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Upper Valley Communities
By Matthew Aguilar
El Paso Times
The towns of Anthony, Texas, and Anthony, N.M., are microcosms of the entire Upper Valley community: small, close-knit and growing.
In two years, tiny Anthony has become not-so-tiny. It has grown by about 20 percent, seen several national businesses pop up along Interstate 10 - such as McDonald’s and Big 8 Food store - and people aren't as likely to know their neighbors as they once were.
“Some people are happy that Anthony is growing; some are not,” said Anthony, Texas, resident Pauline Bernal. “The older people want it to stay quiet, while the younger people like the businesses that are coming.”
Anthony is best known for being a city in two states: about 3,000 people live on the Texas side and about 10,000 on the New Mexico side.
“We consider ourselves the best little town in two states,” said Anthony, Texas, Mayor Art Franco.
Residents don’t see much difference in having one city in two states - other than the convenience of two lotteries.
Anthony, like its neighbor communities of Canutillo, Santa Teresa and Vinton, is surrounded by farmland.
Santa Teresa is a mostly rural area with plenty of horse farms, a golf course and a country club. It began booming as a haven for retirees, but is attracting more and more successful suburbanites who like country living.
Canutillo is the home of El Paso’s U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes. It is also a rural farming community that lies near Interstate 10. It is known for its little-town charm.
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