Whether you're a history buff visiting from across the country or are working in a Samuel strapping head factory in the area and are just interested in the culture, you might be shocked to know just how much history lies in the city of El Paso. While America is a relatively new nation when comparing it to the rest of the world, that certainly doesn't mean that humans did not exist here before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Here is a brief summary of what has happened on this soil through centuries.

There is evidence that the region that we now know as El Paso, Texas has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. The earliest known people were maize farmers who existed in the pre-Columbian era. The area was then discovered by a Spaniard named Don Juan de Onate centuries later in 1598. The original colony known as El Paso del Norte was actually where Mexico's Ciudad Juarez stands today and was founded on the south bank of the Rip Grande by Spanish Franciscan friars at the end of the 17th century.

Before becoming part of American soil, El Paso was a part of the Provincia de Nueva Mexico and was seen as a remote northern location. While you won't have trouble getting anything from produce to cloth diapers here today, at that time it took a trading caravan six months to get down to Mexico City. The city did not become a part of Texas until twelve years after the Texas Revolution in 1848. The present borders were created two years later in 1850.

The city of El Paso was incorporated in 1873 and brought together several smaller communities that were along the river's edge. The population began to grow after the Confederate States conceded in the war with the addition of the railroad. By 1890 there were more than 10,000 people living in the area. The newcomers were everyone from gamblers to entrepreneurs who would start the manufacturing tradition that now continues with companies that make everything from strainers to robotic equipment and aerospace technology.

If you're someone who works in finance or deals in trading gold bullion bars than you might be disappointed to hear that this was not a region involved in the gold rush. But it was the "real wild west" with a history for gambling and prostitution until the First World War. Everything turned around in the 20s and 30s when the city became known for being the starting place of many national brands, including Hilton Hotels.

Post World War Two several rocket scientists were brought to the area and the city began to diversify into many different industries. Now you can find people working in everything from oil refining to fixing used woodworking equipment. They are also still known as a military town, being the home of Biggs Army Airfield.