El Paso Ranks Top 5 Arts Districts In The Nation

The USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for 2026 have officially ranked the top arts districts in the country, and the El Paso Downtown Arts District landed at No. 4 in the United States.

That’s an impressive jump from last year, when El Paso came in at No. 5. Moving up in a national readers’ poll like this means continued visibility, continued support, and continued growth. It also confirms what locals have been feeling for years: the creative energy downtown is gaining real traction beyond the Borderland.

Here is the full 2026 Top 10 list:

No. 10: Northeast Minneapolis Arts District – Minneapolis, Minnesota
No. 9: Grand Center – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8: Alberta Arts District – Portland, Oregon
No. 7: East Market District (NuLu) – Louisville, Kentucky
No. 6: River North Art District (RiNo) – Denver, Colorado
No. 5: Carmel Arts & Design District – Carmel, Indiana
No. 4: El Paso Downtown Arts District – El Paso, Texas
No. 3: University Circle – Cleveland, Ohio
No. 2: Dallas Arts District – Dallas, Texas
No. 1: River Arts District – Asheville, North Carolina

El Paso is ranked ahead of well-established creative hubs like Denver and Portland and sits just two spots behind the Dallas Arts District. That places the city among nationally recognized arts destinations with deep institutional infrastructure and long-standing reputations.

According to USA Today, Downtown El Paso stands out for its art deco and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, large-scale murals honoring Mexican American history, and cornerstone institutions such as the Plaza Theatre and the El Paso Museum of Art. The district blends historic preservation with contemporary expression in a way that feels authentic to the region.

The steady rise from No. 5 to No. 4 signals that this recognition is not a one-time moment. Reader-voted rankings reflect engagement, tourism interest, and national awareness. As more people experience the Downtown Arts District through festivals, performances, exhibitions, and everyday public art, that reputation continues to strengthen.

For a city that has long supported its artists across disciplines, this ranking reinforces that El Paso’s creative ecosystem is being taken seriously on a national stage. If the upward movement continues, the conversation next year could be even bigger.