Part of the largest and fastest-growing international community in North America, El Paso (pop. 645,000) was originally settled because of its site at one of the safest crossings of the Rio Grande. It later grew into a vital way station on the transcontinental Butterfield Stage and Southern Pacific Railroad. As its name suggests, for most people El Paso is a place to pass through, but there are many things here for visitors to enjoy.
One of the most interesting aspects of El Paso is the border itself, which for years followed the Rio Grande (known as the Río Bravo in Mexico), whose frequent changes in course caused innumerable problems for the two governments. Finally, in 1963, the river was run through a concrete channel so it could not change course. El Paso has at least three other unique claims to fame: It’s the home of Tony Lama boots, which are available at significant discounts at four showrooms around town; the “World’s Largest Harley-Davidson Dealership,” Barnett’s, is along I-10 at Lee Trevino Drive; and the UTEP (University of Texas El Paso) campus, along I-10 west of town, has the only buildings in North America designed to look like Tibetan monasteries. College basketball fans may also know that in 1966 UTEP (then called Texas Western) became the first all-black team to win the NCAA championships.
Hidden away amidst El Paso’s horizontal sprawl are the oldest Spanish colonial missions that still stand in what is now the United States. This trio of churches—Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario—stand along the well-signed “Mission Trail,” southeast of downtown between the Rio Grande and I-10.
Places to eat in and around El Paso tend, not surprisingly, to specialize in Tex-Mex food. One unique stop: breakfast or lunch at the H&H Coffee Shop (915/533-1144), just north of downtown at 701 E. Yandell Avenue, where you can enjoy delicious scrambled eggs and chorizo or chile relleno burritos while getting your car cleaned at the adjacent car wash. Another classic is Forti’s Mexican Elder (915/772-0066), at 321 Chelsea Street east of downtown near the Paisano Avenue exit off I-10.
El Paso’s finest place to stay is the grand old Camino Real Paso del Norte Hotel ($90 and up; 915/534-3000), at 101 S. El Paso Street, one of the classiest hotels anywhere, with a beautiful bar off the lobby. All the usual mid-range chains are here too: There’s a nice old-fashioned Travelodge ($40 and up; 915/772-4231), at 6400 Montana Avenue; plus a handy HI-approved youth hostel at the historic Gardner Hotel (915/532-3661), downtown at 311 E. Franklin Street.
For maps or more information on El Paso or neighboring Juárez, Mexico, contact the visitors bureau (915/534-0696 or 800/351-6024), located downtown at 1 Civic Center Plaza.
