Don Juan de Oñate’s crossing of the Paso del SERVICE AREA PROFILE Norte and forming the first permanent settlement in the area. That year the El Paso settlers GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY & CLIMATE marked the first Thanksgiving in North America, some 23 years before the better-known feasts in Massachusetts in 1621. When the feasting ended, Oñate took possession of all lands watered by the Rio Grande. Onate’s El Paso would become a major metropolis in Texas three centuries later. The nickname of “The Sun City” is well earned, as El Paso enjoys an average daily temperature of almost 70° and over 300 days of sunshine each year. It plays host to the The City of El Paso, the sociopolitical center of annual Sun Bowl college football game second El Paso County and of West Texas, has a only to the Rose Bowl as the oldest continuous distinct culture, climate, and supply of resources bowl game as well as a college basketball that makes water consumption unique among tournament and parade also associated with the similar municipalities in the desert southwest of Sun Bowl. Low humidity and an average annual the United States. El Paso is located in the rainfall of eight inches help to make the Sun City northern extreme of the Chihuahuan desert, and a twelve-month-a-year attraction. One of only lies on the frontier of three states, two countries, two counties of the 254 in the state of Texas and three diverse water supplies. The upper Rio located in the Mountain Time zone, El Paso is Grande valley forms a natural crossing between actually representative of several topographies. the Chihuahuan Mountains to the south and the Franklin Mountains (the southern edge of the The Rocky Mountains reach their southern end Rocky Mountains) to the north. The region, in the area. The City’s average elevation is 3,762 consisting of El Paso, Texas; Ciudad Juárez, feet above sea level, climbing as high as 7,200 Mexico; and Las Cruces, New Mexico, is home feet. The nearly 250 square miles of to slightly more than two million people. incorporated land is part of the junction between Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas and also The City’s name can be traced to the Spanish El includes lush farmland along the Rio Grande. Paso Del Norte, or the “pass of the north.” During The river has actually been tamed from its the 16th Century, Conquistadors such as Alvar historical might. Called the Rio Bravo in Mexico, Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, Francisco Vásquez de the Rio Grande’s origin is snowmelt from Coronado, and Don Antonio de Espejo passed Colorado and New Mexico. It is the natural through the area in the name of the Spanish boundary between the United States and Mexico crown, but typically were met with resistance by from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico. To help settle the local natives. Most explorers passed right on a dispute over who gets to use its water, the through, looking for the fabulously rich “Seven federal government eventually intervened. On Cities of Ciboloa”, December 2, 1905, Secretary of the Interior and chasing Ethan A. Hitchcock authorized the Rio Grande legends of lost Project. In conjunction with the formation of gold. In 1998, the quasi-governmental water districts in southern City marked the New Mexico and in El Paso County, ground was quadricentennial broken on the biggest project of its kind to date— celebration of one to build a series of dams and canals over who stayed, hundreds of miles. marking the 400th anniversary of 9 200,000 new residents will live in the El Paso region by the year 2025. The El Paso Tri-State region is the fifth largest manufacturing center in North America. In 2015, maquiladoras in Cd. Juarez employed over 270,000 workers, representing over 20 percent of the total maquila jobs in Mexico. With more than 40 industrial parks and over 70 Fortune 500 Running linear to the Rio Grande River in New companies with a presence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and Texas with a maximum width of 4.5 roughly 25 percent of Mexico’s total production miles, the Project extends 165 miles north and sharing output is manufactured in our sister city. forty miles southeast of El Paso, Texas. The The success of the maquila program has allowed water system for this narrow oasis features the the El Paso region to gain a globally competitive three hundred foot tall Elephant Butte Dam and advantage in the manufacturing industry. The its smaller companion Caballo Dam, six maquiladora industry is highly dependent on the diversion dams, 141 miles of canals, 462 miles strength of U.S industrial production, which of laterals, 457 miles of drains, and a began to cool down in the latter half of 2008. As hydroelectric plant. The Rio Grande flows a result, the Juarez maquiladora association’s through narrow gorges requiring diversion and payroll expansion slowed for the subsequent canal systems for three valleys: the Rincón, years. However, since then, a substantial Mesilla, and El Paso. This necklace of fertility improvement has emerged and brought blankets 178,000 acres in Doña Ana, Sierra and maquiladora employment levels close to the Socorro Counties in south central New Mexico peak employment figures seen in summer of and the City and County of El Paso. Sixty 2007. percent of Project lands are in New Mexico and the remaining 40 percent are in Texas. Major Employers (excluding retail & government) Supplemental drainage provides water for Tenet Hospitals Limited 18,000 acres in the Hudspeth County (Texas) El Paso Healthcare Systems, LTD. Conservation and Reclamation District. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Subsequent agreements between the United T&T Staff Management L.P. States and Mexico solved not only the Mexican Dish Network allotment but also a disputed piece of territory in Alorica central El Paso.1 GC Service El Paso Electric Company DEMOGRAPHICS AND SOCIOECONOMIC Full Beauty Brands El Paso is currently the sixth largest city in Texas Verizon Wireless and the 19th largest city in the United States. El Jordan Foster Construction, LLC Paso County has an estimated population of Wester Refining Source: City of El Paso, Economic & International Development, over 850,000 people with another 1.4 million in December 2015 El Paso’s sister city of Juarez, Mexico. With a population of over 220,000 in Southern New The El Paso economy is slowly transitioning into Mexico, the El Paso region constitutes the new industries with less dependence on the largest international border community in the traditional manufacturing and industrial sectors. world. With expansion of Ft. Bliss, an additional According to Forbes Magazine, El Paso ranked among one of the best cities for income growth 1 Autobee, Robert. “The Rio Grande Project.” United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. Denver, CO (1994). p. 2. 10 in the past five years and in the that time, increase by 2015. The long term economic incomes for college graduates have steadily impact over the next few years is estimated at grown more than any other major metropolitan $7.4 billion, an increase of nearly 15% in El area. Pay has increased for educated El Paso’s gross regional product for the El Paso Pasoans who are taking advantage of increased area. job opportunities in the higher income earning areas in the public sector. Altogether, the El Fort Bliss is the first military post in the nation to Paso economy gained over 4,700 jobs during the be designated a Center for Renewable Energy, year, representing an annual growth rate of 1.6% which means more federal funding and private as the local economy continues to grow. El Paso sector investment which could total to more than has four international ports-of-entry bordering $400 million for the local economy. By 2017, Ft. Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua and one international Bliss will utilize solar power, geothermal power airport with a Foreign Trade Zone located and a waste-to-energy facility. These renewable adjacent to the airport. Twenty-five percent of all sources of energy could provide enough power trade between Mexico and the U.S. travels for the base to operate completely independent through the El Paso ports-of-entry. The future of of the local power grid. manufacturing in El Paso will likely arise from the The University of Texas at El Paso attraction of research and development opportunities created by significant events in military and healthcare that will change the dynamics of the regional economy. BRAC Expansion Due to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions made in 2005, El Paso is embarking on a very significant period of growth. In 2013, Fort Bliss realized a net increase of over El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El 37,000 active duty personnel – the largest net Paso (UTEP), the second oldest member of the gain from any military installation in America. University of Texas System. It was founded in The Army projected approximately 16,000 1913 and became part of the U.T. system in spouses and 21,000 children will accompany 1919. The UTEP campus is located on the these personnel as they transition to El Paso. An foothills of the southern tip of the Rocky investment of over $5.0 billion for construction Mountains, and its architecture is derived from projects will support the 300% base population 11 the temples in the Himalayan kingdom of applications for only 40 positions. The first class Bhutan. UTEP offers 70 bachelors and 76 of students began classes during the 2009 fall master degree programs along with 20 doctoral semester.