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El Paso, Texas

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El Paso is a large and busy city in West Texas.

Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas
Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas

It sits right on the edge of the Rio Grande river. This river acts as the border between the United States and Mexico.

Rio Grande EP Upper Valley
Rio Grande EP Upper Valley

Across the water, you will find the city of Ciudad Juárez in Mexico. These cities together form a huge international area. Many people call this region the Paso del Norte or the Borderplex.

Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas
Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas

It is home to a massive group of 2.7 million people. This area has the largest group of bilingual workers in the Western Hemisphere.

Life in El Paso is shaped by its unique location and people.

El Paso Downtown 1908
El Paso Downtown 1908

About 81% of the people living there are Hispanic. This makes it the largest city in the U.S. with a Hispanic majority throughout its whole history. The city is a very important place for many different things. It is a major center for making goods and moving items. It also has a large medical center for research and care.

EP Public libray
EP Public libray

People also go there to study at the University of Texas at El Paso.

The history of this land goes back a very long time.

Hueco Tanks Bouldering
Hueco Tanks Bouldering

People have lived in this region for 10,000 to 12,000 years. Early groups of people were maize farmers who grew corn. Later, Spanish explorers traveled through the area. One explorer, Don Juan de Oñate, stayed by the river in 1598.

YsletaMission
YsletaMission

He even held a Thanksgiving Mass there on April 30 of that year. In the 1600s, a village called El Paso del Norte was founded on the south bank of the river.

As time went on, the city changed and grew very quickly.

Old map-El Paso-1886
Old map-El Paso-1886

In the 1880s, new railroads arrived in the area. This caused the population to boom to 10,000 people by the 1890s. During this time, the city was known as the "Six-shooter Capital" because it was quite wild.

Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas
Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas

Later, the city became much more settled and safe. It has won the All-America City Award five times. Between 1997 and 2014, it was often ranked as one of the safest large cities in the country.

Today, El Paso is a place where many different things happen at once.

UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium Aerial View Sept 6 2009
UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium Aerial View Sept 6 2009

It is a major hub for the military and the government. Large bases like Fort Bliss are located in the area. The city also hosts the Sun Bowl, which is a famous college football game.

Franklin Mountain Snow
Franklin Mountain Snow

You can see the beautiful Franklin Mountains rising near the city. Whether you are looking at the mountains or the busy streets, there is much to discover.

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🖼️ Images & Media (50)
File:Franklin (El Paso), Texas.jpg
Franklin (El Paso), Texas.jpg
File:El Paso c1880.jpg
El Paso c1880.jpg
File:Old map-El Paso-1886.jpg
Old map-El Paso-1886.jpg
File:El Paso Downtown 1908.jpg
El Paso Downtown 1908.jpg
File:El_Paso_Electric_Railway_travels_from_Smelter_town_in_1912.jpg
El_Paso_Electric_Railway_travels_from_Smel...
File:Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas.jpg
Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas.jpg
File:Camping on the Border, near El Paso, Texas.jpg
Camping on the Border, near El Paso, Texas.jpg
File:El Paso, Texas.jpg
El Paso, Texas.jpg
File:Wells Fargo building1.jpeg
Wells Fargo building1.jpeg
File:El Paso Star at Sunset.jpg
El Paso Star at Sunset.jpg
File:El Paso's Upper Valley.jpeg
El Paso's Upper Valley.jpeg
File:Madeline_Park_Kern_Place.jpg
Madeline_Park_Kern_Place.jpg

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