The City of El Paso

  • Silhouette of a person at Scenic View El Paso at dusk with a moon in the distance looking over El Paso.
  • Many hot air balloons at the El Paso balloonfest.
  • Backyard swimming pool at dusk.
  • Elephant Butte lake.
  • El Paso west side with mountain as a back drop on a cloudy day.
  • Photo from the El Paso dessert outskirts looking over El Paso homes and baseball park.
  • Indoor sky diving building.
  • Scenic view from a mountain overlooking El Paso.
  • Skiing in New Mexico.
  • Yellow flowers on the side of a rocky mountain.
El Paso is located at the western tip of Texas, where Texas, New Mexico and Old Mexico meet! We are the largest international metroplex in the world where cultures and traditions blend seamlessly; from the historic Old West to the colors of Mexico, from the heritage of Native Americans to the beauty of our desert sun!

Approximately half of the TTUHSC El Paso graduates completing the residency program continue to practice in the west Texas area. The reasons are many, but most people agree that El Paso is a great place to live. The sun shines 350 days a year, so picnics, hiking or camping plans are rarely cancelled because of inclement weather. El Paso's temperate, dry climate offers year-round golfing, tennis and other outdoor sports. Spectacular sunsets and majestic mountains rising to 7,000 feet create a photographer's dream.

El Paso is a burgeoning city of more than 652,000 people. It is 248 square miles in area, the 4th largest city in Texas, and 22nd in the United States. It is the county seat of El Paso County, which has an area of 1058 square miles. It is separated from its sister-city, Cuidad, Juarez by the Rio Grande, which delineates the Texas/Mexico border for a thousand miles until it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. El Paso and Cd. Juarez is the largest contigous border metroplex comprising nearly 2 million people. The resident physician will find in this multicultural city a unique and unsurpassed opportunity to become acquainted with border health issues.

Cultural opportunities range from urban to rustic, from cosmopolitan to country. Centuries-old Spanish missions, museums, theaters, opera, outstanding Mexican and international cuisine, Mariachi bands, rodeos, and country and western dancing all play a part in the mosaic of El Paso.

El Paso is located at the westernmost point of Texas. Along the city's border, the boundaries of the United States and Mexico, the states of Texas and New Mexico, and the Mexican state of Chihuahua meet. It is in this geographic setting that one finds the unique fusion of old and new, of history made by cowboys and conquistadors, and of traditions that reflect American, Mexican and Native American cultures. Prospective students and resident physicians will find El Paso’s multicultural heritage offers a special opportunity to gain a deep knowledge of border health issues.

El Paso is located at the base of the Franklin Mountains, a southern segment of the Rockies, along the banks of the Rio Grande. Known as the "Sun City," the sun shines over 300 days a year on average, making it an ideal place for year-round outdoor activities. Cool forests and winter skiing are just a two-hour drive to the mountains of New Mexico. Visitors flying or driving into the city at night enjoy the spectacular image of a star, consisting of hundreds of light bulbs, on a mountainside overlooking Central El Paso.

Centuries-old Spanish missions, art museums, theaters, operas, symphony orchestras, outstanding Mexican and international cuisine, mariachi bands, rodeos, and country and western dancing all play a part in El Paso’s cultural mosaic.

Its citizens enjoy entertainment provided by the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Pro-Musica, the El Paso Opera and various theater groups. El Paso is also a favorite stop for traveling Broadway musical companies. Museums in the region include the El Paso Museum of Art, the El Paso Holocaust Museum, the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, the War Eagles Air Museum, the El Paso Museum of History, and the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens.

Sports fans enjoy action provided by the El Paso Chihuahuas, a triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres baseball team, as well as El Paso Locomotive FC, the city’s professional soccer team. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Miners give college sports fans plenty of action with their basketball and football teams. The Sun Bowl football game, held every year during the holiday season, is televised nationally as part of the Sun Carnival, the city's official celebration of its continuous sunshine status.

In addition, the following are nearby recreational sites:

To learn more about the city of El Paso, visit: