The City of Jal's name was taken from the JAL Ranch, which was established in 1886 and was comprised of 192,000 acres in Lea County. Jal was founded with the establishment of a Post Office and was officially incorporated in 1928 shortly following the discovery of oil and gas in the area._With the establishment of Texas Company (later called Texaco), El Paso Natural Gas Company and The Continental Oil Company, Jal began to grow and develop. Because of that growth, Jal proclaimed itself the "Gas Capital" of the nation._Jal continues to prosper today from the natural resources and economic prosperity of the region.