Welcome to El Paso!

El Paso has a neighborhood and a style for everyone.  The city's affordability ($134,000 Median)means that you can choose from any area of the city and there will likely be homes that meet your needs and budget.  Here is a briefing on each area with more detail to be found in the neighborhood specific sections.

El Paso proper (3,500' elev, population 650,000) is geologically divided by the Franklin Mountains (5,700' elev.) and so we have naturally developed a west side (including the west hillside, and upper valley), north east, east, lower valley, Horizon, and central area.  We have a through highway, Interstate 10, and a nearly complete city loop road for higher-speed traffic.  We are also geologically divided from our sister city, Ciudad Juarez (pop. 1.4 M), Mexico, by the Rio Grande.

CENTRAL: Includes the old and new downtown areas and residential areas running from the southern base of Franklin Mountain, south 2 miles to our border with Mexico, and sister city Ciudad Juarez (1.4 million pop.).  The central area includes a highly diverse group of neighborhoods which include blocks of delightful smaller adobe and brick homes with affordable prices, to clusters of historically and architecturally significant homes in inner/edge city areas such as Sunset Heights, Rim Road, Cumberland Circle, and Kern Place where El Paso's original "Rich & Famous" built their homes from the 1900's through the 1940's.  Our 25,000 student University of Texas at El Paso, UTEP, adjoins our central area to the northwest.  Central is enriched by our medical and legal communities, as well as creative arts, colorful shopping, and nightlife.  Most Fridays in the summer try Alfresco Friday's at the open plaze near the Plaza Theatre and Art Museum - starting at 6:00 and running to 8:00, free concerts from all musical directions.  Also, most summer Sunday nights try the free concerts at the Chamizal open air amphitheater at dusk, plus various performances at the indoor theatre all year (most at some small entry fee).

EAST:  The buildout into the east side started just as WWII was ending and returning troops began starting families.  Our international airport, plus the world's largest (land area) military base,  and several major shopping areas are located to the east and northeast.  Because of the early start to city expansion, and a somewhat easier topography for building, the east side encompasses our largest city area and largest population - on the order of 2/3's of our total population live here.  There are neighborhoods for every preference and budget, from small tidy neighborhoods, to gated golf course estates.

NORTHEAST: This area surrounds the military bases and military hospital and features a mix of newer and older homes, some with spectacular mountainside homesites with forever views.  An easy drive to the base and military medical care, the northeast is a favorite of active duty and retired military families.... here you'll find some of the best kept homes and yards in the city!  National pride is highly evident here.  Wyler Tramway offers a bird's eye view of three states and two countries.

WEST (including west hillside, and the upper valley of the Rio Grande): Running north and west from UTEP, and bordering on New Mexico, the west side offers a diverse topography with chic mountainside living with vast views, to the lush green upper valley with more of a country or rural atmosphere.  The village of Canutillo is slighly further north in the valley and features several new neighborhoods offering a wide range of new home pricing.  Farming, irrigation rights, horseback riding, and vineyards, are all found in the upper valley.  Also, two close-in New Mexico communities are within a couple minutes drive and these are Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, NM, both in the upper valley.

LOWER VALLEY: This is the outlet of the Rio Grande and includes both residential, rural resudential, vineyards, farms and ranches.  The lower valley includes the Ysleta Pueblo and includes The Mission Trail featuring a string of Spanish Colonial missions.

HORIZON CITY: Head west on I 10 about 20 miles out and you'll find Horizon, with a small town feel, a great golf course, an easy crossing to Mexico, and somewhat more bang for the buck in housing prices.  There is a full range of property offerings here.  Added bonus: not far from Cattleman's Restaurant in Fabens... one of the world's best places to kick back with a truly fantastic steak dinner complete with Texas Caviar (baked beans).

SOCORRO: About 20 miles southeast of El Paso center. Located in the outlying area of the lower valley, Socorro is a charming rural place with broad fields for farming, ranches, and horseback riders.  Here you will find simple, comfortable homes on larger lots, mixed in with larger homes and properties, many in the same family for generations.  The Mission Trail extends into Socorro.  Lots of charm and peace.

Outlying: El Pasoans are lured to Carlsbad Caverns (3 hours), Hueco Tanks for ancient pictographs and rock climbing (30 minutes), Cloudcroft, NM and Ruidoso, NM (about 2 hours and 2.5 hours) for skiing at Ski Apache, shopping, dining, and kicking back.  I am a lifelong skier and can say that Ski Apache (10,000' elev) is an unexpected treasure so close to El Paso.

Please see the area-specific pages for more detail. 

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