El Paso, Texas

El Paso is a city located in El Paso County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 563,662. El Paso is second to San Diego, California in size of all United States cities on the border with Mexico and lies opposite Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The two cities form a binational metropolitan area of approximately two million people, divided by the Rio Grande. El Paso is the seat of the University of Texas at El Paso[?] (founded 1913, received university statuts 1967). Fort Bliss[?], a major United States Army installation lies to the east and northeast of the city. The Franklin Mountains[?] extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections.

History

Archeological evidence, at the Keystone Wetlands[?] and Hueco Tanks[?] sites indicates thousands of years of human settlement within the El Paso region. The Manso and Suma Indians were identified as present by the earliest Spanish explorers. Nothing is known of these people’s origin or ultimate fate.

(will add info on the founding of the city when I retrieve it)

During the late 1880s and 1890s, El Paso acquired a reputation as a lawless “wild west” town. The most notorious local figure was without a doubt John Wesley Hardin[?], killed in an 1894 El Paso gunfight. Prostitution and gambling flourished, until World War I, when the Department of the Army[?] pressured El Paso authorities to crack down on vice. Many of these activities continued to flourish in nearby Ciudad Juarez, especially during the Prohibition when bars and saloon on the Mexican side flourished.

The Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) began in Ciudad Juarez in 1910, and was the focus of intense fighting. Occasionally, stray shots killed civilians on the El Paso side. El Paso became a center of intrigue as various exiled leaders including Victoriano Huerta[?] and (for a time) Pancho Villa were seen in the city. … General John Joseph Pershing[?] was stationed at Fort Bliss, and mounted his ill fated expedition against Pancho Villa after the infamous raid on Columbus, New Mexico on March 9 , 1916.

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the revolution era was the arrival of thousands of Mexican refugees, who’s descendants formed the nucleus of the Chicano community that emerged in later decades.

From World War II until the 1980’s[?], El Paso grew rapidly. The expansion of Fort Bliss form a frontier post to a major Cold War military center brought in thousands of soldiers, dependents, and retirees. The industrial economy was dominated by copper smelting, oil refining, and the proliferation of low wage industries (particularly garment making), which drew thousands of Mexican immigrants. New housing subdivisions were built, expanding El Paso far to the west, northeast and east of its original core areas.

Since 1990, the local economy has been adversely affected by competition with low wage labor abroad, and the closure of the main copper smelter. The passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement has been a mixed blessing, with local transportation, retail, and service firms expanding, but with the accelerated loss of many industrial jobs. El Paso is very sensitive to changes in the Mexican economy and the regulation of cross border traffic; the Mexican peso devaluation of late 1994 and the temporary closing of the ports of entry[?] and subsequent stringent controls of cross border traffic after the Sepember 11, 2001 Terrorist attacks[?] were felt strongly in El Paso.

Geography and Climate

El Paso is located at 31°47'25" North, 106°25'24" West (31.790208, -106.423242)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 648.9 km² (250.5 mi²). 645.1 km² (249.1 mi²) of it is land and 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.58% water.

The Franklin Mountains[?] extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections. El Paso is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert[?], the easternmost section of the Basin and Range Region[?]. Temperatures average from a high of 56°F ( C) and a low of 29°F (C)in January to a high of 96°F (C) and low of 68°F (C) in August.

Rainfall averages 8.81 inches or 22.28 centimeters per annum. Most precipitation occurs during the monsoon occurring from late June through September. In most years rainfall is scant during the rest of the year.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 563,662 people, 182,063 households, and 141,098 families residing in the city. The population density is 873.7/km² (2,263.0/mi²). There are 193,663 housing units at an average density of 300.2/km² (777.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 73.28% White, 3.12% African American, 0.82% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 18.15% from other races, and 3.40% from two or more races. 76.62% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 182,063 households out of which 42.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% are married couples living together, 18.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% are non-families. 19.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.07 and the average family size is 3.54.

In the city the population is spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $32,124, and the median income for a family is $35,432. Males have a median income of $28,989 versus $21,540 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,388. 22.2% of the population and 19.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 29.8% are under the age of 18 and 17.7% are 65 or older.