El Paso, Texas, in 2010, was given the All-American City Award by the National Civic League. This award is given to the top 10 communities within the United States annually. It is awarded in recognition of the entire community coming together to address community-wide challenges successfully. In 1979, a study concluded that water from Hueco Bolson, El Paso's underground aquifer, would dry up by 2030 because of the rate of water usage at that time, about 1 ½ feet per year. An extensive water conservation program was enacted 20 years ago that focused on a tiered water rate structure, punishing those who are heavy water users. This program entailed a landscaping ordinance and a watering ordinance as well as rebates. As a result, El Paso achieved its goal of reducing water consumption by 20% in 2000. Further, another 12.5% decrease, to 140 per-capita gallons used per day, was achieved in 2006, four years ahead of schedule. As of August 2010, El Paso has an estimated population of 665,055. It is the 6th largest city in Texas and the 22nd largest city in the United States. El Paso stands on the Rio Grande River across from the city of Juarez in Chihuahua, Mexico. Both cities have combined services and become an international metropolitan area with a combined population of about 2 million people. The area sits in the Chihuahuan desert and is known for its dust storms and scorching temperatures. In winter, the temperatures average a low of 39 degrees and summer temperatures average a high of 95 degrees. El Paso's nickname: “The Six Shooter Capital of the World” came about in the 1800's due to the city's lawlessness.
The earliest peoples to inhabit the El Paso area were Native Americans. They were around for thousands of years as evidenced by Folsom Points--used by hunter-gatherers--found at archaeological sites. The earliest Native American farmers grew maize. When the Spanish arrived in the area, today's Mestizo culture, comprised of Mauso, Suma and Jumano tribes, populated the area. The Mescalero Apache were inhabitants of the area as well. The arrival of Don Juan de Onate from Spain in 1598 marked the arrival of the first European in the area. There, he celebrated Thanksgiving Mass in April of that year, several decades before the Pilgrims would begin their celebration of Thanksgiving.
In 1680, the small village of El Paso became the base for the Spanish government within the area that would become the New Mexico Territory in 1850. It was the largest settlement within the New Mexico Territory. The Texas Revolution of 1836 didn't come to the region. El Paso became a formal United States settlement in 1848 after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. Later, the boundary of the State of Texas was increased to include El Paso. El Paso, Texas, was incorporated in 1873. By 1890, according to the United States Census, the population had reached 10,000 due to the arrival of the South Pacific, Texas & Pacific, Atchison & Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads in 1881.
El Paso, Texas, is, according to 2010 statistics, the second-safest large city in the United States, next to Honolulu, Hawaii. This includes, in 2009, the total violent crime rate of about 461 incidents of violent crimes per 100,000 persons within the city. The cost of living is very low as well. El Paso's cost of living currently sits at 10.1%, lower than the National average. The cost of gasoline though is higher than the national average. Gasoline in El Paso costs $2.75 per gallon, as of August 26, 2010, vs. the national average of $2.69 per gallon.
The average cost of renting an apartment is about $630 for a one bedroom and about $750 for a two bedroom. The average single family home will cost about $90,800, which is up about 17.8% compared to a year ago. There are 13 suburbs to choose from in which to live. The tallest building is Wells Fargo Plaza at 296 feet. There are 21 colleges and technical instruction schools to choose from with the largest being the University of Texas at El Paso. The University began in 1914 as a small mining school and now is a nationally recognized school that has approximately 18,000 enrollees.
El Paso, Texas has some unique employment opportunities. Besides the usual educational and customer service jobs available, there are mining jobs that may not have many employees. 1,039 people are employed with the 109 establishments available, but, for the industry, it has a weekly wage of $512 per week or $21,624 per year. There are also trade and transportation utility jobs available within 3,759 establishments. Their average weekly wage is about $600 and yearly it is about $31,400.
Per capita in El Paso, the average income is $16,864, which is only 63.6% of the national average of $26,485. The average income for El Paso may be small, but since the cost of living is 10.1% below the national average, it is possible to live on this wage. The lowest wages are made in the Leisure and Hospitality industries at an average of $270 per week or $14,092 per year. The highest wages are made mostly in Information Systems industries at an average of $878 per week or $45,656 per year. The largest employer in El Paso is education with approximately 8,600 persons employed. The second- largest employer in the civilian sector is Fort Bliss, with approximately 6,800 employees.
Food in El Paso ranges from American cuisine to authentic Mexican to Italian and a hundred others. The normal national chains can be found everywhere, but the best foods, and the best places to meet, are the corner-side cafés and mom-and-pop restaurants. Pike Street Market on East Mills Avenue serves American food with a coffee-shop feel. Pike Street Market features counter seating, and their primary menu items include salads and sandwiches and, of course, coffee. The average main course costs $5. Kiki's on North Piedras Street is another great place that serves a combination of American, Latin and Mexican foods. It is a very popular spot for lunch with clientèle that range from blue-collar workers to white-collar workers. The house special is a dish called Machaca. It is packed with a choice of meat, crab or chicken and includes onions, tomatoes, cheese, eggs and chili peppers. They also feature Jazz music on Sunday nights.
Los Bandidos de Carlos & Mickey's, on Magruder Street, is a combination restaurant/bar that serves Latin and Mexican food. The place is a family-owned establishment that has been in business for over 20 years. Their menu boasts over 70 items and they feature live Mexican or Jazz music Thursday through Saturday nights. They are also known for having the best margaritas in El Paso. Jardo's Italian Cuisine on Lomaland Drive is an Italian/European restaurant that has a casual atmosphere with their ever-present checkered cloths on the tables. The average main course costs $15. They offer a traditional menu of favorites like spaghetti and meatballs and veal picatta.
The attractions in El Paso are numerous. The mountains surrounding the city are just the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous amounts of attractions to see and things to do as well as artful representations of the beautiful side of El Paso. The Hueco Tanks State Park is a historic site where about 3,500 years ago, Native Americans gathered and created carvings and drawings on rock faces there. These can be viewed on the various hiking trails within the park. They offer world famous rock-climbing, hiking, picnicking and camping. Guided tours are also available upon request. The cost for admission is $4 for adults for a daily pass and $10 to $12 for overnight camping.
The El Paso Museum of Art, whose admission is free, offers family events, gallery talks, video programs, concerts and storytelling throughout the year according to the current exhibit being featured. Permanent art collections include the Kress Collection, which is a collection of European works from the 14th through the 18th centuries, the Spanish Viceroyal Collection as well as the Mexican Folk Retablos from the 17th through the 19th centuries. Another wonderful place is the Yeleta del Sur Indian Pueblo and Ysleta Mission. It is a religious historic site that was built by Franciscan Priests and the Tigua Indians in 1680. It is the oldest mission in the United States. The Tigua Cultural Center displays the tribe's pottery, native clothing and jewelry. The center also has dance performances on Saturdays and Sundays.
The best places to see ranges from a Native American Reservation to an old west ranch and all the way to the wild side of El Paso, its Zoo. The El Paso Zoo is comprised of 18 acres and is home to 240 species of animals featuring Asian animals, as well as North and South American animals. To see these beautiful animals, the cost is only $10 for those ages 13 to 59, $7.50 for those over 60 and military personnel and $6 for those aged 3 to 12. A classy place to visit is La Vina Winery, on Highway 28. It is 15 miles North of El Paso in New Mexico. It is New Mexico's oldest winery which features Italian and Rhone grapes, but they also grow Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Cabernet varieties. The winery features a tasting and tour for only $10 and $5 for a tasting only. They also host an annual wine festival in October and an annual Jazz and Blues festival in April.
An architectural sight to see is the El Paso Union Depot. It was built in 1906 and its high steeple and red brick façade showcases the fact that it was the first international train station in the United States. The depot served the South Pacific, Santa Fe and other rail lines. It was renovated in 1981 and it is now used as a trolley and bus service depot.
There are many, many places to go at night in El Paso, Texas. Dance clubs, comedy clubs, bars and lounges are all very popular there. Cincinnati Bar is a nightclub that entertains its visitors on Wednesdays with a free comedy show. The bar serves food, appetizers and pub grub. Excellent music is also available on their jukebox. Suavecito on Airway Blvd. is a Salsa nightclub that features a DJ. Their cover is $3, and they serve great pub grub. An unusual thing is that they have salsa dance instruction on Wednesday nights. Studio 69 is a really hot place. Dancing to hip hop, Latin and House music until dawn, actually its open only until 2am but it feels like dawn, is loud but very chic. It's said that their DJ is phenomenal.
Club 101 on Airway Blvd features alternative music and it has a distinct warehouse setting. The cover charge is usually $5 to $20 and the entertainment includes DJs and live music. It's a dance club that's open from Wednesday through Saturday from 9pm until 2am. They offer Retro nights on Fridays and live shows most Saturdays. The La Raya del Rock on James Watt Street is a Latin dance club that is open only Friday and Saturday nights. It is said that the best nightclub in El Paso is the Manhattan Nightclub. It is on San Francisco at Union Plaza. The place has the best in dancing and music from Techno to Tejano. They are open Thursday through Sunday from 9pm until 2am.
Southwestern shopping is a specialty in El Paso, especially since it is located just across the Mexican border from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. There is everything from boots to a Mercado--a shopping plaza--in El Paso. There are the usual chain stores available, but the best stores and boutiques are those indigenous to the region. The Mercado's boutiques and galleries offer a cultural extravaganza of Southwestern fare. These boutiques and galleries offer hand-crafted items, jewelry, furniture, clothes and also Mexican Candy and excellent cuisine at Café Mayapan.
El Paso has, and deserves, the title of “Boot Capital of the World.” People like Chuck Norris, Stacey Keach and the Harlem Globetrotters frequent the many manufacturers and retailers that are available. Arditti Tomasso specializes in exquisite items made from genuine alligator. Mingo's Boot Company features exotic-skinned, custom-designed boots with inlays of initials and logos. Southwest Treasures is an avenue of retailers that represent a 3 state, 2 nation buffet of multicultural items and accessories. The El Paso Saddle Blanket is the world's largest manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of Mexican blankets, rugs and textiles. They feature a 200,000 piece selection of rugs as well as Casas Grandes Pottery. Southwestern Furnishings specializes in Southwestern-style chairs, end tables, tables, etc. They also feature a custom design shop.
After all the shopping, sightseeing, apartment and job hunting, dancing the night away and that Salsa dance lesson, it's time to stop and relax. A great place that offers full services but is also affordable is Touch Discount Day Spa. It is a Day Spa and Salon that offers individual services as well as packages including a facial and pedicure for $50 all the way up to the whole enchilada: manicure, pedicure, body wrap, deluxe 100 minute facial, massage, scalp and hair-conditioning treatment and hair styling all for only $248. They also offer Princess and Diva Parties for girls under 12 years old. These services include mini-manicures for $12 all the way up to a hair style with a mini-manicure and mini-pedicure for only $45.
A ritzier place to go is Barrigans Salon and Spa. Their aim is to strive for excellence for superior quality as well as stress-free environments by maintaining an edge in technologies and innovative skills. They offer full-service treatments that can be pieced out into single services or spa packages. Their Signature Spa package includes a manicure, a Foot Fetish pedicure, a massage and hair styling, which lasts 4 ½ hours for $227. They also offer what is called the Royal Ritual. It features a unique massage, a sugar scrub and a Shiredhara (scalp massage), lasting for 2 hours and 45 minutes, at a price of $225. El Paso is a dynamic place that has a varied and rich history spanning hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
If you are planning a family trip to El Paso, then you might want to consider staying at the Wyndham El Paso Airport Hotel and Water Park. This hotel is only 3 miles from the golf course, 2 miles from the El Paso Saddle blanket Company, and offers water slides at the pool. If you plan on spending a week or more in El Paso, then choose the Camino Real Hotel. This hotel only offers stays at a minimum of seven nights. The hotel is located near the Promenade. About 6 miles away from downtown, the Wingate by Wyndham El Paso has a lot to offer. It is located near the international airport and near family attractions such as the zoo, museums, parks, historic monuments, and cultural centers.
If you want to stay near the Mexican border, the Holiday Inn Express is nearby. The Holiday Inn Express is also near the Fort Bliss Military Base if you would like to visit someone there. If you enjoy staying in a newer hotel, then you might want to check out the Artisan Hotel, which opened in May 2007. This hotel also offers wine tastings daily. It is located downtown and offers easy access to El Paso's well-known spots. If you are looking for a journey back to the older days for your family adventure, you should stay at the Cibolo Creek Ranch. The Cibolo Creek Ranch will let you experience an important part of Texas history. Located in the Chinati Mountains, the ranch is surrounded by orchards and wildlife. There is also a huge similarity in culture and customs with Mexico because of its proximity to the border.
The key to any city, which is really just a small little society in of itself, is the education and knowledge that its citizens have access to. Given how most people don't leave their home city and tend to just settle and raise a family of their own it is important to have a competent and informative means of educating the next generation who is likely to be responsible for running the city when they get older. In elections for cities and states, those who are native born tend to get the most votes as they have a firsthand account for how life there is. They would know what is needed to do to improve the school systems, or if the school system was already adequate.
When it comes to schooling El Paso it is split into three school districts: The El Paso Independent School District, the Ysleta Independent School District, and the Socorro Independent School District. For a time in the 80' the Ysleta Independent School District was just barely making the minimum requirements for the state standards. The people and state officials of that district were not going to allow that to be so it was that come 1998 it was named a ‘Recognized District'. From that moment on the rest of the districts strove to be better then what they were previously with the nine distracts winning awards in excellence. And this was just the public schools. Many of the private and parochial schools have also received national awards for their excellence in educating the up and coming youth of Texas. Those thinking of moving to El Paso, whether they have kids or plan on having children someday, know the education cannot get much better then what they are offering. Nice weather and a good education are paramount to raising healthy children.
Living in El Paso Texas offers more than just the average when it comes to traveling. The city has the normal means of transportation that you would expect: trains, buses and cabs. All of these methods work to get the public of El Paso where they need to be on time and at a reasonable price. There is an added bonus that comes with living in El Paso that one does not get living in most other places. From the great city of El Paso it is possible to travel freely from the United States into Mexico without the needs of a passport. It is possible to cross from the United States into an entire other country by either driving or the more preferred mode is walking. In fact the ease of travel is such that pedestrians are rarely if ever bothered as they move between the two places. Even cars are rarely bothered; sometimes they may be stopped and searched but for the most part the confines of travel are not as heavy as they would be if someone flew into Mexico from the United States.
To get from El Paso to Mexico there are several means of crossing that can be taken - several roads and or bridges. Four bridges to be precise are used to crossing from El Paso and into Juárez Mexico: the Santa Fe Street Bridge, the Bridge of the Americas, Stanton Street Bridge, and the Zaragoza Bridge. By way of any of these bridges people traveling from El Paso, Texas can make the trip into Mexico, usually just for the day - to do a bit of sightseeing and shopping. Nice way of having the dream family vacation without having to go through the trouble of getting passports for the whole family and waiting for them to come into the mail. It's just a simple trip across a bridge and there you are in Mexico.
Lying at the western end of Texas along the borders of Old Mexico and New Mexico is El Paso, Texas, the state's 6th largest metropolis and 22nd largest in the entire United States. With an arid climate that varies from intensely hot summers to moderately dry winters, it has a seamless blend of historical Old West cultures and the heritage of the Native American traditions. The city operates through a council-manager government as approved by the city charter on February 7, 2004. Under this system, eight officials with commendable political leadership are elected as Council Members and combine forces with an appointee who possess distinct managerial experience in managing the local government. Together, they carry out city directives and ensure efficient undertakings regarding public service.
Education and business are two of the main industries of the city wherein more than 70 corporations listed in the Fortune 500 business magazine are branched out within the area. It is also home to two of the city's major economic contributors, the renowned University of Texas, El Paso and Fort Bliss which is a main US Army installation. Nestled at 9050 Viscount Blvd., B-Building, Suite B520 is the El Paso Small Business Development Center (SBDC) that provides start-up assistance for struggling small businesses. They offer business owners professional one-on-one counseling on how to properly address each project and seek the best solution to every problem in the administrative, managerial or technical aspects of the business. A magnificently built 14-storey courthouse in El Paso is looked upon as one of the finest and largest county courthouses in the State of Texas. The building has undergone a massive change from its original architecture more than three decades ago. The most appreciated improvement is the addition of five modern lobby elevators built with an audio voice system that announces floor location and course direction, allowing people easy access to any courthouse floor. The city also abounds with year-round outdoor and sports activities, entertainment and cultural opportunities, and updated medical facilities. These and an impressively low crime percentage make El Paso, Texas an ideal place for retirement.
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