El Paso, Texas
The county seat for El Paso County, the city of El Paso is located in the far West. It is the 6th largest city in Texas and the 19th largest in the country. The city is located on the Rio Grande and is across the border from Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.
A city that is home to the University of Texas, the Texas tech University Health Sciences and Fort Bliss, the largest military complexes in America, it is a place that offers a lot of culture and things to see and do.
Many people will be able to identify parts of the city from the many movies that it has featured in. Some of the well-known names include The Burning Train, The Day After Tomorrow, Last Man Standing and many more. If you want to learn more about this mesmerizing city, read on.
Welcome to the city of El Paso, where you will be able to make just about anything happen. There are intriquing options in entertainment, education, affordable living and many other benefits the city offers its residents. It is also an area of history and culture.
El Paso History
The region known as El Paso has had human settlement for many thousands of years. The initial residents were known to be maize farmers. When Spanish the Manso arrived in the area the tribes that populated the area were called Suma and Jumano. Some say that the first explorer to come to the area was the Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate in 1598. However, it is expected that not too much development happened during this time.
When the Mexican Constitution happened in 1824, part of the city became a locality of the Territorio de Nuevo Mexico. The Royal Road was used to communicate with Santa Fe and Mexico City. The area was also visited by spies, traders and fur trappers in 1804.
The Texas Revolution in 1836 that is well-known is not really something that affected the area of El Paso since it was not considered to be part of Texas at that time.
The El Paso County was established in 1850 and the first country seat was San Elizaro. The boundary was fixed between Texas and New Mexico at the 32nd parallel. The military post called The Post was also established in 18554. Another settlement was was created on Coon’s Rancho and this became the nucleus of the city of El Paso. When pioneer Anson mills completed the plan of the town it was named El Paso.
The city was captured by the Union California Column in 1862 and the made the headquarters for the 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry in 1864. The city was incorporated in 1873 and the population started to boom with the railroads being constructed. It was also called the ‘Six Shooter Capital’ based on the wild boomtown due to the lawlessness that became a trademark of the place.
The Mexican Revolution made a significant impact on the city and a large number of refugees came to the city. Over time the mining industry developed here and the copper refining became very popular. However, the city had to recuperate from the effects of the depression later. The population declined and continued to do so through the end of the World War II. Rapid economic expansion happened in the mid 1900’s due to the oil discoveries in the Permian Basin. Copper smelting and oil refining led the city to better growth. This slowed again in the late 1960’s but trade with Mexico has continued to help the city grow in various ways.
About El Paso, Texas
The city of El Paso is known for a lot of things. It is located on the Rio Grande and is particularly famous for the Juárez Mountains, which one can always see throughout the city. The city has an area of 250.5 square miles and most of this area is land.
Most of the population of the city is white and consists of about 78 percent of the population. The African American population makes up only about 4 percent, along with various other races that make the city interesting.
The city is divided into various areas like Central El Paso, with downtown El Paso and Sunset Heights, East El Paso, Far East El Paso Mountain Vista, Mission Valley El Paso, Northeast El Paso, Northeast El Paso and West Central El Paso. Some of the suburbs of the city include Anthony, Clint, Horizon City, Montana Vista, Sparks, Vinton, Westway and Socorro. The climate in the city can be classified as having a desert climate with summers that are very hot. Winters are mild and there is also no humidity at all. The rainfall per annum is only about 9.4 inches and most of this falls in the summer months of July to September. But even with this low level of rainfall, floods are common due to monsoonal thunder showers. El Paso has some interesting tall buildings. The city scape includes Wells Fargo Plaza, Chase Tower, Plaza Hotel, Kayser Building and more.
El Paso is an entry point into the United States from Mexico. At one time the economy was based on manufacturing industries like food, clothing, construction, electronics and medical equipment. But today the economy has shifted to tourism given the attractive climate. Education is also an important attraction of the city.
The city has three large school districts and these form some of the largest employers of the city. The University of Texas at El Paso itself has a budget of about $250 million. It employs more than 3500 people. Some of the largest employers in the city include El Paso Independent School District, Fort Bliss, Ysleta Independent School District, City of El Paso and University of Texas at El Paso, Socorro Independent School District, Sierra Providence Health Network, El Paso Community College, Wal-Mart, the El Paso County, Las Palmas and Del Sol Regional Health Care System and Echostar.
About El Paso County, Texas
The El Paso County is situated on the westernmost part of the state of Texas. It is part of the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas along with 8 other counties. The county has a population of 800,647 and the county seat is the city of El Paso, Texas. The total area of the county is about 1015 square miles, most of which is land, and water forms only about 2 square miles of the county. The racial makeup of the county is 74 percent Whites, 3 percent African American, about 1 percent Native Americans and a few Asians and Pacific Islanders.
The name of the county is based on the Spanish word called “the Pass”. This is named for the pass that the Rio Grande makes through the mountains. The county is flanked by Doña Ana County in New Mexico in the west, Otero County in New Mexico towards the northeast, Hudspeth County in the East, Guadalupe in Chihuahua, Mexico towards the South and Juárez and Práxedis G. Guerrero in Chihuahua, Mexico in the Southwest. The county also includes the national protected area of the Chamizal National Memorial.
The Chamizal National Memorial is a 55 acre park that contains theatres, art galleries and amphitheaters. There is also a museum that showcases the history of the United States and Mexico border. It celebrates the peaceful resolution of the Chamizal Dispute as well that was the end of a 100 plus year dispute between the 2 countries due to the change in Rio Grande River.
The county includes the cities of El Paso, which is the county seat, Horizon City and Socorro among others. The El Paso County is considered to be the 4th poorest county in the United States. The median income of the county is estimated to be $31,051 and the per capita income is estimated to be $13,421. More than 20 percent of the families are estimated to be below the poverty line.