What's going on in El Paso?

So, I was flying across the country as I do from time to time. As I approached El Paso, TX, I noticed one of those undeveloped cities. There is a large network of what appear to be unpaved roads without any buildings or anything. It's creepy from the air, so I can only imagine what it's like on the ground.

Also, there was this:

...which I'm clearly not the first person to notice.