Does El Paso deserve the bad rap for a difficult dating scene?

Is El Paso really a bad place to find a date, or a happily ever after?

ABC-7 reached out to those on the dating scene and experts in the human condition for the answer, after El Paso recently got a failing grade for singles looking to find a match.

“The dating scene in El Paso is different. We do our own thing,” Steven Brown told ABC-7. Brown is a student at the University of Texas at El Paso. “I know all people make attempts when they are single, (but) they spend a lot of time on social media instead of having face to face communication.”

Not everyone agrees with the letter grade.

UTEP Anthropology professor Dr. Aurolyn Luykx thinks there is a science to it, and those metrics don’t represent the city well.

“I think behavior in El Paso is a lot different than in other metropolitan cities,” Luykx said. “By their measures we get a low score, but if you used measures that were appropriate for our population we’d get a higher score.”

Among other things to consider is the percentage of El Paso adults who are single, said Luykx. Given that El Paso tends to have a traditionally Catholic background, many married couples usually tie the knot at a young age — limiting the number of mates for other Borderland singles.

“You have a lot of people marrying in their 20s or their early 20s, while nationwide the age is rising,” Luykx said. “Women used to get married at 23. Now, they are getting married at 28.”

When it comes to finding a partner, Luykx thinks some people may be taking the wrong approach. Expectations determine success when it comes to finding and building a relationship, she explained to ABC-7.

“Dating apps lend themselves to more superficial quick relationships,” Luykx said. “You have to ask yourself what you’re looking for: a fun single life that goes on for years and years, or a soulmate?

“I think El Paso is a great city to meet your soulmate.”