Why "WOULDNT" a six flags theme park work in el paso? (Austin: 2014, waterpark)

[TexasNexus]

If Six Flags couldn't make a go in Houston, then El Paso is gonna be a much more difficult place to generate the kind of revenue it takes to make those places profitable.

[LikeNumber5]

50 dollars? Really, that's it? It would be cheaper than covering expenses to travel out of town and then still paying for an amusement park entrance. Oh El Paso, El Paso, we should fire city council and tourism personnel,...

[thatgirlwho]

El Paso needs to stop limiting themselves. The older people in charge of county needs to stop making this town a dried up old boring desert. If people have enough money to buy drugs because lack of entertainment to do anything here then they sure as hell can go to an amusement park with family, stay out of trouble, etc. I would recommend getting a WATER park first, not too small or big perhaps a wet and wild on the west side? Then from all the boat loads of money you would generate,(oh hey council...it's called an INVESTMENT btw...) since people are known for frying from the El Paso heat, you would have enough to expand or add on an fiesta Texas bringing in some many people. People would come. We live in a desert for crying out loud PEOPLE WANT WATER.

[kidicarus89]

Originally Posted by thatgirlwho

El Paso needs to stop limiting themselves. The older people in charge of county needs to stop making this town a dried up old boring desert. If people have enough money to buy drugs because lack of entertainment to do anything here then they sure as hell can go to an amusement park with family, stay out of trouble, etc. I would recommend getting a WATER park first, not too small or big perhaps a wet and wild on the west side? Then from all the boat loads of money you would generate,(oh hey council...it's called an INVESTMENT btw...) since people are known for frying from the El Paso heat, you would have enough to expand or add on an fiesta Texas bringing in some many people. People would come. We live in a desert for crying out loud PEOPLE WANT WATER.

Why do people get so caught up in water parks and amusement parks. A good deal of amusement park operators barely break even or lose money every year - it's not a very profitable model considering the amount of investment required.

You know what El Paso really needs? More high-paying white collar jobs. More Ft. Bliss contractors opening local offices here. Increased trade from Mexico to bolster the manufacturing/transportation industry. Biomedical investment tied to UMC and the Medical School. Homegrown companies started by UTEP business and engineering grads.

These are the injections of capital that will make a difference in the El Paso economy and bring in skilled jobs. Not some theme park where the majority of the staff is high school kids making minimum wage.

[mistabinks]

True kid, true.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by kidicarus89

Why do people get so caught up in water parks and amusement parks. A good deal of amusement park operators barely break even or lose money every year - it's not a very profitable model considering the amount of investment required.

You know what El Paso really needs? More high-paying white collar jobs. More Ft. Bliss contractors opening local offices here. Increased trade from Mexico to bolster the manufacturing/transportation industry. Biomedical investment tied to UMC and the Medical School. Homegrown companies started by UTEP business and engineering grads.

These are the injections of capital that will make a difference in the El Paso economy and bring in skilled jobs. Not some theme park where the majority of the staff is high school kids making minimum wage.

Lots of better jobs, then a theme park.

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by kidicarus89

Why do people get so caught up in water parks and amusement parks. A good deal of amusement park operators barely break even or lose money every year - it's not a very profitable model considering the amount of investment required.

You know what El Paso really needs? More high-paying white collar jobs. More Ft. Bliss contractors opening local offices here. Increased trade from Mexico to bolster the manufacturing/transportation industry. Biomedical investment tied to UMC and the Medical School. Homegrown companies started by UTEP business and engineering grads.

These are the injections of capital that will make a difference in the El Paso economy and bring in skilled jobs. Not some theme park where the majority of the staff is high school kids making minimum wage.

I agree with you there. To build an amusement partk would take millions if not tens of millions of dollars. Would take quite a lot of business to get in the black. Price it too high and people can't afford it, price it too low and you're not making money.

As for the jobs, what is so attractive about ELP that would make high paying white collar jobs come here? I like this town but the reality is that it doesn't have enough to offer to attract people here. Besides a AAA team, there are no professional level sports teams here, MLS passed on ELP.

You can't count on Fort Bliss, IMO because of 2 reasons: 1. the population flucuates and 2. it's subject to the military shrinking (which is happening with the inactivation of 3/1AD).

Another thing: there is too much of a dependence on Spanish here being mandatory. You think those big companies want to limit themselves like that? Say they do open up a nice big whatever that pays nice. Man with his family moves here, he works. He doesn't speak Spanish and neither does his family. His wife can't find a job, his kids are quasi-foreigners. Do you think that type of atmosphere is going to attract top quality business?

It's a good thing I make enough to support my family because the wife going job hunting frequently ended with: bilingual required.

I'd be interested to see what the average expendable income in the town is. I believe it's one of the reasons why MLS passed on ELP. There are tons of soccer fans around here but do they have the spending power to support a MLS team?

[mistabinks]

Saying MLS passed on El Paso is a very misleading statement. It hurts the validity of the rest of your post. In the end, El Paso has not been awarded a MLS franchise so it is a bit of semantics on my part.

A recent study showed that UTEP pumps more money into the local economy than Fort Bliss so I agree we shouldn't depend on Fort Bliss for growth. I am a fan of both so I am glad they are both here.

Spanish speakers are the fastest growing demographic. Many Fortune 500 companies are spending top R&D money on how to tap into that market. Maybe El Paso's crutch can one day be a benefit. Baby steps though. Triple A baseball, or MLS for that matter, is not the answer. It is a brick in the foundation however.

[bigben1234]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

Another thing: there is too much of a dependence on Spanish here being mandatory. You think those big companies want to limit themselves like that? Say they do open up a nice big whatever that pays nice. Man with his family moves here, he works. He doesn't speak Spanish and neither does his family. His wife can't find a job, his kids are quasi-foreigners. Do you think that type of atmosphere is going to attract top quality business?

It's a good thing I make enough to support my family because the wife going job hunting frequently ended with: bilingual required.

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.

[unnativeelpasoan]

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 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.