A spirit of determination pervades Montana Vista, a colonia east of El Paso. It is a spirit that drives families to build homes out of the desert. Montana Vista is one of several colonias that have sprung up on the dusty land east of El Paso. It is one of many such colonias along the Rio Grande on both sides of the river. Montana Vista, like other colonias, is divided into quarter-acre lots that have water and electricity but no sewer.
Septic systems handle sewage.
The schools and streets in Montana Vista are new and signal a growing prosperity, but it has not always been so. Through the years, residents gradually have developed their lots and upgraded their living conditions, although some are just now getting started. A family typically will pool its resources to buy the land and finance a mobile home. As they continue to work, they buy materials needed to construct a house. They build their house as they can, the new structure slowly taking shape and moving toward completion, a process that can take years.