Considering moving to El Paso from NJ, how much of a culture shock am I in for??? (West: violent crime, student loans)

[2Viola]

Hello Everyone,

I’m a Jersey girl considering moving to El Paso. I got offered a healthcare job in the area with a nice sign on bonus. This move could potentially help me reach some personal career goals sooner than if I stayed on the east coast. I’m 28, single and there really are no issues preventing me from relocating. Also with the cost of living being cheaper, I could pay off my student loans faster which would be a huge perk. The problem is I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around the idea of moving to Texas. I went to college and graduate school in the northeast, and spent my whole life in this region. I’ve never even been to Texas.

I consider myself a very typical north-east type person. I power-walk everywhere, I’m very type A, I talk pretty fast and am constantly chipping away at to-do lists. I also am not religious, I eat a mostly vegan diet, am fairly liberal politically and I can’t remember ever seeing anyone carry a gun (they make me pretty uncomfortable to be honest). With that being said, I’m not preachy with my lifestyle/beliefs and I can blend into most crowds. I don’t go out of my way to mention my opinions/beliefs in conversation.

I like to run and was happy to see that there are a decent number of local 5k type races in the area. I was wondering if this is a city where I would feel safe jogging around the neighborhood. Also if there are any nice parks or running trails? I would probably live in some sort of gated complex (at least to start). Is the area relatively safe for a young woman to live alone? Also I would be moving out there entirely by myself and wonder if I would struggle with making friends/fitting in. Is the culture shift from New Jersey to Texas overstated or would this mostly be a non-issue? Any thoughts/opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Violet West]

yes, you're in for a culture shock, but so what? If you can't expand your horizons at your stage of life, when can you?

It's a pretty friendly, pretty safe town. Be prepared for 80% Hispanic, lots of Spanglish, limited high end restaurants or shopping. Vegan options are pretty limited here. You don't see people carrying guns around typically (but it's not unheard of). I think the struggle to make friends would be the same anywhere.

[katzpaw]

Think of El Paso as big suburb with suburban amenities, shopping choices, and friendship opportunities (gym, neighbors, church, work..). It's a safe and low cost town and you should be able to save with a professional income.

[unnativeelpasoan]

Originally Posted by 2Viola

Hello Everyone,

I’m a Jersey girl considering moving to El Paso. I got offered a healthcare job in the area with a nice sign on bonus. This move could potentially help me reach some personal career goals sooner than if I stayed on the east coast. I’m 28, single and there really are no issues preventing me from relocating. Also with the cost of living being cheaper, I could pay off my student loans faster which would be a huge perk. The problem is I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around the idea of moving to Texas. I went to college and graduate school in the northeast, and spent my whole life in this region. I’ve never even been to Texas.

I consider myself a very typical north-east type person. I power-walk everywhere, I’m very type A, I talk pretty fast and am constantly chipping away at to-do lists. I also am not religious, I eat a mostly vegan diet, am fairly liberal politically and I can’t remember ever seeing anyone carry a gun (they make me pretty uncomfortable to be honest). With that being said, I’m not preachy with my lifestyle/beliefs and I can blend into most crowds. I don’t go out of my way to mention 0my opinions/beliefs in conversation.

I like to run and was happy to see that there are a decent number of local 5k type races in the area. I was wondering if this is a city where I would feel safe jogging around the neighborhood. Also if there are any nice parks or running trails? I would probably live in some sort of gated complex (at least to start). Is the area relatively safe for a young woman to live alone? Also I would be moving out there entirely by myself and wonder if I would struggle with making friends/fitting in. Is the culture shift from New Jersey to Texas overstated or would this mostly be a non-issue? Any thoughts/opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Okay, first of all, yes, you would be in for a MAJOR culture shock if you moved here, but not because El Paso is in Texas, but rather because it is a border and military town. The culture here is a mix of Southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico, with a little bit of West Texas thrown in, as well as a very large military presence. The vast majority of El Pasoans are Mexican or Mexican-American, and most of the other people in this city are here due to the military. Nobody who is from here speaks with a Southern drawl (a Mexican accent is much more common) most people vote Democrat, Catholicism is the most popular religion, Spanish is spoken just as much as English, and I have never seen anyone who wasn't a cop or border patrol agent openly carrying a gun, but you will see people in Army fatigues pretty much everywhere you go.

Overall, El Paso is fairly safe for a city of its size (as most of the violent crime in the metro area tends to stay over on the Mexican side in Ciudad Juarez).You won't have a problem finding a relatively safe neighborhood, but an educated 28 year old single woman without children is really something of an anomaly here. I hope you're not too interested in dating, because any good options will be few and far in between, believe me. You have to understand that El Paso has a large low-income and under educated population, and most people start families/get pregnant/get married at a very young age.

And as far as your fast moving Northeastern type personality, yeah, that might make it REALLY difficult to adjust to a border city like El Paso. In fact, it could be the most difficult part of all! How slow people move here sometimes can really drive me nuts at times, especially when I'm in the grocery store or Target or whatever. (And I'm not from the Northeast, but I am from a Northern state.) El Paso totally suffers from the whole "mañana syndrome" thing, and it can be reeeaally frustrating at times!!

Anyway, there is so much more I could say, but it is late... Hopefully this will give you some things to think about and be helpful in some way.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by unnativeelpasoan

Okay, first of all, yes, you would be in for a MAJOR culture shock if you moved here, but not because El Paso is in Texas, but rather because it is a border and military town.

I agree with the content of the post but wanted to add that another MAJOR shock will be the change from green and wet NE to brown and arid desert SW.

[SW Desert Dweller]

I, too, am from elsewhere (the frozen tundra of the north), and I moved here for all of the reasons noted. I choose to be in a dry climate and in a border location.

[2Viola]

I appreciate the replies everyone. I think that I can handle a safe suburban type city. Most weekdays I just go to work then come home and run. I could do that anywhere. I could probably manage to find a few friends to hang out with on the weekends. Perhaps I’ll end up watching a little more Netflix than usual. If I stay there for 2-3 years I could easily knock out my student loans, pay off my car, max out my Roth IRA each year and put together some savings. At that point I would be 30-31, which is enough time to relocate again, potentially meet someone and have children. This move could set me up nicely financially for the rest of my life. I constantly feel stressed about my student loans and really just want them paid off. I’m tired of feeling panicked at night.

The slow pace of life would probably annoy me but I imagine that I could deal with it. Dating may be an issue but there must be lots of men around with the military base. At least enough to make it through 2-3 years. Who knows, I may end up finding someone. There doesn’t need to be 100s of educated compatible men, just one that I like. If I don’t find someone by 2-3 years from now at 30-31, I would still have enough time to relocate and settle down. I don’t know. I still have some time to decide but I’m leaning towards yes. I want to be able to take a vacation before I’m 40.

[skilo]

Do you have a car? You will definitely need one in El Paso. I am born and raised here and I don't speak spanish fluently, and I feel like an outsider sometimes. You will probably appreciate our winters here, so you might want to give away or sell a lot of your winter clothes. If you come here with an open mind, you will do just fine and meet some people out here.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by 2Viola

Dating may be an issue but there must be lots of men around with the military base.

Two of my three sisters, who were born and grew to adults in El Paso, married men they met who were stationed at Ft. Bliss when they met. One is still married to same man 45 years later, and the other had two children before divorcing hers.

Don't know how much spare time your job will allow, but within 2 hours driving time of El Paso there is much to see and experience in New Mexico - White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, numerous state and federal parks, forested mountain towns of Cloudcroft and Ruidoso, Mesilla and Las Cruces and nearby Organ Mountains hiking/camping, etc.

[tyga23]

Have an open mind... there are plenty of guys here who are educated with no kids.... its a stupid stereotype. I am not married, no kids and an engineer. I have 13 other friends like that too. Teen pregnancy is an issue everywhere not just in el paso. Welcome to our city and enjoy the sites. If your here temporarily or long term you'll enjoy it as long as you keep an open mind