20 months in El Paso...
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3/1/2015
After 21 years in Abq, I moved for a change but not a radical change. I decide in a few months to stay or plan my next move. So far, a move is most likely. Quality of life is fair to poor.
Pros -
Friendlier populace than Abq for most part. Driving and road construction is beyond poorly-planned, and the drivers are terrible without any ability to drive with others - 3 states and 2 countries meet here, and it shows even on the 1.6 mile / 10-15 minute drive from my rental apartment to my rental office downtown. (yes, 10-15 minutes that short distance)
Same -
Climate...summers EP 3-5F warmer than Abq, with same edge as Abq winters at 7-10F cooler than EP. A little sunnier, and good thing I am not into rain or snow in either place.
Cons -
The border culture has declined from a decade ago, and you're like a foreigner if you aren't either dirt-poor or a yuppie in most of this town. My line of work is not regarded here, all is rushed with low fees, and hard to make a good living since EP rentals are overpriced for what you get. Those who make it here are often from places like Austin, or moved there from here and are now back, trying to change it here into - Austin, etc. Not that is all bad, but the trendy parts are, and those folks just cannot stop denying where they are.
A colleague summed El Paso up - "the kind of place where either you have 'too good of a thing going to leave', or 'you don't have enough to leave'."
David | El Paso, TX