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Many of you think I am unfair to El Paso.. that all I ever do is attack the city. I think most of you can find where I have come to the defense of El Paso, and even had nice things to say. Some of you have even started threads trying to cover up the honest truth about El Paso.
I do not fault you for loving El Paso. If this is what makes you happy, then I am happy for you. El Paso will always be my home, I grew up here. But I am not happy here. El Paso has many things to over come. The biggest is the El Paso Mentality. Things are changing here, and they are going to happen quickly, and if the mind set of El Paso does not change, there are going to major issues in this city that I don't know if the city will be able to resolve.
Since I have seen green, brown is so much less for me. I will concede that we have some awesome sunsets here, the weather is nice, and that El Paso is rather safe, but only because I know this city so well.. I know how to stay safe.
Living in the desert, it would only be natural for me to want to be near water, to see trees, and grass, all the stuff El Paso does not offer. But there is more to living some place than the weather, and the foliage.
Living wages, jobs, rent, community, and so many other things.
When I moved to Boise, I had nothing but the clothes on our backs and what we had in the trunk of the car. the neighbors gave us Furniture, had us over for cook outs and gave us moral support. When I moved to Mississippi, the neighbors came out and greeted us, brought us pies and casseroles. they embraced us and welcomed us to the area. Now mind you this is after Katrina.
When people move to El Paso, I have never seen this sort of welcoming.. ever. So you want to say were friendly, when even the WAL*MART greeters have a hard time just saying hello.. forget smiling. And even if they do say something your more likely to hear it in Spanish than English.. call me a liar on that, and I'll drive you to WAL*MART and prove you wrong.
We need to make English the official Language of the United States. This having to know a certain language just to get a job has to end. Its discriminatory. I have no problem with people speaking Spanish, Japanese or what ever, I don't want to steal your heritage, I just want one unifying language for all... We can still be a melting pot, and all speak one language. This is one of El Paso biggest flaws. It is Anti-anything not Latino. I experience racism daily, as an Anglo American. But for me to call attention to it, makes me the raciest, and that needs to be addressed not only in El Paso, but the entire United States.
El Paso who you know, instead of best person for the job has to also end. Too many lazy unqualified people in jobs they have no business having.. all because their brother/sister/uncle/high school buddy got them in on.
El Paso used to be pretty.. it used to have charm, but it has slowly become more run down, and dare I say border trash like.. I blame NAFTA, and I blame the city for not addressing the many problems we have had over time. I blame the city for not embracing the many changes the city could of used, the business wanting to relocate here, by not reaching out to big companies and keep them from jumping the Rio not so Grande Stream.
El Paso, needs work.. with so many people coming here, and no jobs already, we need more work... good paying work. Not minimum wage work. Some of you will claim jobs are coming, but when you say 1800 jobs here and 300 jobs there then you have to also consider that (60,000) sixty thousand new unemployed spouses are also coming.. 1800+300+??? is not gonna be enough to go around.
Traffic, is another major concern. Even with the changes they are making now, the changes wont be enough to stop the grid lock that is going to take place city wide. Look at the streets of Edgemere, and Airways near the What-A-Burger and the new GECU building, and you'll get a good example of the grid lock. Hit I-10 during rush hours and look at how bad it gets.. 5 miles per hour from the spaghetti bowl to Lee Trevino is just insane.
Lets now talk crime, we were voted the second safest city in the country. Ok, but I can tell you from first hand knowledge that status is based on false numbers. Fort Bliss and Juarez crimes to El Pasoans do not get counted in those numbers. Reclassifying crimes to a lesser charge also tend to make those numbers more favorable to the crime stats. Something done all to often here. Also Drunk driving is not counted in those stats in the nature it should be.. we have more DUI's, DWI's than any other Texas City, so many that there was special news reports on it, and laws passed to try to curb it. So yeah you may not get grabbed pulled into an alley, raped and robbed, but you may get hit by a drunk driver walking to the corner store. So lets not play the El Paso is Safe card, when we all know it is not as safe as the stats would have anyone believe. Also Gang activity is on the rise.. I have even posted links to this. Also there is no denying that the Drug war in Juarez is not spilling over into El Paso. I have friends on the Boarder patrol that will tell you it is in fact spilling over to El Paso, and that they are under manned.. so will the El Paso PD.. most of the PD I know left to work in other Texas Cities, or the Boarder Patrol.. something addressed by the Academy by making officers pay back the city if they leave for other departments. El Paso PD is about 500 men under staffed. And with the soldiers coming in mass soon.. its going to be hell on them.
I know many of you disagree with what I have to say.. an my opinion. I dont like El Paso, that is fact.. but I also want the best for it, and I see so many things that need to be addressed here, before El Paso becomes the City it should be.
Many of you think I am unfair to El Paso.. that all I ever do is attack the city. I think most of you can find where I have come to the defense of El Paso, and even had nice things to say. Some of you have even started threads trying to cover up the honest truth about El Paso.....
Traffic, is another major concern. Even with the changes they are making now, the changes wont be enough to stop the grid lock that is going to take place city wide. Look at the streets of Edgemere, and Airways near the What-A-Burger and the new GECU building, and you'll get a good example of the grid lock. Hit I-10 during rush hours and look at how bad it gets.. 5 miles per hour from the spaghetti bowl to Lee Trevino is just insane.....
You make several good points, even if we don't always agree on certain things. The El Paso of 30 years ago was a great place, and while I still love EP, the size, the traffic () and the high property taxes (OUTRAGEOUS) made me look elsewhere for my mountains and skiing.
Yes, some things need to be worked on and changed, but I think that is true of most cities, especially large ones. EP, as you know, also has problems simply because it is a border city, I think.
If I ever come back home to Texas to live, it would be either EP or Alpine. I will always love the desert/mountain combination, and cannot imagine living without it.
Your unhappiness shows in nearly every post on this forum, and I hope that you find your green coastal area that you're looking for one day.
You make several good points, even if we don't always agree on certain things. The El Paso of 30 years ago was a great place, and while I still love EP, the size, the traffic () and the high property taxes (OUTRAGEOUS) made me look elsewhere for my mountains and skiing.
Yeah I forgot to mention the high Property Tax. Thanks for reminding me. =)
Yes, some things need to be worked on and changed, but I think that is true of most cities, especially large ones. EP, as you know, also has problems simply because it is a border city, I think.
Well that maybe true, but El Paso has always been 10 years behind the trend. They think small while being huge. They scare away big business, or it comes here only to jump the line to Mexico, where they can have cheap labor. When you pay someone 7-9 bucks an hour but charge them huge property tax, on top of new sky high housing cost, your making for many new homeless. I read some place that 70% or more of El Paso is on some sort of welfare. They don't try to help people off of it, they want more, just for the extra funding they get. but your also right that El Paso has extra problems not faced by many other cities because were a border city.
If I ever come back home to Texas to live, it would be either EP or Alpine. I will always love the desert/mountain combination, and cannot imagine living without it.
Alpine is nice.. A bit small for me, but I can see why you would like it.
Your unhappiness shows in nearly every post on this forum, and I hope that you find your green coastal area that you're looking for one day.
I really don't mean to bash El Paso, I do want whats best for it.. its just not some place I want to be. I really do see some stressful times ahead of El Paso, some major problems that need to be addressed.. or crime, and unemployment are going to sky rocket here. But thanks Cathy for keeping it real, even though you and I have had our arguments, and I know you have wanted to just strangle me to death a few times.. I still think your ok in my book.
I replied between your words.. thanks for your time Cathy.
You post makes me think twice about keeping El Paso on my list of possible cities to retire to. When I am in that area in June I think I will concentrate on Albuquerque & Las Cruces and only visit El Paso for a day or two to see it for myself.
I replied between your words.. thanks for your time Cathy.
Yes, I HAVE wanted to strangle you several times, but you're OK in my book, too....LOL!!
There is no doubt that EP will have both benefits and problems with the coming military expansion...when I was first looking in EP at housing ('95), I did notice that what was available at that time was more expensive than Midland in both cost and taxes. Taxes ran around 30% more than in Midland for comparable homes.
The welfare issue is a thorny one for sure......and it isn't limited enough, IMHO. There are times when people need help, but they should not be allowed to live off of the taxpayers indefinitely. If EP's rate is that high, that's pretty discouraging.
I love Alpine, too, but it IS small, and you do have to do a lot of driving for several things. The property taxes there are just as bad as they are in EP. Here, I live in a house that has roughly the same market value as one I looked at in Alpine....but the property taxes were over TWICE as high in Alpine...and the market value in Alpine was a little less, too. So, it does have its downsides. My homeowner's insurance is half of what it was in TX, too.
If you want to live on the coast, insurance is another thing to consider. As you probably already know, some insurance companies have already stopped issuing policies in the Gulf Coast areas.
Anyway, good luck in finding what you're looking for. I love it here....the only thing I don't like is the heat, but otherwise a neat and beautiful place!
You post makes me think twice about keeping El Paso on my list of possible cities to retire to. When I am in that area in June I think I will concentrate on Albuquerque & Las Cruces and only visit El Paso for a day or two to see it for myself.
Norm, don't rub it off the list just yet. El Paso has its problems, and I don't like it, but that does not mean you wont. I think even 6Foot3 who lives in Albuquerque will tell you El Paso is a far better place to live than there. Las Cruces is a nice town... has a college vibe about it. I know you said retire, and I am not sure what state income tax can be levied against.. but keep that in mind when looking in New Mexico. So Norm.. keep El Paso in your running, but if your dead set on New Mexico, may I also suggest Alamogordo NM, its about an hours drive from El Paso, your near White Sands, and just about an hour out from Cloudcroft NM and one really nice national forest. Just one more thing to consider. Good Luck, may your move and retirement be a smooth one.
You make several good points, even if we don't always agree on certain things. The El Paso of 30 years ago was a great place, and while I still love EP, the size, the traffic () and the high property taxes (OUTRAGEOUS) made me look elsewhere for my mountains and skiing.
Ya know, so many people complain about the traffic here, but honestly if you live some other places - and maybe you have - the traffic here is nothing!
My husbands last commute in Hawaii was over an hour to go 16 miles!!! and much of that was on the highway believe it or not.
We're headed to Norfolk/Virginia Beach area in the summer and the traffic there was horid 18 years ago when we were there we are not looking forward to it again - how about 25 minutes to go 11 miles or an hour and a half to go 20 miles???
Seriously....traffic is not bad here in El Paso at all!
Norm, don't rub it off the list just yet. El Paso has its problems, and I don't like it, but that does not mean you wont. I think even 6Foot3 who lives in Albuquerque will tell you El Paso is a far better place to live than there. Las Cruces is a nice town... has a college vibe about it. I know you said retire, and I am not sure what state income tax can be levied against.. but keep that in mind when looking in New Mexico. So Norm.. keep El Paso in your running, but if your dead set on New Mexico, may I also suggest Alamogordo NM, its about an hours drive from El Paso, your near White Sands, and just about an hour out from Cloudcroft NM and one really nice national forest. Just one more thing to consider. Good Luck, may your move and retirement be a smooth one.
Telling myself what? can you elaborate some? Please don't be coy.
Dude...you talk out of both sides of your mouth. From what I've read that you posted about El Paso, no way it's a better place to live than Albuquerque. Of course I've never lived in El Paso however I'm just going off of what you've posted. Albuquerque has a WAY better job market & a better Quality of life.
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