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Lucynda, I am curious why you left Tucson, is it really as bad as people say? I'd like to leave El Paso also, I was thinking of Tucson, but... How does the heat compare to here in the summertime? Is it prettier there? Is the crime bad?
I came to Nebraska on military leave from the Army in 1978 with an Army buddy of mine when I was in Fort Bliss, and met his wonderful sister that I married. We had 4 great kids and I ended up staying there (in Nebraska). I miss the people, the mountains and the memories of child hood friends, Ascarate Park (and school) and Riverside High. My parents are laid to rest now at Ft. Bliss cemetary. I have deep roots here in Nebraska now, but a part of my heart will always belong to El Paso.
Awww that touched my heart! Well you should go back someday to visit it.
Due to financial hardships, I had to move back to El Paso after over a decade away from there. I was really glad to have left the first time around, and had regretted not having left a lot sooner instead of wasting my youth there. So I dreaded having to move back. The sprawl was pretty bad when I had left before and I didn't imagine that it could've gotten any worse, but boy did it ever! Traffic was atrocious. People weren't as friendly as I had recalled from before and the "Frontchis" had really taken over and all the merchants were kissing their asses. Seemed like the biker scene got bigger too.
Also, what ever happened to Graham Central Station and Dallas Nightclub?? I tried to check it out after all that time and that whole area was like a ghost town. I remember before that when there was a $1 movie theater next to the Dallas nightclub. There was a Kim's Fashions in front, but that's now a small Mexican restaurant.
Anyway, I hated E.P. more the second time around, and was finally able to leave again, this time for good! It's not for everyone, that's for sure!
Thank God I wasn't raised spoiled but I will say that I dreaded the day that I had to move away from El Paso,and yes due to financial hardships I had to go bye bye. I had never been so homesick in my entire life; to me El Paso was the whole world so I thought, even though I had traveled to many different parts of the world before.
After being away from El Paso for the first year, I just started to let go and adjust to my new environment, before I knew it I realized that I was in Heaven I was having to much fun and enjoying life to even think about ever coming back home.
Surely, I would check up on my family and blog on some El Paso forums to see what people are saying, read El Paso news just to keep up with the times,everybody I grew up with either moved away or died.
I knew that I would come back to El Paso sometime when I would officially retire from my work, I was looking at the year 2020, but then I ended up coming home unexpectedly ten years earlier than planed and what an unexpected nightmare.
I can't really say that I love El Paso because I don't anymore, but I also don't think it's that much of a big deal, I can't stand the hot weather, it rarely ever rains and it's way to dry and dusty here.
But that is what happens when you move away from El Paso for a long time then come home and expect to find it the way it was before you left. I can almost say that I can actually feel the global warming in El Paso or is it just me that I got used to living in the nice cool sea breeze, rainy winters and foggy summers and the good life.
El Paso is home now, so whether I like it or not I have to get use to it, unless I win the lottery sometime soon, the buck stops here.
I can't really say that I love El Paso because I don't anymore, but I also don't think it's that much of a big deal, I can't stand the hot weather, it rarely ever rains and it's way to dry and dusty here.
But that is what happens when you move away from El Paso for a long time then come home and expect to find it the way it was before you left. I can almost say that I can actually feel the global warming in El Paso or is it just me that I got used to living in the nice cool sea breeze, rainy winters and foggy summers and the good life.
El Paso is home now, so whether I like it or not I have to get use to it, unless I win the lottery sometime soon, the buck stops here.
I think you just got used to a cool rainy climate because I don't feel any global warming here. When I first came, I couldn't see how people could stand it, walking outside seemed to be like walking into an oven.
That was only the first summer, after that I never felt the heat here, I feel it in cities like San Antonio or Dallas or Chicago because of the oppressive humidity but it doesn't feel hot here to me. Or I sometimes feel the heat but it feels glorious, already the nights seem to be getting kind of nippy, and the air seems emptier. I don't this summer was hotter than most others but it's terribly dry -- no monsoon season for two years in a row now.
I do sometimes miss lakes and streams and forests to hike in.
I agree with you that El Paso isn't what it used to be. It was a great place to live when it was much smaller than it is now but it's so much sprawl and horrendous traffic, I wouldn't choose this town if I had to choose it now - it's lost a lot of it's former charm. Once it felt like 5 small towns close together, each having it's own feel and flavor -- now it's become one giant city with crowded housing subdivisions that look the same everywhere and traffic is bad wherever you go.
I think you just got used to a cool rainy climate because I don't feel any global warming here. When I first came, I couldn't see how people could stand it, walking outside seemed to be like walking into an oven.
That was only the first summer, after that I never felt the heat here, I feel it in cities like San Antonio or Dallas or Chicago because of the oppressive humidity but it doesn't feel hot here to me. Or I sometimes feel the heat but it feels glorious, already the nights seem to be getting kind of nippy, and the air seems emptier. I don't this summer was hotter than most others but it's terribly dry -- no monsoon season for two years in a row now.
I do sometimes miss lakes and streams and forests to hike in.
I agree with you that El Paso isn't what it used to be. It was a great place to live when it was much smaller than it is now but it's so much sprawl and horrendous traffic, I wouldn't choose this town if I had to choose it now - it's lost a lot of it's former charm. Once it felt like 5 small towns close together, each having it's own feel and flavor -- now it's become one giant city with crowded housing subdivisions that look the same everywhere and traffic is bad wherever you go.
When you move away from El Paso you adapt to the weather environment of your new home town, when you are gone for over twenty years then comer back to El Paso you can easily tell the difference.
You might not feel any climate change because you have probably lived here I would guess no more than twenty years.
But for me living in a cooler climate I got used to it because it was the total opposite of El Paso's climate and I felt comfortable with it; How ever I will point out that prior to my departure El Paso use to have seasonal climate. Never in my entire life do I recall El Paso having extremely warm weather in December, January,February consistently averaging daytime temperatures in the upper seventies.
Daytime attire during these months was never short sleeve shirts, however we did have one year in 1964 where it didn't snow but we did have an ice storm, we also had one rare December 26 1972 where the temperature was 72 degrees. Other than that it was always pretty much in the mid 50's to 60's during winter and low 30's at night.
Since I have been back it seems more like summer everyday, for the exception of that freak Cold front that we had last February and it has probably snowed about three or four time since but no major accumulation.
I am aware that everything east of Midland Texas is pretty humid and miserable, I wouldn't want to live in any of those hot humid cities you mentioned and I have turn down invitations when asked to visit San Antonio, Austin or Dallas by family and you could never get me to go to Houston even if you pointed a gun to my head.
So I would say that you don't notice the climate change here in El Paso and I will tell you that it is pretty warm, more warmer than usual, even the skies over El Paso are not a blue as they use to be, they look dull. El Paso is a giant city and very crowdedindeed.
Another thing is the Rio Grande don't run through here any more, it's gone, I would like to see several of those storms like the one you had here back in 2006 to bring back the river and restore the levee on the border.
I am considering moving to El Paso. I am a (Spanish-conversant) White guy, originally from the mid-South (Roanoke, VA are), married to a Peruvian (100 percent Native Indian), with three mixed children. I work for the feds, and make decent money, but we are sick of the rat race here in the DC area. I have lived all over the US and have traveled just about everywhere in the US (including El Paso, which I loved the short time I was there).
I tend to be comfortable within the larger "Hispanic" culture, which is actually an American thing, as you know, given that for example, South Americans (Peru, Argentina) are in many ways no more similar to Mexicans that I am to some White guy from Novia Scotia..except that we both speak English and are white. I mention this because I don't know about living and/or raising our children in a Mexican-oriented culture. I can't make an assumption in other words, that Mexican-Americans in that area will be as "open" and cool with a Gringo and family as Hispanic/Latinos (true recent immigrants and/or professionals) here in the more metropolitan DC area are. There are people from all over the world in DC, so folks are used to experiencing new things.
But it's a rat race, tons of taxes, tons of traffic, very stressful, and we've been here almost two decades.
We want our kids to continue to be bilingual, to be around other mixed kids (two of ours look basically white, and one of ours looks so "Latino", you never know what you'll get with mixed kids). I am just not sure how I or they will be treated. I grew up in the South so I know racism (from my culture) and like most whites in the DC area, I've experienced it from Blacks (never had that issue with Latinos). We are wondering if our kids would be treated ok in school being "Hispanic" but not Mexican. We also would have more money than a lot of folks, and don't want that to be a bad thing. We both grew up poor, so we can appreciate the value of respect for money and not being "showy" (we drive old cars, haha).
Just not sure how it will be, but I'd like to do it. I really want my kids to grow up in the SW, and not here in this swarm, known as the DC-metro area. My wife is an ESL teacher, but we are thinking she might not work for a couple years (she has a grad degree and teaches here in MD).
Any thoughts and/or best places to live? We plan on the kids being in PUBLIC schools. We may even rent for a few years, as I think owning is over-rated.
I am considering moving to El Paso. I am a (Spanish-conversant) White guy, originally from the mid-South (Roanoke, VA are), married to a Peruvian (100 percent Native Indian), with three mixed children. I work for the feds, and make decent money, but we are sick of the rat race here in the DC area. I have lived all over the US and have traveled just about everywhere in the US (including El Paso, which I loved the short time I was there).
I tend to be comfortable within the larger "Hispanic" culture, which is actually an American thing, as you know, given that for example, South Americans (Peru, Argentina) are in many ways no more similar to Mexicans that I am to some White guy from Novia Scotia..except that we both speak English and are white. I mention this because I don't know about living and/or raising our children in a Mexican-oriented culture. I can't make an assumption in other words, that Mexican-Americans in that area will be as "open" and cool with a Gringo and family as Hispanic/Latinos (true recent immigrants and/or professionals) here in the more metropolitan DC area are. There are people from all over the world in DC, so folks are used to experiencing new things.
But it's a rat race, tons of taxes, tons of traffic, very stressful, and we've been here almost two decades.
We want our kids to continue to be bilingual, to be around other mixed kids (two of ours look basically white, and one of ours looks so "Latino", you never know what you'll get with mixed kids). I am just not sure how I or they will be treated. I grew up in the South so I know racism (from my culture) and like most whites in the DC area, I've experienced it from Blacks (never had that issue with Latinos). We are wondering if our kids would be treated ok in school being "Hispanic" but not Mexican. We also would have more money than a lot of folks, and don't want that to be a bad thing. We both grew up poor, so we can appreciate the value of respect for money and not being "showy" (we drive old cars, haha).
Just not sure how it will be, but I'd like to do it. I really want my kids to grow up in the SW, and not here in this swarm, known as the DC-metro area. My wife is an ESL teacher, but we are thinking she might not work for a couple years (she has a grad degree and teaches here in MD).
Any thoughts and/or best places to live? We plan on the kids being in PUBLIC schools. We may even rent for a few years, as I think owning is over-rated.
Thanks for any input!
You won't have any problems in El Paso. No one will bat an eyelid at your kids; many kids can pass for Latino, or Anglo. The name, or last name gives it away. As for your "money", I'm not sure why you even mention it, or bring it up. Unless you have access to someone's bank account, you can't know how much money they have. Whether they have a lot of money, or extend themselves, they will look the same. Also, people don't advertise they have money, it is just odd that you even mention it; there is always someone that will have more than you.
You won't find much racism to Latinos in El Paso, afterall, it is the super majority there. It is not a small village, but a large city with all kids of people, you will not stand out unless you set your hair on fire, or wore a purple mohawk. I don't ever recall people having a problem with Peru. A few words are different, but I am guessing you will probably be speaking English most of the time in El Paso.
Renting when moving to a new city is always the wisest idea; it gives you a chance to know the area, learn what you like, and don't. Good luck!
Thanks, I did not mean to be rude mentioning money. We both realized, after looking at the demographics (financial) online, it would be the first time we would be considered pretty "rich", by regular standards, and I realized since I haven't rented (apartment) since I was making 20k (decades ago), what it would be like to put my income on a rental application. Not that EP is Mexico, but I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be having that on paper sitting in a rental office (where people come and go as far as working there), and having people know that about me--not to mention the agency that I work for (having a take-home "detective" vehicle, if you know what I mean). Sorry..we were both raised blue collar and I did not mean to sound uppity. I just realized there would be a significant difference in income moving from DC, for us and others (since my pay will barely change).
I've never experienced overt, malicious racism from Latinos...I have experienced, like any race, the usual ignorance of another culture, but all races do that, or make assumptions, or do not know things about another culture. (yes, we have our own folk traditions, in the South, Bluegrass music, tons of excellent food, family etc, that is not unique to INSERT ETHNICITY/RACE). Haha. It's also different being married to a 1st generation Peruvian, and her family, versus Americanized Latinos like we have in Miami, Houston, LA, etc.
The West Coast Latinos are different though: Case in point: As someone of Scots-Irish (Celtic) descent, gonna really have to get used to being called "Anglo", lol. That's like someone from Portugal being called Spanish, or a Muslim Arab being called Jewish! Other than the fact my ancestors fought Anglos for a thousand years in the British Isles... Just weird to hear.
I speak descent Spanish, although sometimes people don't want to speak it with you if you are a Gringo, they'd rather speak English. Depends on the person and their personal culture. Our kids can speak both, and I'd like to keep up with it.
The weather sounds great. In DC we have 100 degree Summers (and VERY HUMID) and 3 feet of snow in the Winter. We are done with it, although I will miss the Seasons in a way. We don't have to live there forever. But we'd like to give it a shot. I loved it when I visited before for work. People were very friendly, and I think it would be great for my kids.
You will not have any problems assimilating into El Paso. Mexicans and Mexican-Americans vary in the color spectrum, but most that have Spanish blood will look just as anglo as you. Colored eyes, too.
You will actually be surprised that you will not be the only one that has money. Since the decline of Mexico's security many of the wealthier Mexicans have moved to El Paso. They do not claim status on any census or divulge their bank account info. They shop in stores and spend money like it's going out of style. Some have businesses on both sides of the border and commute on a daily basis.
Might be wise to come and visit one more time with the family and see if it's where you want to be? Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide. Maybe your experience can help someone else on the fence about moving to El Paso.
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El Paso is a giant city and very crowded
indeed.
You'll be fine...
