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96-974: The Ortiz Mountains are on the east side of the Rio Grande Rift , with the Santa Domingo Basin and Hagan Basin of the rift to their west, with the Sandia uplift to the southwest, and the Espanola Basin and the Estancia Basin to the east. They form part of the watershed boundary between the Rio Grande and the Pecos River . The Ortiz Mountains are part of the larger Ortiz porphyry belt of Santa Fe County, and consist of late Eocene to early Oligocene intrusive igneous rocks and their sedimentary host rock. Other members of

192-755: A pluton , rises within the Rio Grande Rift just to the west of El Paso on the New Mexico side of the Rio Grande. Nearby volcanic features include Kilbourne Hole and Hunt's Hole , which are Maar volcanic craters 30 miles (50 km) west of the Franklin Mountains. On November 8, 2023, a 5.3 magnitude Earthquake struck the El Paso region. The epicenter of the earthquake was 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest of Mentone , according to

288-452: A celebrated scout, was put in charge of a 250-strong private security detail hired by John Hays Hammond , who in addition to owning large investments in Mexico, was a close friend of Taft from Yale and a U.S. vice presidential candidate in 1908. On October 16, the day of the summit, Burnham and Private C.R. Moore, a Texas Ranger, discovered a man holding a concealed palm pistol standing at

384-429: A downward hinge on the other. Which side of the basin has the major fault or the hinge alternates along the rift. The alternation between these half-grabens occurs along transfer faults, which trend across the rift to connect the major basin-bounding faults and occur between basins or, in places, within basins. The Precambrian basement changes relief sharply in this area, from 8,700 metres (28,500 ft) below sea level at

480-411: A four-acre resort-like area with a lazy river, kiddy splash pad, pool, grass areas, and a food truck area, the developers reported. Jessica Herrera, director of the city of El Paso Economic and International Development Department, in a statement released by the developers, said Campo del Sol will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues, "which will stimulate other growth and development on

576-452: A long time, because it provides a north–south route that follows a major river. The Rio Grande follows the course of the rift from southern Colorado to El Paso, where it turns southeast and flows toward the Gulf of Mexico . Important cities, including Albuquerque , Santa Fe , Taos , Española , Las Cruces , El Paso , and Ciudad Juárez , lie within the rift. The Rio Grande rift represents

672-603: A planned summit in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a historic first meeting between the Presidents of the two countries, and also the first time an American President crossed the border into Mexico. However, tensions rose on both sides of the border, including threats of assassination; so the Texas Rangers , 4,000 U.S. and Mexican troops, U.S. Secret Service agents, FBI agents, and U.S. marshals were all called in to provide security. Frederick Russell Burnham ,

768-592: A portion of the Rio Grande floodplain upstream from downtown, which is known locally as the Upper Valley and is located on the west side of the Franklin Mountains . The Upper Valley is the greenest part of the county due to the Rio Grande. The West Side is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods within the city, such as the Coronado Hills, Country Club, and Three Hills neighborhoods. It

864-412: A pure-shear rifting mechanism, in which both sides of the rift pull apart evenly and slowly, with the lower crust and upper mantle (the lithosphere ) stretching like taffy . This extension is associated with very low seismic velocities in the upper mantle above approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) depth associated with relatively hot mantle and low degrees of partial melting. This intrusion of

960-500: A single night through the potent agencies of Monte and poker. There were only two or three American ladies, and most of the whites kept Mexican mistresses. All goods were brought on wagons from the Gulf of Mexico and sold at an advance of three or four hundred percent on Eastern prices. From hills overlooking the town, the eye takes in a charming picture—a far-stretching valley, enriched with orchards, vineyards, and cornfields, through which

1056-593: A small bar district. This bar scene has grown over the years and has attracted thousands to its annual Mardi Gras block party , as well as after sporting events or concerts. Young men and women make up the majority of the crowds who stop in between classes or after work. Sunset Heights is one of the most historic areas in town, which has existed since the latter part of the 1890s. Many wealthy residents have had their houses and mansions built on this hill. Although some buildings have been renovated to their former glory, many have been neglected and have deteriorated. During

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1152-424: Is 2.6 in (6.6 cm) at the airport (but with a median of 0, meaning most years see no snow at all). Snow is most rare around Ysleta and the eastern valley area, which usually include large numbers of palm trees ; in the higher neighborhoods, palm trees are more vulnerable to snow and cold snaps and are often seen with brown, frost-damaged fronds. One example of El Paso's varying climate at its most extreme

1248-742: Is a five-time All-America City Award winner, winning in 1969, 2010, 2018, 2020, and 2021, and Congressional Quarterly ranked it in the top-three safest large cities in the United States between 1997 and 2014, including holding the title of the safest city between 2011 and 2014. El Paso is also the second-largest majority-Hispanic city in the United States (after San Antonio ), with 81% of its residents being Hispanic . The El Paso region has had human settlement for thousands of years, as evidenced by Folsom points from hunter-gatherers found at Hueco Tanks . This suggests 10,000 to 12,000 years of human habitation. The earliest known cultures in

1344-464: Is fairly complex. The fundamental change in the western margin of the North American plate from one of subduction to a transform boundary occurred during Cenozoic time. The Farallon plate continued to be subducted beneath western North America for at least 100 million years during Late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic time. Compressional and transpressional deformation incurred by

1440-627: Is home to the famous natural red-clay formation, the Thunderbird, from which the local Coronado High School gets its mascot's name. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 256.3 sq mi (663.7 km ). The 24,000-acre (9,700 ha) Franklin Mountains State Park , one of the largest urban parks in the United States, lies entirely in El Paso, extending from

1536-538: Is in the south. The crustal thickness underneath the rift is on average 30–35 kilometres (19–22 mi), thinner by 10–15 kilometres (6.2–9.3 mi) than the Colorado Plateau on the west and the Great Plains to the east. Formation of the rift began with significant deformation and faulting with offsets of many kilometers starting about 35 Ma. The largest-scale manifestation of rifting involves

1632-691: Is intersected in northern New Mexico by the NE-SW trending Jemez Lineament which extends well into Arizona . The lineament is defined by aligned volcanic fields and several calderas in the area, including the Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez Mountains . The Jemez Lineament is thought to be a hydrous subduction zone scar, separating Precambrian basement rock of the Yavapai - Mazatzal transition zone from

1728-482: Is known as "The Castle" due to its round walls and a crenelated rooftop. Kern Place is extremely popular with college and university students. The area is known for its glitzy entertainment district, restaurants and coffee shops that cater to both business patrons and university students. After UTEP's basketball and football games, UTEP fans pack the Kern Place area for food and entertainment at Cincinnati Street,

1824-548: Is one of the fastest-growing areas of El Paso. The main high schools in the westside include Canutillo High School , Coronado High School (El Paso, Texas) , and Franklin High School (El Paso, Texas) . West-central El Paso is located north of Interstate 10 and west of the Franklin Mountains. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Cincinnati Entertainment district are located in the heart of

1920-506: Is responsible for anomalously high earthquake activity in the vicinity, including the largest rift-associated earthquakes in historic times (two events of approximately magnitude 5.8) in July and November 1906. Earth and space-based geodetic measurements indicate ongoing surface uplift above the Socorro magma body at approximately 2 mm/year. The Rio Grande rift's tectonic evolution

2016-740: Is spelled with a "Y" because 19th-century script did not differentiate between a capital "Y" and a capital "I". Some people in this area and its twin city across the river, Ciudad Juárez, are direct descendants of the Spaniards. El Paso is surrounded by many cities and communities in both Texas and New Mexico. The most populated suburbs in Texas are Socorro , Horizon City , Fort Bliss, and San Elizario. Other Texas suburbs are Anthony , Canutillo , Sparks , Fabens , and Vinton . Although Anthony , Santa Teresa , Sunland Park , and Chaparral lie adjacent to El Paso County, they are considered to be part of

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2112-455: Is the oldest of the three major basins, and contains 7,350 metres (24,110 ft) of Paleogene clastic sediments deposited on Precambrian basement. The southernmost Albuquerque basin contains pre-rift volcanic deposits , while the central and northern portions contain volcanics erupted during rifting. In cross-section, the geometry of the basins within the rift are asymmetrical half-grabens , with major fault boundaries on one side and

2208-969: Is the third-largest area of the city, behind east El Paso and central El Paso. Hawkins Road and Interstate 10 border the Mission Valley. This location is considered the oldest area of El Paso, dating back to the late 16th century when present-day Texas was under the rule of New Spain . In 1680, the Isleta Pueblo tribe revolted against the Spaniards who were pushed south to what is now El Paso. Some Spaniards and tribe members settled here permanently. Soon afterward, three Spanish missions were built; they remain standing, currently functioning as churches: Ysleta Mission -1682 (La Misión de Corpus Christi y de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur/Our Lady of Mt. Carmel), Socorro Mission -1759 (Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción del Socorro)-1759, and San Elizario Chapel (Capilla de San Elcear)-1789. On April 30, 1598,

2304-608: Is to the capital of its own state, Austin (528 miles (850 km) away). It is closer to Los Angeles , California (700 miles (1,100 km) away) than it is to Orange, Texas (858 miles (1,381 km) away), the easternmost town in the same state as this city. El Paso is located within the Chihuahuan Desert , the easternmost section of the Basin and Range Region . The Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from

2400-784: The Paso del Norte or the Borderplex . The region of 2.7 million people constitutes the largest bilingual and binational workforce in the Western Hemisphere . The city is home to three publicly traded companies, and former Western Refining , now Marathon Petroleum , as well as home to the Medical Center of the Americas, the only medical research and care provider complex in West Texas and Southern New Mexico, and

2496-655: The Department of the Army pressured El Paso authorities to crack down on vice (thus "benefitting" vice in neighboring Ciudad Juárez). With the suppression of the vice trade and in consideration of the city's geographic position, the city continued into developing as a premier manufacturing, transportation, and retail center of the U.S. Southwest. In 1909, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce hosted U.S. President William Howard Taft and Mexican President Porfirio Díaz at

2592-634: The July 4 holidays, as well as the American hostage crisis of 1980, and was lit continuously following the September 11 attacks in 2001 until around 2006. During the Christmas holidays, a design of a Christmas tree was used, and at times, the letters "UTEP" were used to support University of Texas at El Paso athletics. The tower is now only lit during the holiday months, or when special events take place in

2688-569: The Laramide Orogeny lasted until about 40  Ma in New Mexico. This deformation may have been a result of the coupling between the subducting Farallon plate and the overlying North American Plate . Crustal thickening occurred due to Laramide compression. After the Laramide Orogeny and until 20 Ma, a major period of volcanic activity occurred throughout the southwestern United States. Injection of hot magmas weakened

2784-665: The Las Cruces, New Mexico metropolitan area by the United States Census Bureau. El Paso has a hot desert climate ( Köppen BWh ) featuring hot summers, with little humidity, and cool to mild, dry winters. Rainfall averages 8.8 in (220 mm) per year, much of which occurs from June through September, and is predominantly caused by the North American Monsoon . During this period, southerly and southeasterly winds carry moisture from

2880-526: The National Weather Service ; from this, the city is nicknamed "The Sun City". Due to its arid, windy climate, El Paso often experiences sand and dust storms during the dry season, particularly during the springtime between March and early May. With an average wind speed often exceeding 30 mph (50 km/h) and gusts that have been measured at over 75 mph (120 km/h), these wind storms kick up large amounts of sand and dust from

2976-551: The USGS El Paso's second-tallest building, the Wells Fargo Plaza, was built in the early 1970s as State National Plaza. The black-windowed, 302-foot (92 m) building is famous for its 13 white horizontal lights (18 lights per row on the east and west sides of the building, and seven bulbs per row on the north and south sides) that were lit at night. The tower did use a design of the United States flag during

Ortiz Mountains - Misplaced Pages Continue

3072-747: The University of Texas at El Paso , the city's primary university. The city hosts the annual Sun Bowl college football postseason game, the second-oldest bowl game in the country. El Paso has a strong federal and military presence. William Beaumont Army Medical Center , Biggs Army Airfield , and Fort Bliss are located in the area. Also headquartered in El Paso is the Drug Enforcement Administration domestic field division 7, El Paso Intelligence Center , Joint Task Force North , United States Border Patrol El Paso Sector, and U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Group. El Paso

3168-614: The asthenosphere into the lithosphere and continental crust is thought to be responsible for nearly all of the volcanism associated with the Rio Grande rift. The sedimentary fill of the basins consists largely of alluvial fan and mafic volcanic flows. The most alkalic lavas erupted outside the rift. The sediments that were deposited during rifting are commonly known as the Santa Fe Group . This group contains sandstones , conglomerates , and volcanics. Aeolian deposits are also present in some basins. The Rio Grande rift

3264-407: The lithosphere was hot, the brittle-ductile transition was relatively shallow. There is evidence that the second period of extension began earlier in the central and northern Rio Grande rift than in the south. A third period of extension may have begun in the early Pliocene . One theory is that the Colorado Plateau acts as a semi-independent microplate and one way of explaining the creation of

3360-439: The 1950s and 1960s. It is one of the more ethnically diverse areas in the city due to the concentration of military families. The Northeast has not developed as rapidly as other areas, such as east El Paso and northwest El Paso, but its development is steadily increasing. The population is expected to grow more rapidly as a result of the troop increase at Ft. Bliss in the coming years. The area has also gained recognition throughout

3456-518: The Carache Canyon and Lucas Canyon deposits. They did open a new adit into the Carache Canyon deposit, but stopped after 1719 feet due to regulatory issues, lawsuits and a declining gold price. Precipitation averages twelve inches per year. The lowest elevations are Artemisia shrublands , known as sagebrush steppe , which give way to piñon-juniper woodlands at higher elevations. The Ortiz Mountains Educational Preserve (OMEP) opened to

3552-539: The Chamber of Commerce building along the procession route in El Paso. Burnham and Moore captured, disarmed, and arrested the assassin within only a few feet of Taft and Díaz. By 1910, an overwhelming number of people in the city were Americans, creating a settled environment, but this period was short-lived as the Mexican Revolution greatly impacted the city, bringing an influx of refugees—and capital—to

3648-590: The Civil War's conclusion, the town's population began to grow as white Texans continued to move into the villages and soon became the majority. El Paso itself, incorporated in 1873, encompassed the small area of communities that had developed along the river. In the 1870s, a population of 23 non-Hispanic Whites and 150 Hispanics was reported. With the arrival of the Southern Pacific , Texas and Pacific , and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads in 1881,

3744-664: The Mazaztl Province proper. Also on the Colorado Plateau but further north lies the San Juan volcanic field in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The youngest eruptions in the rift region are in the Valley of Fires , New Mexico, and are approximately 5,400 years old. The Socorro, New Mexico , region of the central rift hosts an inflating mid-crustal sill-like magma body at a depth of 19 km that

3840-546: The Mexican Revolution, a widely popular Mexican revolutionary leader, Doroteo Arango (also known as Francisco "Pancho" Villa ), owned and resided in this area during the 1910s. During the 1910 Mexican Revolution many Mexicans fled Mexico and settled in Sunset Heights. This part of town is located north of central El Paso and east of the Franklin Mountains. Development of the area was extensive during

3936-710: The Mexican side. The present New Mexico–Texas boundary placing El Paso on the Texas side was drawn in the Compromise of 1850 . El Paso remained the largest settlement in New Mexico as part of the Republic of Mexico until its cession to the U.S. in 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo specified the border was to run north of El Paso De Norte around the Ciudad Juárez Cathedral which became part of

Ortiz Mountains - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-589: The National Catholic Welfare Fund. In 1916, the Census Bureau reported El Paso's population as 53% Mexican and 44% Non-Hispanic whites. Mining and other industries gradually developed in the area. The El Paso and Northeastern Railway was chartered in 1897, to help extract the natural resources of surrounding areas, especially in southeastern New Mexico Territory. The 1920s and 1930s had the emergence of major business development in

4128-754: The Ortiz porphyry belt are South Mountain, the San Pedro Mountains and the Cerrillos Hills. These porphyry intrusions were followed by movement on the Tijeras-Canoncito fault and later mid Oligocene (31.4–27.9 ma) intrusions of stocks and dikes with mineralization including both base and precious metals. Placer mining for gold in the Ortiz Mountains was carried out by the early Spanish using Indian slave labor, but

4224-477: The Pacific, the Gulf of California , and the Gulf of Mexico into the region. When this moisture moves into the El Paso area and places to the southwest, orographic lift from the mountains, combined with strong daytime heating, causes thunderstorms , some severe enough to produce flash flooding and hail, across the region. The sun shines 302 days per year on average in El Paso, 83% of daylight hours, according to

4320-426: The Rio Grande rift is by the simple rotation of the Colorado Plateau 1-1.5° in a clockwise direction relative to the North American craton. Other explanations that have been offered are that the extension is driven by mantle forces, such as large-scale mantle upwelling or small-scale mantle convection at the edge of the stable craton; collapse of over-thickened continental crust; initiation of transform faulting along

4416-545: The Rio Grande where they visited the land that is present-day New Mexico in 1581–1582. The expedition was led by Francisco Sánchez, called "El Chamuscado", and Fray Agustín Rodríguez, the first Spaniards known to have walked along the Rio Grande and visited the Pueblo Indians since Francisco Vásquez de Coronado 40 years earlier. Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate was born in 1550 in Zacatecas, Zacatecas , Mexico, and

4512-672: The San Luis is roughly 120 by 80 kilometres (75 by 50 mi). These basins may contain smaller units within them, such as the Alamosa basin within the San Luis, which is bounded by the San Juan and Tusas mountains on the west and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the east. The Albuquerque basin is the largest of the three basins, spanning 160 kilometres (99 mi) north–south and 86 kilometres (53 mi) east–west at its widest points. It

4608-482: The area. Historic districts Kern Place and Sunset Heights are in this part of town. Kern Place was founded in 1914 by Peter E. Kern , for whom the neighborhood was named. The homes of Kern Place are unique in architecture and some were built by residents themselves. One of the better known homes is the Paul Luckett Home located at 1201 Cincinnati Ave. above Madeline Park, and is made of local rock. It

4704-500: The bottom of the Albuquerque basin to 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) above sea level in the nearby Sandia Mountains , which flanks the Albuquerque basin to the east. Flanking mountains are generally taller along the east side of the rift (although some of this relief may be Laramide in origin). The thickness of the crust increases to the north beneath the rift, where it may be as much as 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) thicker than it

4800-628: The bustling boom town. Spanish-language newspapers, theaters, movie houses, and schools were established, many supported by a thriving Mexican refugee middle class. Large numbers of clerics, intellectuals, and businessmen took refuge in the city, particularly between 1913 and 1915. Ultimately, the violence of the Mexican Revolution followed the large Mexican diaspora, who had fled to El Paso. In 1915 and again in 1916 and 1917, various Mexican revolutionary societies planned, staged, and launched violent attacks against both Texans and their political Mexican opponents in El Paso. This state of affairs eventually led to

4896-535: The city for the outstanding high-school athletic programs at Andress High School , Parkland High School , Irvin High School , and Chapin High School . In May 2021 a major developer announced plans for a Master Planned Community in the Northeast modeled after Scarborough's Sunfield Master Planned Community in Buda, Texas. The first phase of the development is to include about 2,500 homes, 10-acre park, walking trails,

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4992-426: The city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the U.S. , the most populous city in West Texas , and the sixth-most populous city in Texas . Its metropolitan statistical area covers all of El Paso and Hudspeth counties in Texas, and had a population of 868,859 in 2020. El Paso stands on the Rio Grande across the Mexico–United States border from Ciudad Juárez ,

5088-571: The city to be without water for several days. Monthly means range from 46.1 °F (7.8 °C) in December to 84.4 °F (29.1 °C) in July, but high temperatures typically peak in June before the monsoon arrives, while daily low temperatures typically peak in July or early August with the higher humidity the monsoon brings (translating to warmer nights). On average, 42 night lows are at or below freezing, with 118 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs and 28 days of 100 °F (38 °C)+ highs annually; extremely rarely do temperatures stay below

5184-453: The city was barely beginning. Today, central El Paso has grown into the center of the city's economy and a thriving urban community. It contains numerous historic sites and landmarks, mostly in the Sunset Heights district. It is close to the El Paso International Airport, the international border, and Fort Bliss. It is part of the El Paso Independent School District . Dr. James Day, an El Paso historian, said that downtown's main business area

5280-440: The city's growth. Additionally, the departure of the region's rural population, which was mostly non-Hispanic White, to cities like El Paso, brought a short-term burst of capital and labor, but this was balanced by additional departures of middle-class Americans to other parts of the country that offered new and better-paying jobs. In turn, local businesses looked south to the opportunities afforded by cheap Mexican labor. Furthermore,

5376-431: The city, partially enabled by Prohibition-era bootlegging. The military demobilization, and agricultural economic depression, which hit places like El Paso first before the larger Great Depression was felt in the big cities, though, hit the city hard. In turn, as in the rest of the United States, the Depression era overall hit the city hard, and El Paso's population declined through the end of World War II, with most of

5472-453: The city. This part of town contains some of the city's oldest and most historic neighborhoods. Located in the heart of the city, it is home to about 44,993 people. Development of the area started in 1827 with the first resident, Juan Maria Ponce de Leon, a wealthy merchant from Paso del Norte (present-day Ciudad Juárez), who built the region's first structure establishing Rancho Ponce within the vicinity of S. El Paso Street and Paisano Dr. when

5568-537: The desert, causing loss of visibility. El Paso and the nearby mountains also receive snow. Weather systems have produced over 1 ft (30 cm) of snow on several occasions. In the 1982–1983 winter season, three major snowstorms produced record seasonal snowfall. On December 25–26, 1982, 6.0 in (15 cm) of snow fell, producing a white Christmas for the city. This was followed by another 7.0 in (18 cm) on December 30–31, 1982. On April 4–7, 1983, 16.5 in (42 cm) of snow fell on El Paso, bringing

5664-477: The easternmost manifestation of widespread extension in the western U.S. during the past 35 million years. The rift consists of three major basins and many smaller basins, less than 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi). The three major basins (from northernmost to southernmost) are the San Luis , Española , and Albuquerque basins. The rift's northern extent is delineated by the upper Arkansas River basin between Leadville and Salida, Colorado . Further south,

5760-407: The features were Mexican: low, flat adobe buildings, shading cottonwoods under which dusky, smoking women and swarthy children sold fruit, vegetables, and bread; habitual gambling universal, from the boys' game of pitching quartillas (three-cent coins) to the great saloons where huge piles of silver dollars were staked at monte. In this little village, a hundred thousand dollars often changed hands in

5856-433: The first significant placer workings began in 1821. The underground Ortiz Mine was opened in 1822. By 1832, several gold-bearing veins had been discovered. The first gold lode mine in the West was in the Ortiz, as well as the first railroad in New Mexico. The gold separation mill was the work of Thomas Edison . But following World War I, mining costs had risen and the low grade ores and relative lack of water resulted in

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5952-461: The form of immigration controls to prevent disease, allegedly was abused to create nonconsensual pornographic images of women distributed in local bars. These rumors along with the perceived hazard from kerosene baths led to the 1917 Bath riots . As a result of the increased segregation, the Catholic Church attempted to garner the Mexican-American community's allegiance through education and political and civic involvement organizations, including

6048-564: The intersection of three states (Chihuahua, New Mexico, and Texas) and two countries (Mexico and the U.S.). It is the only major Texas city in the Mountain Time Zone . Ciudad Juarez was once in the Central Time Zone , but both cities are now on Mountain Time. El Paso is closer to the capital cities of four other states: Phoenix, Arizona (430 miles (690 km) away); Santa Fe, New Mexico (273 miles (439 km) away); Ciudad Chihuahua , Chihuahua, (218 miles (351 km) away), and Hermosillo , Sonora (325 miles (523 km) away) —than it

6144-403: The last mines being closed. In 1973, Consolidated Gold Fields opened an open pit on the Cunningham Hill deposit, the same deposit that the Ortiz Mine had worked. Using the heap and leach method , they extracted approximately 250,000 ounces of gold before closing in 1986. A joint venture of LAC Minerals and Pegasus Gold Corporation did exploratory work beginning in 1989 primarily investigating

6240-439: The lithosphere and allowed for later extension of the region. Cenozoic extension started about 30 million years ago (Ma). There are two phases of extension observed: late Oligocene and middle Miocene . The first period of extension produced broad, shallow basins bounded by low-angle faults. The crust may have been extended as much as 50% during this episode. Widespread magmatism in mid- Cenozoic time suggests that

6336-415: The most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua . The Las Cruces area, in the neighboring U.S. state of New Mexico , has a population of 219,561. On the U.S. side, the El Paso metropolitan area forms part of the larger El Paso–Las Cruces combined statistical area , which has a population of 1,098,541. These three cities form a combined international metropolitan area sometimes referred to as

6432-459: The north and dividing the city into several sections along with Fort Bliss and El Paso International Airport . The Rio Grande Rift , which passes around the southern end of the Franklin Mountains, is where the Rio Grande flows. The river defines the border between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez to the south and west until the river turns north of the border with Mexico, separating El Paso from Doña Ana County, New Mexico . Mt. Cristo Rey , an example of

6528-547: The north and nearly divide the city into two sections; the west side forms the beginnings of the Mesilla Valley , and the east side expands into the desert and lower valley. They connect in the central business district at the southern end of the mountain range. The city's elevation is 3,740 ft (1,140 m) above sea level. North Franklin Mountain is the highest peak in the city at 7,192 ft (2,192 m) above sea level. The peak can be seen from 60 mi (100 km) in all directions. Additionally, this mountain range

6624-428: The north side of town". The area is located north of Interstate 10, east of Airway Blvd., and south of Montana Ave. It is the largest and fastest growing area of town with a population over 200,000. It includes the 79936 ZIP Code, which was considered in 2013 as the most populous in the nation with over 114,000 people. Formerly known as the lower valley, it includes part of Eastside and all lower valley districts. It

6720-404: The north to the state of Chihuahua , Mexico , in the south. The rift zone consists of four basins that have an average width of 50 kilometres (31 mi). The rift can be observed on location at Rio Grande National Forest , White Sands National Park , Santa Fe National Forest , and Cibola National Forest , among other locations. The Rio Grande rift has been an important site for humans for

6816-410: The northward-bound Spanish conquistadors crossed large sand dunes about 27 miles south of present-day downtown El Paso. The expeditionaries and their horses reportedly ran toward the river, and two horses drank themselves to death. Don Juan de Oñate , a New Spain-born conquistador of Spanish parents, was an expedition leader who ordered a big feast north of the Río Grande in what is now San Elizario. This

6912-663: The nucleus of Anglo-American and Hispanic settlement within the limits of modern-day El Paso, in 1844: the Republic of Texas, which claimed the area, wanted a chunk of the Santa Fe trade. During the Mexican–American War , the Battle of El Bracito was fought nearby on Christmas Day, 1846. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo effectively made the settlements on the north bank of the river part of the US, separate from Old El Paso del Norte on

7008-585: The period from 1942 to 1956 had the bracero program , which brought cheap Mexican labor into the rural area to replace the losses of the non-Hispanic White population. In turn, seeking better-paying jobs, these migrants also moved to El Paso. By 1965, Hispanics once again were a majority. Meanwhile, the postwar expansion slowed again in the 1960s, but the city continued to grow with the annexation of surrounding neighborhoods and in large part because of its significant economic relationship with Mexico. The Farah Strike , 1972–1974, occurred in El Paso, Texas. This strike

7104-410: The population boomed to 10,000 by the 1890 census, with many Anglo-Americans, recent immigrants, old Hispanic settlers, and recent arrivals from Mexico. The location of El Paso and the arrival of these more wild newcomers caused the city to become a violent and wild boomtown known as the "Six-shooter Capital" because of its lawlessness. Indeed, prostitution and gambling flourished until World War I when

7200-476: The population losses coming from the non-Hispanic White community. Nonetheless, they remained the majority to the 1940s. During and following the war, military expansion in the area, as well as oil discoveries in the Permian Basin , helped to engender rapid economic expansion in the mid-1900s. Copper smelting, oil refining, and the proliferation of low-wage industries (particularly garment making) led to

7296-484: The property, hiring Anson Mills to survey and lay out the town, thus forming the current street plan of downtown El Paso. In Beyond the Mississippi (1867), Albert D. Richardson , traveling to California via coach, described El Paso as he found it in late 1859: The Texan town of El Paso had four hundred inhabitants, chiefly Mexicans. Its businessmen were Americans, but Spanish was the prevailing language. All

7392-591: The public in 2003. The 1,350-acre reserve was created as settlement of a lawsuit by residents against Lac Minerals. It is owned by Santa Fe County and managed by the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. Rio Grande Rift The Rio Grande rift is a north-trending continental rift zone. It separates the Colorado Plateau in the west from the interior of the North American craton on the east. The rift extends from central Colorado in

7488-541: The region were maize farmers. When the Spanish arrived, the Manso , Suma , and Jumano tribes populated the area. These were subsequently incorporated into the mestizo culture, along with immigrants from central Mexico, captives from Comanchería , and genízaros of various ethnic groups. The Mescalero Apache were also present. The Chamuscado and Rodríguez Expedition trekked through present-day El Paso and forded

7584-573: The region, as the American population was small, not more than 10% of the population. However, the region was claimed by Texas as part of the treaty signed with Mexico and numerous attempts were made by Texas to bolster these claims, but the villages that consisted of what is now El Paso and the surrounding area remained essentially a self-governed community with both representatives of the Mexican and Texan governments negotiating for control until Texas irrevocably took control in 1846. During this interregnum, 1836–1848, Americans nonetheless continued to settle

7680-467: The region. As early as the mid-1840s, alongside long extant Hispanic settlements such as the Rancho de Juan María Ponce de León, Anglo-American settlers such as Simeon Hart and Hugh Stephenson had established thriving communities of American settlers owing allegiance to Texas. Stephenson, who had married into the local Hispanic aristocracy, established the Rancho de San José de la Concordia, which became

7776-476: The rift is defined by a network of smaller, less topographically distinct alternating basins and ranges. The distinction between these smaller basins and those of the Basin and Range Province becomes blurred in northern Mexico . Basin size generally decreases to the north in the rift, though the Española covers approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) north–south and 40 kilometres (25 mi) east–west, and

7872-630: The river traces a shining pathway. Across it appears the flat roofs and cathedral towers of the old Mexican El Paso; still further, dim misty mountains melt into the blue sky. During the Civil War , Confederate military forces were in the area until it was captured by the Union California Column in August 1862. It was then headquarters for the 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry from August 1863 until December 1864. After

7968-453: The seasonal total to nearly 30 in (76 cm). On December 13–14, 1987, a record storm dumped over 22 in (56 cm) of snow on El Paso, and two weeks later (December 25–26), another 3 in (7.6 cm) fell, bringing the monthly total for December 1987 to an all-time record high of 25.9 in (66 cm) of snow. The average annual snowfall for the city varies widely between different neighborhoods at different elevations, but

8064-418: The settlement of Franklin, which became the nucleus of the future El Paso, Texas; after the army left in 1851, the rancho went into default and was repossessed; in 1852, a post office was established on the rancho bearing the name El Paso as an example of cross-border town naming until El Paso del Norte was renamed Juarez in 1888. After changing hands twice more, the El Paso company was set up in 1859 and bought

8160-528: The state of Chihuahua. El Paso County was established in March 1850, with San Elizario as the first county seat. The United States Senate fixed a boundary between Texas and New Mexico at the 32nd parallel, thus largely ignoring history and topography. A military post called the "Post opposite El Paso" (meaning opposite El Paso del Norte, across the Rio Grande) was established in 1849 on Coons' Rancho beside

8256-450: The vast Plan de San Diego , which resulted in the murder of 21 American citizens. The subsequent reprisals by a local militia soon caused an escalation of violence, wherein an estimated 300 Mexicans and Mexican-Americans lost their lives. These actions affected almost every resident of the entire Rio Grande Valley, resulting in millions of dollars of losses; the result of the Plan of San Diego

8352-515: The western margin of the North American plate; or detachment of a fragment of the Farallon plate beneath the Rio Grande region that enhanced asthenospheric upwelling in the slab window. El Paso, Texas El Paso ( / ɛ l ˈ p æ s oʊ / ; Spanish: [el ˈpaso] ; lit.   ' the route ' or ' the pass ' ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas , United States. The 2020 population of

8448-477: Was 1 °F (−17 °C), breaking the 5 °F (−15 °C) monthly record low set during the cold wave of 1899 . Loss of desert vegetation, such as Mexican/California palm trees, oleanders, and iceplants to the cold weather was one of the results. Two local power plants failed, forcing El Paso Electric to institute rolling blackouts over several days, and electric wires were broken, causing localized blackouts. Many water utility pipes froze, causing areas of

8544-524: Was founded on the south bank of the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande), in 1659 by Fray Garcia de San Francisco . In 1680, the small village of El Paso became the temporary base for Spanish governance of the territory of New Mexico as a result of the Pueblo Revolt , until 1692, when Santa Fe was reconquered and once again became the capital. The Texas Revolution (1836) was generally not felt in

8640-639: Was located south of Second Avenue and west of Santa Fe Street. Several African Americans and around 300 Chinese Americans also lived in Chihuahuita. Many of the Chinese Americans participated in the building of railroads in the El Paso area. Another downtown neighborhood is El Segundo Barrio , which is near the Mexico–U.S. border. Better known as West El Paso or the West Side, the area includes

8736-418: Was long-standing enmity between the two ethnic groups. Simultaneously, other Texans and Americans gravitated to the city, and by 1920, along with the U.S. Army troops, the population exceeded 100,000, and non-Hispanic Whites once again were in the clear majority. Nonetheless, the city increased the segregation between Mexicans and Mexican-Americans with non-Hispanic Whites. One prominent form of segregation, in

8832-526: Was originally centered between Second Avenue (now Paisano Drive) and San Francisco Avenue. At a later point, the main business area was centered around Stanton Street and Santa Fe Street. In the late 1800s, most of the White American residents lived to the north of the non-White areas, living in brick residences along Magoffin, Myrtle, and San Antonio Avenues. Hispanic-American residents lived in an area called Chihuahuita ("little Chihuahua "), which

8928-549: Was originated and led by Chicanas, or Mexican-American women, against the Farah Manufacturing Company, due to complaints against the company inadequately compensating workers. Texas Monthly described the Farah Strike as the "strike of the century". On August 3, 2019, a terrorist shooter espousing white supremacy killed 23 people at a Walmart and injured 22 others. El Paso is located at

9024-399: Was the damaging winter storm of early February 2011, which caused closures of schools, businesses, and City Hall. The snow, which was light, stopped after about a day, but during the ensuing cold episode, municipal utilities went into a crisis. The high temperature on February 2, 2011, was 15 °F (−9 °C), the lowest daily maximum on record. In addition, the low temperature on February 3

9120-578: Was the first New Spain (Mexico) explorer known to have rested and stayed 10 days by the Rio Grande near El Paso, in 1598, celebrating a Thanksgiving Mass there on April 30, 1598. Four survivors of the Narváez expedition , Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca , Alonso del Castillo Maldonado , Andrés Dorantes de Carranza , and a Moor that was enslaved Estevanico , are thought to have crossed the Rio Grande into present-day Mexico about 75 miles south of El Paso in 1535. El Paso del Norte (present-day Ciudad Juárez )

9216-539: Was the first documented and true Thanksgiving in North America. Oñate declared la Toma (taking possession), claiming all territory north of the Río Grande for King Philip II of Spain . Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo (related to the insurgent Isleta Pueblo Tribe) is also located in this valley. The Tigua is one of three Indian tribes in Texas whose sovereignty is recognized by the United States government. Ysleta

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