Downtown El Paso

Contemporary downtown

Downtown El Paso is the central business district of El Paso, Texas.

Historical downtown

Downtown in 1908

James Day, an El Paso historian, said that downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a later point,[when?] the main business area was centered on Stanton Street and Santa Fe. In the late 1800s, most of the white American residents lived to the north of the non-white areas, living in brick residences along Magoffin, Myrtle, and San Antonio streets. Hispanic American residents lived in an area called Chihuahuita ("little Chihuahua"), which was located south of Santa Fe and west of Second.

Several African Americans and around 300 Chinese Americans also lived in Chihuahuita. Many of the Chinese Americans built railroads in the El Paso area.[1] El Segundo Barrio is another historic neighborhood in the downtown area.[2]

Government and infrastructure

Anson Mills Building

The Texas Eighth Court of Appeals is located in downtown El Paso.[3] The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, sitting in El Paso, is located in downtown. The years 2011–2012 mark the first survey–census ever conducted for Downtown El Paso, which identified key demographics and now benchmarks to move downtown revitalization forward.

The key census type information targeted employers, employees, and households in the downtown area about who eats, shops, and plays in downtown El Paso. This information was shared with entrepreneurs and companies evaluating business investment opportunities in the downtown area and property owners seeking new tenants to better target their marketing, recruitment and outreach efforts. [4] Downtown El Paso is part of District 8.[5] Currently, the district is represented by Cissy Lizarraga.[6]

Education

EPISD headquarters

El Paso Independent School District provides K-12 educational services. It has its headquarters in Downtown, moving there in 2021.[7] The headquarters were previously on the grounds of El Paso International Airport.[8]

El Paso Public Library operates the Main Library in downtown area.[9]

Diplomatic missions

The Consulate-General of Mexico in El Paso is located in downtown.[10]

References

  1. ^ Metz, Leon. "Downtown El Paso has colorful history Archived 2012-07-31 at archive.today." El Paso Times. November 30, 2006. Retrieved on March 6, 2010.
  2. ^ Sanchez, Sara (5 October 2016). "Segundo Barrio, Chihuahuita on endangered list". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  3. ^ "Contact Information Archived 2010-01-25 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Eighth Court of Appeals. Retrieved on March 9, 2010.
  4. ^ "Annual Report 2011" (PDF). El Paso Downtown Management District.
  5. ^ "City of El Paso Representative Districts". City of El Paso. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  6. ^ "District 8". City of El Paso. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  7. ^ Carreon, Cristina (2021-01-28). "EPISD administration to move into new downtown headquarters in 2021". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  8. ^ "EPISD Central Office Relocation to Downtown El Paso FAQ". El Paso Independent School District. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  9. ^ "Main (downtown) Library Archived 2010-02-25 at the Wayback Machine." El Paso Public Library. Retrieved on March 7, 2010.
  10. ^ "Bienvenido a Nuestra Portal." Consulate-General of Mexico in El Paso. Retrieved on March 7, 2010.

31°45′27″N 106°29′42″W / 31.7575°N 106.4950°W / 31.7575; -106.4950