Visiting El Paso
El Paso is one of the most unique cities in the United States. For starters, it’s perhaps the only city in America that I’ve ever visited where English is not the default language. Most everyone speaks both, so not knowing Spanish isn’t a problem, but otherwise walking down the streets you’d think you’re in another country. And that’s really no surprise, as the Mexican border and city of Juarez is directly along side El Paso. As a matter of fact, if you looked at a city map or satellite image, you’d probably not even notice that Juarez and El Paso are two different cities! In this photo above the foreground is El Paso, while the buildings in the very back are Juarez, Mexico.
El Paso has a population of nearly 700,000 people, with the immediate suburbs adding another 100,000 people. Anything past greater El Paso and you’ll find mostly empty desert. In many ways El Paso is sort of an Oasis in western Texas built along the Rio Grande. The river allowed early settlers to survive in a harsh desert environment hundreds of years ago. Today El Paso has grown to become one of America’s greatest cities, and has several high rise buildings.
The shopping district of El Paso looks like any other place in a Latin American city. What I found most incredible is this part of the city is just 1,000 feet (300 meters) from the border of Mexico! It’s here where I walked around visiting the flower shops and clothing stores that I felt that I was in another country. I don’t think I heard a single person speaking English, although I’m sure the vast majority do.
Some parts of El Paso definitely feel like another country, while in other parts you still feel at home. An old fashioned restaurant and bar had these murals on the outside which seemed to depict the city in the 19th century. Below is a more modern concept; converting a shipping container into a business. In this case they created the “Coffee Box”, which I took a short rest in.
My main reason for coming to El Paso was to climb the state’s highest peak that’s located a few hours east. The next morning I woke up and figured I deserved an El Paso breakfast. I went to a local bar for some brunch and ended up ordering the hardy meal below. Despite it still being in the morning, a few interesting characters had already come and gone, giving me the impression that this place might turn pretty busy come night time.
Most people don’t think of El Paso, or all of Texas for that matter as a mountainous place. While the highest mountain in Texas is just a few hours away, the local area has Mt. North Franklin which stands at 7,192 feet (2,192 meters). North Franklin is actually officially within the city limits, but still miles away from downtown. The same mountain ridge goes south from North Franklin right into the heart of El Paso where you can find the Highland Park neighborhood. Traversing the mountain is a road called Scenic Drive that is popular with runners, cyclists, and simply those like me who just wanted to get a great view of the city. Along the drive is a memorial to the early settlers, and the American and Texas flag seen below.
From some of the houses I saw in Highland Park, I assume this to be one of the most expensive and desirable places to live in El Paso. Nearly every house seemed to have its own unique design, and the one below might have been my favorite. These homes were all very close to Scenic Drive, but it looked like some of the houses a few blocks away were mostly mansions.
The low altitude part of the city would definitely be the Rio Grande. Out of curiosity, I decided to get right up to the border to see what it was like. The neighborhood I visited was literally a stone’s throw away from Mexico. If it wasn’t for the American flags displayed I might not have known which country I was in! Elsewhere along the border I found this patrol vehicle standing guard. None of the border areas looked very difficult to cross honestly. If the consequences weren’t so severe I would have been tempted to try it myself to see if I could pull it off 🙂
I visited El Paso right when the country was deeply divided with illegal immigration. With these stories dominating the news I really wanted to visit the border patrol museum but sadly it was closed. I most definitely should have come here first, and then climbed Guadalupe Peak another day! I’d have loved to hear all the challenges from both sides of patrolling the border and those trying to cross it.
While I missed the Border Patrol museum, I did make it to the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. This is probably the best museum in all Texas that covers prehistoric times in the region. During the last ice age, Texas looked quite different t than today. Instead of dry deserts with intolerable summers, the land was much more fertile and green. The photo above shows the end of the last ice age, which is roughly when humans first spread throughout the Americas. When the ice age ended and the fertile plains changed to deserts, humans adapted to their new environment and remained. The photo below shows what one of the local desert tribes looks like.
What I loved most about this museum was their recreation of Native American homes. Most of these are nearly life size, and although you can’t enter any of them it gives you a great glimpse of how the natives once lived. Also on display are artifacts such as arrowheads, artwork, and ancient jewelry. In addition to the cultural parts of the museum, its also features festivals, local nature walks, and a gift store selling things from souvenirs to cactus jelly. Since this wasn’t a dedicated trip to El Paso, I have a lot more to see and do next time I come! Most likely I’ll make the Border Patrol Museum the first priority.
