50 Fun Facts About El Paso

El Paso sits across the Rio Grande from which Mexican city?

Together with Las Cruces they form the Borderplex, a region of about 2.7 million people.

What does the name El Paso mean in Spanish?

It refers to the pass through the mountains carved by the Rio Grande.

El Paso keeps a different clock from Dallas and Houston. Which zone is it in?

Ciudad Juárez used to be on Central Time, but both cities now keep the same clock.

On average, how many days a year does the sun shine in El Paso, earning it the "Sun City" nickname?

That works out to 83 percent of all daylight hours.

El Paso lies within which desert?

It is the easternmost part of the Basin and Range region.

Which mountain range runs through the middle of El Paso?

The range runs 23 miles from El Paso into New Mexico.

How high is North Franklin Mountain, the highest peak inside the city?

The city itself sits at about 3,740 feet, so the peak rises roughly 3,400 feet above downtown.

El Paso is home to a 24,000-acre state park that is one of the largest what in the nation?

At about 24,000 acres it lies entirely within the city limits.

The Mexican city across the river was known by what name until 1888?

Its full name was El Paso del Norte, the North Pass; it was renamed for Benito Juárez, whose republican forces had stopped there during the French intervention.

Which Spanish explorer celebrated a Thanksgiving Mass by the Rio Grande near El Paso in 1598?

That is 23 years before the Pilgrims' feast at Plymouth, and locals still make the claim.

Which mission in El Paso is recognized as the oldest continuously operated parish in Texas?

The Tigua people built it in 1682 after fleeing the Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico.

Why is the name of the Tigua mission community spelled with a Y rather than an I?

The Tigua's original home was Isleta Pueblo, south of Albuquerque.

El Paso County was established in 1850 with which town as its first county seat?

The county seat later moved to El Paso itself, which incorporated in 1873.

Who was hired in 1859 to survey and lay out the street plan of downtown El Paso?

The settlement had until then been known as Franklin, after an earlier landowner.

In what year was the city of El Paso incorporated?

The railroads arrived in 1881 and the population hit 10,000 by 1890.

What lawless nickname did the boomtown earn in the 1880s?

Gambling and prostitution flourished until the Army forced a crackdown during World War I.

Which Old West gunfighter was shot dead in El Paso's Acme Saloon in 1895?

Constable John Selman walked up behind him and shot him in the head; his last words at the dice table were "Four sixes to beat".

Which 52-acre El Paso cemetery holds the gunfighter killed at the Acme Saloon?

The 52-acre ground has sections for Buffalo Soldiers, Freemasons, Mormons and Jewish burials.

In 1909, El Paso hosted the first meeting between a US and a Mexican president. Who were they?

A would-be assassin with a palm pistol was disarmed a few feet from the two men on the day of the summit.

Which US Army post headquartered in El Paso is home to the 1st Armored Division?

The division came home in 2011 after 40 years in Germany.

The Army post headquartered in El Paso covers roughly how much land across two states?

It has the largest maneuver area of any Army post and the biggest block of restricted airspace in the continental US.

Which general was stationed at El Paso's Army post in 1914 and later led the expedition against Pancho Villa?

The expedition followed Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico, in March 1916.

The Chamizal border dispute over the shifting Rio Grande was settled by a treaty ratified in which year?

President Kennedy pushed for the settlement, and the land is now the Chamizal National Memorial.

Under what name was the University of Texas at El Paso founded in 1913?

A practice mineshaft still survives on campus, and the teams are still the Miners.

UTEP's campus buildings imitate the dzong architecture of which Himalayan kingdom?

The dean's wife saw photographs of its monasteries in a 1914 National Geographic and thought the mountain setting matched.

In 1966, Texas Western's all-Black starting five beat which team for the NCAA basketball title?

The Miners won 72-65 against Adolph Rupp's all-white Wildcats; the story became the film Glory Road.

Who coached the 1966 Texas Western champions?

Nicknamed "the Bear", he entered the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1997.

El Paso's Sun Bowl is the second-oldest college bowl game after which one?

The first Sun Bowl in 1935 was actually played between Texas high school teams.

In what year did Sun Bowl Stadium open?

Its playing field sits 3,910 feet above sea level, one of the highest in major college football.

El Paso's Triple-A baseball team is the Chihuahuas, an affiliate of which MLB club?

They moved from Tucson in 2014 to Southwest University Park, built on the site of the old city hall.

What is the name of El Paso's USL Championship soccer club, which debuted in 2019?

It shares Southwest University Park with the Chihuahuas.

The Wyler Aerial Tramway carries riders up to which summit?

From the top, 5,632 feet up, you can see three states and two countries on a clear day.

When was the Star on the Mountain first lit above El Paso?

It began as a Christmas decoration meant to signal to both sides of the border that America was at peace; it is now lit year-round.

How tall is the El Paso Star?

It is 278 feet wide and sits about 300 feet above Scenic Drive.

Mount Cristo Rey, topped by a giant limestone crucifix, is technically in which state?

The statue by Urbici Soler was completed in 1939 above Sunland Park and draws Catholic pilgrims.

Hueco Tanks, east of El Paso, is named for what?

Its pictographs, some thousands of years old, include hundreds of painted masks.

Chico's Tacos, founded in 1953, is famous for rolled tacos served in what?

Founder Joe Mora was a local boxing promoter; his children have run it since his death in 1992.

Downtown's San Jacinto Plaza is nicknamed after which animals that once lived in its pond?

Live reptiles were kept there from 1962; today statues stand in their place.

The Plaza Theatre, opened in 1930, was fitted with a $60,000 organ made by which company?

It remains a downtown performing-arts landmark today.

El Paso's international streetcar line to Juárez ran until what year?

Restored PCC cars from that era returned to the streets when a new streetcar system opened in November 2018.

Which country singer wrote and recorded the 1959 ballad "El Paso", set in Rosa's Cantina?

It won the Grammy for Best Country & Western Recording in 1961; the character Feleena was named after his fifth-grade schoolmate Fidelina Martinez.

Which creator of Star Trek was born in El Paso in 1921?

He grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a police officer.

Which singer from El Paso released the diamond-certified single "Location" in 2016?

His debut album American Teen followed in 2017.

Which El Paso politician served on the city council from 2005 to 2011 before running for Senate against Ted Cruz?

He was mayor pro tempore in his first year on the council.

Roughly what share of El Paso's residents are Hispanic?

It is the largest US city to have had a Hispanic majority throughout its entire history.

El Paso ranks as roughly the sixth-largest city in Texas. What was its 2020 census population?

It is the most populous city in West Texas and 23rd in the nation.

How many times has El Paso won the All-America City Award?

The wins came in 1969, 2010, 2018, 2020 and 2021.

The Magoffin Home, built in 1875, is a landmark example of which architectural style?

Its thick adobe walls carry Greek Revival details and keep the house cool in summer.

Under what name did El Paso's present-day international air hub open in 1929?

Standard Airlines built it for transcontinental air mail and was later absorbed into American Airlines.

Which East El Paso ZIP code was considered the most populous in the United States in 2013?

It held more than 114,000 people, in the city's largest and fastest-growing area.