Located on the U.S. border with Mexico, El Paso has seen tremendous growth in the last several years due to an influx of soldiers and families to Fort Bliss, the U.S. Army base located there. This Texas city (controlled by the Spanish during the its early settlement) was a major manufacturing center for companies making jeans, but those factories have now mostly closed. El Paso gets more than 300 days of sunshine a year and has a hot desert climate. Tourism, call centers, agriculture and government account for many area jobs. Excellent Mexican food is easy to find here.