El Paso is a beautiful city, full of history and one-of-a-kind living experiences. The Central part of town is one of the most beautiful areas in the Sun City.
Central means history, landmarks, and the heart of the city.
General Neighborhood Info
The Central area begins around the El Paso Zoo and leads you to the beautiful area of Memorial Park and the Rose Garden. The neighborhoods vary tremendously across this area. However, the growth and development keep giving more and more to the city.
Around El Paso Zoo, you will find the 79905 zip code. This area offers access to our border sister city, Ciudad Juarez, and easy access to Highway 375, I-10, and Highway 54. As an old neighborhood, you will be able to find a lot of early 50s-style homes with great square footage for those who enjoy a large backyard.
The neighborhoods are long-standing. There is almost no new construction, but they do maintain that quiet and family-friendly environment. Taking a stroll around the streets of Copia and Aurora, seeing the big trees leading towards Memorial Park, and going up and down the hills feeling closer to the mountains–it’s a wonderful feeling of peace. In the Central area, you’ll experience a connection to the history of this place. You will find lots of historical homes and neighborhoods.
Shopping and Activities
Shopping places? We got you! In this wonderful area, you will find Fox Plaza which hosts one of the largest swap meets in the city every Sunday. A little further up, you can locate Bassett Place which has a movie theater, Target, Dave & Busters, and Costco. There are lots of family-friendly options.
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Amenities
UMC, The Children’s Hospital, is in this area. The fast access to highways and freeways can also help you to get to any other hospital of your choice.
Schools
It does fall under the El Paso Independent School District. It has one of the best high schools that provides a magnet program specializing in nursing, in addition to Wiggs Middle School located just up Brown St. which offers a highly recognized dual language GT program and much more. Across the street from Jefferson Silva High School, you will find the Texas Tech University Health Sciences campus. This wonderful campus offers various degrees in the medical field.
Drawbacks
Some potential drawbacks to this area may include the busyness, as an area that has the El Paso Zoo and the County Coliseum. You may find yourself caught up between very highly trafficked streets.
Rain, it’s not your friend. Do be aware that some areas in Central El Paso are considered flood zones, so when you are doing house hunting, make sure to ask your realtor to check if it is a flood zone and make sure to add that liability to your home insurance just to be protected.
Why I Loved Living Here
Growing up, I lived in the Central area right across the street from “La Jeff.” It is such a calm environment. I loved walking across the street to the school, heading over to Fox Plaza for snacks and music, and being able to go to local events at Memorial Park. Central is large, but whether you live in the southern part of Central near the zoo or the upper part of Central near Bassett, the calmness and friendliness for families are found all around.
For information about other parts of town, check out our Guide to Moving to El Paso.
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of El Paso Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.
