How bad is it?

Lets say you are single, late 20's, and have no family there...but it would be a great job.

You're about to read people's knocks on El Paso. Don't worry about it and just get over here and let us know when you get here so you can get filled in on Aggie luncheons and happy hours. Gig 'em.

I was in a similar situation to you. Back in November, I moved out here for an 8 month rotation with my company. Being in my mid-20s, I'll share with you my outsider's perspective.

Moving to El Paso without knowing anyone will be similar to moving to any city without having connections/friends/family. You'll probably hang out first with people you work with. I'd check to see what the demographics are for the company you are looking at to see if you could make some connections there. I've found that there is a mix of how people will welcome you into their circle. Some people here will view you as a threat (to their own job). I've never seen this attitude as pronounced anywhere else as it is here....and I've moved to 3 different cities in the past 2 years where I haven't known anyone. Others are very friendly and open.

There aren't as many young urban professionals here as I like, but that doesn't mean they can't be found. Most of the younger people here are in the military, at UTEP, or scattered around. You will find that the education levels here seem to be lower, so finding good dating prospects may be a challenge. However, there is a bit of a bar scene, especially around UTEP.

The church I attend is mainly populated by gray haired folks, so that didn't really help on the social scene.

I've found there are quite a few things to do in El Paso if you want to be a tourist in the town you live in. There are plenty of day trips to do out of here.

I'm down to my last 2 months here before I move again, but I'd be happy to share more thoughts if you have questions.

Thanks for the replies. I am mostly concerned about the (perceived) lack of a young professional community. I imagine in a city of 700,000(?) there have to be people out there if you look around enough. Aggie clubs are a great suggestion.

It is a part of the state that I have never been to, so I would love to take trips to the mountains, big bend, new mexico, etc. I just worry that after a year or so I will grow tired of that and at this point in my life I feel I need a more 'urban' setting.

Although I have spent a fair amount of time in Reno/Carson City/Vegas, I have never lived in a desert community. Everyone keeps telling me that you either love the desert or you hate it and I just don't have strong feelings either way.

El Paso has it's share of good & bad points, but I think the most glaring detractor is the social scene for 20-something professionals. You can mingle with the younger crowd on Cincinnati near the UTEP campus - but you may end up feeling like you're babysitting - or you can venture out downtown or to the east side for an older, but rarely professional crowd. I've been here for a year and have yet to find a place I really like to go out to on the weekends. So in my honest opinion, if you're moving to another city, it's possible to do worse than El Paso, but if you're really in "nesting" mode & are looking for a significant other - this is not the place to be.

Good luck with your decision, I hope everything works out.

i'm surprised the all-out el paso bashfest hasn't started yet. el paso's not all that bad, but i completely agree with the others - it's all about finding people to hang out with. once you get that covered, you'll be surprised at how much fun there is to be had out here. cincinnatti street, aceitunas, downtown, ruidoso, dinner in juarez, and (most importantly) living on the westside are highly recommended!

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No bashing needed, when it is already known about EP....

Reading thru this thread, The posts make sense. Unless you are into outdoor stuff up in the Cloudcroft/Ruidoso area, then you may be looking for stuff to do.

For more perspectives about living in El Paso, there was a thread a few months ago:

http://www.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=717824&forum_id=40

my lil sister has been out there about a month now...

she says its not too bad, but she is working 6 days a week


epag, is there a website where she can get info on the aggie luncheons and hh's??

quote:

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i'm surprised the all-out el paso bashfest hasn't started yet. el paso's not all that bad, but i completely agree with the others - it's all about finding people to hang out with. once you get that covered, you'll be surprised at how much fun there is to be had out here. cincinnatti street, aceitunas, downtown, ruidoso, dinner in juarez, and (most importantly) living on the westside are highly recommended!

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toooooombs is my vote for the go to person for any and all el paso goings on. he will be mayor in ten years so he knows where to get great food and the most economical rub and tugs.

Cole, luncheon's are at Cappetto's Italian restaurant on Montana at noon on first Wednesdays of the month (ask for Ed Davis). Happy hours are at Monteleone's on Gateway West at around 6:00 p.m on first Thursdays (call and ask for Laura Monteleone).

thanks epag...

I will e-mail her this information and tell her she has to go

she missed it this month (although that would've been a good b-day for her at least), but i'll harass her into going i June

stupid error message...

ddp.

[This message has been edited by Cole97 (edited 5/14/2007 1:08p).]

ahh maestro, he is a wise one - listen to what he says. as far as economical rub and tugs go - why stop there? you'd be surprised how far $40 will take you in juarez!

cuterebra, hope you come out here and have lots of fun in el paso! home of texas's best mexican food and weather. never too early to start pitching the campaign - right maestro???

i get a little tense any time toooombs starts talking about pitching things because last time he talked like this i didn't sh*t right for a week.

and you'll never forget it...

I didn't know about the happy hours, I'll have to give it a try.

FYI...

Social is scheduled for this Thursday June 7, 2007 at Monteleone's Ristorante Italiano located at 3023 Gateway West at San Marcial. Purely social and enlightening. Families, spouses and friends are always welcome and encouraged. Parking is on San Marcial. Phone 566-4320. From the East take the Piedras exit, from West take Piedras /Raynor exit. Turn left (North on Raynor), and then turn right on Missouri and go one block to San Marcial and turn right. This gets under way starting around 5:30 to 6:00 pm. We eat dinner and usually stay a couple of hours. Monteleone's is co-owned by an Ag - Laura Monteleone and her husband Gary and they enjoy providing great food and service.

My family is originally from El Paso but I never lived there myself. However, I have visited El Paso on numerous occasions throughout my life and have always enjoyed myself.

Here's my scoop (please excuse Captain obvious if he makes an appearance):
-El Paso citizens are overwhelmingly of Hispanic heritage. If you don't like this, then you are in the wrong place. I found most of the locals to be very humble and respectful so please give them the same courtesy if you can… Texas Style I know we don’t all speak the same language but body language goes a long way (things like smiles and nods).
-The scenery is beautiful. There is nothing like driving in to the city from the east on I-10 and seeing the Franklin Mountains for the first time especially if you roll in at night and can see the big star on the Franklin Mountains. (If you are driving at night and the star is lit, you can’t miss it)
-I find it so intriguing that as you drive on I-10, you can look over to the south and realize that you are actually looking at another city (Ciudad Juarez) in a completely different country
-El Paso is more of a West Coast town than a Texas town
-El Paso is a poor town with many working class people. Don’t expect to find your educated college graduate frequenting your favorite establishment. They are out there but don’t expect that as your typical bar crowd.
-There are many places nearby to visit such as Juarez, Sunland Park, Guadalupe Mountains, Hueco Tanks, and Southern New Mexico (Cloudcroft and Ruidoso)
-A good scenic drive to take while in El Paso is to go on Rim Road, which takes you up the south end of the Franklin Mountains to an overpass looking over downtown El Paso and Juarez. You can’t miss it and will definitely appreciate the view.
-Trans-mountain road also takes you right through a high pass within the Franklin Mountains. This road runs father north than Rim road so the view is not quite as good, but it still takes you way up in elevation with a decent look at the surrounding desert.
-Juarez (just over the border) can be fun but just be careful. If you know any locals in El Paso that have been there often and speak Spanish fluently, you might want to take them along.

Now that all my tips have been said and done… I went to El Paso recently and noticed the amount of air pollution in the area has become pretty bad. It truly makes me said to see a city I once loved succumb to this kind of filth. Sometimes you can drive on the highway in the morning and see a thick yellow smoke hovering over the Twin Cities of El Paso and Juarez. This is an international issue that had yet to be resolved. I just hope that in the future that this can be taken care off and all future decedents of the area can grow up breathing clean air.

Just to set the record straight, unless you're really mexican or grew up in mexico or something, you will find that the "authentic" mexican food in El Paso is craptastic. Give me some tex-mex from Lupe Tortillas in Houston any day.

My wife 1)is not mexican, 2) did not grow up in Mexico and 3) doesn't speak spanish (however she can speak english with a mexican accent like champ in order to scratch out a helluva conversation with the cleaning lady). She will not eat mexican food outside of El Paso. It's all a matter of what you are used to. I've eaten seafood on the Wharf in SF and preferred Long John's in EP. Crazy...I know.

ttuhscaggie,
You must have a bad taste in Mex/latin food. Tex-Mex is very disgusting and the restaurants in El Paso are ten times better than any tex mex restaurant in any part of texas. I just want to set the record straight.

bad mexican food in el paso? not sure where you're eating...

tex-mex better than mexican? not sure what you're smoking...

[This message has been edited by toooombs (edited 6/18/2007 3:47p).]

i dont even know where to start w/ tt. first, does anyone really use the word craptastic? come on, that is pretty weak. second, your idea of authentic mexican food is most likely the things you order at taco bell and you probably can't even read the menu correctly. you should let tooooombs recommend some places to go eat before you cast your hate for all mexicans and their food.

The 3 yrs I spent in El Paso was terrific. I was at Ft Bliss working for JTF6 (now JTF-North) and we lived on the west side.

It is Southern California at Texas prices. Great climate, great people. I'd go back if I had a reason.

Bad Mexican food? That's about as stupid a comment as I have ever heard. Not only are there a million hole-in-the-wall places (esp in the Lower Valley and on the east side) there is always Carnitas Queretaro.

Well, let me provide you with a different perspective. El Paso sucks, plain and simple. I lived there for about 17 years. I graduated from Coronado High School. My parents lived right up by the Coronado Country Club and it still sucked.

My family had three cars stolen from us. Two within a month of each other.

Often, depending on where you hang out, you'll run head long into the Mexican Machismo. You'll find some neanderthal that wants to pound you into oblivion for bumping into him inadvertantly, or perhaps because you spoke to his girlfriend.

Other than that, El Paso is fine.

TAF

Well, let me give you the perspective of a 25 year old that is married and is used to having a lot of friends and family around from past cities I have lived in.

Pros: relaxed environment, big city with small town feel. There are abundant hole in the wall Mexican food places, and surprisingly good Italian food.

Cons: Social environment sucks for young professionals. I have seen every friend I have made move within two years of living here. My young couples Sunday school class has been decimated by deployments and the decision by civilians to get the hell out of here. My wife and I are basically left to ourselves, when both of us are outgoing people. I hear so much about the great climate, but I for one think it sucks to be hot and dry, with no seasons, and no rain. Customer service sucks. Swamp coolers will never compare to refrigerated air, no matter what El Pasoans tell you. The driving skills are atrocious. If you are a church attendee, good luck finding one that isn't a geriatric center and has a decent number of young people or young couples. Last but not least, the music scene is non existent, especially if you are into the texas/Americana thing.

As you see, my cons outweigh my pros. As a whole, the experience has not been terrible. There are certainly worse places I could be. That being said, this is the worst place I have ever lived. I certainly have friends in the military, and my wife has work friends, but as a married couple we really have no one to hang out with together, and this more than anything has influenced my ambivalence towards this place. The comment above regarding machismo is dead on. I have been chased around this town more than a few times for reasons I haven't figured out yet, and was shoved and almost got into a fist fight with some wacko in my neighborhood throwing gang signs and saying he is tired of my funny faces when he drives by. To my knowledge I have never seen the clown, although he does live in a 325,000 home in my neighborhood. The only reason I kept my cool was because I was with my pregnant wife enjoying what was until then a peaceful walk in a nice neighborhood.


[This message has been edited by Obejuan03 (edited 7/16/2007 6:52p).]

Obejuan,

Sorry to hear about your experience. I've had countless experiences with the Machismo in El Paso. Because I grew up there, I don't think I realized how normal people functioned and settled arguments until I went to college and moved away from there.

In El Paso, you settle them with your fists.

My grandparents still live there. In the last 15 years, I've been back maybe twice and never longer than 24 hours.

What side of town are you living in? $325k house is probably far east side or west side.

TAF

I live in Kern Place. I still haven't figured out if this clown lives with his parents, or makes a lot of money for himself. I tend to believe the former. A lot of people in my neighborhood have had problems with this guy, and one girl I know who used to live next door to him moved two blocks away in the same neihgborhood just to get away from him. Dude is deranged.

Obejuan,

I'm very familiar with Kern Place. You're up by the mountain and pretty close to EP High.

My grandparents live on Madeline right there in Kern Place.

Small world.

TAF