Marfa Texas

Marfa is a small city in West Texas located in Presidio County about three and a half hours southeast of El Paso and one hour north of Mexico. Its location is remote, arid, and sparsely populated while the surrounding areas run mountaineous in close proximity to several state and national parks. http://www.desertusa.com/Cities/tx/marfa.html#anchor826270

In recent times, Marfa has gained a reputation in the arts. Many writers, filmmakers, sculptors, and artists in other mediums have journeyed there to work. Paving the way was the film Giant, shot on local ranches back in 1955 starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson. The architect Donald Judd, too, influenced this culture by refurbishing several warehouses and residences starting in the 1970's. His outdoor installations, gardens, library, and

adobe-walled, rectangular home are still visible today. http://www.juddfoundation.org/marfa.htm

• Marfa Lights and Festival - viewing area on Highway 90 between

Marfa and Alpine, festival held in September each year http://www.marfacc.com/todo/marfalights.php

• Presidio County Courthouse - built in 1886 in a Second Empire stylehttp://www.marfacc.com/
• Hotel Paisano - base of operations for Giant and the largest hotel in Marfa http://www.hotelpaisano.com/pages/hp001.html
• Giant museum - located inside the Hotel Paisano http://www.hotelpaisano.com/pages/hp001.html
• Donald Judd architecture
• Galleries
• Numerous parks including Big Bend National Park and the Davis Mountains State Park
• Marfa Film Festival - held in May each year http://www.marfafilmfestival.org/2010/
• Eclectic eateries such as Cochineal, Maiya's, and Food Shark http://www.travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/texas/marfa/restaurants.html
• Wide open spaces and scenery

Marfa traces its roots to the late nineteenth century when it was used as a water stop for railroads passing through. Its proximity to the Rio Grande established the area as a base for the US government during the Mexican Revolution. By the time World War I broke out, Marfa's population had more than doubled due to its military presence and the country's largest continuously operating silver mine located forty miles south. http://www.marfacc.com/about/history.php This natural resource, combined with flat land suitable for ranching and transportation helped in drawing commercial activity. The population reached an all-time high of 5,000 with the construction of an airfield and a POW camp during World War II. They both closed shortly after the war, ending a relatively prosperous economic period. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/hjm4.htm

Tourism, however, continues to lure people to such places as Big Bend National Park and to witness the Marfa Lights: an unexplained phenomenon that sometimes appear at night in the southwest near Chinati Mountain. Several movies have taken advantage of the scenery to film here including Giant, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/hjm4.htm Gliders still fly outside of Marfa as it hosted the 1970 World Gliding Championship.

Marfa sits on a plateau high in the Chihuahuan Desert bordered by three mountain ranges: the Chinati, the Chisos, and the Davis. In the summertime, thunderstorms often fill and erode many dry steambeds around the area. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/hjm4.html This is a hot, semiarid region that can get cold in the winter and occasionally sees some snowfall. http://www.realestate.yahoo.com/Texas/Marfa/neighborhoods Marfa lies at the junction of Highways 90 and 67 in the northeastern part of Presidio County. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/hjm4.html From its southwestern position in the state, most major cities in Texas are several hours away by car.