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El Paso is located in the Chihuahuan Desert in western Texas, along the Rio Grande River, between Interstate 10 and Interstae 25. It adjoins both the state of New Mexico and the country of Mexico with the Franklin Mountains, the southern tip of the Rockies, slicing El Paso nearly in two. El Paso has an arid, warm climate with very hot summers (with little or no humidity) and mild, dry winters. El Paso is known for all of it's fiestas and bazaars. Once summer starts to close in, the El Paso area comes to life with a fiesta almost every week. El Paso International Airport (ELP) services the following airlines: American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines and New Mexico Airlines. El Paso's higher education institutions include The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Campus and Park University Fort Bliss Campus. The military installation of Fort Bliss is a major contributor to El Paso's economy. Today, Fort Bliss is the site of the United States Army's Air Defense Center and produces approximately $80 million in products and services annually with millions of those products and services purchased locally. Fort Bliss' total economic impact on the area has been estimated at more than $1 billion, with 12,000 soldiers currently stationed at the Fort. In addition to the military, the federal government has a strong presence in El Paso to manage its status and unique issues as a border region. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the U.S. Customs Service all have agency operations in El Paso to regulate traffic and goods through ports of entry from Mexico. Franklin Mountains State Park is the largest urban park in the United States and resides entirely in El Paso, extending from the north and neatly dividing the city into several sections along with Fort Bliss and the El Paso International Airport. McKelligon Canyon is a 90 acre park, located in the Franklin Mountains, open to hikers and picnickers. In the canyon, McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre is surrounded on three sides by dramatic canyon wall which is used for concerts and special events, such as Viva El Paso! Some area museums in El Paso are The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, The El Paso Museum of Archaeology at Wilderness Park, The El Paso Museum of Art ,The El Paso Museum of History, Fort Bliss Museums & Study Center, The National Border Patrol Museum, Railroad & Transportation Museum of El Paso and Gene Roddenberry Planetarium. Some other attractions are the El Paso Zoo, Abraham Chavez Theatre, and the Chamizal National Memorial. The Plaza Theatre is a historic building which one of the city's most well-known landmarks. It shows various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers The Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course offers 27-holes of championship style golf and is considered as being one of the premier facilities to play golf in Texas and the Southwest. Undulating greens and rolling hills put a premium on shotmaking and putting. Carved out of the Chihuahan Desert, the East, West and North courses at Painted Dunes sit at the foothills of the Franklin Mountains offering scenic beauty of native foliage and desert wildlife. Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course offers tournament services, food and beverage amenities, fully stocked proshop, PGA certified golf instruction and customer service that is unparalleled by any other golf facility. El Paso's newest and most elegant mall, the Shopping Sunland Park Mall is located on the west side of El Paso. Dillard's, JCPenney, Mervyn's and Sears are the main department stores. Great specialty stores include GAP, Gymboree, Airline International, Victoria's Secret, Casual Corner, Limited, The Bombay Company, Bath & Body Works and the Disney Store. The Food Court hosts a wide variety of eateries and "The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ"--a slice of El Paso history (with scheduled performances). Bassett Center is El Pasoís centrally located mall that features three department stores--Dillardís, Mervynís and Target--and over 80 specialty stores like Structure, Victoriaís Secrets and Bath and Body Works. Thereís also an expanded Cafe Plaza serving a variety of foods. Diners can choose from an array of cuisine including Andale Fine Mexican Restaurant, Avila's Mexican Food Restaurant, The StateLine Smokehouse & Grill, Kiki's Mexican Restaurant, La Casita Restaurant, Dane's Steakhouse, The Greenery Restaurant, Cafe Central and Carmino Real Restaurant. There are many familiar named restaurants in El Paso to choose from such as Steak and Ale, Denny's, International House of Pancakes, the Olive Garden, and the Out Back Steakhouse. Hotels in El Paso include the Holiday Inn-Airport, Best Western Airport Inn, Comfort Suites El Paso, Econo Lodge Fort Bliss, El Paso Marriot, La Quinta Inn Cielo Vista, La Quinta Inn El Paso West, Ramada Inn Executive Center El Paso, Red Roof Inn-El Paso East, Embassy Suites El Paso, Days Inn El Paso East, Travelodge El Paso Airport and Hilton Garden Inn El Paso. The Sun Metro Mass Transit system operates a system of medium to large capacity natural gas powered buses all around the city of El Paso. El Paso County Transit makes trips with small capacity buses mainly in the Eastern El Paso area. Yellow Cab, Checker Taxi Cab of El Paso, Sun City Cab and City Lights Limousine Service El Paso can also provide transportation. Car rentals are also avaiable.
