|
El Paso is a city located in Texas on the border between the United States and Mexico. The Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from the north and the Rio Grande River which demarks the US-Mexican border runs along its southern edge. Situated in the Chihuahuan Desert, it adjoins both the US state of New Mexico and the country of Mexico. It is in El Paso County.
El Paso has been the site of human settlement for thousands of years. The city name dates back to 1581 when Spanish conquistadores crossed the Rio Grande River and named the passage El Paso del Rio del Norte (the pass through the river of the north). In 1598, Don Juan de Oñate colonized the area and named it El Paso. It became a US city in 1873.
El Paso is the fifth most populous city in the state of Texas. According to the United States Census Burea the population in 2000 was 563,662. It is the among the twenty-five most populous cities in the United States. The census bureau esimated the population to be 584,113 in 2003. According to this estimate, the city is gaining population at a rate of 0.88% per year.
El Paso is the second most populous American city bordering Mexico. Only San Diego, California is bigger. Across the Rio Grande lies Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The two cities form the core of a binational metropolitan area of about two million people.
It is the the seat of El Paso county. It has an area of 249.1 square miles. According to the US Geologic Survey, the city is at 31°45'31" north and 106°29'11" west. The Federal Information Processing Standards location code (FIPS55) for this city is 4824000.
University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College are in El Paso.
El Paso International airport serves the city. Highways 10, 20 and 25 pass through El Paso. The Rio Grande River passes by the city.
The city has a desert climate with an annual precipitation of 9.43 inches. Winters are generally cool with very little precipitation and summers are hot with little rain.
Note: This article was created using various standard informational sources. Please help us improve this listing by submitting corrections or improvements using the “submit content” link at the top of this page or volunteering to become an editor.
|