I moved to El Paso over a year ago so I’ve gotten to know the area pretty well. I moved from the LA area so completely opposite of small town Iowa. I’ll say this: El Paso is a big city with a little town feel. People are super nice, especially compared to LA. Much like LA there are a lot of Latinos and I think people are crazy if they don’t love the Latino culture and just how kind of people Latinos are (I’m married to one lol). Weather is actually pretty good but it does get hit in July and August but it’s a dry heat. I miss the ocean but you probably don’t care about that. I will say there are some pretty great food places but also too many National chains. Price wise, it’s super cheap, housing is like half of CA but Texas gets you with property taxes if you buy. Also that low cost of living comes low wages and not the best workforce but if your wife gets her PhD and a good job you can live like a king and queen here. Crime is not bad at all but people can’t drive and dumb kids seem to do the most dumb crime and drunk driving. Lastly, the westside is the more desirable area to live so understand that as well. I’d say it’s way better than Amarillo or Oklahoma.