Located on the U.S.-Mexico border in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert, The University of Texas at El Paso provides a living, breathing laboratory for research critical to the future of our nation, including border security and desalination projects.

Perhaps more than any other university in the nation, UTEP has a deep connection to the community it serves—a burgeoning county in far West Texas with a population of nearly 750,000. El Paso is the 21st largest city in the nation.

The University offers a picturesque campus within the shadows of the towering Franklin Mountains, from the top of which it is possible to see two countries, three states and two cities, all within a stone’s throw of each other.

El Paso is within walking distance of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, whose population makes the Paso del Norte region one of the largest international communities in the world.

The city is also home to Fort Bliss, one of the fastest growing posts in the Army, with the installation expected to take in more than 45,000 new soldiers, family members and civilian support staff as a result of the military reorganization taking place over the next few years.

More than 70 Fortune 500 companies do business in El Paso, along with numerous international corporations.

Along with its ruggedly beautiful environment, El Paso enjoys one of the best allies a city can have, and it is millions of miles away—the sun.

Nicknamed the “Sun City,” the town boasts more days of sunshine than almost all other U.S. cities.

The regional history spans more than 400 years, blending Native American, Spanish, Mexican and American cowboy roots into one unique culture that embraces and celebrates its diversity.