How Mexican is El Paso? (Mexia, West: appointed, purchasing, living)

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by Smooth from ELP

Maybe that is why ATX lawmakers leave ELP out of alot funding and preference? My guess I may be wrong.

While i do like Texas and want the best for her.....i always thought ''West Texas'' from Van Horn over to El Paso should be in New Mexico. While Govenors come and go current NM Gov Bill Richardson cares way more for the EP Borderplex then GOV Perry of Texas in my opinion (What has Perry done??).

Even former Anglo New Mexico Gov Gary Johnson (1996-2002) widen U.S. 54 from 2 to 4 lanes from El Paso to Alamogordo, New Mexico in which EP Citizens benefit and also launched the Borderplex Business Parks and Border crossing in Santa Teresa.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

All Governor Perry cares about is Governor Perry. Fed us a bunch of lies on what he'd do "if we only re-elect him". He renigged on all. He wants a Cabinet, or VP job, hope the hell he gets nothing.

My neighbors and co-workers here in Houston always refer to visiting Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and especially Midland due to the oil business, but no one ever mentions El Paso. So it's not a perception, it is reality. It's not an evil conspiracy as much as El Paso is geographically isolated.

[Six Foot Three]

Well i read that Texas has a 10 Billion surplus and that's in a down economy nationally so maybe Gov Perry can get the 500 million that El Paso has been begging the TXDOT to finish Loop 375 thru Downtown to I-10 and for Phase II of the I-10 and Americas Interchange if he cares about far West Texas.

[malamute]

The land wasn't stolen. I think this is the attitude that many people see -- and it usually comes from people quite recently arrived.

The inhabitants of Texas that fought for Texas Independence included "gringos" and "hispanics". The people of the Gadsen purchase became American citizens and most of them never revolted or rebelled because they never wanted to be back under Mexican rule. You don't generally see that "the land was stolen" attitude in the people whose families were living here at the time, its from the recently arrived Mexicans who use it to justify why they leave Mexico.

There weren't many people of any ethnicity living in this region 100-150 years ago but those people whose ancestry here does go back that far aren't the ones who generally insist that the USA stole this land from Mexico and it's time to take it back for Mexico.

Some of the most patriotic to the USA people you meet here have Spanish ancestry and their families go way way back. Mexico only ruled over most of these lands for about 26 years, so many of these people were actually under rule of the government of Spain and the USA for many more years than Mexican rule.

[Synopsis]

Guys, calm down. If you want to get into a discussion on immigration, take it to the immigration forum.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by mdonaldson

After learning that El Paso is a Hispanic-dominated city I was wondering if there is any discrimination faced by the Caucasian minority?

I ask this question because my sister visited the city on a business trip and told me that El Paso is more Mexican than American and that the Mexican residents tend to treat the Caucasians like outsiders. In addition, she also mentioned that many of the Hispanic residents seem to proclaim themselves as Mexican first and don't want anything to do with America.

Is this true?

I think you'll see what it's all about on this thread. There are those Mexicans whose families fairly recently arrived who act like Americans are thieves, worse than outsiders but actual thieves, that if you're from the USA you don't belong here, they very much resent that this part of the country is part of the USA, they feel they are part of a "reconquista" movement, taking the land back for Mexico.

Most of the time people in El Paso are cordial at least face to face, but the undercurrent exists. Here you are either Mexican or you are not. Even other foreigners will face some of the attitude against non-Mexicans. Hispanic Americans who embrace the USA face the same thing, ironically - many of those from the families who were actually here back then are shunned along with the "gringos", told they must learn Spanish because many of them also don't know it.

A guy from India who looks somewhat hispanic was laughing once how a Mexican woman spoke to him in Spanish and when he politely told her he didn't speak Spanish, she began to yell at him (in English) for "forgetting his language" and telling him he should be ashamed of himself. He politely told her he didn't forget his language but he's not from Mexico but from India. She grumbled something and walked off.

El Paso can be a pleasant enough place -- but you will see conversations switch over to Spanish when an American enters a room -- deliberately to shut them out. However -- I have witnessed the same thing done to people from Mexico. A fast food restaurant where they were speaking Spanish until a Mexican farm worker walked in to order a hamburger, then suddenly they all began speaking English apparently because he could not. They made him order in English. Sort of funny in a way.

The best thing is to know and understand Spanish very well but never let on you do. You actually encounter all kinds of attitudes here, some very anti-American, some not so anti-American.

[malamute]

And I'll add -- one of the best things about El Paso is that just about everyone is from some place else, there are not many true insiders, it's not really very provincial.

You rarely meet someone here whose isn't from someplace else or whose parents were born here, and very few whose grandparents were born here. No one can really claim it. Almost everyone you run across is at best 2nd generation. Many of the original families apparently left -- although back in 1900 this was a very small town so there aren't many people whose families go back that far. Most people here come from Juarez or their parents did but that doesn't make it any more theirs than someone who came from Alamogordo or Ohio or legally from Zacatecas.

[WildWestDude]

Originally Posted by malamute

And I'll add -- one of the best things about El Paso is that just about everyone is from some place else, there are not many true insiders, it's not really very provincial.

You rarely meet someone here whose isn't from someplace else or whose parents were born here, and very few whose grandparents were born here. No one can really claim it. Almost everyone you run across is at best 2nd generation. Many of the original families apparently left -- although back in 1900 this was a very small town so there aren't many people whose families go back that far. Most people here come from Juarez or their parents did but that doesn't make it any more theirs than someone who came from Alamogordo or Ohio or legally from Zacatecas.

great point

[thespook]

Originally Posted by mdonaldson

After learning that El Paso is a Hispanic-dominated city I was wondering if there is any discrimination faced by the Caucasian minority?

I ask this question because my sister visited the city on a business trip and told me that El Paso is more Mexican than American and that the Mexican residents tend to treat the Caucasians like outsiders. In addition, she also mentioned that many of the Hispanic residents seem to proclaim themselves as Mexican first and don't want anything to do with America.

Is this true?

I have lived in el paso most of my life and I haven't seen that. The people in el paso are very friendly and helpful. Maybe I just see it differently.

[ElMexicano]

Originally Posted by mdonaldson

After learning that El Paso is a Hispanic-dominated city I was wondering if there is any discrimination faced by the Caucasian minority?

I ask this question because my sister visited the city on a business trip and told me that El Paso is more Mexican than American and that the Mexican residents tend to treat the Caucasians like outsiders. In addition, she also mentioned that many of the Hispanic residents seem to proclaim themselves as Mexican first and don't want anything to do with America.

Is this true?

El Paso is 63% Mexican almost 2/3rds I mean it sits right on the border so of course it is going to be mostly Mexcian and Mexican Americans and Mexicans make up 87% of the Hispanic Latinos in El Paso. Anglo Whites make up about 18% of the El Paso population. Most border cities will be heavily populated with people of Mexican ancestry in Southwest border states of Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Remember much of these areas use to be part of Mexico and some Mexican Americans have ancestors that lived in these parts before it became part of the U.S. I think Texas joined the Union in 1845 and California in 1850 but their were Mexicans living in these lands in the 1700's and if they have Amerindian ancestry then of course way before then.