Sunset Heights, El Paso

Sunset Heights is a historic area in El Paso, Texas, which has existed since the latter part of the 1890s. Many wealthy residents have had their houses and mansions built on this hill. Some buildings in Sunset Heights have remnants of tunnels underneath them which may have been started in the early 1900s. Some tunnels, including ones found under El Paso High School, may have been used to smuggle Chinese workers who were banned from the United States because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. One of the best-known tunnels is underneath the Turtle House in Sunset Heights. Because of the historic designation of the neighborhood, residents must adhere to a building code. Blocks in the neighborhood are of different shapes. Houses are designed in various styles including American Foursquare, Tudor Revival, Classical Revival, Queen Anne and Spanish Colonial Revival.