SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 2
         WHEREAS, The Texas Senate is pleased to recognize February
  22 and 23, 2017, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol; and
         WHEREAS, Located in the westernmost tip of the great State
  of Texas, the City of El Paso combines a modern metropolis with
  the charm born of its Spanish origins; the area was named El Paso
  by the Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate for the shallow
  place in the river where the colonists crossed on their way to
  Santa Fe, New Mexico; and
         WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroads in 1881 ushered in an
  era of prosperity, and El Paso became a flourishing frontier
  community that developed into a significant industrial,
  commercial, and transportation city; and
         WHEREAS, Today, semitrailers, trains, and airplanes
  transport manufactured goods through the border cities at the
  Pass, just as Spanish traders did in the 16th century when they
  guided ox-drawn carts along the Camino Real from Mexico City to
  Santa Fe; and
         WHEREAS, With a population of three-quarters of a million
  people, El Paso is the state's sixth-largest city and the
  nation's 19th largest; the largest American city on the
  2,000-mile United States-Mexico border, it lies north of and
  across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's fifth-largest
  city, which has a population of over a million people; and
         WHEREAS, Nearby Fort Bliss has recently undergone the
  biggest transformation in its 169-year history; there has been a
  300-percent increase in its population since 2005 and an
  investment of $6 billion in construction for new,
  top-of-the-line facilities for the incoming personnel and their
  families, including a new billion-dollar military hospital; this
  installation is at the forefront of the United States Army's
  transformation plan, having transitioned from a Training and
  Doctrine post to a Forces Command post, making Fort Bliss the
  home of the 1st Armored Division, "America's Tank Division"; and
         WHEREAS, El Paso is a vibrant, bilingual community, and
  many of its residents are fluent in Spanish; its residents enjoy
  a thriving fine arts community, exemplary educational
  institutions, and many cultural and historical resources and
  museums; and
         WHEREAS, El Paso Days at the State Capitol provides an
  opportunity for friends and families to honor El Paso and its
  rich heritage, which today is enjoyed by residents and
  vacationers of all ages; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
  Legislature, hereby recognize February 22 and 23, 2017, as El
  Paso Days at the State Capitol and join the citizens of this
  historic and vibrant region in paying tribute to this wonderful
  city; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared as a
  memento of this special occasion.
  Rodríguez
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on February 22, 2017.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate