Housing around the UT El Paso University area (Franklin, Sunset: apartment complexes, city hall)

[caligali]

Hi: My husband's sister is going to be doing some post-doc work there next year (she's Japanese). What is the area around the university like in terms of housing?

TIA

[joqua]

Originally Posted by caligali

What is the area around the university like in terms of housing?

TIA

Quite a mishmash, actually. Mostly older apartment complexes/buildings and single family residences within walking distance of the campus. Kern Place is old, but upscale while Sunset Heights is old and more common. Safety should not be much of a concern, but like everywhere, common sense should prevail.
There are many newer large apartment complexes within easy driving distance. Parking on campus can be problematic at times.

There is limited student housing set aside for the students, but probably a waiting list, and definitely necessary to make long-range reservations.

[caligali]

Thanks for your reply. What areas are to be avoided because of the flash floods?

[joqua]

Originally Posted by caligali

Thanks for your reply. What areas are to be avoided because of the flash floods?

That is NOT a problem in the area of the campus. The older parts of El Paso closer to Juarez are where most of the problems occur, and to some extent on the east/NE side of the city - far from UTEP.

The urban sprawl areas between the Franklin Mtns. and the U are generally built to avoid arroyo runoff, but there have been some isolated instances of damage during the most severe storms. Where that happens, someone ignored the historic drainage patterns.

[caligali]

That's really good news. I guess my final question would be about crime, specifically drug-related violence. Everything we've read about the city insists that's it's a low crime area, but isn't there some place in the vicinity where a lot of bodies of young women were found? And what about the drug related violence?

Thanks!

[joqua]

Originally Posted by caligali

...but isn't there some place in the vicinity where a lot of bodies of young women were found?

You're likely thinking of the serial crimes in Juarez several years ago, and yes, there were numerous young women slain there.

As you may also know, the difference between El Paso and Juarez is like day and night. Bright and sunny and low crime in El Paso -vs- one of the most violent cities on earth lately, dark and dangerous Juarez.

Stay away from the narcotics in ANY form and you have nothing to worry about, beyond exercising the usual common sense in any given situation.

Not sure if you're aware, but if you GOOGLE MAP El Paso, and particularly UTEP's campus, you'll see that the campus abuts the Rio Grande with Juarez on the opposite side. You literally look down on Juarez from UTEP. It's only a stone's throw away (for someone with a really strong arm), and it's been reported in recent years that stray bullets from Juarez have been known to strike on campus.

[caligali]

>> it's been reported in recent years that stray bullets from Juarez have been known to strike on campus.


You're kidding?

[mistabinks]

Originally Posted by caligali

>> it's been reported in recent years that stray bullets from Juarez have been known to strike on campus.


You're kidding?

That is misleading.

Last summer a few stray bullets hit City Hall. They were strays and nobody was shooting at City Hall. This was an isolated situation that hasn't happened since.

Later last summer, there was a fire fight on the Mexican side of the border. The next weekend, a bullet was found wedged in a class room at UTEP. It was never confirmed that the bullet was from that fire fight. As you can imagine, rumors ran wild. As a matter of fact, a few investigators stated the evidence leaned toward the bullet not coming from Mexico.

Again, most incidents took place last summer. Other stuff has happened in Mexico - not El Paso.

To be blunt, the biggest headline regarding crime to make it out of El Paso is the story of a pretty girl shoplifting a blouse from a department store. No decapitations, kidnappings, or things of that nature. A pageant queen getting busted for shoplifting the crime of the decade in El Paso.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by mistabinks

That is misleading.

Later last summer, there was a fire fight on the Mexican side of the border. The next weekend, a bullet was found wedged in a class room at UTEP.

I didn't mean to be misleading. I was trying to emphasize the closeness of UTEP to the actual city of Juarez. In fact there was at least one other incident of a bullet going through the front glass door of a building on campus. So the POTENTIAL for collateral damage from firefights in Juarez is there.

[mistabinks]

The potential does exists. Can you provide a link to the story of that bullet? I only remember the one incident and it was pretty much agreed the bullet wasn't from Mexico.