\u201cThese numbers reflect what we\u2019re seeing across our region,\u201d said El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson. \u201cGrowth is happening throughout El Paso County, especially in areas where new housing is being built.\u201d<\/p>\n
Historically, one of the biggest obstacles to building and buying homes in areas outside the city has been limited infrastructure<\/a>, particularly water and sewer service, along with a lack of public amenities like parks and green spaces, roads, sidewalks and libraries. But the county government has spent years exploring ways to provide \u2013 at least for new developments \u2013 access to services comparable to those available within the city of El Paso.<\/p>\n Another challenge has been abandoned lots with generations of fractionalized ownership<\/a>, which has complicated development efforts. County leaders say recent state legislation has helped to address those issues, potentially clearing the way for new neighborhoods with modern infrastructure.<\/p>\n Developers have also been pulled in as partners with the cash-strapped county government through the creation of public improvement districts. Under that arrangement, developers finance infrastructure improvements for new subdivisions and are repaid over time through assessments paid by homeowners.<\/p>\n \u201cThat allows us to not have to retroactively go and provide some of these additional services,\u201d said El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado, whose district encompasses a large swath of county land to the west of El Paso.<\/p>\n Aided by those programs, perceptions about building and living outside of the city limits have been shifting, county and municipal leaders said.<\/p>\n No longer is it seen as a step down into a makeshift neighborhood lacking basic services. Now, living outside the city limits has a new narrative \u2013 affordable homes with amenities and infrastructure, built in communities with growing business sectors and within driving distance of urban El Paso.<\/p>\n In Horizon City alone, more than 3,000 homes are expected to be built in the next few years.<\/p>\n Horizon City Mayor Andres Renteria estimates that those developments will translate to about 10,000 new residents in his city.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this real excitement for Horizon City,\u201d he said. \u201cNow we get phone calls all the time from professionals from every industry looking to build in Horizon City because they see the growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Renteria describes a scenario repeated by other leaders: With the expansion of new homes, businesses will follow.<\/p>\n \u201cCommercial businesses follow the rooftop numbers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Census figures show the city of El Paso lost more than 2,000 residents between 2024 and 2025. But city and county leaders say that does not necessarily indicate people are leaving the region. Instead, many are relocating from the city into county subdivisions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that a lot of the growth that we\u2019re seeing in Far East El Paso is not necessarily new people moving to the El Paso area, but rather people who already live in El Paso but are relocating to Far East, usually out in the unincorporated areas,\u201d said El Paso County Commissioner Iliana Holguin, whose district includes eastern El Paso County.<\/p>\n Holguin said changing family dynamics may also be contributing to the trend as birth rates decline, along with El Paso\u2019s traditional household arrangements \u2013 married or coupled children living with parents into adulthood. More young people are earning college degrees, improving their earning potential and looking for greater independence.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have people who were living in multi-generational households who are now getting married, becoming employed and wanting to move out into their own homes,\u201d Holguin said. \u201cWith subdivisions expanding outside of the city limits, it\u2019s a natural shift.\u201d<\/p>\n As the city of El Paso loses population to surrounding communities, another trend is emerging: the rise of suburbs and exurbs, terms not traditionally associated with the region.<\/p>\n Suburbs refer to residential communities immediately outside of a city, and exurbs are those beyond the suburbs. Both are characterized by a reliance on the metro area for work, entertainment and shopping.<\/p>\n Once relatively independent of the city, many smaller municipalities \u2013 Clint, Socorro, Horizon and Vinton \u2013 have grown at a double-digit rate since 2020, increasingly becoming legitimate suburbs of El Paso.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not that far out there,\u201d said Coronado about the communities once separated by long stretches of empty land. \u201cThey are contiguous,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While San Elizario and Anthony have grown by less than 1% since 2020, other areas further out are in various stages of development and poised to increase the county\u2019s population. Saratoga Homes, for example, recently purchased more than 4,000 acres for a development in the old Mountain Shadow Lakes property. According to company materials, home sales could begin in 2027.<\/p>\n Johnson alluded to El Paso\u2019s emerging suburb and exurb communities, describing them as fueling the economic engine of the whole region.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see this as one community growing at the expense of another,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen families choose to stay in our region, that\u2019s a win for all of us. We\u2019re one region, and our success is shared.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe city of El Paso remains the economic, healthcare, education and cultural center of our region,\u201d Johnson added. \u201cPeople from across the county come into the city every day to work, learn, access services and enjoy what El Paso has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaders in the county\u2019s growing municipalities and towns say they are embracing the growth and anticipate much more.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years and years, Horizon City was the retirement community. We had the golf course, and that was about it,\u201d said Renteria, Horizon City\u2019s mayor. \u201cThe population was very small. There were no schools in the area. Since then, so much has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n Victor Reta, public information officer at the city of Socorro, said city leaders are looking forward to a growing population, which is now about 37,000.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of the landlocked nature of the west side of El Paso County, more people are looking at residing in East El Paso County,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any way that the city of Socorro wouldn\u2019t grow. We\u2019re witnessing a boom in housing and in population growth.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"table](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782584172_127_thumbnail.jpeg\")
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