Is El Paso One of the Ugliest Cities in America?

Is El Paso an ugly city? Reddit users think so. At least that’s what Buzzfeed has determined.

Here’s how a random user’s comment got El Paso on a dubious ugly city list. A Reddit member recently asked others to name “the ugliest city you have ever visited.” Buzzfeed then chose “18 American cities that got called out in the viral thread” to highlight, and among them was our hometown.

Now, before you pile on or defend our city’s honor, I should point out that it appears the author just arbitrarily picked a handful of cities for his listicle. It’s doubtful he poured through all 3 thousand-plus comments and then came up with some kind of methodology to determine the less than attractive towns in America.

More likely he went with the meanest comments he could find. And the one Buzzfeed chose to repeat about us was, “El Paso depresses the hell out of me” from u/sincerelyln. Here is what others had to say about our looks on both the original post and a follow-up on the El Paso sub-Reddit.

smughippie
"As someone born and raised there, agree to a point. There are some charming bits but those are small and connected by strip mall hell."

sugarcookie821
"Disagree. I thought it was beautiful when I lived there. I’ve seen prettier places, but El Paso has a unique beauty of its own. It could use some work on litter/garbage control. But the mountains and desert are beautiful."

Quiet-Knowledge5714
"Definitely agree 100%!!! Being a border city to ciudad Juárez and sitting next to NM this city literally has nothing to offer besides more low paying factory jobs. All in all it’s a very depressing city for sure! Boooooring!"

BoysenberryGullible8
"I do not think El Paso is ugly, but it is an acquired taste. The lack of trees and other vegetation takes some adjustments. Its stark isolation is also unusual."

gitathegreat
"There are definitely parts of the city that are neglected and could use a facelift - but in my opinion, if you get off the highway, there are so many interesting views - and the architecture is fascinating. If you were stuck here for work and all you saw was I-10, I'd understand, but all over the city are pockets of charm and beauty."

IBarbieliciousI
"Yeah I would consider El Paso pretty ugly. The ugliest? Not the ugliest I’ve seen but I think it’s ugly. I love El Paso but looks wise I would consider it dull, dirty and beat up looking. Not all of it but significant parts of it."