First Impressions
High Desert
I’m not sure what I was expecting to find in El Paso. I knew it was high desert and I have lived in the high desert in Arizona.
El Paso does not look like the high desert in Arizona. The ground is sand colored rather than red, and I haven’t seen forests of juniper and pine trees. In fact, coming from the pacific northwest, the lack of trees is slightly alarming.
The city of El Paso
Before I moved to El Paso, I watched a Youtube video my real estate agent, Ingrid Dohrmann, sent me. The video, which you can see here, promotes the tri-cities: El Paso, Las Cruzes, and Juarez. It is fabulously done and focuses on culture, industry, agriculture, and education.
The day I arrived, I drove through town on I10 east. I saw a sprawling city, full of residential neighborhoods, shopping centers, and ornate bridges. I was in awe. The city seems to go on forever in every direction. According to Macrotrends the metro population is currently 974,000. There is some discrepancy on size, depending on where you look, but it sprawls across approximately 253 square miles.
El Paso’s east side
I went to look at our new house and by the time I left for our airbnb it was dark. The east side of El Paso looks lovely and full of life at night. Lights sparkle everywhere. In the daytime it is not quite as lovely, as you begin to see the extreme dryness. Between enormous strip malls, the light colored dirt is sparsely covered with scrub.
Architecture
From what I have seen, the architecture in El Paso is varied and beautiful. Homes are made from combinations of wood, stucco, brick, and stone, with many embellishments.
I have seen twisted stone pillars, brick trim, ornate fences, and Mexican-style porticos. Many of the homes have stone walls, rather than wooden fences, in their backyards. They are both prettier and less likely to rot and fall down.
Weather
I arrived in El Paso on August 1st. It has been very hot during the day but cools off in the evening. Summer and fall are considered rainy season. What this has meant so far is dramatic sunsets, wind, lightening storms, and about ten minutes of rain at night. It’s a pretty big change from the cool temperatures and relentless rain of the pacific northwest.
Streets in east El Paso
So far I have only explored the five-mile radius near my new home. Most of the major roads are two lanes in both directions, with a center divider. I sometimes have to make a u-turn to cross. The streets are not laid out in grid fashion. They each consist of a first and last name and loop around residential areas in a seemingly haphazard fashion
People
I haven’t met a lot of people yet, but those I have met have been very kind. They are less chatty with strangers, perhaps; I’ll let you know.
Customer service staff in stores and restaurants are so polite and willing to help, especially the young people. I am constantly amazed by their polite congeniality.
First impressions
So far, I like El Paso very much. It’s unlike any city I’ve been to and I am looking forward to exploring here. I hope you’ll subscribe and continue to read about this fascinating place.
Cover photo credit: Ingrid Dohrmann, Exp Realty
I’m a native El Pasoan . Welcome to El Paso . Enjoy living there , people are very nice and friendly , trust me . You will enjoy El Paso the most during the Christmas , and Thanksgiving Holidays . The city really comes together on these special days. Don’t forget to go to Annual Sun Bowl game on Jan 31 st.
. Go to Cattlemens Steak House for real SouthWest Ranch style setting , ENJOY , lots to do there
Hi Richard. Thank you so much for your comment and suggestions! So far I’ve met some great people, went to a steakhouse for my birthday, and have written an article on the splash parks (just have to post it). If you are still in El Paso, I have a book signing at the Cactus Flower Bookery on October 1st and would love to see you there. 🙂
I lived in El Paso for 6 years. I really liked the different culture in El Paso and most people were super nice. The sunsets were to die for. and I LOVED the home we but. There were a couple of incidents that were blatantly racist and the owners of the
establishments did nothing. Additionally, I liked El Paso because I got to learn about a new culture. Not sure how a city can be diverse when there is literally only one culture and that culture is not very welcoming of other cultures?? But I knew it was not my final home so I enjoyed the good, and didn’t focus on the bad.
Thank you for your comment, Jennifer. It sounds like you kept a positive attitude and were able to enjoy yourself here. I’ll be writing more in the near future.
I live in El Paso and I could careless what race you are. Everyone is welcome. I’m sorry that happened to you.
I used to live in El Paso and I totally enjoyed it, I could go just about anywhere in 30 minutes or less, I had a great job the only thing is El Paso has dry heat so most of the time there was zero humidity so make sure you drink a lot of water and moisturize.
Thank you for your comment, Christine. So far we are enjoying ourselves here, although I think some of the rain from Oregon might have followed us. We’ve had quite a lot of it this month. 😀
Before we moved from Seattle we looked up the pros and cons of living in El Paso. Other tan the wind there were no cons. We have been here almost 3 years and I can say nothing bad about it.
Thank you for your comment, Patricia. The wind. Yep. I am enjoying it here as well, although I do miss the lovely hikes in Oregon. I’m still exploring, so if you know of any great places to visit, please let me know. 🙂
Go explore Cloudcroft and Riudoso, NM 2 hours north. Huge mountains with billions of pine trees. We love it there and it’s one of the reasons why we live here.
Thank you for reading, Alan. Cloucroft and Ruidoso are definately on my bucket list!
I moved to El Paso in 1972 from central NM and Okla. I love it here. Am now retired and never once thought about moving. People are wonderful. Awonderful blend of Anglo and Hispanic culture. Best Mexican food in the USA. Guarantee you will love it.
Thanks for reading, Bob.
I loved El Paso….. I was born and raised in Florida but moved to El Paso and lived there for 8+ years but I’m back in Florida now because of a massive stroke….., do I want to go back to El Paso…,yes I do
Thank you for your comment. I hope you make it back!
I LOVE EP! I am born and raised proud El Pasoan. I have traveled to many places and I am proud to say EP has never discriminated against me and as a biracial woman of color, I have experienced it in many other places. El Pasoans are proud to come together to help one another in times of need and come together to celebrate as well. The food is the best, the people are kind and loving, the culture is rich and flavorful and the weather is awesome. No worries of natural disasters here, just great culture, love and good people!
Thank you for your comment, Kellie.
I lived in the lower valley for over 20 years. I left when things became more dangerous than the norm due to the Cartels. We used to have sooo much fun crossing the border into Mexico for shopping and dining as well as the nightlife. It is my understanding that while the lower valley is still bad, the upper east side and west sides remain really great. I hope to visit this summer and am looking forward to it. Cattlemen’s, don’t miss it.
Thank you for your comment, Tim. I’ll definately look into Cattlemen’s.
Welcome to El Paso. This is a beautiful community, full of culture, great food, and what makes us unique is that we are a border town. Two countries one beautiful community.
Thank you for your comment, Araceli. I appreciate your support!