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El Paso Travel Guide

El Paso is the sixth largest city in Texas, on the United States-Mexico border. The city on the other side of the border is Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. El Paso is often called the Sun City. Collectively, the city of El Paso and other nearby cities, such as Juarez and Las Cruces, New Mexico are referred to as The Borderland.

Contents


Understand

El Paso is geographically divided into several parts with the Franklin Mountains and Fort Bliss cutting the city into distinct sections. Each area has its own style and culture.

Talk

El Paso is a diverse community featuring many different kinds of people. The largest language spoken at home is Spanish, followed by English. Many older El Pasoans speak Spanish regularly in public and it is helpful, although usually not necessary, to understand the language.

History

El Paso was formerly known as El Paso del Norte (The Pass of the North) and was named by Spanish travelers in 1581. The area wasn't colonized by Europeans until 1598 when Don Juan de Oñate led an expedition into the territory. In 1848, El Paso formally became part of the United States and a military post was erected there which eventually became Fort Bliss. The city was actually incorporated in 1873. El Paso Public Library was the first Public Library in Texas.

Climate

El Paso is part of the Chihuahuan Desert. It receives on average about 8.5 inches of rainfall a year. The sky is usually clear and cloud-free. Summer temperatures can reach 100°F (37.7°C) or more. Winter rarely sees snow and temperatures drop to around 40 or 50°F. During periods of rain, flash flooding can occur.

Get in

By plane

The El Paso airport has been approved for the use of full body x-ray detection machines.

By car

By bus

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By train

Amtrak services El Paso. The Depot is located Downtown.

Get around

By car

This may be the easiest way to see what El Paso has to offer. Since many sites of interest are quite far apart from one another, renting a car may afford visitors the most flexibility. Cars can be easily rented at the Airport or on Fort Bliss.

By taxi

Must be called for pickup in most areas.

By bus

By trolley

Historic tours by trolley.

By foot

Once a traveler has reached certain destinations, walking will suffice. Much of what can be seen in the Downtown and UTEP area is easily accessed by pedestrians, for example. Because of the high temperatures it is not very recommendable to walk during summer.

See

Museums and Art galleries

Theatre

Sports

Do

Scenic routes and treks

Walking tours

A number of walking tours of various parts of El Paso are available.

Buy

Have a look over the military surplus stores near Fort Bliss.

Eat

Local Foods

The following foods are popular in El Paso, but not necessarily recommended for everyone.

Drink

The legal drinking age in Texas, like all of the United States, is 21. However across the border in Mexico, the drinking age is set at 18.

The original Margarita recipe was invented in Ciudad Juarez-El Paso region (where Dos Lunas is headquartered) on July 4, 1942 by Francisco "Pancho" Morales. Morales was a bartender at a bar named Tommy's Place, according to The Old Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide (a book that professional and home bartenders alike call the "Bible of Booze"). Morales improvised the drink after a customer ordered a Magnolia, a drink recipe that he did not know, other than the fact that it contained Cointreau. The drink's popularity immediately grew after Morales, who was an instructor at the local bartender's school, began teaching the Margarita recipe to his students. The name Margarita is Spanish for "daisy."

El Paso has a very active nightlife that has something for everyone.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe

El Paso is rated the 2nd Most Safe City in the United States for its size. San Diego took the first spot. All records are based on latest FBI reports.

Most of El Paso is safe from violent crime, and El Paso has a very low murder rate for a large American city. El Paso is generally very quiet and peaceful during the daytime, take normal precautions at night. Areas to avoid at night may include near the international bridges, but curfews on both sides of the border have cut down on the number of aggressive, intoxicated juveniles at night.

El Paso is also has a good neighbor atmosphere, and is a military friendly city.

Environmental Dangers

Emergencies

911 will connect travelers with assistance.

Hospitals with 24 hr Emergency Rooms

Please remember that in the United States health care is private and going to an emergency room can be very expensive if the traveler does not have health insurance.

Veterinary Hospitals that run 24 hr emergency rooms are also extremely expensive. This is the sort of place you might take your sick or injured pet if they are seriously injured and cannot wait for medical care.

Cope

Consulates



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Original content is located at URL: http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/El_Paso