Why "WOULDNT" a six flags theme park work in el paso?

[bigben1234]

Originally Posted by unnativeelpasoan

The thing is that El Paso does NOT want to become just another mainstream city - nor should it! El Paso may have a number of outsiders come here because of Ft. Bliss, but at its heart it is a border town, with a "border economy" and a border culture. Employers here require employees to speak Spanish because such a large percentage of their business comes from Spanish speakers. They know they would lose a lot money if they didn't have bilingual employees. Also, I think locals would much rather hire other locals who really need a job and are going to stick around, rather than a military spouse or whatever who maybe doesn't need the job as much and isn't gonna stick around for long - and I can't say I blame them for that. Also, I don't see how becoming a "mainstream American city" would be good for the local people who already live here. In fact, it seems to me that it would bring a lot more bad than good for the locals already here. This city would be wise to look out for its own first and foremost, rathet than completely change itself just so a bunch of outsiders can move in and make it there own.

Again I wasn't saying El Paso should or shouldn't try to become more mainstream. I was just reiterating a point previously mentioned. But at the same time, the Six Flags and MLS teams and etc. are going to the mainstream cities. You can't have your cake and eat it too. San Diego is 12 miles from the border. There are many bilingual wokers as well as companies there that cater to Spanish speakers. But there are also opportunities there for people who don't speak Spanish. I agree that English speaking positions should not be created soley for military spouses. Like you mentioned, the military population is very transient and with shrinking defense spending you really can't predict that Ft. Bliss will remain huge for a long time. However, an interesting situation was brought up. A man gets a job with a company and then that company moves to El Paso. He doesn't speak Spanish. Let's say something happens to his job. Now he is in a postion where he might have to learn Spanish or leave town.

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by bigben1234

I love El Paso and always will, but Army Guy brings up a good point. If El Paso wants to become a "mainstream" big city like Phoenix or Austin or San Diego, I believe there will have to be more professional jobs (and blue collar jobs as well) that don't require Spanish. Bread-winners these days have enough stress, learning a new language just adds to that. Not only does the breadwinner have to learn Spanish, the whole family has to as well. I guess El Pasoans just have to ask themselves what direction they want to go. El Paso can definitely continue to grow with a mostly bilingual or Spanish speaking workforce, look at RGV that continues to explode in population. However, if El Paso continues to go that route it probably will never get the respect it deserves from mainstream America. Also, most non-Spanish speakers will be very hesitant to move there. If El Paso wanted to create more jobs that require English, I guess some sort of City Ordinance could be introduced requiring that both English and Spanish be accepted in the workplace (with a non-discriminatory clause regarding English only speakers). But again, I'm not sure if that is what El Pasoans want. If Fort Bliss were to downsize, which is always a possibility, the percentage of English only speakers would shrink even more. With El Paso, the language debate is the elephant in the room right now. Again, I will continue to love and respect El Paso even if its' English only speaking population shrinks, but other Americans might not feel the same way.

The problem is not being out of the "mainstream", it's the education level of the workforce. Austin is successful because about 1 out of every 2 Austinites has at least a bachelor's degree. If you have an educated workforce, the higher paying jobs will come.

[TexasCCW]

1 out of 2 have a bachelors degree? Where did you get this data? Can you post a link?

[Watchful]

WATER PARK can mean one of two things - it can be tourist destination - or it can be community amenity.

It may be correct that EP will be a "hard sell" in terms of destination - the successful destination parks either have a national/international pull - one to which you fly (think Orlando) - or a regional pull - one to which you can drive in a few hours (like Six Flags).

But EP may be ripe for an amenity water park - which is not designed to make money and pull outsiders but to be an amenity for locals.

I moved from TX to Roanoke VA - a much smaller metro area (about 300K) than EP but a comparable situation. We have at least three major amusement parks within a day's drive (Carowinds in Charlotte, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, and Kings' Dominion in near Richmond). There was talk about developing a huge destination Blue Ridge Mountain themed park (presently known as Explore Park) - but the investment money would have been too much. Now it is being run by the county as a local amenity and a minor attraction for folks passing through.

Likewise the county has developed a small indoor+outdoor water park primarily for locals - I'm sure it is only generates enough revenue to offset part of the expenses but it is a community asset.

Here are a couple of links:

EXPLORE PARK

GREEN RIDGE RECREATION CENTER/SPLASH VALLEY

[katzpaw]

Originally Posted by Watchful

But EP may be ripe for an amenity water park - which is not designed to make money and pull outsiders but to be an amenity for locals.

El Paso has a waterpark - unfortunately it's on the far western edge of the city. If they could relocate or open a second park that would be great and likely cost way less than the $40 million the city would have to cough up for a national chain.

Wet-N-Wild Waterworld | Anthony, TX

What killed Northeast water park? $41M price tag - El Paso Inc.: Local News
Don't Go Chasing Hawaiian Falls... - Max Powers
The Politics of a Waterpark for the Northeast - El Paso News Organization