El Paso is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in southwestern White County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 267. Its name is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

for "the pass", referring to a small gap in the hills on the community's northern edge. Once known as Peach Orchard Gap in its early settlement, the origin of El Paso's Spanish name is unknown.

History

The historic

Southwest Trail The Southwest Trail was a 19th-century pioneer route that was the primary passageway for American settlers bound for Texas. History The Southwest Trail, also known as the Old Military Road, replaced the older Natchitoches Trace, which ran from t ...

, a path used by most travelers entering Arkansas early in the 1800s, entered El Paso on today's Arkansas Highway 5 from Floyd, then headed to

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

via Arkansas Highway 89, Tate's Mill Road and Batesville Pike Road. By the 1830s more than 80 percent of the Arkansas territory's population had entered through the Southwest Trail. The route is also known as the Old Military Road.

Geography

The center of El Paso is located at 35.13, -92.10. Much of the community is situated along Bull Creek, and along

Arkansas State Highway 5 Highway 5 (AR 5, Ark. 5, and Hwy. 5) is a designation for three state highways in Arkansas. The southern segment of runs from Highway 7 in Hot Springs north to US Highway 70 (US 70) in Little Rock. A northern segment of be ...

and

U.S. Highway 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...

. Lacking exact boundaries, the community is located within the borders of El Paso Township, within White County. The closest city is Vilonia, approximately seven miles to the west of El Paso via U.S. 64. Beebe, where El Paso's children attend public schools, is about 13 miles to the east along this highway. Along Arkansas 5, Cabot is 15 miles to the south, and the unincorporated community of

Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

is eight miles north.

Demographics

2020 census

Economy

Vendors of tornado shelters, answering service and small gift items are among the cluster of businesses found at the intersection of the two major highways in El Paso. Many

commuters Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regul ...

typically pass through the small community, prompting the construction of, among other things, Sawbucks, a very popular family eating establishment, and a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

restaurant since the late 1990s, due to unknown reasons, the

has been permanently closed as of March, 2023. El Paso also is the home of Rafter R Logistics, LLC and R & R Transportation Solutions, LLC.Most notably is the new CrossRoads Cowboy Church and 2 bar 2 Arena.

Education

El Paso is in the

Beebe School District Beebe School District is a public school district in Beebe, White County, Arkansas, United States. It serves Beebe, McRae, and El Paso. - See El Paso on the map. On July 1, 2004, the McRae School District merged into the Beebe School District ...

. - Compare to the highway map. - See El Paso on the map.

Notable person

Virginia Morris Johnson, the first woman to run for the office of

governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

was reared during her childhood in El Paso.

References

External links

Demographic information on the El Paso ZIP code (72045) service area
from the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

Census-designated places in Arkansas Census-designated places in White County, Arkansas Unincorporated communities in Arkansas Unincorporated communities in White County, Arkansas {{WhiteCountyAR-geo-stub