Fabens, Texas

Fabens is a census-designated place (CDP) in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,257 at the 2010 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area. The ZIP Codes encompassing the CDP area are 79836 and 79838.Fabens is the birthplace of jockey Bill Shoemaker.GeographyFabens is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.26km2, of which 11.20sqkm is land and 0.06sqkm, or 0.52%, is water.Fabens is about southeast of El Paso along the Rio Grande and Interstate Highway 10. Most visitors only stop for short periods of time to eat at one of the several restaurants or stay overnight in the hotel.HistoryThe name Fabens comes from an attorney named George Wilson Fabens who worked for the railroad. As the railroad was being built, new towns were named after railroad employees. Mr. Fabens was born on October 29, 1857, and died in 1939.Film locationIn April 1972, Fabens served as a location for the filming of the Sam Peckinpah film The Getaway. The crime drama, starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, was replete with explosions, car chases and intense shootouts. The film would become Peckinpah's and McQueen's biggest financial success to date, earning more than $25 million at the box office.