livability.com/tx/el-paso GREATER EL PASOTEXAS FORECAST: FABULOUS Sunny, warm weather draws people outdoors year round GREATER livability.com/tx/el-paso EL PASO TEXAS FORECAST: FABULOUS Sunny, warm weather draws people outdoors year round Field of Dreams New baseball park helps transform downtown 2015 | SPONSORED BY THE GREATER EL PASO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE READ ONLINE Field of Dreams New baseball park helps transform downtown 2015 | SPONSORED BY THE GREATER EL PASO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONTENTS 2015 EDITION VOLUME 5 EL PASO TEXAS Content Director | Lisa Battles Contributing Writers | Cary Estes, Laura Hill, John Braxton Shoop Copy Editor | Jessica Walker Boehm Staff Writer | Kevin Litwin Marketing Coordinator | Lauren Zimmerman Lead Designer | Lindsey Higgins Art Director | Laura Gallagher Senior Graphic Designers | Heather Hauser, Bret Pelizzari, Kris Sexton, Jake Shores, Vikki Williams, Kacey Passmore Creative Technology Analyst | Becca Ary Lead Photographer | Michael D. Tedesco Senior Photographers | Jeff Adkins, Brian McCord Staff Photographers | Michael Conti, Frank Ordoñez, Color Imaging Technician | Alison Hunter Sales Manager | Jared Lane Integrated Media Manager | Stephanie Roselli Ad Production/Sales Support Manager | Katie Middendorf Ad Production/ Sales Support Coordinator | Courtney Cook 5 Welcome Ad Traffic Assistant | Patricia Moisan Web Project Manager | David Day Digital Products Designer | Erica Lampley Web Developer I | Nels Noseworthy Things to Do Web Designer II | Richard Stevens Senior Software Engineer | Jim Porter 8 Weather Chairman | Greg Thurman Forecast: Fabulous President/Publisher | Bob Schwartzman Sunny, warm weather Executive Vice President | Ray Langen Senior V.P./Sales | Jarek Swekosky draws people outdoors Senior V.P./Client Development | Jeff Heefner year round Senior V.P./Operations | Casey Hester V.P./Business Development | Clay Perry V.P./Content Operations | Natasha Lorens 11 Local Flavor Creative Services Director | Christina Carden Photography Director | Jeffrey S. Otto 12 Arts & Culture Web Creative Director | Allison Davis Sponsored Content Director | Walt Brown 13 Sports & Recreation Controller | Chris Dudley 8 Senior Accountant | Lisa Owens Accounts Payable Coordinator | Maria McFarland Accounts Receivable Coordinators | Diana Iafrate, Living Becca Sweitzer Database Director | Debbie Woksa 11 14 Downtown Executive Secretary | Kristy Giles Field of Dreams Human Resources Manager | Peggy Blake New baseball park helps transform city center 17 Health Livability:Greater El Paso, TX is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through 19 Education the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and its member businesses. 21 Community Profile For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by email at [email protected]. Business For more information, contact: Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce 22 Overview 10 Civic Center Plaza • El Paso, TX 79901 Phone: (915) 534-0500 24 Economic Profile www.elpaso.org Visit Livability: Greater El Paso, TX online at livability.com/tx/el-paso SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: ©Copyright 2014 Journal Communications Inc., Las Palmas Del Sol Health Care 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Ste. 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part 26 Business Guide without written consent. Member The Association of Magazine Media Member Custom Content Council Member Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce PLEASE RECYCLE 12 THIS MAGAZINE LIVabILIty.com/TX/el-paso 3 CONVENIENTLY LOCATED next to U.S. 54, Loop 375 Transmountain Road and Fort Bliss. Many restaurants can be found nearby including Applebee’s, Chili’s, Great American Steakhouse and Golden Corral. Walmart is located just down the street for those last-minute purchases and groceries to stock your fridge. Entertainment is at your fingertips at either side of our property including the Carmike theater where you can catch the latest movie. • Fully equipped stainless steel kitchens in all suites All-Suite Property • Large work space with executive chair • Free high-speed wireless and wired Internet • 57 SIngLE OCCuPAnCy SuITES • Flat-screen TV with Blu-ray players and free movie rentals • 24 DOuBLE OCCuPAnCy SuITES • 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center • FOur hAnDICAPPED SuITES • 24-hour complimentary business center with PC and MAC • FOur kIng SuITES • 24-hour cupboard • FIVE ExECuTIVE SuITES • Complimentary laundry facilities • Outdoor gazebo with built-in grills and entertainment patio • Meeting space with 60” Sony LED TV with full media capabilities We offer discounts for members of the following organizations: Military, AAA, AArP, AuSA and The greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. We honor both the government per diem and state per diem. Long-term stay rates are available. 4631 Cohen Avenue • El Paso, TX 79924 • (915) 755-9000 T • (915) 775-9001 F [email protected] • www.candlewoodsuites.com AT A GLANCE El Paso, Texas A QUICK, COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT THE COMMUNITY El Paso possesses all the rich cultural and economic diversity one would expect of a large Anthony metropolitan area on the border of two nations - the United States and EL PASO Mexico, and three states - Texas, 10 New Mexico and Chihuahua. 62 RAISING THE BAR, AGAIN El Paso Exciting new projects are under Ciudad 20 Socorro way in El Paso’s downtown, which Juarez already serves as the epicenter of its arts and entertainment scene, with a new ballpark, theaters, museums, Clint main library and arts organization MEXICO offices. Colorful public art dots the streets, which serve as staging areas for many festivals and events. Rio Grand Tornillo The city’s strong community e ties earned it the All-America City Award in 2010 and a first place ranking as the nation’s safest large city four years running by CQ LOCATION El Paso Press. Add to that 300-plus days El Paso is located along the U.S. and TEXAS of sunshine a year to take in scenic Mexico border on the Rio Grande, mountain views and excellent at the westernmost reach of Texas. parks, and you’ve got a sense of why The Sun City is one of the country’s fastest-growing cities in terms of population, employment POPULATION and income over the past few years. TIME STRONG, SUPPORTIVE ZONE ECONOMY 650,778 Mountain Many of El Paso’s largest Time employers provide technical and customer service support, while DISTANCES TO THREE health care and educational MAJOR CITIES NEARBY institutions employ thousands Las Cruces, NM: 49 miles ANNUAL RAINFALL more, which also means easy Alburquerque, NM: 272 miles access to quality care and workforce Tucson, AZ: 319 miles development opportunities 9.7”National Average: 30” for residents. Fort Bliss is a huge player in FOR MORE INFORMATION the local economy, which along ACCOLADE with adjacent White Sands Missile Greater El Paso Range, makes up one of the largest Chamber of Commerce No. 1 Safest military installations in the world. 10 Civic Center Plaza Large City Meanwhile, proximity to Mexico El Paso, 79901 and its Foreign Trade Zone allows Phone: (915) 534-0500 in the U.S. businesses to capitalize onNAFTA, Fax: (915) 534-0510 CQ Press (2014, 2013, the maquiladora industry, and other prospects in Central and www.elpaso.org 2012, 2011) South America. LIVabILIty.com/TX/el-paso 5 THINGS TO DO El Paso’s must-do attractions, activities and dining Feast Your Eyes Get inspired at the El Paso Museum of Art, where you can view the Kress Collection that showcases 57 paintings and two sculptures. On display are 13th- through 18th-century works from masters like van Dyck, de Ribera, Murillo, di Paolo and Fontana. Baseball Live Music Attractions Food BRING YOUR GLOVE DON’T MISS A BEAT ENJOY THE VIEWS RAISE THE STEAKS Attend an El Paso Add the annual Neon Cruise along Scenic Drive Step up to the plate at Chihuahuas baseball Desert music festival or Trans Mountain Road Cattleman’s Restaurant, game at Southwest at Cleveland Square Park for amazing glimpses of recognized on the Travel University Park. The to your Memorial Day the U.S. and Mexico. Also Channel’s Food Paradise team, whose mascot is weekend plans. Past experience Wyler Aerial as one of the 10 best Chico Chihuahua, is the headliners at the popular Tramway, a Franklin steakhouses in the Triple-A affiliate of the two-day concert included Mountains State Park cable country. Located on San Diego Padres. It Zedd, Wiz Khalifa, MGMT car that gives passengers a working ranch, this competes in the Pacific and Calle 13. birds-eye views of rugged family-style restaurant Coast League. mountain formations. The offers savory meals tramway is open Fridays and desert scenery. through Sundays. CHIHUAHUAS BASEBALL : PHOTO COURTESY OF AVI KOTKOWSKI OF AVI COURTESY BASEBALL : PHOTO CHIHUAHUAS 6 EL Paso THINGS TO DO Take a Walk Unlike Any Other Enjoy a day trip to White Sands National Monument, where you can walk along the world’s largest gypsum dune field. See the wave-like white dunes by car or foot, or take a ranger-led sunset stroll. History Entertainment Theater Farmers Markets PATHWAYS BACK SIT CENTER STAGE CELEBRATE CLASSICS BUY LOCAL IN TIME Catch a performance See performances of Eat healthy and buy Drive along the historic at historic Plaza Theatre works by Shakespeare locally grown food Mission Trail and explore Performing Arts Center, and other classical and handicrafts at the the two oldest missions once known as “The playwrights presented Downtown Artist and in Texas, a presidio chapel Showplace of the by Shakespeare on the Farmers Market as well and a jail that imprisoned Southwest.” Designed Rocks, a community as Ardovino’s Desert Billy the Kid. Several in Spanish Colonial Revival based theater company Crossing Farmers Market. restaurants, shops and style, the venue hosts founded in 1981. The Both markets are open museums are along concerts, film screenings, company produces most every Saturday beginning the route.