Metro Population of El Paso in 2000 was 679,000 (Texas Rank 5; US Rank 64)
"Today, the El Paso-Cd. Juarez metroplex, with a population of nearly two
million,
is an important manufacturing and trading center. Residents on both sides of
the
river are justly proud of their multicultural heritage and shared history.
Pioneer Plaza, in the heart of downtown, is the historical center
of El Paso. This was
the location of the Ponce Ranch, founded in 1827. The plaza evolved at the site
of an
irrigation canal that carried water to nearby vineyards and fields.
During the town's turbulent frontier days, the "Newspaper Tree," an
old cottonwood
on the plaza, was used by locals to post notices. By 1881 with the arrival of
the
railroad, the collection of scattered adobes and ramshackle saloons became a
boom
town.
In 1905, the little plaza officially was named Pioneer Plaza in
honor of El Paso's
founders. Ten years later, Mayor Tomm Lea Sr. planned to erect a monument on
the
plaza to honor the area's pioneers. This dream was not to be realized until
the installation
of the Fray García Monument 91 years later. From History
of El Paso
Photo From
Cacti of the El Paso, Texas Region
Cactus pictures are from
Cacti of the El Paso, Texas Region
Photographer: Clark Champie, El Paso, TX