El Paso is a city in and the county seat A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there. Parts of the Canadian Maritimes also use the term shire town. In England, Wales and Ireland, the term of El Paso County El Paso County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the 2007 U.S. Census population estimates, the county had a population of 755,085, up 75,463 from the 2000 Census. Its county seat is El Paso. El Paso is Spanish for "the Pass." It is named for the pass the Rio Grande creates through the mountains on either, Texas Texas ( /ˈtɛksəs/ ) is a state in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. It is bordered by Mexico to the south, New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, with an area of 268,820 square miles (696, United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the,[5] and part of the American Southwest The Southwestern United States is defined as the states that lie west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit such as the 37, 38, 39, or 40 degree north line. A 97.33 degree west line could qualify as the separation of the American Southwest from the American South. The Southwest would begin at the far west. According to the United States Census Bureau's The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. The Bureau of the Census is part of the United States Department of Commerce. The agency director is a political appointee selected by the current President 2006 population estimates, the city had a population of 606,913.[2] It is the sixth-largest city in Texas and the 22nd-largest city The following is a list of the most populous incorporated places in the United States. As defined by the United States Census Bureau, an incorporated place includes a variety of designations, including a city, town, village, borough, and municipality.[a] Some census-designated places may also be included in the Census Bureau's listing of in the United States. Its metropolitan area The El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of one county – El Paso – in far West Texas, anchored by the city of El Paso. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 679,622 covers all of El Paso County. The metropolitan area has a population of 736,310.

El Paso stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) The Rio Grande in the United States, known as the Río Bravo in Mexico, is a river, 1,885 miles (3,034 km) long, is the fourth longest river system in the United States. It serves as a natural boundary along the border between the U.S. state of Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, across the border The Mexico – United States border is the international border between Mexico and the United States. It runs from San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east, and traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from major urban areas to inhospitable deserts. From the Gulf from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Ciudad Juárez, also known as just Juárez and formerly known as Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez has an estimated population of 1.5 million people. It stands on the Rio Grande , across the U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. El Paso and Ciudad Juárez comprise one of the. The image to the right shows Downtown El Paso and Juárez, with the Juárez Mountains in the background. The two cities form a combined International Area with Juarez being the significantly larger of the two. Together they have a combined population of 2,049,648, with Juárez accounting for 2/3 of the population. [6]

El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso is a public, coeducational university, and a component of the University of Texas System. Located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, it is the largest university in the nation with a majority Mexican-American student population. Founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and (founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy). Fort Bliss 6th,11th,31st ADA Brigades , a major United States Army The United States Army is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services. The modern Army has its roots in the Continental Army which was formed on 14 June 1775, before the establishment of the installation, lies to the east and northeast of the city, with training areas extending north into New Mexico, up to the White Sands Missile Range White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost 3,200 square miles (8,300 km2) in area, the largest military installation in the United States. WSMR includes the Oscura Range and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range. WSMR and the 600,000-acre Fort Bliss Range Complex' to the south, form a contiguous swath of territory[clarification needed] for. The Franklin Mountains The Franklin Mountains of Texas are a small range (23 miles long, 3 miles wide) that extend from El Paso, Texas north into New Mexico. The Franklins were formed due to crustal extension related to the Cenozoic Rio Grande rift. Although the present topography of the range and adjoining basins is controlled by extension during rifting in the last 10 extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections, with downtown connecting the two sections at the south end of the mountain range.

Contents

History

Pre-Columbian era

Main articles: Mogollon culture The Mogollon is the name applied to one of the four major prehistoric archaeological culture areas of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. The American Indian culture known as the Mogollon lived in the southwest from approximately AD 150 until sometime between AD 1400 and AD 1450. The name Mogollon comes from the Mogollon Mountains, which and Tlaloc Tlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he is normally depicted with goggle eyes and fangs. He

Archeological evidence at the Keystone Wetlands and Hueco Tanks Hueco Tanks is an area of low mountains in Texas, USA. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the boulders and rock faces throughout the region. Hueco Tanks is thus a sites indicates thousands of years of human settlement within the El Paso region. A hueco is a Spanish term for a hollowed out cavity for holding water, or for pounding maize Maize , is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents. After European contact with the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, maize spread to the rest of the world. The inhabitants during this era were maize farmers.[7] One of the two thousand images at Hueco Tanks is of a black and white figure of Tlaloc Tlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he is normally depicted with goggle eyes and fangs. He,[7] the Mesoamerican rain god; most of the images are of people and animals.[7] The Manso, Suma, and Jumano Indians The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples. They are often also referred to as Native Americans, First Nations, Amerigine, and by Christopher Columbus' geographical mistake Indians, modernly disambiguated as the American Indian were identified as present by the earliest Spanish Spain /ˈspeɪn/ (Spanish: España, pronounced [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), or the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.[note 6] Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north by France, explorers. These people ultimately became assimilated into the local settler population, becoming part of the Mestizo Predominantly Spanish, , while Mestiço speaks Portuguese, and Métis speak French; English in the United States, Kriol and English in Belize culture that is prevalent in Mexico The United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos ), commonly known as Mexico (English: /ˈmɛksɪkoʊ/) (Spanish: México (help·info) [ˈmexiko]), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and is visible throughout the Southwest The Southwestern United States is defined as the states that lie west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit such as the 37, 38, 39, or 40 degree north line. A 97.33 degree west line could qualify as the separation of the American Southwest from the American South. The Southwest would begin at the far west. Others integrated themselves with the different Mescalero Apache bands that for many years roamed the region.

Arrival of Spaniards

Downtown El Paso in 1908.

Spaniard Don Juan de Oñate was the first European explorer to arrive at the Rio Grande The Rio Grande in the United States, known as the Río Bravo in Mexico, is a river, 1,885 miles (3,034 km) long, is the fourth longest river system in the United States. It serves as a natural boundary along the border between the U.S. state of Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas near El Paso (near the current small town of San Elizario, which is about 30 miles (48 km) downstream of El Paso), where he ordered his expedition party to rest and where a Mass The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some largely High Church Lutheran regions, including the Scandinavian and Baltic countries. For the celebration of the in thanksgiving for reaching the water of the Rio Grande The Rio Grande in the United States, known as the Río Bravo in Mexico, is a river, 1,885 miles (3,034 km) long, is the fourth longest river system in the United States. It serves as a natural boundary along the border between the U.S. state of Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas was celebrated, on April 20 April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 255 days remaining until the end of the year, 1598 Year 1598 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar).[8]

El Paso del Norte (the present day Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez, also known as just Juárez and formerly known as Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez has an estimated population of 1.5 million people. It stands on the Rio Grande , across the U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. El Paso and Ciudad Juárez comprise one of the), was founded on the south bank of the Río Bravo del Norte, (Rio Grande The Rio Grande in the United States, known as the Río Bravo in Mexico, is a river, 1,885 miles (3,034 km) long, is the fourth longest river system in the United States. It serves as a natural boundary along the border between the U.S. state of Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas) in 1659 by Spanish conquistadors. Being a grassland then, agriculture flourished and vineyards and fruits constituted the bulk of the regional production. The Spanish Crown and the local authorities of El Paso del Norte had made several land concessions to bring agricultural production to the northern bank of the river in present day El Paso. However, the Apaches dissuaded production and settlers to cross the river. The water provided a natural defense against them.

In 1680, after the successful Pueblo Revolt The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 or Popé's Rebellion was an uprising of many pueblos of the Pueblo people against Spanish colonization of the Americas in the New Spain province of New Mexico that decimated the Spanish colonies in northern New Mexico, El Paso became the base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico. From El Paso, the Spaniards led by Diego de Vargas, grouped once again to recolonize the precious Spanish territory that was centered in Santa Fe Santa Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of Santa Fe County. Santa Fe (literally 'holy faith' in Spanish) had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056. It is the principal city of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan and stretched from Socorro (New Mexico) to the areas that included Taos Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico. In New Mexico, a municipality may call itself a village, town, or city (see New Mexico local government). Taos calls itself the "Town of Taos" and was incorporated as such in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700.

Historical records[specify] indicated that the first agricultural enterprise in the area was Ponce de León Ranch, on land granted in 1825.

Texas independence

El Paso was the southernmost locality of the Provincia de Nuevo Mexico (modern New Mexico New Mexico ( /nuːˈmɛksɨkoʊ/ ) is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics). It communicated with Santa Fe and Mexico City by the Royal Road. Few foreign travelers, outside of Spanish merchants and officials, ventured that far north. It took six months for a trading caravan to reach Mexico City. American spies, traders and fur trappers visited the area since 1804 (Spanish documents curiously described these interlopers as "españoles de Inglaterra") and some intermarried with the area's Hispanic elite. Among these were Kentucky native Hugh Stephenson, who married doña Juana María de Azcárate. Notable travelers included Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. was an American soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. His Pike expedition, often compared to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, mapped much of the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase. American settler families only arrived in significant numbers, after the Mexican-American War The Mexican–American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas. Mexico claimed ownership of Texas as a breakaway province and refused to recognize the secession and subsequent military victory by Texas in 1836 in 1849.[9]

Although there was no combat in the region during the Mexican Independence, Paso del Norte experienced the negative effects it had on the trade of its wines and produce that kept the town alive. It also experienced a major avulsion In sedimentary geology and fluvial geomorphology, avulsion refers to the rapid abandonment of a river channel and the formation of a new river channel. Avulsions occur as a result of channel slopes that are much lower than the slope that the river could travel if it took a new course that left the towns of Ysleta, San Elizario and Socorro on the other side of the Rio Grande.[10]

In the first Mexican constitution (1824), given the dominance that Chihuahuan merchants had on New Mexico, Paso del Norte went to the State of Chihuahua after being part of New Mexico for 200 years. The town elected its first local government in 1825 and opened the first official school in 1829.[11]

The Texas revolution (1836) was not felt in the region. The area was never considered part of Texas until 1848. The Battle of El Brazito near Las Cruces was fought by Missouri volunteers led by Col. Alexander William Doniphan, for whom Doniphan Drive was named, in El Paso. Given the blurry reclamations of the Texas Republic that wanted a chunk of the Santa Fe trade, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo effectively made the settlements on the north bank of the river a formal American settlement, separate from Old El Paso de Norte on the Mexican Side.[9]

The present Texas-New Mexico boundary placing El Paso on the Texas side was drawn in the Compromise of 1850 The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arisen from the Mexican-American War . There were five laws which balanced the interests of the slave states of the South and the free states to the north. California was admitted as a free state; Texas received financial compensation for.

A number of important developments during the 1850s shaped the character of the area north of the river. The Stephenson-Azcárate family acquired a 900-acre tract from the Ponce de León grant in the vicinity of today's I-10 "Spaghetti Bowl" interchange. It was called "El Rancho de la Concordia" or "Stephensonville" after Hugh Stephenson's childhood home in Concordia, Missouri. The Archbishop of Durango later gave permission for the blessing of a private chapel there, San José de la Concordia, whose ruins persisted until the 1930s; its camposanto or burial grounds were the origins of Concordia Cemetery. Further west, a settlement on Coons' Rancho called Franklin became the nucleus of El Paso, Texas. El Paso County was established in March 1850, with San Elizario as the first county seat. The United States Senate fixed a boundary between Texas and New Mexico at the thirty-second parallel, thus largely ignoring history and topography. A military post called The Post opposite El Paso (meaning opposite El Paso del Norte, across the Rio Grande) was established in 1854, and the Butterfield Overland Mail arrived in 1858. A year later pioneer Anson Mills completed his plat of the town, calling it El Paso, a name that resulted in endless confusion until the name of the town across the river, El Paso del Norte, was changed to Ciudad Juárez in 1888.[12]

El Paso was incorporated in 1873 and encompassed the small area communities that had developed along the river (Magoffinsville, Concordia, Hart's Mill).[13]

The Confederate States of America

During the Civil War The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the U.S. and formed the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy). Led by Jefferson Davis, they fought against the U.S. federal government (the, Texas, along with most other Southern The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States. Because of the region's unique cultural and historic heritage, including Native Americans; early European settlements of Spanish, English and states A U.S. state is any one of the 50 subnational entities of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. However, state citizenship is very flexible, and no government approval is required, seceded from the Union to join the Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States. The CSA's de facto control over its claimed territory varied during the course of the American Civil War, depending on the. The Confederate cause was met with great support from El Paso residents. Confederate forces occupied Fort Bliss in 1861, retaken by Union forces in August, 1862.[12] After the war was concluded, the town's population began to grow.

County seat at Tigua land in Ysleta

The Tigua Indians had occupied at least 36 sq mi (93 km2) of land around Ysleta, land that King Charles V of Spain had deeded to them, since the 1680 pueblo revolt against the Spaniards in New Mexico.[14][15] In 1874, the Texas Legislature passed "An Act to Repeal an Act to Incorporate the Town of Ysleta in El Paso County", with a six-month delay of effect that resulted in the conveyance of over 500 parcels of Tigua property to Americans. The Tiguas lost almost all of their land.[16]

The El Paso county seat was moved to Ysleta that year, from San Elizario, and stayed until it was moved to El Paso in 1883.[15] These were the years of the San Elizario Salt War The San Elizario Salt War, also known as the Salinero Revolt or The El Paso Salt War, was an 1877 conflict between the Mexican inhabitants of San Elizario, Texas, and the Anglo- and African-Americans who sought control of a nearby salt mine and other conflicts between the Mexicans, the Americans, the Tigua, and the Apaches.

Real "Wild West"

Map of the city in 1886.

With the arrival of the Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad (1865-1885) and Southern Pacific Company (1885-1969), and usually simply called the Southern Pacific Railroad, was an American railroad. The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, forming part of the Central Pacific Railroad empire. By 1900, the, Texas and Pacific The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads in 1881, the population boomed to 10,000 by the 1890 census. With a tempting green valley and a nearly perfect climate year-around, the town attracted a constant stream of newcomers: gamblers, gunfighters, thieves, cattle and horse rustlers, murderers, priests, Chinese railroad laborers, prostitutes, and entrepreneurs.

After the arrival of the railroads, El Paso become a boomtown A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons, such as a proximity to a major metropolitan area,: it earned the nickname "Six Shooter Capital" because of its lawlessness, with "scores of saloons, dance halls, gambling establishments, and houses of prostitution lin[ing] the main streets."[12] El Paso hired a town marshal with rough reputation, Dallas Stoudenmire, who was known to shoot first and ask questions later. The "Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight" took place here on April 14 April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 261 days remaining until the end of the year, 1881. This was prior to the Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Stoudenmire, the sixth marshal in eight months, was hired to "clean" and tame a remote, violent and wild town. Stoudenmire was an effective marshal due to his fierce reputation and dexterity with his pistols. He effectively intimidated a violence-hardened town and used fear to control the City Council. On May 28, 1882, the City Council announced they were firing the marshal. Stoudenmire learned of this discussion, he entered the Council Chambers; they were terrified and remained quiet. Stoudenmire strolled up and down the chamber as he scolded, cussed profanities and threatened to shoot. In a blink of eyes, he pulled out and twirled his pistols as he growled, "I can straddle every God-damn aldermen on this council!" Council members quickly voted unanimously to retain Stoudenmire as their town marshal. Stoudenmire glared at them for a few seconds before he calmed down and put away his pistols. Knowing Stoudenmire's fearsome reputation, the Mayor defused a tense situation by calling for an abrupt adjournment. Stoudenmire exited the Chamber and a potentially fatal incident was averted.

In 1883 the county seat was moved from Ysleta, Texas to El Paso. This was decided in a strongly disputed election in which counted votes were nearly three times the number of voters.

Prostitution and gambling flourished until World War I, when the Department of the Army pressured El Paso authorities to crack down on vice. Many of these activities continued in neighboring Ciudad Juárez, especially during the Prohibition, which benefited bars and saloons on the Mexican side of the border.

Anson Mills Building, compare to the 1908 image above

The Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) began in 1910, and Ciudad Juárez was the focus of intense fighting. Occasionally, stray shots killed civilians on the El Paso side. El Paso became a center of intrigue as various exiled leaders including Victoriano Huerta and (for a time) Pancho Villa were seen in the city. In January 1914, General John Joseph Pershing was stationed at Fort Bliss, where he was responsible for security along the border and mounted the ill fated Pancho Villa Expedition against Pancho Villa after the infamous raid on Columbus, New Mexico on March 9, 1916. The cavalry under Pershing were paid in gold, in competition with Pancho Villa, who offered $50 per machine gun. (When World War I began, Pershing's cavalry had to remain in the Army for the duration of the war, and were no longer paid in gold.) During this time period many rich people from Mexico fled to El Paso to escape Pancho Villa.

The roaring 20s to World War II

Beginning in the 1920s and into the 1930s, El Paso became the birthplace of several locally and nationally well-known businesses and events. In 1930, Conrad Hilton opened his first highrise hotel in El Paso, the now Plaza Hotel. The Plaza Theatre opened on September 12, 1930.

In 1934, Walter Varney and Louis Mueller established the passenger airline called Varney Speed Lines in El Paso and operated out of the old El Paso Municipal Airport (1934–36) and then the El Paso International Airport. After the airline was taken over in 1937 by Robert Six, he relocated its headquarters to Denver, Colorado and renamed it with the more recognized name of Continental Airlines, as it is known to this day.[17] Although Continental Airlines would have its headquarters stationed in Denver, El Paso was still a major hub for the airline up until the late 1980s.

The college football Sun Bowl has been held in El Paso since 1936 and is the second oldest bowl game in the nation. Second only to the Rose Bowl.

Post-war era

The Star on the Mountain. It is the world's largest illuminated star and lies on the far southeast face of the Franklin Mountains. It was erected in 1940 by the El Paso Electric Company.

After World War II, Wernher von Braun and other German rocket scientists were brought to Fort Bliss in El Paso, along with many of the V2 rockets and rocket parts, starting the American rocket program; they were later moved to Huntsville, Alabama. One V2 rocket is still on display at Fort Bliss. The popular drink, the Margarita, was another famous invention given a home in El Paso. It was first mixed in the El Paso-Juárez area at Tommy's Place Bar on July 4, 1945 by Francisco "Pancho" Morales. Morales originally left bartending in Mexico to become a US citizen. He is listed in the Texas Almanac's Sesquicentennial Edition (1857-2007, under M) Obituaries of famous Texans. His story is best captured in a October 1973 Texas Monthly article "The Man Who Invented the Margarita" by Brad Cooper, and later in his obituary in the Washington Post on January 2,1997.

From World War II until the 1980s, El Paso grew rapidly into a sprawling city. The expansion of Fort Bliss from a frontier post to a major Cold War military center brought in thousands of soldiers, dependents, and retirees. The industrial economy was dominated by copper smelting, oil refining, and the proliferation of low wage industries (particularly garment making), which drew thousands of Mexican immigrants. New housing subdivisions were built, expanding El Paso far to the west, northeast and east of its original core areas.

With the election of Raymond Telles,[18] the city's first Hispanic mayor in 1957, the demand for civil rights amongst the Hispanic population began. Stretching into the tumultuous 1960s, and converging with America's anti-war and civil rights demonstrations, great strides were achieved that became evident in the 1970s.

In 1963, the U.S. agreed to cede Chamizal, a long-disputed part of El Paso, to Mexico due to changes in the course of the Rio Grande, which forms the international boundary between the two countries. The area boundaries were rationalized and the Rio Grande was re-channelled. A former island in the river was re-developed. The Chamizal National Memorial, administered by the National Park Service is now a major park in El Paso; El Chamizal is the corresponding park in Juárez.

Since 1990, the local economy has been adversely affected by competition with low wage labor abroad, and the closure of the main copper smelter due to fluctuating metal prices, and excessive lead contamination found throughout many of the surrounding areas. The implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 affected the local economy, with transport, retail, and service firms expanding, and the accelerated loss of many industrial jobs. El Paso is sensitive to changes in the Mexican economy and the regulation of cross border traffic; the Mexican peso devaluation of late 1994 and increasingly stringent controls of cross border traffic after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack were felt strongly in El Paso. In contrast to almost every other border city and popular belief, the commercial traffic at the ports of entry went un-interrupted during the immediate aftermath of 9/11.[citation needed]

Since the 1849 establishment of Fort Bliss in the El Paso area, El Paso has seen many booms in population. More recently, the BRAC commission has marked the base to receive more than 30,000 troops, which is estimated to add 547 million dollars to the El Paso economy. The expected 100,000 people destined for El Paso (30,000 troops & 70,000 family members) will bring to El Paso a rise in population that has not been seen since the Mexican Exodus of the 1910s in which the town's population grew by at least 60,000 people that were trying to escape the carnage of the Mexican Revolution.

Recent city-wide projects funded through the election of bonds have once again pushed the urban sprawl onward for El Paso. The most prominent of these projects was the complete refurbishment of the Plaza Theatre in Downtown El Paso. The project was completed on March 17, 2006 at a cost of $38 Million. With the completion of a new freeway on the city's eastern edge, the city should experience the usual urban sprawl that accompanies such construction. With the arrival of military personnel and expansion of Biggs Army Airfield, the city is also constructing a new "Inner Loop" (Loop 375 to Fred Wilson Avenue) that will connect the eastern section of the city to the Army Airfield. Once completed, Biggs Army Airfield is expected to be larger than the current space at Fort Bliss. Beginning in mid 2008, El Paso decided to reinvest in their downtown, with a full redevelopment initiative.

Also of concern is how the large increases of population in Cd. Juárez will affect El Paso. Historically, these two towns have always been interconnected. Already evident is the air quality and traffic flowing inside the El Paso area, for these respective figures reflect the values of a metro area that is populated by at least two-million people. Many underestimate the area's infrastructure needs by allocating resource values for only the El Paso population and not the metropolitan population that is interconnected chiefly through the actions of commerce that stems from El Paso, Cd. Juárez, and the New Mexico cities of Las Cruces, Santa Teresa, Sunland Park and Alamogordo.[citations needed]

Geography

A panoramic view of El Paso, Texas from the north. The Hueco Mountains can be seen toward the east, the Juarez mountains of Mexico can be seen to the south (far right of the image). El Paso Skyline as seen from Scenic Drive Central El Paso as seen from Scenic Drive. El Paso (top) and Ciudad Juárez (bottom) as seen from earth orbit; the Rio Grande River is the thin line separating the two cities through the middle of the photograph. A portion of the Franklin Mountains can be seen in the upper-left. Image courtesy of NASA. False colour satellite image of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. Paved streets and buildings appear in varying shades of blue-gray, and red indicates vegetation. Image courtesy of NASA.

El Paso is located at 31°47′25″N 106°25′24″W / 31.79028°N 106.42333°W (31.790208, -106.423242).[19] It lies at the intersection of three states (Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua) and two countries (the USA and Mexico). It is the only major Texas city on Mountain Time. When Ciudad Juárez was on Central Time[20], it was possible to celebrate New Year's twice in the same evening by travelling a very short distance across the state and into another country. Both cities are now on Mountain Time.

The city's elevation is 3,800 feet (1140 m) above sea level. The rustic North Franklin Peak towers at 7,192 feet (2,192 m) above sea level and is the highest peak in the city. The peak can be seen from 60 miles (97 km) in all directions. Additionally, this mountain range is home to the famous natural red-clay formation, the Thunderbird, from which the local Coronado High School gets its mascot's name. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 250.5 square miles (648.9 km²).

The 24,000-acre (97 km2) Franklin Mountains State Park is the largest urban park in the United States and resides entirely in El Paso, extending from the north and neatly dividing the city into several sections along with Fort Bliss and the El Paso International Airport.

The Rio Grande Rift, which passes around the southern end of the Franklin Mountains, is where the Rio Grande River flows. The river defines the border between El Paso from Ciudad Juárez to the south and west until the river turns north of the border with Mexico, separating El Paso from Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Mt. Cristo Rey, a volcanic peak (an example of a pluton) rises within the Rio Grande Rift just to the west of El Paso on the New Mexico side of the Rio Grande River. Other volcanic features include Kilbourne hole and Hunt's hole, which are Maar volcanic craters 30 miles (50 km) west of the Franklin Mountains.

El Paso is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert, the easternmost section of the Basin and Range Region.

Areas of El Paso

With the city limits are traditional suburban areas that are located on the far eastern and western edges.

Texas suburbs outside the city

New Mexico suburbs

Although New Mexican areas of Anthony, 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.[21]

Climate

Snow on Franklin Mountains & El Paso causes a closure of Transmountain Highway

Flooding

Although the average annual rainfall is only about 8 inches, many parts of El Paso are subject to occasional flooding during intense summer monsoons. In late July and early August 2006, over 15 inches (380 mm) of rain fell in a week, overflowing all the flood-control reservoirs and causing major flooding city-wide. The city staff has estimated damage to public infrastructure as $21 million, and to private property (residential & commercial) as $77 million.[22] 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.

Temperature statistics

Weather averages for El Paso
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 80 (27) 83 (28) 89 (32) 98 (37) 105 (41) 114 (46) 112 (44) 108 (42) 104 (40) 96 (36) 87 (31) 80 (27) 114 (46)
Average high °F (°C) 57 (14) 63 (17) 70 (21) 79 (26) 87 (31) 96 (36) 95 (35) 93 (34) 88 (31) 79 (26) 66 (19) 58 (14) 78 (26)
Average low °F (°C) 31 (-1) 35 (2) 41 (5) 49 (9) 58 (14) 66 (19) 70 (21) 68 (20) 62 (17) 50 (10) 38 (3) 32 50 (10)
Record low °F (°C) -8 (-22) 8 (-13) 14 (-10) 23 (-5) 31 (-1) 46 (8) 57 (14) 56 (13) 42 (6) 25 (-4) 1 (-17) 5 (-15) -8 (-22)
Precipitation inches (mm) 0.44 (11.2) 0.43 (10.9) 0.39 (9.9) 0.25 (6.4) 0.28 (7.1) 0.69 (17.5) 1.62 (41.1) 1.54 (39.1) 1.39 (35.3) 0.73 (18.5) 0.33 (8.4) 0.55 (14) 8.64 (219.5)
Source: {{{source}}} {{{accessdate}}}
The O. T. Bassett Tower

Architecture

10 Tallest Buildings in El Paso

Rank Name Height Floors
1 Wells Fargo Plaza 296 feet (90 m) 21
2 Chase Tower 250 feet (76 m) 20
3 Plaza Hotel 239 feet (73 m) 19
4 Kayser Building 232 feet (71 m) 20
5 El Paso Natural Gas Company Building 208 feet (63 m) 18
6 Camino Real Hotel 205 feet (62 m) 17
7 Doubletree Hotel 202 feet (62 m) 17
8 O. T. Bassett Tower 196 feet (60 m) 15
9 El Paso County Courthouse 185 feet (56 m) 13
10 Anson Mills Building 145 feet (44 m) 12

El Paso's tallest building, the Wells Fargo Plaza, was built in the early-1970s as State National Plaza. The black-windowed, 296-foot (90 m) building is famous for its 13 white horizonal lights (18 lights per row on the east and west sides of the building, and 7 bulbs per row on the north and south sides) that were lit at night. The tower did use a design of the United States flag during the 4th of July holidays as well as the American hostage crisis of 1980, and was lit continuously following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks until around 2006. During the Christmas holidays, a design of a Christmas tree was used, and at times, the letters "UTEP" was used to support UTEP athletics. The tower is now only lit during the holiday months, or when special events take place in the city. With the new development downtown new highrise buildings have been planned to bring new young professionals.

Government

City government

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The city government is officially non-partisan; the county government is not. Mayors and City Council members may not serve for more than ten years in their respective offices.[23]

The current mayor of El Paso is John Cook, who defeated Mayor Joe Wardy in 2005 and was reelected in 2009.[24]

The current members of the El Paso City Council, who are elected every four years to staggered terms, are Emma Acosta, Susie Byrd, Steve Ortega, and Carl Robinson, whose terms will end in 2013, and Eddie Holguin, Beto O'Rourke, Ann Lilly, and Rachel Quintana, whose terms will end in 2011. Lilly, Byrd, Ortega, Holguin, and O'Rourke have been on the council since 2005. Quintana has been on the council since 2007, Acosta since 2008, and Robinson since 2009. Due to the term limits clause in the City Charter, several City Council members will not be eligible in the next election: Byrd and Ortega, as well as Mayor Cook.[25]

According to city charter amendments approved on February 7, 2004, the city of El Paso operates under a council-manager form of government. This system combines the strong political leadership of elected officials, in the form of eight Council Members, with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. All power is concentrated in the elected council, which hires a professionally trained manager to carry out its directives and oversee the delivery of public services.[26] Joyce Wilson was selected by the city council in 2004 as El Paso's first City Manager.

El Paso City and County vote overwhelmingly Democratic, like most of the Texas–Mexico border area and urban Texas.[27] The El Paso metropolitan area is represented by Silvestre Reyes (D-El Paso), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Ciro Rodriguez (D-San Antonio) in the U.S. House; in the Texas State House by Democrats Marisa Marquez, Chente Quintanilla, Norma Chavez, Joe Pickett and Joe Moody; and in the State Senate, by Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso).

The El Paso County Judge is Democrat Anthony Cobos, and the County Commissioners are Democrats Veronica Escobar, Anna Perez, and Willie Gandara Jr., and Republican Dan Haggerty. Cobos and Escobar were first elected to their positions in 2006, and have been in office since 2007. Perez and Gandara were first elected to their positions in 2008, and have been in office since 2009. Haggerty was first elected to his position in 1994, and has been in office since 1995. The El Paso County Sheriff is Democrat Richard Wiles, since 2009.

Federal representation

The United States Postal Service operates post offices in El Paso. The El Paso Main Post Office is located at 8401 Boeing Drive, adjacent to El Paso International Airport.[28] Downtown El Paso is served by the Downtown El Paso Post Office at 219 East Mills Avenue.[29]

Economy

El Paso is the Operational Headquarters of Helen of Troy Limited, a NASDAQ listed company that manufactures personal health care products under many labels such as OXO, Dr. Scholls, Vidal Sassoon, Sunbeam, among others. Also headquartered in El Paso is Western Refining, listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

El Paso is also the corporate headquarters to Spira Footwear, and the World Headquarters to the El Paso Saddle Blanket Co.

Until 1996, El Paso was home to El Paso Natural Gas Company. Now in Houston, Texas under the name El Paso Corporation. Farah Clothing Company was also headquartered in El Paso until 1998 when Farah along with other clothing manufacturing companies such as Levi's, moved their plants in search of cheaper labor. In the 1980s El Paso was known as the blue jeans capital of the world because it produced over 2 million pairs of jeans every week from different jean companies in El Paso. As of 2006, the only remaining companies in the clothing industry are Wrangler and a smaller company by the name of Border Apparel.

More than 70 Fortune 500 companies have offices in El Paso, including The Hoover Company, Eureka, Boeing, and Delphi (auto parts).

El Paso is an important entry point to the U.S. from Mexico. Once a major copper refining area, chief manufacturing industries in El Paso now include food production, clothing, construction materials, electronic and medical equipment, and plastics. Cotton, fruit, vegetables, livestock, and pecans are produced in the area. With El Paso's attractive climate and natural beauty, tourism has become a booming industry as well as trade with neighboring Ciudad Juárez.

Education is also a driving force in El Paso's economy. El Paso's three large school districts are among the largest employers in the area, employing more than 19,000 people between them. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has an annual budget of nearly $250 million and employs nearly 3,600 people. A 2002 study by the university's Institute for Policy and Economic Development stated that the University's impact on local businesses has resulted in $349 million.

The military installation of Fort Bliss is a major contributor to El Paso's economy. Fort Bliss began as a Cavalry post in 1848. Today, Fort Bliss is the site of the United States Army's Air Defense Artillery Center and produces approximately $80 million in products and services annually, with about $60 million of those products and services purchased locally. Fort Bliss' total economic impact on the area has been estimated at more than $1 billion, with 12,000 soldiers currently stationed at the Fort. A February 2005 article in the El Paso Times stated that as many as 20,000 troops could be arriving at Fort Bliss pending the Defense Department's removal of thousands of troops from overseas assignments. This would be in addition to 3,800 soldiers who would arrive as part of a new brigade combat team stationed at the Fort. The growth is expected to create a strong economic ripple throughout the El Paso area. With the growth in Fort Bliss, the economy is expected to profit an additional $10 Billion by 2012, and an additional $5 Billion each year after that.

In addition to the military, the federal government has a strong presence in El Paso to manage its status and unique issues as a border region. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) all have agency operations in El Paso to regulate traffic and goods through ports of entry from Mexico. Including these agencies, government job growth in the area is expected to rise to 64,390 jobs by 2007.

Call center operations make up 7 of the top 10 business employers in El Paso. With no signs of growth slowing in this industry, in 2005 the 14 largest call centers in El Paso employed more than 10,000 people. The largest of these in terms of employees are EchoStar, MCI/GC Services, and West Telemarketing.

Analysts in the area say that job growth in 2005 will be in the form of health care, business and trade services, international trade, and telecommunications.

Items and goods produced: petroleum, metals, medical devices, plastics, machinery, automotive parts, food, defense-related goods, tourism, boots

Largest city employers

All numbers are estimates as of 2006[citation needed]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1890 10,000 —
1900 15,906 59.1%
1910 39,279 146.9%
1920 77,560 97.5%
1930 102,421 32.1%
1940 96,810 −5.5%
1950 130,003 34.3%
1960 276,687 112.8%
1970 339,615 22.7%
1980 425,259 25.2%
1990 515,342 21.2%
2000 563,662 9.4%
[2][30]

According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the city's population was 78.3% White (15.0% non-Hispanic-White alone), 3.5% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 17.9% from some other race and 2.2% from two or more races. 80.2% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. [2]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 563,662 people, 182,063 households, and 141,098 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,263.0 people per square mile (873.7/km²). There were 193,663 housing units at an average density of 777.5/sq mi (300.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.6% White, 3.12% African American, 0.82% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 18.15% from other races, and 3.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 86.62% of the population. The census states that about 7.6% of El Pasoans are non-Hispanic white.[31]

There are 182,063 households, out of which 42.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.54.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,124, and the median income for a family was $35,432. Males had a median income of $28,989 versus $21,540 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,388. About 19.0% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

According to the 2006 United States Census Bureau population estimates, the El Paso metropolitan area had a population of 736,310.[32] As of December 3, 2007, El Paso is ranked the second safest city in the US with a population greater than 500,000.[33]

Sports

Major League teams

El Paso does not have any major league sports team. El Paso hosts the annual NCAA Brut Sun Bowl. El Paso is also the site of the Borderland Derby horse race held in the nearby suburb of Sunland Park. El Paso is also host of the Texas vs. The Nation Game all-star game played in the Sun Bowl Stadium.

Sports

Club Sport League Stadium
El Paso Diablos Baseball American Association of Independent Professional Baseball (South Division) Cohen Stadium
El Paso Patriots Soccer USL Premier Development League Patriot Stadium
Indios USA Soccer National Premier Soccer League Canutillo Stadium
El Paso Rhinos Hockey Western States Hockey League (Jr. Hockey League) El Paso County Coliseum
El Paso Brawlers Football Far West Football League Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso Generals Indoor Football IFL El Paso County Coliseum
UTEP Miners Division I Conference USA Sun Bowl

Arenas

Cohen Stadium

Education

Public school districts

The city of El Paso is served by:

Nearby areas are served by:

Colleges and universities

Two-year and vocational colleges

Four-year colleges

Private and parochial schools

There are several parochial schools within the El Paso Catholic Diocese that include the following:

  • St. Pius X Catholic School
  • St. Patrick Cathedral School
  • St. Raphael Catholic School
  • Holy Trinity Catholic School
  • Our Lady of Assumption Catholic School
  • St. Joseph's Catholic School
  • Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
  • St. Matthews Catholic School
  • Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School
  • Cathedral High School
  • Loretto Academy

Other private schools include the following:

  • Immanuel Christian School
  • Bridges Academy
  • Journey Academy
  • Trinity Lutheran Church and School
  • El Paso Country Day School
  • El Paso Jewish Academy
  • El Paso Adventist Junior Academy
  • Radford School
  • St. Clement's Episcopal Parish School
  • Covenant Christian Academy
  • Bethel Christian School
  • Community of Faith Christian School
  • Faith Christian Academy
  • Father Yermo Schools
  • Jesus Chapel Christian School
  • Northeast Christian Academy
  • North Loop Christian Academy
  • Rose of Sharon Christian School
  • Mt. Franklin Christian Academy
  • Lydia Patterson Institute.

Ciudad Juárez residents attending schools in El Paso

Many affluent Ciudad Juárez residents attend schools in El Paso, including El Paso ISD schools ("Mexican children cross border to go to school," Houston Chronicle, April 29, 2007). Due to the number of students from Ciudad Juárez enrolled in United States schools, the Paso Del Norte crossing (also called "Santa Fe bridge") holds a dedicated student crossing lane. The lane stays open from 6:30 A. M. to 8:30 A. M.

Hospitals

Thomason Hospital

Culture

Literature

Bronze equestrian statue of Juan de Oñate by John Sherrill Houser.

El Paso has been home to literary figures such as:

The Tigua Indians of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo

Located within the city limits lies the autonomous Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation, with its own governing body. It is one of the three Federally-recognized Indian tribes in Texas.

The Tigua have been at their present location since a successful Pueblo Revolt of 1680 that forced the Spaniards and New Spaniards (future Mexicans) to retreat south to present day Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and El Paso, Texas. The tribe is led by a governor who serves a term of two years. The current governor is Danny Senclare.

Very close to tribal lands is the sacred site of Hueco Tanks.

Points of interest

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Street scene in Downtown El Paso, Texas.

Area museums

Theaters

The Cathedral Church of Saint Patrick is the mother church of the Diocese of El Paso.

Sites within the city limits

Sites within the surrounding area

Other sites of interest

Transportation

El Paso is served by El Paso International Airport, Amtrak via the historic Union Depot, Interstate 10, U.S. Highway 54 (known locally as "54," the "North-South Freeway" or officially as the Patriot Freeway), U.S. Highway 180 and U.S. Highway 62 (Montana Avenue), U.S. Highway 85 (Paisano Drive), Loop 375, Loop 478 (Copia Street-Pershing Drive-Dyer Street), numerous Farm to Market Roads (FM's) and the city's original thoroughfare, State Highway 20, known locally as Alameda Avenue (formerly U.S. Highway 80). The Northeast El Paso is connected to West El Paso by Transmountain Highway. The city also shares 3 international bridges and one railbridge with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Airports

Passenger rail

Major highways

Mass transit

International border crossings

The first bridge to cross the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte was built in the time of Nueva España, over 250 years ago, from wood hauled in from Santa Fe.[37]

Today, three bridges serve the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez area, and another connecting Ysleta with Ciudad Juarez.

Media

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Newspapers

Radio stations

  • AM
    • 600 KROD News/Talk/Sports
    • 630 KLEA Adult Contemporary
    • 690 KTSM News/Talk
    • 750 KAMA Spanish
    • 800 XEROK Mexican
    • 920 KQBU
    • 1000 XEFV Spanish
    • 1060 KXPL Spanish
    • 1150 KHRO Talk/Oldies
    • 1340 KVIV Spanish
    • 1380 KHEY Sports
    • 1590 KELP Christian oriented
    • 1650 KSVE Spanish
  • FM
    • 88.5 KTEP University
    • 89.5 KKLY Religious (K-Love)-previously identified as KXCR
    • 90.3 KEFX Modern Christian Rock Music Effect Radio
    • 91.1 KVER Spanish
    • 92.3 KOFX Oldies
    • 93.1 KSII Top-40
    • 93.9 KINT-FM Tejano
    • 94.7 KYSE Spanish Alternative
    • 95.5 KLAQ Rock
    • 96.3 KHEY-FM Country
    • 97.5 KBNA-FM Spanish
    • 98.3 XHPX Spanish Pop
    • 99.1 XHEPR Spanish Pop
    • 99.5 KXPZ modern rock
    • 99.9 KTSM-FM Adult Contemporary
    • 102.1 KPRR Rhythmic Top-40
    • 103.5 XHEM Spanish Pop
    • 104.3 XHTO Top-40
    • 105.1 Mexican
    • 105.9 Spanish Pop
    • 106.7 XHUAR Spanish and English Rock
    • 107.5 Mexican

El Paso also shares radio stations with nearby cities Las Cruces, New Mexico and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

Television

El Paso was the largest city in the United States without a PBS television station within the city limits until 1978. El Paso viewers had to watch channel 22, KRWG from Las Cruces until 1978. In fact, the city had only three English-speaking channels and two Spanish language channels (channel 2 and channel 5) from Juarez, and cable subscribers in the 1970s and 1980s could receive four Los Angeles independent channels: KTLA, KHJ, KTTV and KCOP. Over time, as more television stations signed on and more cable channels were added (and the internet expanded), the L.A. stations would disappear from the lineup. The last to be removed was KTLA in the Fall of 2006, when KVIA-TV opened its own CW station.

El Paso's current television stations are as shown in the table below:

Television stations in the El Paso/Las Cruces/Juárez area
Local stations

KDBC 4 (CBS, MNTV on DT2) • KVIA 7 (ABC, CW on DT2, Weather on DT3, LATV on DT4) • KTSM 9 (NBC) • KCOS 13 (PBS) • KFOX 14 (Fox, RTN on DT2) • KINT 26 (UNI) • KSCE 38 (Religious) • K40FW 40 (Multimedios) • KTFN 65 (TFU)
Las Cruces Reception may vary by geographical location

KRWG 22 (PBS, V-me on DT3) • KLCP 30 (GLC) • KTDO 48 (TMD)
Ciudad Juárez

XEPM 2 (Televisa Local) • XEJ 5 (Televisa XEQ) • XHJCE 11 (Azteca 13) • XHCJH 20 (Azteca 7) • XHJCI 32 (Televisa XEW) • XHIJ 44 (C3) • XHJUB 56 (Televisa XHGC)
Texas Broadcast television areas by city:

• • • • • •

New Mexico Broadcast television areas by city: •

Popular culture

Filmed in El Paso

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss)

Sister cities

El Paso, Texas has the following sister cities:

See also

Texas portal

Notes

  1. ^ a b Carlos A. Rincón (2002). "Solving Transboundary Air Quality Problems in the Paso Del Norte Region". in Linda Fernandez and Richard Carson. Both Sides of the Border. Springer. ISBN 1402071264. http://books.google.com/books?id=-80qhQ3mLDQC&pg=PA259&dq=%22el+paso%22+%22the+sun+city%22&as_brr=3&ei=tN4ySdq9GYbWlQS895i3DQ.
  2. ^ a b c Population Estimates for Places over 100,000: 2000 to 2006
  3. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ "". National Association of Counties. . Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  6. ^ El Paso Information and Links
  7. ^ a b c Kevin Mulvihill (Friday, September 19, 2008), "On Rock Walls, Painted Prayers to Rain Gods", New York Times, pp. D1, D7. Mulvihill notes that the images are notable because they are painted with hematite, rather than pecked into the rock, as are the petroglyphs to be found in New Mexico.
  8. ^ Leon C. Metz (1993). El Paso Chronicles: A Record of Historical Events in El Paso, Texas. El Paso: Mangan Press. ISBN 0-930208-32-3.
  9. ^ a b El Paso, A Borderlands History, by W.H. Timmons, pp. 74, 75
  10. ^ El Paso, A Borderlands History, by W.H. Timmons, pp. 106
  11. ^ Chihuahua: Una Historia Compartida 1824-1821, by Guadalupe Villa and Graziella Altamirano, pp. 65-73
  12. ^ a b c El Paso, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
  13. ^ History Of El Paso
  14. ^ Texas Highways, V.24, 1977
  15. ^ a b A. C. Greene (2006). 900 Miles on the Butterfield Trail. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 1574412132. http://books.google.com/books?id=jAdYj0MqNNIC&pg=PA115&dq=county-seat+el-paso+ysleta+san-elizario&ei=h-eTR-3IJ4T0sQO5ia1J&sig=Og7ckQWCEx29esLzFiGRW0wOc3I.
  16. ^ Leon C. Metz (1993), El Paso Chronicles, El Paso: Mangan Press.
  17. ^ "Company History 1934 to 1958". About Continental. http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/history/1934-1958.aspx.
  18. ^ Mario T. Garcia (1998), The Making of a Mexican American Mayor: Raymond L. Telles of El Paso ISBN 0-87404-276-3
  19. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  20. ^ Time changes in Chihuahua[1]
  21. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/List4.txt
  22. ^ www.elpasotexas.gov - City of El Paso
  23. ^ http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/_documents/2004_Charter_Election_Resolution.pdf
  24. ^ http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_12336439
  25. ^ http://www.elpasotexas.gov/government.asp
  26. ^ http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/_documents/2004_Charter_Election_Resolution.pdf
  27. ^ William Earl Maxwell, Ernest Crain, Edwin S. Davis (2005). Texas Politics Today. Thomson Wadsworth. ISBN 0534602118.
  28. ^ "Post Office™ Location - EL PASO." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 5, 2009.
  29. ^ "Post Office™ Location - DOWNTOWN EL PASO." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 5, 2009.
  30. ^ http://www.elpasotexas.gov/_documents/demographics/El%20Paso%20Ciudad%20Juarez%20Facts/Historical%20Population%20El%20Paso-Ciudad%20Juarez.pdf
  31. ^ El Paso, Texas: ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, 2006, from the U.S. Census Bureau
  32. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv
  33. ^ San Jose now third safest city - News
  34. ^ Del Sol Medical Center - Home Page
  35. ^ Las Palmas Medical Center - Home Page
  36. ^ www.elpasotexas.gov - Sun Metro Homepage
  37. ^ 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
  38. ^ "City Council Meetings - Voting Items". City of El Paso. 2008-11-18. http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/vitem_select_results.asp?item=10870. Retrieved on 27 December 2008. "ADDN1A. MAYOR AND COUNCIL: Discussion and action to authorize the Mayor to sign a Sister City agreement with the City of Chihuahua, Mexico reaffirming the commitment made in 2002. ACTION TAKEN: AUTHORIZED"
  39. ^ a b c d e Andrade, Robert (March 2007). "Sister Cities". ¿Qué Pasa? A biweekly electronic newsletter from Mayor Cook. City of El Paso. http://www.elpasotexas.gov/mayor/newsletter_march07.asp. Retrieved on 27 December 2008. "Currently on record, there are four Sister Cities, three in Mexico (Ciudad Juarez, Zacatecas and Torreon) and one in Spain (Jerez)."

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Metropolitan areas

Abilene | Amarillo | Austin–Round Rock | Beaumont–Port Arthur | Brownsville–Harlingen | College Station–Bryan | Corpus Christi | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington | El Paso | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown | Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood | Laredo | Longview | Lubbock | McAllen–Edinburg–Mission | Midland | Odessa | San Angelo | San Antonio | Sherman–Denison | Texarkana | Tyler | Victoria | Waco | Wichita Falls
Counties

See: or List
50 most populous cities of the United States
  1. New York City
  2. Los Angeles
  3. Chicago
  4. Houston
  5. Phoenix
  6. Philadelphia
  7. San Antonio
  8. Dallas
  9. San Diego
  10. San Jose
  1. Detroit
  2. San Francisco
  3. Jacksonville
  4. Indianapolis
  5. Austin
  6. Columbus
  7. Fort Worth
  8. Charlotte
  9. Memphis
  10. Baltimore
  1. El Paso
  2. Boston
  3. Milwaukee
  4. Denver
  5. Seattle
  6. Nashville
  7. Washington
  8. Las Vegas
  9. Portland
  10. Louisville
  1. Oklahoma City
  2. Tucson
  3. Atlanta
  4. Albuquerque
  5. Fresno
  6. Sacramento
  7. Long Beach
  8. Mesa
  9. Kansas City
  10. Omaha
  1. Cleveland
  2. Virginia Beach
  3. Miami
  4. Oakland
  5. Raleigh
  6. Tulsa
  7. Minneapolis
  8. Colorado Springs
  9. Honolulu
  10. Arlington
Mayors of cities with populations of 100,000 in Texas
  1. Bill White (Houston)
  2. Julian Castro (San Antonio)
  3. Tom Leppert (Dallas)
  4. Lee Leffingwell (Austin)
  5. Mike Moncrief (Fort Worth)
  6. John Cook (El Paso)
  1. Robert Cluck (Arlington)
  2. Joe Adame (Corpus Christi)
  3. Pat Evans (Plano)
  4. Raul Gonzalez Salinas (Laredo)
  5. Tom Martin (Lubbock)
  6. Ronald E. Jones (Garland)
  1. Herbert A. Gears (Irving)
  2. Debra McCartt (Amarillo)
  3. Pat Ahumada (Brownsville)
  4. Charles England (Grand Prairie)
  5. Johnny Isbell (Pasadena)
  6. John Monaco (Mesquite)
  1. Richard F. Cortez (McAllen)
  2. Ron Branson (Carrollton)
  3. Virginia DuPuy (Waco)
  4. Bill Whitfield (McKinney)
  5. Mark Burroughs (Denton)
  6. Timothy L. Hancock (Killeen)
  7. Norm Archibald (Abilene)
  1. Becky Ames (Beaumont)
  2. Wes Perry (Midland)
  3. Alan McGraw (Round Rock)
  4. Dean Ueckert (Lewisville)
  5. Bill Keffler (Richardson)
  6. Lanham Lyne (Wichita Falls)

Categories: El Paso, Texas | Cities in Texas | County seats in Texas | El Paso County, Texas | Texas communities with Hispanic majority populations | Settlements established in 1659 | US-Mexico border towns

 

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'El Paso' News
Congressman Reyes Tours El Paso Clinic - KFOXtv.com
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Congressman Reyes Tours El Paso Clinic

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Since the beginning of the year, La Fe has gotten more than $2 million to help low-income families here in El Paso . Just recently Reyes announced an ...

No support: Rep. Silvestre Reyes pushes regionwide bridge study El Paso Times



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'El Paso' Blogs
Owner hopes Bowlero Lanes sells at auction - El Paso Times
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Owner hopes Bowlero Lanes sells at auction - El Paso Times

By Vic Kolenc / El Paso Times

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:57:25 GM

A good staff and faithful customers who'd "bowl in the dirt just to bowl here" have kept Bowlero alive while several other bowling alleys faded away in the Northeast and other parts of . El Paso. , Zapatka said. ...

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Thu Jul 2 23:38:14 2009
'El Paso' Answers
What are some cheap things to do at El Paso?
Q. I just moved here about 4 months ago. Wife and I are getting away for the weekend but we are staying in town. What could we do here in El Paso that is inexpensive. We enjoyed the zoo, been to cattleman's, been out to scenic drive, had the downtown shopping experience, made it out to mesilla NM. Any other suggestions?
Asked by Mr. Ish - Fri Mar 27 12:35:37 2009 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Scenic Drive or the Casino in Sunland Park.
Answered by ~Miss Pennslyvania~ - Wed Apr 1 22:44:42 2009

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Tue Jun 30 07:23:45 2009
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