El Paso

Introducing El Paso

Well, you’ve made it. You’re just about as far west in Texas as you can go. Here you’re closer to Santa Fe than Austin; and Mexico – New and old – holds more sway than the Texas capital. The pass for which the city is named, El Paso del Norte, has for centuries been a key route across the Americas. (Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa holed up here for a time.) There’s still a lot of commerce of people and goods; across the Rio Grande from this town of 609, 000, almost two million more people live in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Developers have spiffed up much of downtown El Paso, though derelict areas do remain. The Franklin Mountains rise from desert flatlands to form a dramatic backdrop to the city. Take advantage of all the biculturalness and beauty by day-tripping to Mexico, shopping for handcrafted boots, riding the cable car and, by all means, eating some enchiladas.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009