Modern El Paso emerged from four early settlements in the vicinity, the oldest of which dates to 1827. Following the Mexican War (1846-1848) and the discovery of gold in California in 1849, El Paso’s early economy was augmented by its role as a stopping point for travelers heading west, by cattle drives to California, by the establishment of a military post in 1849 (eventually named Fort Bliss), and by the city’s position as a major stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Confederate troops occupied Fort Bliss but retreated to San Antonio in 1862 after being defeated in New Mexico. The city incorporated in 1873. In 1877 a dispute concerning the imposition of fees for the removal of salt from previously public lakes precipitated the Salt War. The Texas Rangers, a special law enforcement group, were eventually called into El Paso to stop the violence.

In 1881 development of the region was spurred by the arrival of railroads, which led to the establishment of smelters, flour mills, and breweries. El Paso became a haven for refugees during the Mexican Revolution of 1911, including the revolutionary leader Francisco Villa, also known as Pancho Villa, who recruited many followers from the city. In 1967 a small portion of El Paso was transferred to Mexico, thereby settling a boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico created by changes in the course of the Río Grande. Because of El Paso’s close economic association with Mexico, its businesses felt the effects in 1995 when the Mexican peso was devalued and American goods became more expensive to Mexicans.

El Paso is the commercial and industrial hub of a mining and agricultural region producing cotton, fruit, pecans, vegetables, and livestock. Elephant Butte Dam, on the Río Grande in New Mexico, was completed in 1916 to control flooding of the river and to irrigate the large agricultural region in the river valley. Chief manufacturing activities in El Paso include copper refining and the production of food, clothing, construction materials, electronic and medical equipment, and plastics. Tourism has become an important aspect of the economy, as has trade with Ciudad Juárez. The city’s location on the border with Mexico gives it a unique position to take advantage of economic opportunities in international commerce created by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Texas - America Real Estate Directory