Marfa

History

Marfa was founded in the early 1880s as a railroad water stop. The town was named "Marfa" (Russian for "Martha") at the suggestion of the wife of a railroad executive. Although some historians have hypothesized that the name came from a character in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov, Marfa was actually named after Marfa Strogoff, a character in Jules Verne's novel Michael Strogoff. According to Sterry Butcher of the Texas Monthly, a writer researched the Karamazov story and deemed it false, but did not receive any letters to the editor after he submitted the story to the newspaper, so "No one cared. The story we had suited Marfa just fine."

The city grew quickly during the 1920s.

The Marfa Army Air Field served as a training facility for several thousand pilots during World War II, including the American actor Robert Sterling, before closing in 1945. The base was also used as the training ground for many of the United States Army's chemical mortar battalions.

Marfa experienced economic issues after the war ended and after a drought impaired agricultural output. Artist Donald Judd arrived in 1973 and began buying properties to renovate, which resulted in bohemian interest in the community. In 2012, Vanity Fair described it as a "playground" for "art-world pioneers and pilgrims".

Geography

Marfa is in northeastern Presidio County within the Chihuahuan Desert. The city is about 20 miles south of Fort Davis on Texas Route 17 and about 18 miles west of Alpine on US Route 67. Marfa is about 60 miles from the Mexico-U.S. border. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2), all land.

Climate

Marfa experiences a semiarid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk) with hot summers and cool winters. Due to its elevation and aridity, the diurnal temperature variation is substantial.

Demographics

Marfa first appeared as a city in the 1920 U.S. census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Marfa had a population of 1,788. The median age was 47.8 years; 16.2% of residents were under 18 and 24.6% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.1 males 18 and over.

None of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

Of the 838 households in Marfa, 20.8% had children under 18 living in them, 36.8% were married-couple households, 22.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

The city had 1,077 housing units, of which 22.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.6%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, 1,981 people, 864 households, and 555 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,354 inhabitants per square mile (523/km2). The 1,126 housing units averaged 719.1 per square mile (276.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 30% White, 0.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 7.50% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 68.7% of the population. Of 863 households, 29.3% had children under 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 not families. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35, and the average family size was 2.99. The age distribution of the population was 24.9% under 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 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 100.9 males. The median income in the city for a household was $24,712 and 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 18 and 26.9% of those 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The area around Marfa is known as a cultural center for contemporary artists and artisans. In 1971, Minimalist artist Donald Judd moved to Marfa from New York. After renting summer houses for a few years, he bought two large hangars and some smaller buildings and began to install his art permanently. He had started hanging his art in New York, but the buildings in Marfa allowed him to install his works on a larger scale. In 1976, he bought the first of two ranches that became his primary places of residence, continuing a long appreciation for the desert landscape surrounding Marfa. Later, with assistance from the Dia Art Foundation in New York, Judd acquired the now decommissioned Fort D. A. Russell, and in 1979 began transforming the fort's buildings into art spaces. Judd's vision was to house large collections of individual artists' work on permanent display, as a sort of antimuseum. Judd believed the prevailing model of many museums, where various art exhibits are shown for limited times, does not allow the viewer an understanding of artists or their work as they had intended.

Following Judd's death in 1994, two foundations have worked to maintain his legacy, the Chinati Foundation and Judd Foundation. Since its inauguration in 1986, Chinati has held an annual open-house event, Chinati Weekend, that attracts visitors from around the world to visit Marfa's art. Between 1997 and 2008, both foundations sponsored this event. The Chinati Foundation now occupies more than 30 buildings in Marfa and has permanently displayed work by 13 artists.

The Lannan Foundation established a writers-in-residence program starting in 1998, bringing a myriad of writers and other creatives to Marfa every year until the program wound down in 2022. As a result, despite its remoteness, Marfa had an unusually vibrant and contemporary literary presence.

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. The Crowley Theater and its annex host public events with seating for over 175, a Marfa theater group has formed, and since 2003, a multifunctional art space called Ballroom Marfa has shown art films, hosted musical performances, and exhibited other art installations. The city is also 37 miles (60 km) from Prada Marfa, a pop art exhibit, and is home to Cobra Rock Boot Company and The Wrong Store.

Marfa lights

Marfa is the location of the Marfa lights, visible on clear nights 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 dates to 1883. Presidio County has built a viewing station 9 miles east of town on US 67 near the site of the old air base. Each year, enthusiasts gather for the annual Marfa Lights Festival.

In popular culture

Various movie productions have filmed in and around parts of Marfa. The 1950 film High Lonesome and the 1956 Warner Bros. film Giant were filmed in Marfa.

In August 2006, two films were partially shot in Marfa: There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men.

The music video for Between the Buried and Me's "Obfuscation" takes place in Marfa in the late '50s.

Larry Clark's 2012 film Marfa Girl was filmed exclusively in Marfa. Also, Far Marfa, written and directed by Cory Van Dyke, made its debut in 2012.

Morley Safer presented a 60 Minutes segment in on August 4, 2013, titled "Marfa, Texas, the Capital of Quirkiness".

In 2017, Marfa was featured as the setting of the Amazon series I Love Dick, an adaptation of Chris Kraus's 1997 novel, which was set in Pasadena, California.

Marfa was also the filming location for the music video of the xx song "On Hold".

Marfa is featured in the 2019 Simpsons episode "Mad About the Toy".

"Marfa" is the eighth track on Texas symphonic rock band Mother Falcon's second studio album, You Knew. It is also the name of songs by Wildcat! Wildcat!, S. Carey, and Paul Cauthen ("Marfa Lights").

Marfa is featured in Ben Lerner's 2014 novel 10:04.

Beyoncé references Marfa in the song "II Hands II Heaven" on her 2024 album, Cowboy Carter.

Parts of Due West (2025 film) were filmed in Marfa.

Media

Marfa is home to National Public Radio-affiliated station KRTS. Marfa Public Radio both allows locals to play a diverse range of music during the edge hour time slots, as well as distributes local news stories online.

Marfa houses the offices of the Big Bend Sentinel, serving Marfa, and International/Internacional, serving Presidio, in one building. The former is a weekly newspaper covering the areas of Marfa, Fort Davis, Presidio, and far West Texas. Marfa Magazine is a yearly publication distributed from Marfa. It focuses on issues and general information about Marfa, Alpine, and Fort Davis.

Infrastructure

On October 1, 2009, the city council voted to no longer have a local police department. At the time, the Presidio County Sheriff's Department and Texas Highway Patrol provided law enforcement for the city, as well as the county as a whole. As of 2019, however, the Marfa Police Department has been re-established, and five officers, including a chief and lieutenant, oversee law enforcement within the city limits.

Education

Marfa is served by the Marfa Independent School District. Within it, Marfa Elementary School and Marfa Junior/Senior High School serve the city.

Hispanic students attended the segregated Blackwell School from 1909 to 1965. The school was authorized to be a National Historic Site in 2022.

Marfa International School, a private school, opened in 2012, serving students in grades 1–8, with scholarships available based on need, but it closed in 2016.

Presidio County is within the Odessa College District for community college.

Public library

Marfa and the surrounding area are served by the Marfa Public Library, which houses a diverse collection in a variety of formats. The library began in 1947 when the Marfa Lions Club and the Marfa Study Club agreed to establish a library for the citizens of the area. The library was originally housed in the historic U.S.O. building, but was moved to a city-owned building after the city took over the project. After meeting the requirements of the Texas State Library, it became a member of the Texas Trans-Pecos Library System. The present library building was donated to the City of Marfa in 1973 by the first chairperson, Laura Bailey, and her husband Bishop.

Transportation

Highways

US 90: U.S. Route 90 runs through the city along San Antonio St., leading northwest 74 miles (119 km) to Van Horn, with access to I-10 and east 26 miles (42 km) to Alpine.

US 67: U.S. Route 67 runs south from town along S Highland Ave., leading 59 miles (95 km) to Presidio and 60 miles (97 km) to the Presidio-Ojinaga International Border Crossing. At the intersection of Highland Ave. and San Antonio St., US 67 runs concurrently with US 90 through Alpine before turning north towards Fort Stockton.

SH 17: Texas State Highway 17 meanders north through town, following Highland St., E Lincoln St., and N Dean St., before leading 21 miles (34 km) north towards Fort Davis.

Rail

Amtrak's Sunset Limited, which operates between New Orleans and Los Angeles three days a week, passes through the city, but does not stop; the nearest station is located in Alpine, 26 mi (42 km) northeast.

Intercity bus

Marfa is served by All Aboard America!'s twice-daily service between Midland International Air and Space Port and |Presidio, with intermediate stops at Odessa, Crane, McCamey, Ft. Stockton, and Alpine.

Airports

Commercial air service is available at either Midland International Air and Space Port (IATA: MAF, ICAO: KMAF, FAA LID: MAF) or El Paso International Airport (IATA: ELP, ICAO: KELP, FAA LID: ELP). The airports are, respectively, 182 miles (292 km) northeast, and 189 miles (304 km) northwest. Marfa Municipal Airport (IATA: MRF, ICAO: KMRF, FAA LID: MRF) is a county-operated, public-use airport 3 miles (5 km) to the north of the city in unincorporated Presidio County.

Notable people

Robert Jay Matthews (1953–1984), neo-Nazi who founded The Order