El Paso, Texas

In 1680, the small village of El Paso became the temporary base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico as a result of the Pueblo Revolt, until 1692, when Santa Fe was reconquered and once again became the capital.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo effectively made the settlements on the north bank of the river part of the US, separate from Old El Paso del Norte on the Mexican side.

All the features were Mexican: low, flat adobe buildings, shading cottonwoods under which dusky, smoking women and swarthy children sold fruit, vegetables, and bread; habitual gambling universal, from the boys' game of pitching quartillas (three-cent coins) to the great saloons where huge piles of silver dollars were staked at monte.

[32]From hills overlooking the town, the eye takes in a charming picture—a far-stretching valley, enriched with orchards, vineyards, and cornfields, through which the river traces a shining pathway.

[36] Frederick Russell Burnham, a celebrated scout, was put in charge of a 250-strong private security detail hired by John Hays Hammond, who in addition to owning large investments in Mexico, was a close friend of Taft from Yale and a U.S. vice presidential candidate in 1908.

Moore, a Texas Ranger, discovered a man holding a concealed palm pistol standing at the Chamber of Commerce building along the procession route in El Paso.

Meanwhile, the postwar expansion slowed again in the 1960s, but the city continued to grow with the annexation of surrounding neighborhoods and in large part because of its significant economic relationship with Mexico.

Additionally, this mountain range is home to the famous natural red-clay formation, the Thunderbird, from which the local Coronado High School gets its mascot's name.

The tower did use a design of the United States flag during the July 4 holidays, as well as the American hostage crisis of 1980, and was lit continuously following the September 11 attacks in 2001 until around 2006.

Don Juan de Oñate, a New Spain-born conquistador of Spanish parents, was an expedition leader who ordered a big feast north of the Río Grande in what is now San Elizario.

[citation needed] Oñate declared la Toma (taking possession), claiming all territory north of the Río Grande for King Philip II of Spain.

Although Anthony, Santa Teresa, Sunland Park, and Chaparral lie adjacent to El Paso County, they are considered to be part of the Las Cruces, New Mexico metropolitan area by the United States Census Bureau.

When this moisture moves into the El Paso area and places to the southwest, orographic lift from the mountains, combined with strong daytime heating, causes thunderstorms, some severe enough to produce flash flooding and hail, across the region.

One example of El Paso's varying climate at its most extreme was the damaging winter storm of early February 2011, which caused closures of schools, businesses, and City Hall.

In late July and early August 2006, up to 10 in (250 mm) of rain fell in a week, the flood-control reservoirs overflowed and caused major flooding citywide.

[89] Much of the damage was associated with development in recent decades in arroyos protected by flood-control dams and reservoirs, and the absence of any storm drain utility in the city to handle the flow of rain water.See or edit raw graph data.

[105][106] Protestants form a minority of Christians in the city limits, and the remainder of the non-Christian population were followers of Judaism, Islam, or eastern faiths, including Buddhism or Hinduism.

[112] This makes the city one of six Texas metro areas to have at least one Fortune 500 company call it home; the others being Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi.

More than 70 Fortune 500 companies have offices in El Paso, including AT&T, ADP, Boeing, Charles Schwab, Delphi, Dish Network, Eureka, Hoover, Raytheon, USAA and Verizon Wireless.

[119] Tourism is another major industry in El Paso, bringing in $1.5 billion and over 2.3 million visitors annually due to the city's sunny weather, natural beauty, rich cultural history, and many outdoor attractions.

Consistently ranked as one of the top 50 shows in the country by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, this charitable event is a true celebration of western culture and heritage.

The annual Neon Desert Music Festival is a two-day event usually held on the last Saturday and Sunday of May on five stages in downtown El Paso, stretching from San Jacinto Plaza to Cleveland Square.

[136] Dubbed as the world's largest tattoo and musical festival, the event is held usually the last weekend of July at the El Paso County Coliseum.

[140] It has received both national and international recognition as a result of its very successful tours of Germany in 1996 and Turkey in 2000, and continues to represent the El Paso region with pride and distinction.

[146] The El Paso Playhouse, a community theatre, provides entertainment and educational experiences to a diverse multicultural population through the high-quality production of plays and theatrical events.

The playhouse provides a venue for artists, technicians, patrons, and community members to participate in the arts through regularly scheduled season productions and holiday performances.

[148] The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, located on the grounds of UTEP, includes a comprehensive collection of El Paso Brown, Native American pottery, as well as educational exhibits for students.

Power is concentrated in the eight-member elected city council and mayor, who hire a manager to carry out its directives and oversee the delivery of public services.

[citation needed] In 2019, KCOS was absorbed and moved to Lubbock as part of Texas Tech Public Media in order to keep the station on air after years of financial struggles.

[241] The first bridge to cross the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte was built in the time of Nueva España, over 250 years ago, from wood hauled in from Santa Fe.

Adobe buildings in "Franklin" c. 1850. Thought to be one of the earliest depictions of the settlement
El Paso, c. 1880
Map of the city in 1886
El Paso Electric Railway traveling from Smeltertown in 1912
Mesa Avenue, the heart of El Paso, Texas (postcard, c. 1917)
General Pershing 's punitive expedition camp near the border, El Paso, Texas (postcard, c. 1916): Franklin Mountains, left-to-right (i.e., south-to-north) are: Ranger Peak, Sugarloaf Mountain, and part of South Franklin Mountain
False-color satellite image of El Paso (upper right) and Ciudad Juárez (lower left): Paved streets and buildings appear in varying shades of blue-gray, and red indicates vegetation.
A view of the Franklin Mountains from central El Paso
A large, illuminated star on Franklin Mountains has become an informal symbol of El Paso.
El Paso's upper valley in northwest El Paso
Madeline Park in Kern Place
A view of northeast El Paso from the Franklin Mountains
Sunset in west El Paso
Palm trees in East El Paso
Snow in the Franklin Mountains in west El Paso
The Rio Grande in west El Paso, near New Mexico–Texas state line
Climate chart for El Paso
Ethnic origins in El Paso
Helen of Troy Limited corporate office
Great River Raft Race held annually on the Rio Grande in El Paso's upper valley
Cleveland Square in downtown El Paso is where many of the festivals are held annually.
Viva! El Paso performance at the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre
Plaza theater at night
Plaza Theater at night
El Paso Museum of Archaeology, diorama shows Cueva de la Olla (cave of the pot – a large pot-shaped storage container for grain), Paquimé, Sierra Madre of Chihuahua
Asia exhibit entrance at the El Paso Zoo
Aerial view of Sun Bowl Stadium and Kidd Field
Don Haskins Center at the UTEP campus
The Wyler Aerial Tramway in the Franklin Mountains is the only commercial tramway in the state of Texas .
Bouldering on North Mountain at Hueco Tanks
The Contemplative Garden at the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens
UTEP 's College of Engineering building
El Paso Children's Hospital at the Medical Center of the Americas
Hotel Bristol and the Union Depot at El Paso, Texas (postcard, c. 1912)
Airport Security Concourse at the El Paso International Airport
IH-10–US-54 Interchange
El Paso Street Car on Stanton street
The Bridge of the Americas as seen from El Paso, Texas, in June 2016
El Paso County map