Those leaving El Paso, or who have left El Paso. Do You Have any Regrets? Where did you move? (Houston: motel, YMCA)

[zdg]

Originally Posted by lipbalm

Nobody can prove anything. It's just opinions.

Check the trends in education levels of El Pasoans over the last 50 years. While the rest of the nation gets more and more educated, El Paso is/has not. It isn't that people from El Paso aren't smart, it's that most of us that got college degrees in the last 20 years have moved somewhere else with a lot more opportunities while the people who didn't leave to go to college in the first place are more likely to stay in El Paso.

That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

A good friend of mine is an orthodontist there in El Paso who would love to sell his practice and move away, like yesterday. But he can't because it's impossible to find someone who just got out of ortho school to move to El Paso to set up shop. It's professional suicide. Who would set up there when they could move to either coast and, for the same amount of work, make 2-3 times as much? He was telling me that if he had set up his practice in Vegas instead of El Paso (which isn't even the coast), he could have sold his practice 15 times by now. In El Paso, he can't even get a lowball offer.

[zdg]

You want facts? Here's a fact:

I grew up in El Paso in the 80s. I was in those silly gifted and talented programs from 4th grade until I graduated high school (and you can certainly argue the validity of those programs, but that's a whole other thread).

Of the almost 35 people that I went through those programs with over the years (there wasn't that much turnover), going through the list with a friend of mine who was also in those classes, we counted exactly ONE person of the 35 who is still in El Paso.

Now, I agree that's a small sample size, and it could certainly be skewed, but don't you find it interesting that of 35 children that were placed into the gifted and talented programs in the 80s, 34 of 35 went off to college and decided to move somewhere else?

You can argue that we weren't in fact the "best and brightest" of El Paso (I would tend to agree), but it is indeed a fact that 35 children were labeled "best and brightest" and only one of them stayed in El Paso post college graduation. 2.9% retention rate doesn't bode well for the city in the future.

[whereinutep]

I lived in East Los Angeles for 17 years, born and raised. Moved to El Paso and never will I go back to Los Angeles or California in general. El Paso is a very nice city to live in. It has the perfect climate throughout the year and the culture is perfect. Wouldn't trade this city for anything else.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by zdg

Check the trends in education levels of El Pasoans over the last 50 years. While the rest of the nation gets more and more educated, El Paso is/has not. It isn't that people from El Paso aren't smart, it's that most of us that got college degrees in the last 20 years have moved somewhere else with a lot more opportunities while the people who didn't leave to go to college in the first place are more likely to stay in El Paso.

That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

A good friend of mine is an orthodontist there in El Paso who would love to sell his practice and move away, like yesterday. But he can't because it's impossible to find someone who just got out of ortho school to move to El Paso to set up shop. It's professional suicide. Who would set up there when they could move to either coast and, for the same amount of work, make 2-3 times as much? He was telling me that if he had set up his practice in Vegas instead of El Paso (which isn't even the coast), he could have sold his practice 15 times by now. In El Paso, he can't even get a lowball offer.

I guess because someone can go to Juarez and have very cheap dental care there - and that isn't likely going to change any time soon. Businesses like that do better in Juarez where they don't have the ridiculous taxes to pay.

[lipbalm]

Originally Posted by whereinutep

I lived in East Los Angeles for 17 years, born and raised. Moved to El Paso and never will I go back to Los Angeles or California in general. El Paso is a very nice city to live in. It has the perfect climate throughout the year and the culture is perfect. Wouldn't trade this city for anything else.

Compared to L.A. crime el paso would seem like paradise.

[zdg]

Originally Posted by malamute

I guess because someone can go to Juarez and have very cheap dental care there - and that isn't likely going to change any time soon. Businesses like that do better in Juarez where they don't have the ridiculous taxes to pay.

Actually, being related to 3 dentists in El Paso, I can tell you that the violence in J has been huge for business. People are terrified to go to their J-town dentists and are staying local.

My story was speaking specifically about a luxury-type professional, since orthodontics is rarely a necessity.

That being said, finding a general dentist to move to El Paso to set up shop is hard to do as well.

I got my professional designation and set up my business in El Paso. And as soon as we were making enough money to bolt, we did. To say I don't regret it is silly because that's to say I even have to think about it. The difference in opportunities for my 7 year old between Manhattan and El Paso aren't even worth mentioning because it's not even a similar game. I mean, the difference between what my daughter gets to be a part of compared to what I was a part of growing up in EP is genuinely ridiculous.

[mistabinks]

Originally Posted by zdg

The difference in opportunities for my 7 year old between Manhattan and El Paso aren't even worth mentioning because it's not even a similar game. I mean, the difference between what my daughter gets to be a part of compared to what I was a part of growing up in EP is genuinely ridiculous.

To be fair, there are very few cities or towns that can compare to Manhattan.

[zdg]

Originally Posted by mistabinks

To be fair, there are very few cities or towns that can compare to Manhattan.

Ok, then let's say this. We moved from El Paso to Houston to Manhattan, and Houston was still light years better than El Paso as far as opportunities.

Wasn't trying to be cute with the obvious comparison between EP and Manhattan.

[mistabinks]

Originally Posted by zdg

Ok, then let's say this. We moved from El Paso to Houston to Manhattan, and Houston was still light years better than El Paso as far as opportunities.

Wasn't trying to be cute with the obvious comparison between EP and Manhattan.

It is just a point I feel that needs to be made once and awhile. You hear a lot of El Paso vs Austin and El Paso vs San Diego. We aren't Austin or San Diego.

As far as Houston, that is arguably the 4th biggest city in America. I don't think that is a fair comparison either. I get your point but on the same token I can bash Houston by comparing it Manhattan. Some thing are relative.

[zdg]

Originally Posted by mistabinks

It is just a point I feel that needs to be made once and awhile. You hear a lot of El Paso vs Austin and El Paso vs San Diego. We aren't Austin or San Diego.

As far as Houston, that is arguably the 4th biggest city in America. I don't think that is a fair comparison either. I get your point but on the same token I can bash Houston by comparing it Manhattan. Some thing are relative.

Agree 100%.