EL PASO

EL PASO, a city in west Texas, is located on the Rio Grande. The city's history and development are linked to that of its sister city, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico (originally named El Paso del Norte). El Paso has been a principal entry point for immigrants from Mexico as well as other countries since 1900. Indigenous people first inhabited the area ten thousand years ago. In the 1500s, several Spanish explorers passed through the region. The first Spanish settlement gained its name, Paso del Norte, because it was a natural passageway across the river on the way north. In 1659, Franciscans established a mission, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, on what is now the Mexican side of the river. Following the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), the new border between Mexico and the United States divided the settlement. In 1873, the American settlement of El Paso was incorporated as a city. Following the coming of the railroads in 1881, the economy developed quickly. Agriculture, mining, and manufacturing formed the foundation of the economy. In the twentieth century, El Paso became an important manufacturing and commercial center. Following the creation of the maquiladora (twin plant) industry in 1965 and the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, El Paso's economic ties to Mexico grew. In 2000, 24 percent of border trade to Mexico, representing over $17 billion, passed through El Paso. The population of El Paso increased from 428 in 1860 to 563,662 in 2001. Seventy-seven percent of the population was Latino, 63 percent of Mexican descent. The total metro population, including Ciudad Juárez, was 1,897,440 in 2001.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Garcia, Mario T. Desert Immigrants: The Mexicans of El Paso,1880–1920. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1981.

Martinez, Oscar J. Border Boom Town: Ciudad Juárez since 1848. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1978.

Timmons, W. H. El Paso: A Borderlands History. El Paso: University of Texas at El Paso, 1990.

Yolanda ChávezLeyva

See alsoMexico, Relations with ; North American Free Trade Agreement ; Texas .

El Paso: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 479,899

1990: 591,610

2000: 679,622

Percent change, 1990–2000: 14.9%

U.S. rank in 2000: 64th

City Residents

1980: 425,259

1990: 515,342

2000: 563,662

2003 estimate: 584,113

Percent change, 1990–2000: 9.4%

U.S. rank in 2000: 22 (State rank: 5th)

Density: 2,263 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 413,061

Black or African American: 17,586

American Indian and Alaska Native: 4,601

Asian: 6,321

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 583

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 431,875

Other: 102,320

Percent of residents born in state: 54.3% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Poplation under 5 years old: 47,646

Poplation 5 to 9 years old: 50,170

Poplation 10 to 14 years old: 47,996

Poplation 15 to 19 years old: 46,858

Poplation 20 to 24 years old: 38,564

Poplation 25 to 34 years old: 80,568

Poplation 35 to 44 years old: 83,703

Poplation 45 to 54 years old: 65,808

Poplation 55 to 59 years old: 22,636

Poplation 60 to 64 years old: 19,592

Population 65 to 74 years old: 35,041

Poplation 75 to 84 years old: 19,279

Population 85 years and older: 5,801

Median age: 31.1 years

Births (2001, El Paso County)

Total number: 14,189

Deaths (2001, El Paso County)

Total number: 4,035 (of which, 66 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $14,388

Median household income: $32,124

Total households: 182,237

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 25,341

$10,000 to $14,999: 15,622

$15,000 to $24,999: 30,009

$25,000 to $34,999: 26,661

$35,000 to $49,999: 30,185

$50,000 to $74,999: 29,283

$75,000 to $99,999: 12,585

$100,000 to $149,999: 8,127

$150,000 to $199,999: 1,946

$200,000 or more: 2,478

Percent of families below poverty level: 19.0% (51.2% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 26,998

El Paso

The City in Brief

Founded: 1598 (incorporated 1873)

Head Official: Mayor Joe Wardy (since 2003)

City Population

1980: 425,259

1990: 515,342

2000: 563,662

2003 estimate: 584,113

Percent change, 1990–2000: 9.4%

U.S. rank in 2000: 22 (State rank: 5th)

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 479,899

1990: 591,610

2000: 679,622

Percent change, 1990–2000: 14.9%

U.S. rank in 2000: 64th

Area: 249 square miles (2000)

Elevation: Average 3,762 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 63.3° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 8.81 inches

Major Economic Sectors: agriculture, clothing, oil, retail, military

Unemployment rate: 7.7% (December 2004)

Per Capita Income: $14,388 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 26,998

Major Colleges and Universities: University of Texas at

El Paso, El Paso Community College, New Mexico State University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Daily Newspaper: El Paso Times

El Paso: Convention Facilities

The El Paso Convention & Performing Arts Center's Judson F. Williams Convention Center was remodeled and expanded in May 2002. The new center features three halls, 80,000 square feet of exhibit space, and 14,900 square feet of meeting space in 17 meeting rooms. Its Mt. Franklin Lobby offers 23,300 square feet of additional exhibit space. The Abraham Chavez Theatre in the Center features an 800 square foot meeting room and theatre seating for 2,500 people.

Across the street from the Convention Center, the Camino Real El Paso has 19 meeting rooms and 36,000 square feet of meeting space that can accommodate groups of up to 1,300. Listed in the National Historic Register, the Camino Real El Paso was established in 1912 and boasts crystal chandeliers, a Tiffany cut-glass dome, and "the most photographed grand staircase in the Southwest." Other El Paso hotels offer 7,000 rooms total throughout the city.

Convention Information: El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau, One Civic Center Plaza, El Paso, TX 79901; telephone (800)351-6024; email info@elpasocvb.com

El Paso. An association of Spanish artists formed in Madrid in 1957. The name, meaning ‘crossing’ or ‘passage', was meant to suggest movement or renewal. Its founding members were the painters Canogar, Feito, Millares, and Saura, together with the writers José Ayllón and Manuel Condé. They were soon joined by the painters Manuel Rivera (1927– ) and Manuel Viola (1919–87) and the sculptor Martín Chirino (1925– ). The group, inspired by Dau al Set, was important in establishing expressive abstraction or Art Informel as a major idiom in Spanish art and its work inspired a series of public demonstrations against it. It held exhibitions until 1960.

El Paso: Municipal Government

El Paso operates under a mayor-council form of government. The mayor is elected every four years; the eight council members are also elected and serve staggered twoor four-year terms. The city manager oversees operations. Residents, who are appointed by the council or the mayor, serve as volunteers on a variety of boards and commissions that help to steer the direction of municipal issues.

Head Official: Mayor Joe Wardy (since 2003; current term expires May 2007)

Total Number of City Employees: 6,500 (2005)

City Information: City of El Paso, 2 Civic Center Plaza, El Paso, TX, 79901; telephone (915)541-4000

Paso, El. See EL PASO.

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