El Paso, TX Accredited Schools: Browse Career Education Programs in Texas

The "Sun City," El Paso, lies in the Rio Grande Valley and at the beginning of the Rocky Mountains. Situated opposite Cuidad Juárez, Chihuahua in Mexico, El Paso is part of a bi-national metropolitan area of about 2.5 million people.

These two cities make up the largest bi-national metropolitan area on the US/Mexico border. Downtown areas are within walking distance of each other. The proximity to Mexico makes El Paso part of the lowest cost and highest volume general purpose Foreign Trade Zone in the U.S.

El Paso, Texas has the sixth greatest population (598, 590) in Texas, the only state to have three cities with populations beyond 1 million: Houston (2,016,582), San Antonio (1,256,509), and Dallas (1,216,825).

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis, the average income of an El Paso resident is $21,829, and this is an increase of 8.1% since 1969.

The government of El Paso offers many opportunities with around 60,000 employees in 2004, but the metropolitan area has several other large employers.

• Walmart
• Sierra Providence Health Network
• Las Palmas Del Sol Regional Healthcare System
• Echostar Satellite Corp.

In the 1990's, El Paso's industry changed from one based in manufacturing to one centered on service. This transition has brought El Paso a net gain of over 42,000 jobs in ten years. Although the population increased by 44,182 in the 1990s (+8.5%), unemployment declined from 11.6% to 9.4%.

Sources:

• City Data--"El Paso"
• El Paso Chamber of Commerce
• City of El Paso, Texas