Looking at the map of El Paso, it sits at the far western edge of Texas, and it takes over 9 hours by car to reach Dallas.

San Antonio also takes nearly 7 hours to get to. However, while American cities may be far away, there are plenty of places nearby.

The first place worth visiting is Las Cruces in New Mexico.

It's about 45 miles from downtown El Paso, and depending on traffic, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour by car.

Las Cruces is home to New Mexico State University.

Although it's a smaller college town compared to El Paso, it has restaurants and cafes, and the atmosphere is a bit different. It's a manageable distance for a weekend lunch trip.

Especially the view of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument to the east of Las Cruces is quite stunning.

As you drive up I-10 from El Paso, you can see the mountain range beyond the desert, and first-time visitors may find the New Mexico landscape surprisingly beautiful.

However, a more significant city within the El Paso metropolitan area is actually in Mexico.

That city is Ciudad Juárez, just across the border.

On the map, El Paso and Juárez are essentially connected as one city.

There is only an international border separating them, marked by the Rio Grande.

Thus, the area connecting El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, and Las Cruces is referred to as the Borderplex or Paso del Norte region.

Depending on how you calculate the population of this metropolitan area, it can range from about 2.5 to 3 million people, forming a vast border economy.

Many people cross from El Paso to Juárez to eat, visit family, shop, or receive dental care.

However, crossing into Mexico is quite different from domestic travel within the U.S. You need documents like a passport to cross the border, and you should check on car insurance issues as well.

Most importantly, the wait time at the international bridge when returning to the U.S. can be long, so you can't just plan based on distance.

There are also small towns on the Texas side.

To the east, there are Socorro and Horizon City, and further down are San Elizario and Fabens.

In particular, San Elizario has old missions and historic buildings, giving it a completely different atmosphere from the modern suburban areas of El Paso.

On the other hand, Horizon City has been experiencing ongoing residential development, making it a new housing area within the El Paso metropolitan region.

So, the fun of exploring around El Paso isn't just about the number of cities.

After driving for about an hour, you can cross from Texas into New Mexico, and going the other way, you leave the United States and enter Mexico.

Texas culture, New Mexico's deserts and mountains, and Mexico's language and food all converge within a very small living area.

It is true that El Paso is far from other major cities in the U.S.

However, because of its isolated location, it has created a unique living environment that is hard to experience in other American cities.

Living here, you might feel that El Paso is not just a city at the end of the U.S., but rather a city at the intersection of three regions.