Now, if I say "West" most people think of the west side of town on the mountainside. The west side includes that and it also includes the upper valley, Canutillo, and Anthony. Let's look at west hillside first: close-in are some turn-of -the-century neighborhoods including Sunset Heights, Kern Place, Rim Road, and the University of Texas at El Paso. There is an argument to be made that the inner parts of these areas are in central. Whatever you like is fine with me. Much of these close-in areas are just oozing with charm. Some properties also fall into the category of "Eye popping magnificent." Words don't work so well here and you'll just have to see it. Want a gated community with open mouth views? try Crazy Cat. How about classic charm? try Rim Road and Kern Place. On the "close in" west hillside are condo/townhomes, a high rise condo, Providence and Sierra Hospitals, lots of med-labs and doc-offices, and then there is UTEP and all that a dynamic 25,000 student university brings. I grew up in Massachusetts and enjoyed hanging out in Harvard Square on a Sunday afternoon.... well, we have our own mini-Harvard Square on Cincinatti Street and surrounding blocks. Old movies, good coffee, funky, and chic, all rolled into one. Home prices here are mixed but tend to be at a premium as you're paying for the quality and the location, and often the views and proximity to things medical and legal. The west hillside stretches another several miles north, generally having newer and newer homes as it works its way north. Again, there is a wide mix of pricing (sub $100,000 to over $1 million) and offerings. Coronado Country Club is our high end bastion on the hill (we have a similar enclave in the upper valley at El Paso Country Club) with sprawling and charming homes surrounding the courses. Shopping? Sunland Park Drive is home to our west side mall and most big box retailers. Mesa street offers several miles of retail and professional space with many miles of neon lights employed in the process... there is something for everyone. In 2008, the west side witnessed the building of a full blown, 90-store, multi-anchored factory outlet mall just off Interstate 10. Would it work in El Paso where we have some of the world's best "real" factory outlet malls for western gear? The answer is, "yes sir!" and now they are adding another 80 stores to this brand new mall. Ole! The upper valley is the inlet of the Rio Grande and was and remains our farmlands. Built up over the last 50 years, the upper valley also includes a wide mix of homes and home costs. The Willows, for example, is a fine Planned Unit Development offering architectural consitancy while avoiding cookie cutter design. This community envelops the old bosque (wetlands) and the bosque has been formed into a delightful small lake winding through the neighborhood. Imagine living in the desert, and on the waterfront! It is just fantastic. The El Paso Country Club is ringed by some of El Paso's finest homes with heavily treed grounds, irrigation off the Rio, horseback riding trails, and all that the country club offers. Here you will find some neighborhoods with near $100,000 prices, and other price tags into the multimillions. All are welcome. The Keystone Site and Botanical Gardens are co-located and represent some of our oldest and newest features of the upper valley. Located on Doniphan, a mile north of Sunland Park Drive, the 4,500 year old Keystone Site is an ancient human habitat now under study. The Botanical Gardens provides a wonderful place to see high desert flora, and provides a lovely backdrop for community functions. Canutillo and Anthony are a little further north and can provide upper valley charm with sometimes slighly lower price tags. Want a small horse property? You may find one for under $200,000 with a little luck. Canutillo is home to the factory outlet mall, and the famous Little Dinner, feeding grounds for presidents! This outlying area is also home to some fantastic vinyards with delightful winery offerings and open to the public events such as movies on the patio with catered dinner for $10 bucks a pop... really hard to beat. A recent show was Jaws, with, you may have guessed it, fish & chips for dinner. TAH DAH! Old Mesilla, NM is a mid-1800's town, turned art colony and quality tourist destination. The old plaza is ringed with art, Native American handcrafts, books, and jewery shops. The offerings extend several blocks toward the main road. This is some of the country's most unique shopping and not to be missed. One of my favorite stops here is the Double Eagle Restaurant. The Double Eagle combines Victorian charm, great food, a happy staff, and an occasional ghost sighting... can't get that at IHOP! If you're not too hungry, particularly on a cool fall afternoon, try a small bowl of caldillo (spicy beef stew) as an interim repast. A most unusual place. I recently toured our upper valley new home offerings and found a beautifuly finished (granite, stainless steel appliances, 3-car garage with views) 3200 sf home for $409,000. Then, a little further north two other homes offering 4 bedrooms, 2900 sf at $287,000. We visited several smaller homes that were a deight at Campus Park (next to the El Paso Community College campus) in the range of $154,000 to $179,000. Then, a little further north in Anthony, the same house plans at about $10,000 less, and with sweeping views. Call if you would like to see our furnished models. In summary, there is much to recommend west El Paso, and its upper valley communities.
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