Hi, my name is David and I just moved to El Paso from San Antonio at the end of May of 2008. I graduated from Baylor University in May of 2007 with a BBA in ENT & MKT. The point of this blog is really just a place for me to store my thoughts on living in a new city/border city. I also hope to offer insight on the development and revitalization going on in the El Paso area and also share the stories of those who make El Paso what it is. When I am not blogging, I am out helping people with home transactions. I love being a Realtor and would love to help you. My real estate site is Living El Paso Homes
I hope you enjoy the ride as I live El Paso.
You can contact me at livingelpaso@gmail.com
I enjoyed your site. I lived in San Antonio for about 2 years and it was great.
Thank you for reading Jesse. San Antonio is a great place, but I am also having a blast exploring El Paso.
Your ideas are great ones. Those proposals have been tossed out for more than 15 years on both sides of the border and would be wonderful alternatives to the Border Wall.
However, as you have probably noticed, the movers and the shakers, the binational Downtown revitalization folks, the altermative as well as the standard media, the city councils and stated and federal officials from both cities, the planning organization etc., etc., etc. keep anything as practical as this KISS proposal from being achieved.
They are all obsessed with destroying what´s left of their Downtowns with continual reinventions of wheels that are stuck in the sand, yet alone coming up with waterfront redevelopment.
Hopefully an Obama victory will bring change and new faces such as yours for border regeneration before it is sealed.
Thank you for the comments Roberto. I took a drive down the border highway for the first time since I have been here and just seeing the fence being built made me kinda sad.
Wow I’m glad I found your blog. We moved to El Paso from Boston about four years ago and I’m still freaking out. I’m hoping you’ll make me feel better about living here. There’s nothing wrong with El Paso, it’s just a shock to my New England sensibilities. I WANT to like it…make me like it!
Was born here and went away for college and graduate school. Just got back last month and still settling in. It’s interesting to see how much you take for granted when you grown up in a one place only to return with a renewed sense of adventure and curiosity for a place that you though you knew so well. Stumbled across your site. Will be checking it often
Haha…thanks for reading Wendy! I thought moving from San Antonio was a shock to the system…but I can only imagine New England. It must have felt like Mars when you got here. I will do my best to help you enjoy EP. One of the reasons why I started this blog was so that it would force me to go find activities to do out here. I really do enjoy this city, I am finding something new every week.
Arturo…it makes me really happy that you decided to come back to EP. You are one the reasons why this city is going to make a resurgance. What are some of your favorite things to do in El Paso? What made you want to move back here?
Count me in David, I’ll be checking out your blog and it’s messages, it’s nice that you take the liberty to do this and go out of your way for us, the new comers and those of us that are from El Paso but like me that lives in San Francisco, I’m just curious as heck, and cant wait to move back to the sun city.
Thank you Al! I can’t wait to hear your perspective once you are back in El Paso. Your insight will be great to hear since are coming from a city like San Francisco. I really believe it helps to experience other cities and then bring back and apply that knowledge to your own hometown.
livingelpaso!! i will be visiting your site often! I just moved away from el paso and miss it! i will now live vicariously through your eyes! thanks!
Word. I really like to see that there are still visionaries who are makin things happen. I’m from Austin and have been crying and trying to move back, but El Paso has its own beauty and magic to it. I can’t wait to see how this city progresses and breaks free of the poverty mentality that has engulfed it. I give you mad props for this blog-keep it up!
Your 2006 Young Entrepreneur of the Year,
Patrick
suprise to see that I am not the only one whose interested in grabbing EL Paso’s potential and pushing it to its limits.
Thanks for stopping by Tury. What would you like to see in El Paso’s future?
thanks for the comments on the generals, glad you liked the game…would love to have you on my radio show and get your first year impressions of el paso.
Hi David,
thanks so much for stopping by my new website. I appreciate your comments on chefkeem.com and on Twitter.
Only time I was in EP – about 8 years ago – I really enjoyed the climate and our trip to White Sands. I remember, we had some marvelous chile dishes as well.
Good luck and much success with your (our) 31 Days adventure, m’friend. Webe in touch…
Chef Keem
I found your site through the ProBlogger site.
I went to UTEP in the late ’60s. It was Texas Western College when I got there in ’66. It was a great place to go to school and I still have many fond memories of El Paso. Are the Ramey Apartments still there? 417 W. Yandell.
Thanks for visiting the site Mike! I believe they are still there…is this them? http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&source=hp&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=ramey+apartments+el+paso&fb=1&gl=us&hq=ramey+apartments&hnear=el+paso&cid=11113593619431177789
That’s the place David. Thanks for posting the link. It brings back many memories.
What a refreshing view of El Paso. I’ve lived here most of my life except for early years in Dallas. I just created a blog highlighting El Paso. I stumbled upon your site when I was conducting an organic search for mine. I’d like to link to your site because many of my relocation clients want an objective view of El Paso. This is what prompted me to create “elpasotexasscenes”. I look forward to reading more.
Yvonne Aboud Russell
I LIKE YOUR WEBCITE. PICKED UP THE ADDRESSS FROM LETTER TO THE EDITOR IN THE TIMES. KEEP UP THE POSITIVE MOMENUM FOR OUR CITY.
Great column in Sunday’s El Paso Times!!! I recently moved to El Paso from the Washington, DC area and was inspired by your writing to get more involved in my new home city and take part in what it has to offer… Keep up the great job!
Thank you for kind comments! Dennis, I’m really glad that you want to get more involved in the community and your enthusiasm and passion will take you a long way!
Although I am a U.S. citizen, I’ve lived in Western/Northern Europe since I was 13. 17 years later I’m back in the U.S.; and of all places – El Paso.
Help!
Welcome to El Paso! I too am a recent transplant and love El Paso. It may take some time to acclimate to West Texas but I think you will enjoy it. What are you looking to do? Are you working or are you in school?
Hey David I was doing some research stumbled across your site and thought it was great. I am actually with an organization working with city council to bring back the streetcar system to the city….if its something you think you like to get involved in you got my email shoot me a line.
Ernesto and I live in El Paso Too!!!
Hello Ernesto, it would be fantastic to bring them back. They were running when I was growing up here until the late 70′s or early 80′s when D.C. ruined it with their fed dollars for buses—something like that. I also remember that in the 70′s, Juarez was throwing a fit because the street cars were competing with their red buses. The McKinney Ave Transport in Dallas that runs the streetcars on McKinney Ave has a barn there where they restore and repair the old cars. There was a man who worked for them years ago named Howard Bond, and he seemed to know where every old street car had gone to die or at least to retire all over the world. As I recall in the early 90′s, he even knew where some of the El Paso cars had gone—South America at that time. Maybe it would be helpful to contact them or at least interesting information for your project.
Thanks for checking out the blog Ernesto! I’m not sure I have enough time to devote towards the street cars but I would love to see them make a come back. Actually, I would love for you to do a guest post for the blog on this exact topic. I will shoot you an e-mail with details.
Thanks!
Good morning, David. I just stumbled across your blog, and have been having a good time reading it.
I grew up in EP back in the 70′s and 80′s (graduated from Andress in ’87), but moved east not that long afterward. I’ve been yearning to return for many years.
I appreciate your blog, and I’ll be checking out the sites on your blogroll, too. It’s always fascinating to me to see how much EP has grown since the late 80′s. It’s always been a beautiful city, full of history, culture, and art.
Have you taken a trip up to Old Mesilla yet? I’m just wondering if the little artisan markets are still around.
Thank you for your dedication to El Paso.
Marc Henshaw
Thank you for the kind comments Marc! I hope to go to Old Mesilla again soon. I really enjoy that area. Where do you live now?
I live in central Mississippi right now (imagine the geological and cultural shock of that move!).
I haven’t been back in about four years, but hope to get my family there next year. My kids would love the view from Scenic Drive and taking a day at Hueca Tanks.
Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your blog.
Hi Marc, thanks for checking out the blog! I can only imagine that geological/cultural shock after heading to Mississippi from ELP.
I bet the seafood is fantastic though. When you do come back to visit ELP, shoot me an e-mail about how your trip went and I can put it on the blog as a guest post!
Born n raised in El Paso—left in 81 for the Marine Corps–then went to Western Testicle Institute—–currently live in Canyon Lake Texas—25 miles N. of San Antonio—–Me & My Wife have all our Family — Mom n Pops in El Paso—-I think El Paso has better tastin Mexican food than any other City in Texas:)
The only reason I go back to El Paso is for my MOM:) (& all relatives) & the good Mexican food at every single restaurant you go to… Sad about how bad Juarez has gotten—Graduated from Austin High in 81—–& used to frequent Juarez alot for good Times & Oistiones Madrazos (Oyster Rockerfellers)—–El Paso is GREAT
You should update your blog. It has been a while.
I know, I’m hoping to crank out more posts this year, 2011 was a poooor showing on my part! Thanks for keeping up with it though!
David, since you are working on enjoying your time in El Paso, that is greatly appreciated! San Antonio is great, but EP does have it’s own personality. I’m a native whose family has been here since 1929 farming. I have tons of B&W pics from the 1930′s, 40′s & 50′s of downtown, Ft. Bliss (where my dad went into 1st Cav in 1933 when they were still on HORSEBACK…), and farming in the Lower Valley from Ysleta to Fabens. If you are looking for old pics or information, I’ll scan or try to find out whatever possible. There is a lot of cool history here as you well know.
I would love to take a look at your photos at some point, I love seeing how this city has grown and changed over the decades. Let me know if you want to scan them and email or we can meet up at some point
Welcome to El Chuco David (AKA El Paso)
How can I start, will El Paso be the new Austin or San Antonio or even Fort Worth in 10 years. Honestly El Paso can be better than San Antonio and Austin, besides the River Walk and Sixth Street, but in reality we are the armpit of Texas. Why are we the armpit of Texas, because the rest of Texas looks at us like a Mexican city with no class and no future and especially all the BIG STATE MONEY follows the spoiled cities of Texas.
Here in El Paso, we have tried to blossom and mature like San Antonio, Austin and even Fort Worth, but the state does not help us and El Paso has to do it on its own.I see El Paso as a modern Hispanic city, home of the best Mexican food in the U.S and home of the best hispanics in the world. Not latinos or chicanos, but Hispanics.
El Paso hispanics have a special Spanish, which can be classified as high class by our people, and a special English which comes from our Spanish, so in reality you can say El Paso has 2 Spanish and 2 English. Ask yourself, isn’t that special for a Texas city, plus the large Arabic population we have, along with Asian.
Now ask yourself this, could Austin be the same without UTAustin and the Capitol taste. Can San Antonio be the same without the riverwalk or San marcos. What about Fort Worth, take away Dallas and what do you get.
El Paso has been doing it on its own, since day one. Juarez only helps us during the holiday season and Las Cruces relies on us. We have no one to rely on and Texas still blows El Paso to the wild west. Even a city council member said it once, if no one wants to help El Paso, then will do it on our own, and make El Paso the hidden gem of west Texas. The city council member went on to say, we want to be the Phoenix of west Texas in 10 to 20 years.
Therefore, I thank you for joining the El Paso movement, that we all wish to be one day.Maybe one day the state of Texas will open their eyes and support us, with a little magic from east Texas.
As a matter of fact, what would you like to see in El paso. We actually need a little of EVERYTHING, new restaurants such as a Dave n Busters , competition versus Wal Mart since Wal Mart dominates El Paso or even make a resort at the Ascarate Park or a SOCCER STADIUM.
That brings me to my other topic, what would you prefer in El Paso. A triple AAA baseballl stadium, 17,000 seat sports arena, or soccer stadium. In reality El Paso would hit jackpot with a soccer stadium. We already have a baseball stadium which just needs to upgrade and the Don Haskins Center does good for now. If I was half mayor and half city council, the soccer stadium would be approve in a blink of an eye. I’m not just saying this because soccer is the number one sport in the world and in El Paso, but because the demographics of this city would make the soccer stadium be more than a soccer stadium. Why not bring down Cohen Stadium down and put a soccer stadium there. Back then,our Soccer stadium was brought down for zoo expansion and the city told El Paso, we would have our own soccer stadium in the future but nothing has happen. Also, El Paso is the best soccer city in Texas and we can definitely support a division 2 team or professional team. The soccer stadium would bring back the city and generate money through concerts,high school events and many other events.
I can go on and on about El Paso.We are the giant monster ready to explode in west Texas and ready to compete versus east Texas. But we just need people like you David to speak out and wake up the city of El Paso, and recognize that El Paso will be at San Antonios-Austins- Fort Worth level, even if we don’t have a professional sport team or a high Hispanic population.
Wonderful news-Can a soccer stadium be on our way
El Paso City Council eyes $600-$800M bond: New arena, stadiums part of Nov. ballot plan.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20429527/city-eyes-600-800m-bond
David,
I think your blog might make national news in the soccer blogging planet. El Paso made national news by making the mlssoccer.com
http://www.mlssoccer.com/blog/post/2012/04/19/could-el-paso-be-next-mls-expansion-list