| El Paso is a city in the western portion of the state of Texas. With a population of 620,000 it is the twenty-second largest city in the country. The MSA area has three quarters of a million people. Positioned along the Rio Grand River, El Paso is opposite Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The area was settled in the late 1500s. The climate is warm with winter temperatures rarely below freezing. Summer highs are in the mid 90s. Precipitation is less than one inch per month. The area's tallest building with twenty-one floors is the Wells Fargo Plaza. The median family income is $35,000. The Fort Bliss United States Army facility factors heavily in the area economy. With nearly 9,000 employees, the El Paso Independent School District is the area's largest employer. Local sports teams include soccer's El Paso Patriots, hockey's El Paso Rhinos, baseball's El Paso Diablos, and football's El Paso Brawlers. Sun Bowl Stadium has over 50,000 seats and hosts UTEP football games, and the Sun Bowl each year. Local higher education institutions include International Business College, El Paso Community College, and Western Technical College as well as UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso), Park University and the El Paso campus of Texas Tech University Health Sciences. University Medical Center is the area's main healthcare facility hospital. Local attractions include the El Paso Museum of History, the El Paso Museum of Art, Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens. The El Paso International Airport serves the area. Local main highways include Interstate I-10, US Hwy 62 and US Hwy 54. The main newspaper El Paso Times has been published since 1881. |
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