El Paso

I

Introduction

El Paso, city in extreme western Texas. The seat of El Paso County, it is located just south of New Mexico on the Río Grande, opposite Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It is a port of entry from Mexico and a major road, rail, and air transportation center. With close cultural and economic ties to Ciudad Juárez, El Paso features a blend of United States and Mexican cultures and serves as a gateway to northern Mexico for both tourism and international trade. Situated in a pass through the Franklin Mountains with a mean elevation of 1,126 m (3,695 ft), El Paso has a sunny, mild, desert environment.

II

Population

The population of El Paso increased from 515,342 in 1990 to 563,662 in 2000, largely due to the city’s high birth rate, its business growth, and its favorable climate. The 121-hectare (300-acre) Tigua Indian Reservation, located in the city, is home to about 2,000 Native Americans. According to the 2000 census, whites constituted 73.3 percent of El Paso’s population; blacks, 3.1 percent; Asians, 1.1 percent; Native Americans, 0.8 percent; Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, 0.1 percent; and people of mixed heritage or not reporting race, 21.6 percent. Hispanics, who may be of any race, made up 76.6 percent of the population. In 2005, El Paso's population was estimated at 598,590.

The metropolitan region, composed of El Paso County, covers a land area of 2,624 sq km (1,013 sq mi) and extends to the border of New Mexico; notable population centers besides El Paso are the Fort Bliss military facility and the town of Socorro. The population of the metropolitan area increased from 591,610 in 1990 to 721,598 in 2005.

III

Economy

El Paso is the commercial and industrial hub of a mining and agricultural region producing cotton, fruit, pecans, vegetables, and livestock. Elephant Butte Dam, on the Río Grande in New Mexico, was completed in 1916 to control flooding of the river and to irrigate the large agricultural region in the river valley. Chief manufacturing activities in El Paso include copper refining and the production of food, clothing, construction materials, electronic and medical equipment, and plastics. Tourism has become an important aspect of the economy, as has trade with Ciudad Juárez. The city’s location on the border with Mexico gives it a unique position to take advantage of economic opportunities in international commerce created by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which eliminates most tariffs and barriers on trade among the United States, Mexico, and Canada. A gambling casino is located on the Tigua reservation.

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Several federal facilities add to the economic base of the city. These include Fort Bliss, site of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center; William Beaumont Army Medical Center, a U.S. Army hospital; La Tuna Correctional Institution; and numerous offices relating to immigration and naturalization.

IV

Points of Interest

Among the major points of interest found in El Paso are Ysleta and Socorro missions, a zoo, and a planetarium. The Hueco Tanks State Historical Park, located in the parched landscape near the city, features huge sheltered rock depressions that collect and store rainwater. This oasis has long supplied animals and humans with water, and it features pictographs dating from as long as 5,000 years ago.

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