El Paso is the county seat of El Paso County in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the 2004 U.S. Census population estimates, the city had a population of 592,099, making it the 6th largest city in Texas and the 21st largest city in the United States. El Paso, second only to San Diego, California, in size among all U.S. cities on the U.S.-Mexico border—lies opposite Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. The two cities form a bi-national metropolitan area of approximately two and a half million people, divided by the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), making it the largest binational metropolitan area on the US/Mexico border.

El Paso is home to The University of Texas at El Paso (founded 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, received university status 1967). Fort Bliss, a major United States Army installation, lies to the east and northeast of the city, extending north up to the White Sands Missile Range. The Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections.

El Paso is served by El Paso International Airport, Amtrak via Union Depot, I-10, U.S. Route 54, U.S. Route 180, U.S. Route 85 and U.S. Route 62.