Marfa is a town in the Big Bend Country region of Texas. It's known for two things: innovative art and mysterious lights.
Get in
Coming from the east, Highway 90 makes for an interesting, scenic drive to Marfa. Plan your fuel stops wisely, as it's possible to go almost 200 miles between cities. Highway 90 takes in a couple of all-but-ghost towns along the way, as well as the Trans-Pecos crossing and some breathtaking scenery. Travelers in more of a hurry may prefer to take Interstate 10 to Highway 67 (from the east) or Highway 90 (from the west) straight into Marfa.
The nearest airport is in El Paso, 190 miles west.
Get around
Visitors will need their own transportation to reach most of the sights in Marfa, although many of the art galleries and restaurants are within walking distance of each other on the main drag in town, between the Presidio County Courthouse and the Marfa post office.
See
Do
For many visitors, the mysterious Marfa Lights are the main attraction. There is a viewing platform several miles east of the city on Route 67. After dark, the famed lights may appear...or they may not. Theories have been put forward as to their origin, but none have been conclusive; there is no way to predict whether they will appear on any given night. Visitors determined to catch a glimpse of the eerie, dancing orbs may have to set aside a couple of nights and wish for luck.
Eat
Sleep
Get out
Marfa is a city located in the high desert of far West Texas. The population was 2,121 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Presidio County. Its ZIP code is 79843.
Marfa was founded in 1883 as a railroad water stop, and grew quickly through the 1920s. Marfa Army Air Field (Fort D.A. Russell) was located east of the town during World War II and trained several thousand pilots before closing in 1945 (the abandoned site is still visible ten miles east of the city). The base was also used as the training ground for many of the U.S. Army's Chemical mortar battalions.
Today Marfa is a tourist destination, located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park. Attractions include the historical architecture and classic Texas town square, modern art, soaring, and the Marfa Lights.
Geography
Marfa is located at (30.311863, -104.024779).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²), all land.
Modern Art and Minimalism in Marfa
In 1971, Donald Judd, the renowned minimalist artist, moved to Marfa from New York City. After renting summer houses for a couple of years he bought two large hangars, some smaller buildings and started to permanently install his art. While this started with his building in New York, the buildings in Marfa (now The Block, Judd Foundation) allowed him to install his works on a larger scale. In 1976 he bought the first of two ranches that would, to him, be his primary places of residence, continuing a long love affair with the desert landscape surrounding Marfa. Later, with assistance from the Dia Art Foundation in New York, Judd acquired decommissioned Fort D.A. Russell, and began transforming the fort's buildings into art spaces in 1979. Judd's vision was to house large collections of individual artists' work on permanent display, as a sort of anti-museum. Judd believed that the prevailing model of a museum where the collection includes one piece from each artist does not allow the viewer an understanding of each artist and their work on a deeper level.
Since Judd's death in 1994, two foundations have been working to maintain his legacy: the Chinati Foundation and Judd Foundation. Every year The Chinati Foundation holds an Open House event where artists, collectors, and enthusiasts come from around the world to visit Marfa's art. Since 1997 Open House has been co-sponsored by both foundations and attracts thousands of visitors, more than ever before.
The Chinati Foundation now occupies more than 10 buildings at the site and has on permanent exhibit work by Carl Andre, Ingolfur Arnarsson, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, Roni Horn, Ilya Kabakov, Richard Long, Claes Oldenberg, Coosje van Bruggen, and John Wesley.
In recent years, a new wave of artists has moved to Marfa to live and work. As a result, new gallery spaces have opened in the downtown area. Furthermore, The Lannan Foundation has established a writers-in-residency program, a Marfa theater group has formed, and a multi-functional art space called Ballroom Marfa has begun to show art films, host musical performances, and exhibit other art installations.
Marfa Lights
Marfa may be most famous for the Marfa Lights, visible every clear night between Marfa and the Paisano Pass when one is facing southwest (toward the Chinati Mountains). According to the Handbook of Texas Online, "at times they appear colored as they twinkle in the distance. They move about, split apart, melt together, disappear, and reappear. Presidio County residents have watched the lights for over a hundred years. The first historical record of them recalls that in 1883 a young cowhand, Robert Reed Ellison, saw a flickering light while he was driving cattle through Paisano Pass and wondered if it was the campfire of Apache Indians. He was told by other settlers that they often saw the lights, but when they investigated they found no ashes or other evidence of a campsite."
Presidio County has built a viewing station nine miles east of town on U.S. 67 near the site of the old air base. Each year, enthusiasts gather for the annual Marfa Lights Festival.
These objects have been featured in various media, including the television show Unsolved Mysteries.
Demographics
According to the latest U.S. census of 2000, there were 2,121 people, 863 households, and 555 families residing in the city. The population density was 521.6/km² (1,354.6/mi²). There were 1,126 housing units at an average density of 276.9/km² (719.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.04% White, 0.28% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 7.50% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.87% of the population.
There were 863 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,712, and the median income for a family was $32,328. Males had a median income of $25,804 versus $18,382 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,636. About 15.7% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 26.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Marfa is served by the Marfa Independent School District. Marfa Elementary School and
Marfa Junior/Senior High School serve the city along with the Marfa Monissori School.
Trivia
Much of the film Giant was made in and around the remote town, and dry plains of the Marfa region.
The city is thought to have taken its name from a character in Fyodor Dostoevskys novel The Brothers Karamazov. According to the story the wife of a railroad engineer suggested the name, as she was reading the novel at the time.
An episode of King of the Hill (List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 6: 2001-2002|"Of Mice and Little Green Men") was based around the belief of extra terrestrials in Marfa, Texas.
Marfa is the setting for Michael Chiappetta's novel Journey into Darkness.
As of August 2006, two movie production units were using locations in Marfa: the film There Will Be Blood, an adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel Oil, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and the Coen Brothers' adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel "No Country for Old Men".
Marfa is also well known for its soaring activities. In 1969 the US National Championship was held here and was featured in the Bob Drew film "The Sun Ship Game", which featured famed New York fashion photographer Gleb Derujinsky, son of the sculptor of the same name. This contest was won by George Moffat who went on to win the World Championship in 1970, also held at Marfa.
The British poet Lachlan Mackinnon wrote 'Marfa, Texas', a poem about Donald Judd.
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