Our place at the international border profoundly influences the mission and style of our community partnerships. Spanish-speaking people of Mexican heritage populate the region. In the mid century, El Paso became part of the independent Republic of Texas. Now El Paso-Juarez is a huge metropolitan area of 2 million people separated by an almost invisible boundary line and the river.
Cities sit side by side.
El Paso, 17th largest city in the U.S., is also the fifth poorest metropolitan area in our country. A third of households live below the poverty line. In the poorest areas, hugging the border, over half of adults have no high school diploma. Unemployment rates are double-digit figures. A quarter of the residents were born outside the U.S. Schools offer hope to the hardworking residents.