The city is characteristic of other Southwest urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas and a low density rate outside of the city. It was the fourth-fastest-growing large city in the nation from 2000-2006 and the fifth-fastest-growing from 2007 to 2008.

El Paso stands on the Rio Grande, across the border from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. The image to the right shows Downtown El Paso and Juárez, with the Juárez Mountains in the background. The two cities form a combined International Area with Juarez being the significantly larger of the two.

It is the main city and economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that, according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of 6,300,006 as of July 2008,making it the fourth largest and number one fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States last year.

Various sections of Corpus Christi maintain distinct senses of identity and community from the city proper, especially the Calallen and Flour Bluff areas, and, less prominently, Clarkwood and Annaville. These areas are sometimes mistakenly believed to be separate municipalities. The city has many demographic groups, ethnicities and sub-cultures, each giving it a distinct flavor: the defense bases and the people who work there; the large Hispanic community; the oil related professionals and workers; the cowboy culture; and the surfers.