Noise Levels in Cielo Vista South, El Paso, TX | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
56 dBA
Average noise across Cielo Vista South
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
1,249
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
48% of Cielo Vista South residents
83 dBA
Loudest residential point
Food blender at arm’s length
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across Cielo Vista South at 100-meter resolution, combining road, aviation, and rail sources. Green areas measure below 45 dBA. Orange and red exceed the EPA's 55 dBA outdoor threshold linked to long-term health effects. Use the layer toggles to view each source on its own or all together.
What the numbers sound like
- 30 dBAWhisper
- 40 dBASoft rainfall
- 45 dBAQuiet suburban street at night
- 50 dBAQuiet office
- 55 dBAEPA outdoor threshold: light traffic 100 ft away
- 60 dBANormal conversation an arm's length away
- 65 dBABusy restaurant
- 70 dBAHighway traffic 50 ft away
- 80 dBACity bus interior
Population Above the EPA Outdoor Threshold
The EPA's 55 dBA outdoor reference level is a common benchmark for residential noise exposure, especially for activity interference, annoyance, and long-term community noise concerns. About 1,249 Cielo Vista South residents, or 48.2%, live above that level. By land area, 43.2% of Cielo Vista South is above 55 dBA.
56.8% below 55 dBA
43.2% above 55 dBA
See how noise in Cielo Vista South compares to similar-sized neighborhoods.
Noise by Part of Cielo Vista South
Average noise levels for Cielo Vista South residents, grouped by direction from the center of Cielo Vista South. The highest population-weighted average is in western Cielo Vista South; the lowest is in eastern Cielo Vista South, where just 19% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, about half the share in the loudest section.
Western Cielo Vista South
69.5 dBA · Loud
Highway traffic 50 ft away
Southeastern Cielo Vista South
59.6 dBA · Loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Central Cielo Vista South
57.0 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northeastern Cielo Vista South
54.8 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Eastern Cielo Vista South
54.6 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
To the human ear, noise in western Cielo Vista South sounds about 181% louder than in eastern Cielo Vista South, a 14.9 dBA gap. Every 10 dBA roughly doubles perceived loudness. Within any of these directions, two homes a quarter mile apart can still differ by 10 or more dBA depending on how close they sit to a major highway.
How far back from I-10 do you need to be?
I-10 produces an estimated 79 dBA at its loudest centerline points. Noise drops logarithmically with distance, with the exact rate depending on what's between you and the road. Tree cover, walls, terrain, and pavement type all matter. At roughly a quarter mile back, traffic fades into the noise level of a soft rainfall.
At source
79 dBA
City bus interior
165 ft
64 dBA
Busy restaurant
330 ft
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
660 ft
47 dBA
Quiet office
¼ mile
39 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of Cielo Vista South sits under tree canopy (much lighter than most neighborhoods) and roughly 57% is impervious surface like pavement and rooftops. Both are folded into the per-place decay rate above. Heavier canopy pulls noise down faster with distance; impervious surfaces slow the drop.
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Airport Noise
El Paso International (ELP) sits north of Cielo Vista South. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, and the model uses those federal measurements rather than synthetic predictions.
Blocks under the approach and departure paths carry combined road-plus-aviation noise, with some exceeding 45 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of Cielo Vista South, particularly to the south, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across Cielo Vista South
The bar chart below shows the share of Cielo Vista South residents in each noise band. About 51% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 28% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How Cielo Vista South Compares
Cielo Vista South sits at the louder end of the spectrum. Below: how Cielo Vista South's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with Stonehaven, El Paso Lower Valley, Angels Triangle, and Mission Hills.
Average noise level (dBA)
Cielo Vista South's 56.4 dBA pop-weighted average is at the louder end of the spectrum. Texas as a whole averages 50.8 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than Cielo Vista South because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 48.2% of Cielo Vista South residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 43.2% of Cielo Vista South's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Texas average of 22.8% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to Cielo Vista South
- Distance from highways matters more than the neighborhood name. Two homes in the same zip code can differ by 20 dBA if one sits 100 meters from I-10 and the other 500 meters away. The model captures this at 100-meter resolution, so noise exposure changes block by block.
- Tree canopy can help reduce modeled noise exposure. Roughly 0% of Cielo Vista South is under tree cover (much lighter than most neighborhoods), and the dominant land cover is medium-intensity developed land. Both are measured from federal USDA Forest Service and USGS satellite imagery at 30-meter resolution. Streets with 60% or higher canopy show 3 to 5 dBA lower noise than comparable streets with bare ground or pavement, which is why the per-place decay rate above already accounts for it.
- Airport noise is directional. El Paso International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the north. Neighborhoods to the south of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
