers and the annual Plaza Classic Film Festival 133 The Abraham Chavez Theatre is a 2 500 seat concert hall adjacent to the Williams Convention Center Its exterior resembles a sombrero and features a three story glass main entrance The theatre is named after Maestro Abraham Chavez who was the longtime conductor of the El Paso Symphony Inside the theatre has a 5 000 square foot 460 m2 lobby and a 40 by 56 ft stage as well as 14 dressing rooms The theater s seating is in three levels Also a meeting room is adjacent to the theater 133 Events held at Chavez Theatre include concerts Broadway shows graduation ceremonies performances of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and other special events McKelligon Canyon is a 90 acre 360 000 m2 park located in the Franklin Mountains open to hikers and picnickers In the canyon McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre is surrounded on three sides by canyon walls the 1 500 seat amphitheater is used for concerts and special events such as Viva El Paso 134 The El Paso Playhouse a community theatre provides entertainment and educational experiences to a diverse multicultural population through the high quality production of plays and theatrical events The playhouse provides a venue for artists technicians patrons and community members to participate in the arts through regularly scheduled season productions and holiday performances The theater is affiliated with Kids N Co a theater for child actors to children s performances 135 The UTEP Dinner Theatre located inside the UTEP campus and was founded in 1983 and is entirely produced designed and directed by students The theatre presents 4 fully staged musicals each season and a fully staged student produced musical 136 Area museums Edit El Paso Museum of Archaeology diorama shows Cueva de la Olla cave of the pot a large pot shaped storage container for grain Paquime Sierra Madre of Chihuahua The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens located on the grounds of UTEP includes 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 Mountain west of Gateway South Blvd on TransMountain Rd 137 Its grounds include native plants of the American Southwest as well samples of Native American shelters in an unspoiled location The museum includes dioramas for school children that illustrate the culture and geology of the American Southwest such as Hueco Tanks in El Paso County One diorama see image to the right is of the Cueva de la Olla 138 cave of the pot which is located in the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua an example of the Paquime culture 139 The El Paso Museum of Art is located next to the Plaza Theater adjacent to San Jacinto Plaza the public square downtown It contains works of Southwestern artists such as Tom Lea Other area museums include El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center International Museum of Art El Paso El Paso Museum of History 140 Fort Bliss Museums and Study Center 141 Insights El Paso Science Museum 142 The Magoffin Homestead 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 and Transportation Museum of El Paso 143 The Gene Roddenberry Planetarium 144 Lynx Exhibits 145 Sites within the city limits Edit Asia exhibit entrance at the El Paso Zoo A large illuminated star on Franklin Mountains has become an informal symbol of El Paso Ysleta Mission is recognized as the oldest continuously operated parish in the State of Texas Cathedral of Saint Patrick erected in 1916 is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso Chamizal National Memorial El Paso Zoo a 35 acre 14 ha facility housing 220 species 146 Magoffin Home State Historic Site Plaza Hotel Union Depot El Paso High School University of Texas at El Paso The university s distinctive style is a type of fortress architecture Dzong found in the present and former Buddhist mountain kingdoms of the Himalayas Bhutan and Tibet 147 148 Sports Edit Aerial view of Sun Bowl Stadium and Kidd Field Don Haskins Center at the UTEP campus El Paso is home to the Sun Bowl 149 the second oldest consecutive college football contest after the Rose Bowl Its first game was held in 1935 149 On September 18 2012 the city council voted to approve the demolition of its city hall to make way for Southwest University Park 150 the new home of the El Paso Chihuahuas Triple A team San Diego Padres affiliate it opened in 2014 The team was purchased by Mountainstar Sports Group of El Paso 151 City Hall was demolished on April 14 2013 The El Paso Marathon takes place annually since 2007 The El Paso Locomotive soccer team began playing in 2019 in the USL They play at the Southwest University Park 152 Club Sport League Venue CapacityEl Paso Chihuahuas Baseball PCL Southwest University Park 9 500El Paso Locomotive FC Soccer USLC Southwest University Park 9 500El Paso Rhinos Ice hockey NAHL Sierra Providence Event Center 5 250UTEP Miners Football NCAA Division I FBS Football C USA Sun Bowl Stadium 51 500UTEP Basketball Men NCAA Division I Basketball C USA Don Haskins Center 12 000UTEP Basketball Women NCAA Division I Basketball C USA Don Haskins Center 12 000UTEP Softball NCAA Division I Softball C USA Helen of Troy Field 607UTEP Track and Field NCAA Division I Track and Field C USA Kidd Field 15 000UTEP Women s Soccer NCAA Division I Soccer C USA University Field 500EPCC Baseball NJCAA Division I Baseball WJCAC EPCC Baseball Field 520Parks and recreation Edit The Wyler Aerial Tramway in the Franklin Mountains is the only commercial tramway in the state of Texas Bouldering on North Mountain at Hueco Tanks El Paso is home to the largest urban park in the nation 153 The Franklin Mountains State Park with its more than 24 248 acres 9 813 ha is completely located within the city limits It is considered a small range 23 miles long 3 miles 4 8 km wide that extends from the city north into New Mexico 154 It is home to the highest peak in the county North Franklin Mountain at 7 192 feet The park is open year round for recreation including hiking mountain biking picnicking scenic driving and views of the city Scenic Drive runs along the mountain range 155 and is designated as a city park 156 to allow better vandalism control and cleanup 157 158 The city closes the road to vehicles on some Sundays to allow walking running cycling and skating 159 160 The road offers views of El Paso as well as nearby Ciudad Juarez across the Mexico United States border 161 162 The Wyler Aerial Tramway is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is in the Franklin Mountains State Park The tramway complex covers 196 acres 0 79 km2 on the east side of the Franklin Mountains The gondolas travel along two 2 600 foot 790 m 1 3 8 diameter steel cables to Ranger Peak 5 632 feet 1 717 m above sea level The trip takes about four minutes and lifts riders 940 feet 290 m above the boarding area The tramway was built in 1959 by KTSM radio to aid in the construction of a transmitter tower Karl O Wyler managed the project First opening to the public as the El Paso Aerial Tramway the facility provided rides from 1960 to 1986 when high liability insurance costs forced the tram to stop public operations The tram was only used to service the transmitter towers Wyler donated the tramway for public use in his will The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department accepted the donation in 1997 and renovated and re opened the tramway to the public in 2001 The tramway was closed indefinitely on September 18 2020 163 Hueco Tanks State Historic Site is a Texas historic site in the Hueco Tanks area approximately 32 miles 51 km northeast of downtown El Paso and just west of the Hueco Mountains The park is popular for recreation such as birdwatching and bouldering and is culturally and spiritually significant to many Native Americans This significance is partially manifested in the pictographs rock paintings that can be found throughout the region many of which are thousands of years old 164 Hueco Tanks is also widely regarded as one of the best areas in the world for bouldering rock climbing low enough to attempt without ropes for protection unique for its rock type the concentration and quality of the climbing and after which the Hueco bouldering grades are named In any given climbing season which generally lasts from October through March it is common for climbers from across Europe Asia and Australia to visit the park Since implementation of the Public Use Plan following a brief closure of the entire park due to the park service s inability to manage the growing crowds of international climbers volunteer or commercial guides are required to access more than 2 3 of the park s area Only North Mountain is accessible without guides and then only for about 70 people at any given time The park offers camping and showers for a small fee a day or as is most popular for climbers the nearby Hueco Rock Ranch offers camping where climbers can relax and socialize Located in downtown El Paso San Jacinto Plaza is a historical park notable for its alligator statues in the middle of the area Known as Alligator Plaza it used to have a pond that held live alligators that the community can interact with starting in 1962 They were removed and relocated to the El Paso Zoo in 1974 The area around the park is typically used to hold major events such as Chalk the Block Arts Festival 165 and Winterfest The Chamizal National Memorial is a 54 90 acre 22 22 ha memorial park that serves primarily as a cultural center and contains art galleries a theater and an amphitheatre A museum detailing the history of the Mexico U S border is located inside the visitor center The city is also home to 242 municipal parks 166 167 Botanical gardens Edit The Contemplative Garden at the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens The Chihuahuan Desert Gardens CDG display the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert and adjacent regions in the United States and Mexico The Gardens were formally dedicated in September 1999 and contain over 625 different species of plants comprising one of the largest captive assemblages of Chihuahuan Desert flora in the world 168 The El Paso Municipal Rose Garden officially named the All American Rose Selection AARS public garden is one of over 100 certified gardens within the United States There are over 1 900 rosebushes with 500 varieties The wrought iron fenced garden has wide walkways with handicap accessibility raised beds a waterfall and trees and shrubs Several new rose varieties are planted each year and after two years the highest rated are named and receive the AARS symbol 169 Feather Lake is a 43 5 acre 17 6 ha wildlife sanctuary based on a 40 acre 16 ha wetland built by the City of El Paso in 1969 as a stormwater retention basin Since 1976 the El Paso Trans Pecos Audubon Society has leased this land from the city and managed it for wildlife Over 200 different species of birds especially those associated with water have been observed at the sanctuary Fauna residing there include muskrats spiny softshell turtles pond sliders and Trans Pecos striped whiptail lizards 170 Keystone Heritage Park comprises an Archaic period archaeological site wetlands and a desert botanical garden The 4 500 year old site is one of the oldest villages in the United States The wetlands are home to many birds and over 200 species have been spotted there on their seasonal migrations The botanical garden features a variety of native plants and includes a pavilion and a replica of an Archaic period brush hut The newest component The Chihuahuan Desert Experience is a work in progress that will allow visitors to stroll the 900 mile 1 400 km length of desert over a 17 acre 6 9 ha recreation of the plant indigenous life 171 Rio Bosque Wetlands is a 372 acre 151 ha city park managed by the Center for Environmental Resource Management of the University of Texas at El Paso which began restoration efforts in 1998 In the fall and winter water flows through the park along the route of the river before it was confined within levees in the 1930s Many animals and birds have returned to the area as the restoration proceeds and over 200 species of birds have been sighted 172 Golf courses Edit The metro area has 16 golf courses including Butterfield Trail Golf Club the only public premium daily fee Tom Fazio designed golf course in the state of Texas 173 It was ranked No 1 in Texas and No 3 in the Nation on Golfweek s 2013 Best Municipal Golf Courses 174 Other golf courses found in the county include Ascarate Golf Course 175 Coronado Country Club 176 El Paso Country Club 177 Horizon City Golf Course 178 Lone Star Golf Club 179 Painted Dunes Desert Golf Club 180 Underwood Golf Complex 181 Government EditEl Paso City Council 182 City Council is officially nonpartisanBrian Kennedy District 1 Northwest Upper ValleyAlexsandra Annello District 2 West CentralCassandra Hernandez District 3 East CentralJoe Molinar District 4 NortheastIsabel Salcido District 5 Upper EastsideArt Fierro District 6 EastsideHenry Rivera District 7 Lower ValleyChris Canales District 8 Downtown Southside amp WestsideCity Edit The city government is officially nonpartisan Mayors and city council members are elected for four year terms and may not serve more than two full terms or for more than 10 years total in their respective offices 183 Municipal elections were held in May in odd numbered years until a voter approved charter amendment changed this to November in even numbered years beginning in 2018 184 The city operates under a council manager form of government Power is concentrated in the eight member elected city council and mayor who hire a manager to carry out its directives and oversee the delivery of public services The current city manager is Tommy Gonzalez 185 and the current mayor of El Paso is Oscar Leeser who was elected to the office in 2020 Leeser served an earlier non consecutive term from 2013 to 2017 186 The terms of Canales Fierro Kennedy and Salcido will end in 2026 The terms of Leeser Annello Hernandez Molinar and Rivera will end in 2024 Annello Hernandez and Rivera have been on the council since 2017 Salcido since 2019 Molinar since 2021 Canales Fierro and Kennedy since 2023 Due to the term limits clause of the city charter Leeser Annello Hernandez Rivera and Salcido are ineligible for reelection All other councilors are eligible for reelection County Edit The El Paso County Judge is Ricardo Samaniego and the county commissioners are Carlos Leon Precinct 1 David Stout Precinct 2 Iliana Holguin Precinct 3 and Carl Robinson Precinct 4 The commissioners and the county judge are Democrats Leon was first elected to his position in 2012 and was re elected in 2016 Stout was first elected to his position in 2014 and was re elected in 2018 Samaniego and Robinson were first elected in 2018 Holguin was first elected to her position in 2020 State Edit The El Paso metropolitan area is represented in the Texas State House by Democrats Art Fierro Mary Gonzalez Joe Moody Claudia Ordaz Perez and Lina Ortega and in the State Senate by Cesar Blanco D El Paso 187 After the 2020 Census El Paso will only have four seats in the state house In the 2022 Democratic primaries Ordaz Perez defeated Fierro The Texas Department of Criminal Justice 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 188 Federal Edit El Paso City and County vote overwhelmingly Democratic like most of the Texas Mexico border area and urban Texas 189 In the United States House of Representatives most of El Paso is part of Texas s 16th congressional district represented by Democrat Veronica Escobar A small sliver in the eastern part of the city is part of Texas s 23rd congressional district represented by Republican Tony Gonzales 190 The current U S senators for Texas are Ted Cruz R Texas and John Cornyn R Texas Education Edit UTEP s College of Engineering building Paul L Foster School of Medicine within Texas Tech University HSC at El Paso s campus El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso the largest public university in the region UTEP was ranked as the 7th best university in Washington Monthly s 2013 National University Rankings just behind Stanford and ahead of Harvard 191 Also the university s School of Engineering is the nation s top producer of Hispanic engineers with M S and Ph D degrees 192 El Paso is also home to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso Paul L Foster School of Medicine Texas Tech College of Architecture at El Paso 193 Brightwood College Park University Southwest University Webster University and the University of Phoenix Also due to its proximity many El Paso students attend New Mexico State University where the school offers in state tuition to El Paso County residents 194 The El Paso Community College serves most of the area as well as several technical schools and for profit schools El Pasoans also have access to the Dona Ana Community College with campuses in Sunland Park Anthony and Chaparral New Mexico This community college is a part of the New Mexico State University system El Paso area students primarily attend public schools in four school districts El Paso Independent School District Ysleta Independent School District Socorro Independent School District and Canutillo Independent School District although there are nine independent school districts in the county Numerous accredited private preparatory schools also serve El Paso students These include various pre high school religious Christian Catholic Jewish affiliates and Montessori schools Cathedral High School Loretto Academy Father Yermo High School Lydia Patterson Institute Faith Christian Academy El Paso Jewish Academy Rose of Sharon Christian Academy Zion Lutheran Day School and Radford School The University of El Paso offers the country s only bilingual M F A creative writing program 195 El Paso is home to bi national economic development groups the Hub of Human Innovation and Technology Hub The industry groups tertiary vocational programs give workforce training in automation robotics and AI technology 196 197 Public libraries Edit The El Paso Public Library serves the needs of the public in El Paso It consists of 12 branches a bookmobile a mobile computer classroom and a mobile outreach unit Kidsmobile It also has multiple outreach services available 198 Media EditSee also List of newspapers in Texas List of radio stations in Texas and List of television stations in Texas Newspapers Edit The main newspapers are the English language daily El Paso Times founded in 1881 the Spanish language daily El Diario de El Paso and the online newspaper El Paso Herald Post started in 2015 The original and 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 El Paso Matters is an online newspaper 199 Weekly and niche magazines El Paso Inc 200 El Paso Scene 201 La Polaka 202 Jrznoticias 203 The City Magazine 204 The Prospector published by the University of Texas at El Paso 205 Tejano Tribune published by El Paso Community College 206 Radio stations Edit Radio stations from Las Cruces New Mexico and Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua can also be heard within the El Paso market Television Edit 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 Angeles independent channels KTLA KHJ KTTV and KCOP as well as Spanish language stations KMEX of Los Angeles and KWEX of San Antonio usually sharing the same cable channel slot Over time as more television stations signed on more cable channels were added and those stations added network affiliations the Los Angeles and San Antonio stations disappeared from the lineup The last to be removed was KTLA in the fall of 2006 as a consequence of the WB UPN merger into The CW when KVIA TV launched a digital subchannel with the network s programming citation needed In popular culture EditMain article El Paso in popular cultureInfrastructure EditHealthcare Edit El Paso Children s Hospital at the Medical Center of the Americas El Paso is the medical hub of West Texas and Southern New Mexico hosting numerous state of the art medical centers Some of the city s top hospitals include University Medical Center William Beaumont Army Medical Center Sierra Medical Center Las Palmas Medical Center Del Sol Medical Center Sierra Providence East Medical Center El Paso Children s Hospital 207 and Providence Memorial Hospital University Medical Center is the only level I trauma center in the region William Beaumont Army Medical Center will be replaced by a new state of the art 1 2 billion Fort Bliss Replacement Hospital 208 expected to open in 2020 209 El Paso s newest hospital The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus opened in Northwest El Paso on January 27 2017 The 106 bed teaching hospital is a collaboration between Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and The Hospitals of Providence The hospitals were strained during the COVID 19 pandemic in Texas and 10 refrigerated morgue trailers were installed to handle increased mortality 210 211 El Paso is also home to the Medical Center of the Americas an integrated complex of medical facilities anchored by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso Paul L Foster School of Medicine University Medical Center the El Paso Psychiatric Center and by the El Paso Children s Hospital It is also the site to the Cardwell Collaborative biomedical research building the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences The Woody L Hunt School of Dental Medicine is expected to open in 2021 in the MCA area as well Transportation Edit Hotel Bristol and the Union Depot at El Paso Texas postcard c 1912 El Paso is served by El Paso International Airport and Amtrak via the historic Union Depot Several roads and highways connect El Paso including Interstate 10 US Highway 54 known locally as 54 the North South Freeway or officially as the Patriot Freeway Spur 601 Liberty Expressway US Highway 180 and US Highway 62 Montana Avenue US 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 US 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 Loop 375 The city also shares four international bridges and one railbridge with Ciudad Juarez 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 375 212 In 2009 79 8 of El Paso city commuters drive to work alone The 2009 mode share for El Paso city commuters are 10 3 for carpooling 2 4 for transit 2 5 for walking and 2 for cycling 213 In 2016 Walk Score ranked El Paso as the 32nd most walkable of the 50 largest U S cities rating it car dependent 214 The city of El Paso has a slightly lower than average percentage of households without a car In 2015 7 4 percent of El Paso households lacked a car and increased to 8 4 percent in 2016 The national average was 8 7 percent in 2016 El Paso averaged 1 82 cars per household in 2016 compared to a national average of 1 8 215 Airports Edit Airport Security Concourse at the El Paso International Airport El Paso International Airport a public airport four miles 6 km northeast of downtown El Paso It is the largest commercial airport in West Texas handling 3 260 556 passengers in 2018 216 The El Paso International Airport serves the El Paso Las Cruces Combined Statistical area Biggs Army AirfieldPassenger rail Edit Amtrak the national passenger rail system serves El Paso at the Union Depot operating its Sunset Limited Texas Eagle three times weekly between Los Angeles and New Orleans via San Antonio and Houston and between Los Angeles and Chicago via San Antonio and Fort Worth Major highways Edit Interstate 10 The primary thoroughfare through the city connecting the city with other major U S cities such as Los Angeles Phoenix Tucson San Antonio Houston Baton Rouge New Orleans Gulfport and Mobile with the east end located in Jacksonville Florida I 10 is also a connector to Interstate 25 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 US Highway 54 Officially called the Patriot Freeway it is 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 US 54 was a transcontinental route connecting El Paso with Chicago IH 10 US 54 Interchange US Highway 62 Santa Fe Street south of Paisano Drive concurrently runs with US 85 Paisano Drive east of Santa Fe Street to Montana Avenue then Montana Avenue concurrently with US 180 US Highway 85 Santa Fe Street south of Paisano Drive concurrently runs with US 62 and Paisano Drive west of Santa Fe Street to I 10 US Highway 180 Montana Avenue is a bypass route to the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex to the east and Flagstaff Arizona to the west SH 20 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 375 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 between northeast and east El Paso it is officially the Purple Heart Memorial Highway In east El Paso the north and south bound sections are known as Joe Battle Boulevard or simply as the Loop South of I 10 in the east and westbound portion it is known as the Cesar Chavez Border Highway a four lane expressway which is located along the Mexico U S border between downtown El Paso and the Ysleta area 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 then Fort Bliss commander Maj Gen Howard Bromberg 217 It was fully completed on April 27 2011 218 it connects the Patriot Freeway US 54 and Biggs Army Airfield to the Purple Heart Memorial Highway Loop 375 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 Texas Farm to Market 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 Border West Expressway under construction as of 2018 parallel to I 10 through downtown and the west side Mass transit Edit The Sun Metro Mass Transit System operates a system of medium to large capacity natural gas powered buses all around the city of El Paso 219 In 2011 Sun Metro was 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 El Paso County Transit makes trips with small capacity buses mainly in the eastern El Paso area South Central Regional Transit District operates two routes from El Paso to Sunland Park New Mexico and Anthony New Mexico On September 1 2009 NMDOT Park and Ride began operating commuter bus service to and from Las Cruces New Mexico 220 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 mile 19 km interurban line was built to Ysleta At the close of 1943 the holding company 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 221 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 222 El Paso Streetcar Edit The El Paso Streetcar is a streetcar system that opened for service on November 9 2018 and uses a fleet of restored PCC streetcars 223 that had served the city s previous system until its closure in 1974 224 The system covers 4 8 miles 7 7 km 225 226 round trip in two loops from Downtown El Paso to University of Texas at El Paso The system was constructed under the authority of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority but when the major construction was completed around spring 2018 it was transferred to Sun Metro for operation and maintenance 224 As of 2016 update construction of the system was projected to cost 97 million 225 In 2019 it was reported that the system is losing money and that the number of people using it only reached half its goal in the inaugural year 227 International border crossings Edit The Bridge of the Americas as seen from El Paso Texas in June 2016 The first bridge to cross the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte was built in the time of Nueva Espana over 250 years ago from wood hauled in from Santa Fe 228 Today this bridge is honored by the modern Santa Fe Street Bridge and Santa Fe Street in downtown El Paso Several bridges serve the El Paso Ciudad Juarez area Bridge of the Americas also known as the Cordova Bridge Good Neighbor International Bridge also known as the Stanton Street Bridge Paso del Norte International Bridge also known as the Santa Fe Street Bridge Ysleta Zaragoza International Bridge also known as the Zaragoza Bridge The city collects tolls at its international bridges 229 except for the Bridge of the Americas which is free All bridges are open year round 230 Water Edit The Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant takes in brackish groundwater from an aquifer that is too salty for human consumption and treats it through reverse osmosis 231 A joint study by Fort Bliss and El Paso area city governments found that desalination was a viable method for increasing El Paso s water supply by 25 232 The plant on Fort Bliss property desalinates the groundwater of the Hueco Bolson for use by El Paso and Fort Bliss 233 Notable people EditMain article List of people from El Paso Texas Mikey Ambrose soccer player for Atlanta United Don Bluth animator film director Sue Worthington Bradley First Lady of Guam Jake Burton founder of Burton Snowboards Vikki Carr Grammy winning Sam Donaldson journalist Chavo Guerrero Mexican American Professional wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr Mexican American Professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero 1967 2005 Mexican American professional wrestler Gory Guerrero Mexican Professional wrestler Hector Guerrero Mexican American Professional wrestler Khalid singer songwriter Paul Lambert actor Thomas C Lea III 1907 2001 painter Bob Mackie fashion designer and costumier citation needed Justin Maese pitcher for the Atlanta Braves John Cameron Mitchell actor playwright and director Sandra Day O Connor Supreme Court Justice Beto O Rourke politician Ricardo Pepi soccer player for FC Groningen and US national team Omar Quintanilla MLB shortstop Richard Ramirez serial killer Debbie Reynolds actress singer and businesswoman Gene Roddenberry American television screenwriter and producer Dick Savitt born 1927 tennis player ranked 2 in the world Sally Snodgrass politicianSister Cities 234 EditChihuahua City Mexico Ciudad Juarez Mexico Hadera IsraelSee also Edit Texas portalList of museums in West Texas List of people from El Paso Texas National Register of Historic Places listings in El Paso County TexasNotes EditFootnotes Edit Official records for El Paso kept January 1879 to June 1947 at downtown and at El Paso Int l since July 1947 For more information see Threadex a b From 15 sample Source notes Edit Visit El Paso Texas El Paso Convention amp Visitors Bureau Retrieved November 6 2013 El Chuco tells of El Paso pachuco history Ramon Renteria El Paso Times June 30 2013 Archived from the original on February 1 2014 Retrieved January 5 2014 2019 U S Gazetteer Files United States Census Bureau Retrieved August 7 2020 a b c QuickFacts El Paso city Texas United States Census Bureau Retrieved August 21 2021 2020 Population and Housing State Data United States Census Bureau Retrieved August 22 2021 US Board on Geographic Names United States Geological Survey October 25 2007 Retrieved January 31 2008 Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50 000 or More Ranked by July 1 2019 Population April 1 2010 to July 1 2019 United States Census Bureau Population Division Retrieved May 21 2020 P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2020 Census United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on October 16 2021 Retrieved October 10 2021 2020 Population and Housing State Data United States Census Bureau Population Division August 12 2021 Retrieved August 14 2021 Juarez Outlook 2017 Desarrollo Economico PDF desarrolloeconomico org 2017 Archived from the original PDF on April 12 2019 Retrieved February 20 2019 a b Annual Estimates of the Resident Population April 1 2010 to July 1 2017 factfinder census gov Archived from the original on February 14 2020 Retrieved February 20 2019 2 Cities and 4 Bridges Where Commerce Flows The New York Times March 28 2007 Retrieved July 27 2013 El Paso refinery to change ownership again as Andeavor to be sold to Marathon for 23 3B elpasotimes com May 1 2018 Retrieved March 1 2019 Medical Center of the Americas Foundation Retrieved April 27 2016 El Paso businessman to make large donation for medical center El Paso Times July 13 2013 Archived from the original on January 3 2015 Retrieved January 3 2015 Sun Bowl Association Unveils 80th Anniversary Logo Sun Bowl Association 2013 Retrieved February 8 2014 Fort Bliss Fact Sheet Archived from the original on November 28 2016 Past Winners National Civic League National Civic League 2021 Retrieved July 9 2021 El Paso Named Safest U S City Texas Monthly 2013 Retrieved February 6 2014 City Crime Rankings 2014 CQ Press 2014 Archived from the original on January 8 2014 Retrieved January 7 2014 Hueco Tanks State Historic Site Videos Big Bend Country Region Archived from the original on November 22 2007 Metz Leon C 1993 El Paso Chronicles A Record of Historical Events in El Paso Texas El Paso Mangan Press ISBN 0 930208 32 3 Chipman Donald E Cabeza de Vaca Alvar Nunez Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Retrieved April 24 2021 El Paso A Borderlands History by W H Timmons pp 74 75 a b c El Paso Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online Richardson Albert D 1867 Beyond the Mississippi From the Great River to the Great Ocean Hartford Conn American Publishing Co p 238 Orton Richard H ed 1890 Records of California Men in the War of the Rebellion 1861 to 1867 Sacramento Adjutant General s Office p 672 Retrieved July 1 2010 elpasonext Downtown El Paso History Elpasotexas gov Archived from the original on July 5 2009 Retrieved July 1 2010 Harris 2009 p 1 Harris 2009 p 15 Hampton 1910 Daily Mail 1909 p 7 Harris 2009 p 16 Hammond 1935 pp 565 66 Harris 2009 p 213 Harris 2004 p 26 a b Plan of San Diego Texas State Historical Association June 15 2010 Retrieved October 4 2015 John Carlos Frey America s Deadly Stealth War on the Mexico Border Is Approaching Genocide Democracy Now July 10 2019 Archived from the original on July 13 2019 Retrieved July 13 2019 Women Force Anti American Riot in Juarez pt 1 Detroit Free Press Vol 82 no 124 January 29 1917 p 1 Retrieved November 8 2022 via Newspapers com Macias Gonzalez Victor M 1995 Mexicans of the better class The elite culture and ideology of Porfirian Chihuahua and its influence on the Mexican American generation 1876 1936 El Paso UTEP Ellsworth Emmons K ed January 15 1916 Special Census of the Population of El Paso Tex January 15 1916 United States Bureau of the Census Retrieved July 1 2010 Chicanos Strike At Farah PDF www marxists org Retrieved December 7 2018 The Best of the Texas Century Business Texas Monthly January 20 2013 Retrieved December 7 2018 Texas Walmart shooting Twenty killed in El Paso gun attack BBC August 4 2019 Retrieved August 3 2019 Blankstein Andrew Burke Minyvonne August 3 2019 El Paso shooting 20 people dead 26 injured suspect in custody police say NBC News Retrieved August 3 2019 El Paso Shooting Victim Dies Months Later Death Toll Now 23 The New York Times April 26 2020 Retrieved April 26 2020 Time changes in Chihuahua Timeanddate com Retrieved July 1 2010 Distance from El Paso TX to Phoenix AZ check distance com Retrieved December 2 2018 Distance from El Paso TX to Santa Fe NM check distance com Retrieved December 2 2018 Distance from El Paso TX USA to Chihuahua Mexico Archived from the original on December 2 2018 Retrieved December 2 2018 Distance from El Paso TX USA to Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Archived from the original on December 2 2018 Retrieved December 2 2018 Distance from El Paso TX to Austin TX check distance com Retrieved December 2 2018 Distance from El Paso TX to Los Angeles CA check distance com Retrieved December 2 2018 Distance from El Paso TX to Orange TX check distance com Retrieved December 2 2018 Geographic Identifiers 2010 Demographic Profile Data G001 El Paso city Texas U S Census Bureau American Factfinder Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Retrieved January 10 2013 Zipcode 79916 www plantmaps com Retrieved April 10 2021 Rincon Carlos A 2002 Solving Transboundary Air Quality Problems in the Paso Del Norte Region In Fernandez Linda Carson Richard eds Both Sides of the Border Springer ISBN 1 4020 7126 4 a b c NowData NOAA Online Weather Data National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved February 7 2012 El Paso Heavy Snow Events Retrieved September 14 2014 a b Climatography of the United States No 20 El Paso Intl AP TX 1971 2000 PDF National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Archived from the original PDF on September 7 2013 Retrieved April 27 2010 National Centers for Environmental Information NCEI formerly known as National Climatic Data Center NCDC NCEI offers access to the most significant archives of oceanic atmospheric geophysical and coastal data PDF noaa gov Archived from the original PDF on February 12 2015 Retrieved July 16 2015 Rolling Blackouts Resume Friday Morning February 4 2011 Archived from the original on December 20 2016 Retrieved December 6 2016 J Rogash M Hardiman D Novlan T Brice V MacBlain Meteorological Aspects of the 2006 El Paso Texas Metropolitan Area Floods NOAA National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Santa Teresa New Mexico El Paso Texas Storm 2006 Hits El Paso www elpasotexas gov 2006 Archived from the original on May 20 2008 Retrieved February 16 2014 1 permanent dead link WMO Climate Normals for EL PASO INT L ARPT TX 1961 1990 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved March 10 2014 Population of Central El Paso Texas Retrieved February 24 2019 Metz Leon Downtown El Paso has colorful history Archived July 31 2012 at archive today El Paso Times November 30 2006 Retrieved on March 6 2010 11 Most Endangered Chihuahuita and El Segundo Barrio National Trust for Historic Preservation Archived from the original on April 19 2017 Retrieved April 18 2017 a b c Magruder Alicia Dickey Gretchen 2004 Kern Place Neighborhood The Man Behind a Name Borderlands 23 Gray Robert July 5 2016 Cincinnati Street claws back losses El Paso Inc Retrieved May 2 2017 Gray Robert September 14 2015 Vacancies trouble Cincinnati district El Paso Inc Retrieved May 2 2017 Worthington Patricia El Paso and the Mexican Revolution Arcadia Publishing 2010 p 20 Corchado Alfredo Families businesses flee Juarez for U S pastures The Dallas Morning News Sunday March 7 2010 Retrieved on March 10 2010 Kolenc Vic Billionaire Paul Foster ready to develop huge residential community in Northeast El Paso Retrieved May 28 2021 Census Explorer census gov Retrieved February 25 2019 The ZIP Code Turns 50 Today Here Are 9 That Stand Out NPR 2013 Retrieved February 13 2014 2 permanent dead link a b c writer Aaron Montes El Paso Inc staff It s now 18 stories Downtown tower plan gets big upgrade El Paso Inc a b El Paso Statistics EMPORIS www emporis com Archived from the original on May 19 2016 El Paso County Historical Commission Archived from the original on May 29 2018 Retrieved May 29 2018 Overview Archived from the original on September 17 2018 Retrieved May 29 2018 U S Decennial Census U S Census Bureau Retrieved January 14 2012 Texas Almanac City Population History 1850 2000 PDF Retrieved September 22 2012 El Paso Juarez Regional Historic Population Summary Development Services Department Planning Division PDF PDF Archived from the original PDF on December 19 2011 Retrieved September 22 2012 Texas State Historical Association June 12 2010 Retrieved September 22 2012 a b c 2019 U S Census Bureau QuickFacts El Paso city Texas www census gov Archived from the original on January 17 2021 Retrieved April 24 2021 P2 Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino census gov Retrieved May 17 2022 El Paso city Texas State amp County QuickFacts U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on May 8 2013 Profile of General Demographic Characteristics 2000 PDF United States Census Bureau Archived from the original PDF on September 4 2015 a b Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places Earliest Census to 1990 U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on August 12 2012 State amp County QuickFacts U S Census Bureau U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on May 8 2013 Retrieved May 23 2013 Conley Jim March 31 1996 Military trainees valuable to communities German pilots families adopt Southwest as home El Paso Times pp 1A 2A Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers com Die Deutsche Schule El Paso in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika in German Bundeswehr Archived from the original on July 29 2021 Retrieved July 28 2021 Religion in El Paso Sperling s BestPlaces Archived from the original on January 23 2012 El Paso follows national trend of decrease in religious affiliation Borderzine Retrieved April 25 2021 El Paso Inc Book of Lists 2021 Lists ed El Paso Inc 2021 p 58 Bureau of Economic Analysis Gross Domestic Income by Metropolitan Area 2017 PDF Bureau of Economic Analysis September 18 2018 Retrieved February 20 2019 Mayor John Cook The Exit Interview El Paso Inc June 9 2013 Retrieved August 20 2013 El Paso Fulfilmment Amazon July 22 2020 Retrieved December 16 2020 Top Ports of Border Crossings RITA 2013 Archived from the original on February 21 2014 Retrieved February 16 2014 Fortune 500 Headquarters in Texas Office of the Governor Economic Development and Tourism PDF Fortune 500 May 2013 Archived from the original PDF on June 15 2013 Retrieved July 27 2013 FORTUNE 500 Headquarters in Texas Office of the Governor Economic Development and Tourism PDF Fortune Magazine May 2013 Archived from the original PDF on June 15 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 El Paso Economy Major Industries and Commercial Activity www City Data com Retrieved February 16 2014 Charles Schwab to bring 445 jobs to El Paso El Paso Times July 24 2014 Archived from the original on February 9 2015 Retrieved February 6 2015 El Paso s 28 companies second in nation for Hispanic Business 500 El Paso Times July 30 2013 Archived from the original on August 25 2013 Retrieved August 1 2013 Fort Bliss Beaumont infuse 6 billion into El Paso economy El Paso Times March 8 2013 Archived from the original on August 25 2013 Retrieved January 3 2015 U S Air Force chooses Ft Bliss for training center KVIA June 27 2013 Archived from the original on August 25 2013 Retrieved July 27 2013 ADP plans to add 1 100 jobs in El Paso by 2020 El Paso Times September 12 2014 Archived from the original on September 12 2014 Retrieved September 12 2014 Convention and Tourism Highlights City of El Paso FY2013 Manager s Proposed Budget PDF El Paso Convention amp Visitor s Bureau Archived from the original PDF on February 22 2014 Retrieved June 14 2013 3 dead link 4 dead link A University on the Move Becoming the first National Research University with a 21st century student demographic PDF utsystem edu Archived from the original PDF on December 29 2016 Retrieved June 20 2013 Amigo Airsho will be flying out of Dona Ana airport in 2014 El Paso Times Archived from the original on September 18 2013 Retrieved August 26 2013 KLAQ s Great River Raft Race Retrieved December 26 2013 Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo Retrieved August 26 2013 Fiesta de las Flores Archived from the original on August 29 2013 Retrieved August 26 2013 KLAQ Balloonfest Archived from the original on October 29 2013 Retrieved August 26 2013 KLAQ Balloonfest Camping FAQs THE Q ROCKS Retrieved September 14 2014 About Us Suncitypride org Sun City Pride Festival Destination el Paso el Paso Texas Archived from the original on June 24 2020 Retrieved June 24 2020 El Paso Downtown Street Festival Retrieved August 26 2013 Neon Desert Music Festival Retrieved August 26 2013 Music Under the Stars Archived from the original on August 25 2013 Retrieved August 26 2013 Sun City Music Festival 2015 in El Paso Texas Sun City Music Festival 2015 Retrieved July 16 2015 Texas Showdown Festival Archived from the original on June 24 2012 Retrieved August 26 2013 VIVA EL PASO 2011 Retrieved February 8 2014 El Paso Symphony Retrieved March 26 2013 Murphree Rachel Ingeborg Heuser Brought Professional Ballet to City 29 2011 Borderlands Library Research Guides at El Paso Community College Ingeborg Heuser wall Digie org Retrieved February 15 2022 El Paso Conservatory of Dance Archived from the original on August 30 2014 El Paso City Ballet Home El Paso City Ballet Archived from the original on February 2 2014 Retrieved September 14 2014 a b c Plaza Theatre El Paso Live August 17 2018 Metz 1999 p 13 El Paso Playhouse elpasoplayhouse com August 17 2018 Archived from the original on March 10 2018 Retrieved September 9 2018 The UTEP Dinner Theatre utep edu August 27 2018 El Paso Museum of Archaeology Archived from the original on March 28 2013 Retrieved March 26 2013 Noble John 2008 John Noble Mexico Lonely Planet p 365 ISBN 9781741048049 Retrieved September 14 2014 de la Cueva de la Olla paquime Cultura Paquime Sitios Arqueologicos Paquime Culture Documental Documentary on YouTube see minute 0 32 of 4 18 total El Paso Museum of History elpasotexas gov history Retrieved February 10 2014 Fort Bilss Museums and Study Center www bliss army mil Museum Archived from the original on December 11 2013 Retrieved February 10 2014 Insights El Paso Science Museum Insights El Paso Science Museum Retrieved February 10 2014 Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso elpasorails org Archived from the original on January 6 2014 Retrieved February 10 2014 The Gene Roddenberry Planetarium grplanetarium weebly com Retrieved February 10 2014 Lynx Exhibits Retrieved February 10 2014 Complete animal List El Paso Zoo Archived from the original on October 24 2008 Retrieved May 1 2009 ON BHUTANESE AND TIBETAN DZONGS PDF himalaya socanth cam ac uk Bhutan on the Border Archived from the original on March 11 2012 Retrieved September 14 2014 a b History Sun Bowl ncaa com December 31 2013 El Paso Triple A Baseball Archived from the original on May 30 2013 Retrieved July 26 2013 El Paso gets Triple A baseball team MountainStar officially acquires Padres October 12 2012 Archived from the original on January 22 2013 Retrieved January 3 2015 USLSoccer com Staff March 1 2018 El Paso Joins the United Soccer League for 2019 Season United Soccer League Retrieved April 24 2018 TEXAS STATE PARKS Natural Economic Assets Window on State Government 2014 Archived from the original on February 22 2014 Retrieved February 15 2014 Van Hise C R and Leith C K 1909 Pre Cambrian Geology of North America United States Geological Survey Bulletin 360 939 pp See pp 746 748 Ivey Ed July 28 1992 Repair work to be done by September El Paso Times p 4 Retrieved April 17 2022 via Newspapers com Olvers Joe April 17 1988 Crowd makes Scenic Drive less of a mess El Paso Times p 7 Retrieved April 17 2022 via Newspapers com Pierce Betty July 11 1981 Vandals leave their mark on Scenic Drive El Paso Herald Post p 15 Retrieved April 17 2022 via Newspapers com Martinez Leonard September 17 1999 Trash makes spot where tourists go stinky not scenic El Paso Times p 15 Retrieved April 17 2022 via Newspapers com City announces reopening of McKelligon Canyon roadway Municipal Rose Garden new hours for Scenic Sunday El Paso Times March 30 2022 Retrieved April 17 2022 Chavez Adriana M March 31 2008 Scenic Sundays El Pasoans are invited to enjoy overlook minus vehicles El Paso Times p 11 Retrieved April 17 2022 via Newspapers com Scenic Drive El Paso Southwest Phidev Retrieved April 17 2022 Scenic Drive El Paso Go Texas The Go Travel Sites Retrieved April 17 2022 Wyler Tramyway Texas Parks and Wildflife Division December 16 2020 Retrieved December 16 2020 Mulvihill K On Rock Walls Painted Prayers to Rain Gods The New York Times September 19 2008 Retrieved 9 19 08 Chalk the Block KVIA December 16 2020 Retrieved December 16 2020 City Looking at Cost of Installing Restrooms in all Parks KVIA February 3 2015 Archived from the original on February 6 2015 Retrieved February 6 2015 City of El Paso to revisit rules for parks amp bathrooms KTSM February 4 2015 Archived from the original on February 6 2015 Retrieved February 6 2015 Kohout Martin Donnell UTEP Centennial Museum Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Retrieved February 23 2012 El Paso Municipal Rose Garden Keystone Heritage Park August 27 2018 Feather Lake El Paso Trans Pecos Audubon Society August 23 2018 About the Keystone Heritage Park Texas A amp M Agrilife Extension August 17 2018 Rio Bosque Wetlands Park Center For Environmental Resource Management The University of Texas at El Paso August 29 2018 Butterfield Trail Golf Club Archived from the original on March 3 2014 Retrieved February 16 2014 Golfweek s Best Municipal Courses 2013 Golfweek Magazine May 9 2013 Retrieved February 16 2014 Ascarate Park www epcounty com Archived from the original on February 22 2014 Retrieved February 16 2014 Coronado Country Club Retrieved February 16 2014 El Paso Country Club Retrieved February 16 2014 Horizon City golf course reopens El Paso Times January 11 2014 Archived from the original on February 17 2014 Retrieved February 16 2014 Lone Star Golf Club Retrieved February 16 2014 Painted Dunes Golf Club Retrieved February 16 2014 Underwood Golf Complex www blissmwr com golf Archived from the original on February 21 2014 Retrieved February 16 2014 EP Government Home Archived from the original on May 19 2012 Retrieved September 14 2014 Resolution Canvassing Results of the 2004 City Charter Amendment Election And Declaring Adoption To Amendments of City Charter PDF City of El Paso February 7 2004 Archived from the original PDF on September 28 2011 Retrieved May 10 2009 El Paso City Charter amendments 6 of 9 propositions approved El Paso Times May 12 2013 Archived from the original on June 30 2013 Retrieved January 3 2015 New city manager starts Monday El Paso Inc Local News El Paso Inc Retrieved September 14 2014 El Paso Downtown ballpark guarantee push rejected El Paso Times June 23 2013 Archived from the original on June 24 2013 Retrieved June 26 2013 Election Summary Report epcounty com Archived from the original on June 1 2012 Retrieved May 21 2012 Parole Division Region V Texas Department of Criminal Justice May 12 2013 Archived from the original on January 25 2010 Retrieved March 16 2010 Maxwell William Earl Crain Ernest Davis Edwin S 2005 Texas Politics Today Thomson Wadsworth ISBN 0 534 60211 8 KVIA Incumbent Pete Gallego ousted in tight US Rep District 23 race KVIA Archived from the original on July 16 2015 Retrieved July 16 2015 2013 National University Rankings Washington Monthly August 27 2013 Archived from the original on September 13 2013 UTEP tops national rankings for producing Hispanic engineers The University of Texas System April 3 2013 Archived from the original on July 27 2013 Retrieved July 26 2013 BS in Architecture El Paso Texas Tech University November 27 2020 Retrieved November 27 2020 El Paso Resident Tuition New Mexico State University Archived from the original on June 29 2014 Retrieved July 26 2013 Gleibermann Erik November 2 2017 Seeking a Voice via a Bilingual M F A in Writing and in Life The New York Times The New York Times Retrieved June 23 2019 Hub of Human Innovation INCUBATION Hub of Human Innovation Hub of Human Innovation Retrieved June 23 2019 Programs Technology Hub Retrieved June 23 2019 El Paso Library Archived from the original on August 25 2013 Retrieved August 22 2013 About Us El Paso Matters Elpasomatters org Retrieved October 4 2020 elpasoinc com El Paso Owned and Proud Elpasoinc com Retrieved February 15 2022 El Paso Scene Epscene com Retrieved February 15 2022 La Polaka Periodismo en Caliente Lapolaka com Retrieved February 15 2022 JRZ noticias Noticias de Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua Mexico y el Mundo Jrznoticias com Retrieved February 15 2022 The City Magazine Retrieved February 15 2022 The Prospector Theprospectdaily com Retrieved February 15 2022 Home Tejano Tribune Retrieved February 15 2022 El Paso Children s Hospital Elpasochildrens org Retrieved February 15 2022 Archive org Archived from the original on June 30 2013 William Beaumont Army Medical Center construction nears completion kfoxtv com Retrieved August 8 2019 Maxouris Christina November 10 2020 El Paso Texas is asking for 4 more mobile morgues as Covid 19 deaths spike CNN Archived from the original on November 10 2020 The hospitals are still not manageable We re having an inability to manage fatalities City of El Paso COVID 19 Cases El Paso Strong epstrong org Texas Most Congested Roads Texas Tribune Retrieved October 4 2010 Freemark Yonah October 13 2010 Transit Mode Share Trends Looking Steady Rail Appears to Encourage Non Automobile Commutes Transport Politic Retrieved October 31 2017 Walk score Walk Score 2016 Retrieved December 7 2016 Car Ownership in U S Cities Data and Map Governing December 9 2014 Retrieved May 4 2018 10 Year Passenger Statistics Report El Paso International Airport Website Archived from the original on April 22 2019 Retrieved October 8 2019 5 permanent dead link El Paso s Spur 601 Expressway Now Fully Operational KVIA April 27 2011 Archived from the original on September 27 2011 Retrieved July 25 2011 Sun Metro Homepage www elpasotexas gov Archived from the original on May 28 2010 Retrieved July 1 2010 History and Facts NMDOT Archived from the original on July 23 2011 Retrieved November 22 2009 Myrick David F 1970 New Mexico s Railroads An Historical Survey Golden Colorado Railroad Museum pp 189 190 El Paso Mass Transit History City of El Paso Archived from the original on June 3 2010 Retrieved November 22 2009 El Paso streetcars make their return after 45 year absence El Paso Times November 9 2018 Retrieved November 10 2018 a b Perez Elida S March 11 2018 Downtown El Paso streetcars roll closer to completion Sun Metro prepares to take over El Paso Times Retrieved November 10 2018 a b Ramirez Cindy September 23 2016 Streetcar work remains on time budget El Paso Times Retrieved December 14 2016 El Paso streetcar project on schedule on budget KTSM TV October 6 2016 Retrieved December 14 2016 Ottilie Madeline November 11 2019 Streetcars losing money ridership levels below expectations after 1st year in El Paso KVIA Retrieved October 4 2020 Paul Horgan Great River The Rio Grande in North American History Volume 1 Indians and Spain Vol 2 Mexico and the United States 2 Vols in 1 1038 pages Wesleyan University Press 1991 4th Reprint ISBN 0 8195 6251 3 Resendiz Julian August 20 2019 Migrant crisis costs El Paso 1 3 million in bridge revenue KVEO TV Retrieved August 22 2019 International Bridges www elpasotexas gov Retrieved October 4 2020 Frazier Katie November 3 2022 The world s largest inland desalination plant is right here in El Paso KVIA Retrieved November 4 2022 27 5 million gallons of fresh water daily MGD for El Paso and Fort Bliss Archived from the original on December 14 2010 Retrieved July 20 2013 Hueco Bolson groundwater model PDF Archived from the original PDF on October 16 2021 Retrieved November 4 2022 Jackson Anthony Chihuahua City becomes El Paso s third sister city along with Juarez and Hadera Israel El Paso Times Retrieved August 23 2022 References EditHammond John Hays 1935 The Autobiography of John Hays Hammond New York Farrar amp Rinehart ISBN 978 0 405 05913 1 Hampton Benjamin B April 1 1910 The Vast Riches of Alaska Hampton s Magazine 24 1 Harris Charles H III Sadler Louis R 2009 The Secret War in El Paso Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue 1906 1920 Albuquerque New Mexico University of New Mexico Press ISBN 978 0 8263 4652 0 Harris Charles H III Sadler Louis R 2004 The Texas Rangers And The Mexican Revolution The Bloodiest Decade 1910 1920 Albuquerque New Mexico University of New Mexico Press ISBN 0 8263 3483 0 Metz Leon 1999 El Paso Guided Through Time El Paso Texas Mangan Books ISBN 0930208374 Mr Taft s Peril Reported Plot to Kill Two Presidents Daily Mail London October 16 1909 ISSN 0307 7578 External links EditEl Paso Texas at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
