El Paso

Long considered a sleepy western backwater, El Paso used to just mosey along, keeping its head low while its notorious Mexican neighbour Ciudad Juárez grabbed the headlines. But no more; El Paso has been making its own headlines. Successive runs for the US Senate and Presidency by former local Congressman Beto O’Rourke, and repeated visits by President Trump promoting his border policies, have brought national attention. A construction boom – and we don't just mean the Wall – has given downtown El Paso a facelift, and it can now boast a fist-full of new high-rise hotels, a restored streetcar line, the Chihuahuas baseball team and even its very own crop of microbreweries.