it seems that this is becoming more of a possibility for me and my family (wife and 2 mon old daughter). My wife is from there, and that is the draw. I am lucky in that I can easily do my job anywhere and make about the same... what do you guys think? is it a tolerable thing or a bad idea for this east texas aggie (from Conroe)?

You will be all right if you can stand the humidity!

What are they up to now...1600 murders on the year? No signs of that slowing down. It won't stay in Juarez forever. I'd at least wait until this power struggle comes to an end.

very dangerous - please be careful!!!

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11116492?source=most_viewed

BAD IDEA, Hell Paso is a horrible place to visit, live, and even talk about. unless this job is paying 7 figures and gives u fulltime bodyguards its not worth it.

As an El Paso native, I will agree with the previous comment. If someone could find the thread with the response by "jlvaughn" (one of my dupe accts.), I explain why. Don't feel like searching for it myself.

And to whoever said El Paso is humid - you're a moron.

[This message has been edited by AggieBarstool (edited 12/5/2008 2:37p).]

uhhh barstool, brentexag74 was joking about the humidity.

Lots of sand, wind, and very dry. Usually everyone is on water restrictions. High crime in certain areas.

Relatively low cost of living(no you don't have to pay in pesos....yet).

Beautiful mountains if you like hiking and mountain views. Plus you actually have the rare chance of snow.

Within driving distance of Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Carlsbad, and a couple of ponds (Elephant and Caballo Lakes)

My in-laws moved there 7 months ago and haven't had many negatives to say about it. Of course they live in one of the nicer neighborhoods (west end of town--which you might want to consider) and my FIL makes 6 figures so that doesn't hurt. But the kids have had generally positive experiences with their schools and they have a great standard of living.

I visited out there (for the first time) in July and thought it was fine. Really liked the weather--it wasn't as hot as I thought it would be. Of course I wasn't there long enough to experience the real El Paso, but it seemed okay. As long as Juarez doesn't spill over, then you should be fine.

Iceberg, your father in law moved there and they have school aged kids? Do you mind telling me about how old? My daughter is the biggest reason I am worried about moving there. She is just a baby now, but if we move there I know it will be for good. I have a lot of concerns that the El Paso experience will be less than what she (and her future brothers/sisters) would get elsewhere in the state. Did you say your FIL's kids like it there?

I am getting fairly familiar with the city and would be living on the westside and would prob be making in the (relatively low) 6 figures also.

One 16 year old and one 9 year old. The older one goes to Franklin HS. I'm not sure which elementary the younger one goes to. The older one had adjusted quickly and seems to be doing well and it's pretty much the same with the younger. I don't think the schools are on par with where they came from but I haven't heard many complaints. It all depends on where you live. I really liked their neighborhood (somewhere down Redd Road) so if you can get in there, you'd be okay.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way, but would my family be treated well and accepted considering we are white? I understand that el paso is 82 % hispanic and i've heard being white and growing up there could make kids feel out of place. does anyone care to comment on that?

My wife is white and she grew up here. No problems. Throughout my childhood my best friends were white, brown, black and a few shades in between. My daughter "looks hispanic" while my son "looks white." No problems.

Irish, with all due respect, I did chuckle a little when I read the above post.

I'll chime in as another non-Hispanic El Pasoan who thought the schools were great and had no problems with anything like reverse discrimination. (I attended Mesita and Zach White Elementary Schools, Lincoln Middle School, and Franklin High School.) Are the average standardized test scores of El Paso schools as high as those in the richer suburbs of Dallas or Houston? Probably not, but I found no shortage of AP classes, good teachers, smart fellow students, extracurricular activities, or resources to enable a motivated student to get a good education. I was very well prepared for A&M and beyond. Of course, I can't speak for all schools, and some things may have changed since I was in school there (1985-1998), but that was my experience and that of many others I knew there. Also, I would estimate the west side is significantly more diverse than the overall numbers for El Paso.

[This message has been edited by CS3 (edited 1/8/2009 1:28a).]

No wonder you had a great experience... You attended the rich west side schools where all the white kids go. Try going to school at Bowie or Jeff and tell me you won't get picked on for being the sole white boy.

If you're white - RUN! I know that sounds awful, but it's true. I was born and raised there and can't tell you what a sheethole it was for my entire family. The education system is poor (they teach the TAKS, and even at that, barely pass), the entire population seems to think spanish should come first, the liberal mindset is maddening, and crime is a problem EVERYWHERE.

first of all, the above post by Irish (my brother) was actually written by me... I was at his house and forgot to use my log in. Just thought I'd clear that up.

Second, If you chuckled at my post I guess that brings me a bit of relief b/c you must think the fear I have is far from reality. But those of you with kids know, above anything else, my family comes first and I am hesitent to move somewhere that won't offer them a nice home town feel.

I was raised in a nice part of the state north of Houston and now live in Austin. I really enjoy the diversity here and have friends of all races and backgrounds. A potential problem I see is that EP is not diverse, it is heavily weighted toward one culture... a culture I have never had a problem with mind you. But I have heard stories, so that is why I bring my concern here, to get it from the horses mouth. Almost everyone I know from El Paso that is not living there did not like growing up there, including my wife. I hear terms like 'hell paso' and the most common adj used to describe it among those people is "*****ole". That concerns me. I do realize that this is coming from people that don't currently live there, and I don't know their specific situations.

Now, that we have children and job offers there (and my hometown) I want to get more info about the city. I have been several times, but obviously visiting is differnt from living there. The reason we are considering it is b/c, now with the baby, my wife wants to reconsider this as an option since her parents and both her brothers live there.

Thanks again for the posts. I hope you see where I'm coming from.

[This message has been edited by The Grinder (99) (edited 1/8/2009 1:48p).]

i guess i should consider myself lucky, but i've been here most of my life and can't see why so many people seem to hate the place so much. i didn't grow up in the rough parts of town, but i do work in the 'hood and have never had any issues (knock on wood).

the weather is great, skiing and a full casino is 2 hours away, golf is cheap and year-round, great food all over town, cost of living is cheap, great natural scenery, yada yada yada.

bottom line - if you're able to live in the nicer part of town and enjoy the nicer things in the area, el paso can be a great city to live in. if you can't, i would not suggest living here...

I was just waiting for the "To hell with El Paso!" post. I think I've seen a post from Barstool before on another topic just smashing El Paso! Sorry your experience was so bad.

Oh well, I hope you find out what you need Grinder. If you have any other questions that I could possibly direct to my in-laws, let me know.

quote:

---

i guess i should consider myself lucky, i didn't grow up in the rough parts of town.

bottom line - if you're able to live in the nicer part of town and enjoy the nicer things in the area like i do, el paso can be a great city to live in.

---

dam~ toooombs must be ep mafia. i bet he even has a cell phone.

Grinder, you and your family will be fine. I could've lived elsewhere and while El Paso is not the end all of great places to live, I like it here. Yes it does have drawbacks but what place doesn't. If you move here, get involved with the local Ag club. You'll be fine man!

thanks for all of the serious posts, i appreciate it.

In all seriousness, El Paso is a pretty good place to live. I work for a company that is based in Dallas and that is where I lived for the 4 years after graduating from A&M. I was asked to start an office in El Paso so I moved my wife and dogs out here last February.

I will say this, I knew nothing about it here before we moved, and what I thought I knew turned out to be just myth. There are some extremely nice parts of town out here, and like any other city some not so nice. THe business climate is good to very good, it is a much larger town than most think (600,000 pop.)

The violence in Juarez is a NON FACTOR in El Paso. The homeland security, and local law enforcement are so good that statistically this is the safest city in TX, and the 3rd safest in the US (look it up). Beautiful scenery and the weather is impeccably good, only dusty a few times in the spring when the winds pick up. Great golf town with some spectaculer courses. Lot's of history.

Ruidoso (which has Vegas style casino) is a two hour drive. Lots of fun outdoor activities around town with Franklin Mountains in the city.

Don't let anyone who has not lived here give you an opinion because they honestly won't know. Based on my 10+ months here, I could not make a higher reccomendation.

I agree with the above post.

I lived in El Paso all my life up to enrolling at A&M and it really isn't that bad at all. I grew up on the east side of the city and though the schools probably aren't as good as those on the west side, they certainly weren't terrible. And though the Hispanic culture is different, the fact that I was a non-Hispanic didn't negatively affect my experience there by any means.

As far as the Juarez violence goes, I was in El Paso for a week or so last month and the city is still as safe as ever. A complete non factor.

Non-factor? What's with the men in full riot gear at Thomason?

How many cars are stolen in El Paso each year? Look that up. Crime stats are low because so much of it goes unreported. That's part of the culture.

Pick up the local news paper, it reads like a soap opera of corruption. How many local officials step down or are fired every year? Look that up.

Pick up one of the Juarez rags and tell me you want your children to have a chance of another kid bringing that to school with all the blood and gore...

None of the above posts are untrue, just what that particular person experienced. Most likely your experience will be a blend of what you read here. Do I miss some things about EP? Yes,especially in the summer when the days are long, the nights are clear and the occasional thunderstorm erupts. Do I wish I still lived there? No.