Borderland, USA (El Paso, TX and Las Cruces, NM)

[stupac14]

The borderland, as it has been dubbed by the local media, consists of El Paso County in Texas and Dona Ana County in New Mexico. Juarez, Mexico is also considered a part of this region, but I did not make it down there so this thread will focus mainly on El Paso and Las Cruces. Both cities are quite old and rife with interesting architecture and cultural locales, but seeing as this is a skyscraper forum and I tried to encapsulate the area's offerings with a scattering of randomness. Please enjoy.

El Paso




The ASARCO copper smelter is a prominent landmark in the city. Notice Mexico in the background.




A couple of crappy shots of Juarez from across the border. I hope to get down there some day for some proper photos.




This image begins the downtown tour starting at the transportation hub and events center.




A little grit














Recently defeated boxer, Oscar, is featured among other fighters, in this mural.








Notice the boarded-up windows.




Leaving downtown, I made my way up the slope of the Franklin Mountains for some distance shots. I snapped this interesting little joint en route.


The view from a ridge overlooking the city (cities).






Juarez is visible in the above and below shots.




Heading back down into the valley, I perched myself on I-10 overpasses for these shots as the sun receded.








We shall say goodbye to El Paso with some poorly blended panos.



Las Cruces


Las Cruces is located in the "lush" Mesilla Valley, just west of the Organ Mountains.


A giant model of New Mexico's state bird created entirely out of roadside litter.


An endangered owl has nested in one of those slides. I suppose that is why they remain.


The old LCHS converted into the district courthouse.


An atypical foliage engulfed house.


An upscale neighborhood on the city's east side.


Since this is a skyscraper forum, I'll post the only thing that comes remotely close to scrapping the sky in Las Cruces.


Taken in Mesilla, a little village just south of Las Cruces.


Ristra; check. Adobe; check. Cacti; check. Classic New Mexico.


This photo is just to prove that people live in the Las Cruces area. *taken in Mesilla*



I leave you with this gorgeous New Mexican sunset.

[Xing]

Sweet. That's where my family comes from. I'll be there in 2 weeks. I'll be staying in Las Cruses, but I will also swing by El Paso, cross the border to Juarez, and stay there, as well as in Chihuahua City. Thanks for the prep! Great pics!

[OfCourse]

Whoa!

Never see El Paso around here, ever!

Looks better than I thought it would.

I'll probably go soon. My mom has a brother that lives there, and his family. I'll tag along only because I've never been there.

[Boris]

That's right, El Paso is rarely seen here. Haven't been there in a few years. Always loved to go up the mountain overview area.

Great shots, especially the twighlight shots.

[OhioGuy]

It's great to see El Paso! I don't know if I've ever seen photos of the city before. It looks like it has a decent downtown. Thanks for the great photos!

[Evergrey]

quite interesting

[BnaBreaker]

Best El Paso thread ever. It definitely isn't shiny but it has loads of character. Great stuff.

[Cory]

Driving on I-10 in El Paso at night is beautiful. Especially the view of Mexico across the river.

[Jularc]

I never seen el Paso posted here before! Good job! That last pic with the sky is just wonderful.

[KevinFromTexas]

Wow! Very nice. Man, seeing El Paso and Las Cruces on here is so rare. It's good to see it being represented finally.

Keep up the good work. You should totally post more often. El Paso and Las Cruces are one of those areas that is so remote and almost never heard of that when people do see anything about it they lap it up as quick as they can. I know I do. I didn't even know Las Cruces had any sizeable buildings until sometime last year when I saw some pics of it.

[Wheelingman04]

It is nice to see a little El Paso on here.

[TexasStar]

Beautiful!

[Great_Hizzy]

Absolutely off-the-charts cool.

[pj3000]

My car's alternator went in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere between Deming and Las Cruces, after driving for 10 hours, about 7 years ago. No cell phone service, tried to hitch... no one would stop at 2 am, probably couldn't see me anyway, walked about 15 miles on the other side of the guardrail (thought I was gonna get hit by a semi) towards the last exit... delirious in the moonlit nighttime desert, but it was beautiful. Tried to hitch again when the highway shoulder was wider and some godsent New Mexico State dudes picked me up. Partied with them for a few days over Memorial Day weekend in Las Cruces (I was just some random guy that they picked up on the I-10), met a girl, who I thought that I would marry at the time, and stayed for a week (made subsequent trips back to Las Cruces), and then drove on to Phoenix. It was just one of those unfortunate events that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Las Cruces, definitely one of my fondest memories. Thanks for the tour of these isolated southwestern cities, stupac14.

[JManc]

wow, these are great.

[SHiRO]

Great!
Always thought this was an interesting place.

[ColDayMan]

Great thread. El Paso might be the most interesting large city in Texas.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by pj3000

My car's alternator went in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere between Deming and Las Cruces, after driving for 10 hours, about 7 years ago. No cell phone service, tried to hitch... no one would stop at 2 am, probably couldn't see me anyway, walked about 15 miles on the other side of the guardrail (thought I was gonna get hit by a semi) towards the last exit... delirious in the moonlit nighttime desert, but it was beautiful. Tried to hitch again when the highway shoulder was wider and some godsent New Mexico State dudes picked me up. Partied with them for a few days over Memorial Day weekend in Las Cruces (I was just some random guy that they picked up on the I-10), met a girl, who I thought that I would marry at the time, and stayed for a week (made subsequent trips back to Las Cruces), and then drove on to Phoenix. It was just one of those unfortunate events that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Las Cruces, definitely one of my fondest memories. Thanks for the tour of these isolated southwestern cities, stupac14.

Wow. That must have been wild. Especially the walk in the dark moon-lit desert. We got a flat once in Albuquerque on my uncle's trailer. My aunt's jack wasn't tall enough to lift the trailer, (she had a Camry). Anyway, this guy loaned us his jack so I could change the tire.

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

Great thread. El Paso might be the most interesting large city in Texas.

What?!

Seriously, I know what you mean. El Paso is kind of mysterious. It's neat being the only major city in Texas that actually has real mountains. The history, topography, not to mention the weather is damn near perfect with little rain, lot's of sunshine and mild temperatures even in the summer months.

[stupac14]

Thanks for all the posts and comments. I am happy to showcase the underrepresented southwest here and am glad that people find it as interesting as I do.

To pj3000, that is one zany story. I know what you mean about semis on I-10. That highway is a major conduit for big rigs. It's good to hear that my fellow Aggies were there to help you as well. Thanks for sharing.

[LMich]

Best tour of El Paso I've seen on, here. These photos make it looks surprisingly compact.

I would like to see a better tour of Las Cruces, though.