Editing Marfa, Texas

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Marfa, Texas
| settlement_type          = [[City (Texas)|City]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = 
| image_skyline            = MarfaTX Downtown 15Aug2012.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Downtown Marfa
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = Marfa Seal.png
| image_map                = Presidio County Marfa.svg
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Marfa in Presidio County
| pushpin_map              = Texas#USA
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Texas##Location in the United States of America
| pushpin_label            = Marfa
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 250px
| map_caption1             = 
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Texas}}
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Presidio County, Texas|Presidio]]
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Manuel V. Baeza<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.txdirectory.com/online/city/detail.php?id=822|title=Cities: Marfa - Texas State Directory Online|website=www.txdirectory.com}}</ref>
| leader_title1            = 
| leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 4.22
| area_land_km2            = 4.22
| area_water_km2           = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi         = 1.63
| area_land_sq_mi          = 1.63
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 1788
| population_demonym       = Marfan
| population_density_sq_mi = 998
| population_density_km2   = 385
<!-- General information -->
| timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset               = -6
| timezone_DST             = CDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -5
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 4698
| coordinates              = {{coord|30|18|38|N|104|01|32|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 79843
| area_code                = [[Area code 432|432]]
| area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info               = 48-46620<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2411031<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2411031}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|https://cityofmarfa.com/}}
| footnotes                = 
| named_for                = Marfa Strogoff, a character in the novel [[Michael Strogoff]]
}}

'''Marfa''' is a city in the high desert of the [[Trans-Pecos]] in far [[West Texas]], United States, between the [[Davis Mountains]] and [[Big Bend National Park]], at an elevation of 4685 feet. It is the [[county seat]] of [[Presidio County, Texas|Presidio County]]. The city was founded in the early 1880s as a [[water stop]]. The population of Marfa peaked in the 1930s and as of the 2020 United States Census the population is 1,788. 

Today Marfa is a tourist destination and a major center for [[Minimalism (visual arts)|minimalist art]]. Major attractions include [[Building 98]], the [[Chinati Foundation]], and the [[Marfa lights]].

==History==
[[File:Marfa courthouse.jpg|left|thumb|[[Presidio County, Texas|Presidio County]] Courthouse in Marfa]]
[[File:Texas - Marbel Falls Dam through Marshal Ford Dam - NARA - 68149550 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Marfa in 1941]]
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]]'',<ref>"{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Big Bend Studies |last=Wilson |first=Thomas |year=2001 |title=How Marfa, Texas Got Its Name |url=http://www.bigbendquarterly.com/marfa.htm |access-date=2012-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121000708/http://www.bigbendquarterly.com/marfa.htm |archive-date=2008-11-21 |url-status=live |publisher=[[Sul Ross State University]]}}</ref> Marfa was actually named after Marfa Strogoff, a character in [[Jules Verne]]'s novel ''[[Michael Strogoff]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/marfa_summary/ |title=Marfa (summary) |last=Popik |first=Barry |author-link=Barry Popik |date=2008-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116064720/http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/marfa_summary/ |archive-date=2013-01-16 |access-date=2013-05-05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |journal=The Southwestern Historical Quarterly |volume=48 |year=1944 |page=295 |url=http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146055/m1/313/ |access-date=2013-05-05 |oclc=1766223 |issn=0038-478X |lccn=12-20299 |title=Marfa}}</ref> 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, and therefore "No one cared. The story we had suited Marfa just fine."<ref name=Butchermyst>{{cite web|last=Butcher|first=Sterry|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/the-marfa-mystique/|title=The Marfa Mystique |work=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=December 2017|accessdate=2022-05-26}}</ref>

The town grew quickly during the 1920s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Presidio_County,_Texas_Genealogy|title=Presidio County, Texas Genealogy|website=FamilySearch |date=16 September 2022 }}</ref>

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 battalion]]s.{{clear|left}}

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 [[bohemianism|bohemian]] interest in the community.<ref name=Swartzwealthy>{{cite web|last=Swartz|first=Mimi|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/battle-soul-marfa/|title=A Battle for the Soul of Marfa|work=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=2020-01-22|accessdate=2022-05-26}}</ref> In 2012 ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' described it as a "playground" for "art-world pioneers and pilgrims".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilsey|first1=Sean|last2=Beal|first2=Daphne|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/07/inside-marfa-artists-donald-judd|title=Lone Star Bohemia|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=July 2012|accessdate=2022-05-26}}</ref> Marfa is about 60 miles from the Mexico-U.S. border.

==Geography==
Marfa is in northeastern Presidio County within the [[Chihuahuan Desert]]. The town is approximately 20 miles south of [[Fort Davis, Texas|Fort Davis]] on [[Texas State Highway 17|Texas Route 17]] and about 18 miles west of [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]] on [[U.S. Route 67 in Texas|US Route 67]].<ref>''Texas Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 4th edition, 2001,  p. 63 {{ISBN|0-89933-320-6}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|1.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, all land.

===Climate===
Marfa experiences a [[semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|BSk]]) with hot summers and cool winters. Due to its elevation and aridity, the [[diurnal temperature variation]] is substantial.
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Marfa #2, Texas. (Elevation 4,790ft)
|single line = Y
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan record high F = 81
|Feb record high F = 86
|Mar record high F = 90
|Apr record high F = 96
|May record high F = 102
|Jun record high F = 106
|Jul record high F = 103
|Aug record high F = 104
|Sep record high F = 100
|Oct record high F = 95
|Nov record high F = 86
|Dec record high F = 79
|year record high F= 106
|Jan high F = 60.2
|Feb high F = 63.9
|Mar high F = 71.2
|Apr high F = 78.8
|May high F = 85.8
|Jun high F = 91.2
|Jul high F = 89.6
|Aug high F = 87.5
|Sep high F = 83.6
|Oct high F = 77.3
|Nov high F = 67.6
|Dec high F = 60.8
|year high F= 76.5
| Jan mean F  = 42.9
| Feb mean F  = 46.0
| Mar mean F  = 52.3
| Apr mean F  = 60.1
| May mean F  = 67.9
| Jun mean F  = 74.4
| Jul mean F  = 74.9
| Aug mean F  = 73.3
| Sep mean F  = 68.7
| Oct mean F  = 60.7
| Nov mean F  = 50.5
| Dec mean F  = 43.7
| year mean F = 59.6
|Jan low F = 25.7
|Feb low F = 28.1
|Mar low F = 33.5
|Apr low F = 41.4
|May low F = 50.1
|Jun low F = 57.6
|Jul low F = 60.2
|Aug low F = 59.1
|Sep low F = 54.0
|Oct low F = 44.1
|Nov low F = 33.4
|Dec low F = 26.6
|year low F= 42.8
|Jan record low F = −2
|Feb record low F = 0
|Mar record low F = 6
|Apr record low F = 17
|May record low F = 27
|Jun record low F = 39
|Jul record low F = 53
|Aug record low F = 50
|Sep record low F = 36
|Oct record low F = 16
|Nov record low F = −1
|Dec record low F = 2
|year record low F= −2
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.42
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.47
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.31
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.59
|May precipitation inch = 1.17
|Jun precipitation inch = 1.78
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.73
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.89
|Sep precipitation inch = 2.57
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.39
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.58
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.50
|year precipitation inch= 15.41
|snow colour =
|Jan snow inch = 0.7
|Feb snow inch = 0.6
|Mar snow inch = 0.1
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.4
|Dec snow inch = 0.4
|year snow inch = 2.2
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| precip days colour =
| Jan precipitation days  = 3
| Feb precipitation days  = 3
| Mar precipitation days  = 2
| Apr precipitation days  = 3
| May precipitation days  = 5
| Jun precipitation days  = 7
| Jul precipitation days  = 9
| Aug precipitation days  = 10
| Sep precipitation days  = 8
| Oct precipitation days  = 5
| Nov precipitation days  = 3
| Dec precipitation days  = 3
| year precipitation days = 59
|source 1 = [[Western Regional Climate Center]], [[Desert Research Institute]]<ref name="MarWeather">{{Cite web|publisher=Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute|title=MARFA 2, TEXAS (415596), Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?tx5596|access-date=March 26, 2016}}</ref>
|date=March 2016
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920= 3553
|1930= 3909
|1940= 3805
|1950= 3603
|1960= 2799
|1970= 2647
|1980= 2466
|1990= 2424
|2000= 2121
|2010= 1981
|2020= 1788
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===

{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Marfa racial composition'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4846620&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><br /> (''NH = Non-Hispanic''){{efn|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.<ref>https://www.census.gov/ {{nonspecific|date=August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About the Hispanic Population and its Origin |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/hispanic-origin/about.html |website=www.census.gov |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>}}
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|678
|37.92%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] (NH)
|13
|0.73%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] (NH)
|4
|0.22%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|12
|0.67%
|-
|Some Other Race (NH)
|2
|0.11%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|24
|1.34%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|1,055
|59.0%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''1,788'''
|
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,788 people, 802 households, and 300 families residing in the city.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States Census]], 1,981 people, 864 households, and 555 families resided in the city.<ref name="GR2" /> The population density was {{convert|1,354|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 1,126 housing units averaged 719.1 per square mile (276.9/km{{sup|2}}). The [[Race (United States Census)|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 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 not families. About 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. The age distribution of the population shows 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 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.

==Arts and culture==
The area around Marfa is known as a cultural center for contemporary artists and artisans. In 1971, [[minimalism|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. This had started with his building 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 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 (Texas)|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 [[museum]]s, where various art exhibits are shown for limited times, does not allow the viewer an understanding of the artist or their work as they had intended.

[[File:The Chinati Foundation La Fundación Chinati, Marfa, Texas 02.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Chinati Foundation]]]]
Following Judd's death in 1994, two foundations have worked to maintain his legacy: the [[Chinati Foundation]] and [[Donald Judd|Judd Foundation]]. Since its inauguration in 1986, Chinati has held an open-house event that attracts visitors from around the world to visit Marfa's art.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://chinati.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/newsletter02.pdf#page=23|language=en, es|title=Open House 1995 and 1996|magazine=The Chinati Foundation Newsletter|volume=2|publisher=The Chinati Foundation|year=1996|issn=1083-5555|location=Marfa, TX|pages=23}}</ref> Between 1997 and 2008, both foundations cosponsored this event. The Chinati Foundation now occupies more than 30 buildings in Marfa and has permanently displayed work by 13 artists.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Chinati Foundation Collection|url=https://chinati.org/collection/|access-date=25 June 2020|website=The Chinati Foundation}}</ref>

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 as a public service to nonprofit foundations. Furthermore, The [[Lannan Foundation]] has established a writers-in-residency program, a Marfa theater group has formed, and a multifunctional art space called Ballroom Marfa has begun to show art films, host musical performances, and exhibit other art installations. The city is also {{convert|37|mi|km}} from [[Prada Marfa]], a pop art exhibit, and is home to [[Cobra Rock Boot Company]] and The Wrong Store.

Marfa Myths, an annual music festival and multidisciplinary cultural program, was founded in 2014 by the nonprofit contemporary arts foundation Ballroom Marfa and Brooklyn-based music label [[Mexican Summer]]. The festival brings together a diversity of emerging and established artists and musicians to work creatively and collaboratively across music, film, and visual arts contexts. The festival is inherently embedded in the landscape of Far West Texas and deeply engaged with Marfa's cultural history and present-day community.

[[Building 98]], also located in Marfa, is a project of the International Woman's Foundation, which has operated an artist-in-residency program since 2002. The International Woman's Foundation was responsible for placing Fort D.A. Russell on the National Register of Historic Places as an effort to preserve the historic importance of the site.<ref name="npssum">{{cite web|url=http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov|publisher=National Park Service|title=Fort D. A. Russell|access-date=2006-12-14|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|archive-date=2008-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725123211/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The facility's studio galleries host artists who desire to exhibit work in the region at a premier venue. In late September 2012 through early April 2013, the foundation held a major retrospective of the works of [[Wilhelmina Weber Furlong]] at Building 98 featuring over 75 unseen works of the early American woman modernist. Building 98 is located at historic Fort D. A. Russell; it is the home of Marfa's German POW murals.<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://marfapublicradio.org/blog/talk-at-ten/clint-webber/|publisher=Kay Burnet Studios|title=Marfa Public Radio|access-date=2012-06-19|work=Talk at 10 interview}}</ref><ref>The Biography of Wilhelmina Weber Furlong: The Treasured Collection of Golden Heart Farm by Clint B. Weber, {{ISBN|978-0-9851601-0-4}}</ref> The facility also features the [[George Sugarman]] sculpture courtyard.<ref name="npssum"/>

===Marfa lights===
{{Main|Marfa lights}}
[[Image:USA Marfa Lights Viewing Platform TX.jpg|thumb|right|Official viewing platform for the [[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.<ref>"[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lxm01 Marfa lights]." ''[[Handbook of Texas]]''.</ref> 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==
[[File:MarfaBoxMarkerPlaque.JPG|thumb|left|Marker of Marfa|215x215px]]
Various movie productions have filmed in and around parts of Marfa. The 1950 film ''[[High Lonesome (film)|High Lonesome]]'' and the 1956 [[Warner Bros.]] film ''[[Giant (1956 film)|Giant]]'' were filmed in Marfa.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

In August 2006, two films were partially shot in Marfa: ''[[There Will Be Blood]]'' and ''[[No Country for Old Men (film)|No Country for Old Men]]''.<ref>Whitney Joiner, "Postcard: Marfa. A far-flung Texas town stars in two of this year's Oscar-nominated films. Yet a proposed truck route could end its precious seclusion. The battle to stay off the beaten path", ''TIME'' 171.8 (February 25, 2008): 6.

https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1713476,00.html</ref><ref>''Marfa (pop 2,400), the desert town that will be the star of the [[Academy Awards|Oscars]]'' [[Daily Telegraph]] article by Catherine Elsworth in Issue 47,499 dated 21 February 2008</ref>

[[Larry Clark]]'s 2012 film ''[[Marfa Girl]]'' was filmed exclusively in Marfa.<ref name="Filmmaker">{{cite journal |title=Five Questions with Marfa Girl Director Larry Clark |url=http://filmmakermagazine.com/58058-five-questions-with-marfa-girl-director-larry-clark/ |journal=Filmmaker Magazine |date=2012-11-14|access-date=2012-11-21}}</ref> Also, ''[[Far Marfa]]'', written and directed by Cory Van Dyke, made its debut in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/screens/2013-02-25/far-marfa-captures-the-romance-of-west-texas-outpost/|title='Far Marfa' Captures the Romance of West Texas Outpost}}</ref>

[[Morley Safer]] presented a ''[[60 Minutes]]'' segment in on August 4, 2013, titled "Marfa, Texas, the Capital of Quirkiness."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marfa-texas-the-capital-of-quirkiness-04-08-2013/|title=Marfa, Texas: The capital of quirkiness|website=[[CBS News]]|date=August 4, 2013 }}</ref>

In 2017, Marfa was featured as the setting of the Amazon series ''[[I Love Dick (TV series)|I Love Dick]],'' an adaptation of [[Chris Kraus (American writer)|Chris Kraus]]'s 1997 novel, which was set in [[Pasadena, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/new-show-love-dick-say-marfa/|title=What Does the New Show I Love Dick Say About Marfa?|date=2016-08-26|website=Texas Monthly|language=en|access-date=2019-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curbed.com/2017/5/15/15633094/i-love-dick-tv-show-amazon-marfa-texas-set-design|title='I Love Dick' TV adaptation takes the action to Marfa|last=Ro|first=Lauren|date=2017-05-15|website=Curbed|access-date=2019-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/i-love-dick-comedy-pilot-jill-soloway-amazon-1201704868/|title=Amazon Orders 'I Love Dick' Comedy Pilot From Jill Soloway|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=2016-02-18|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2019-05-14}}</ref>

Marfa was also the filming location for the music video of [[the xx]] song “[[On Hold]].”

Marfa is featured in the 2019 ''[[The Simpsons|Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Mad About the Toy]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/marfa-stereotype-mock-the-simpsons/|title=Marfa Is Now Such a Stereotype They Can Mock It on 'The Simpsons'|date=January 8, 2019|website=Texas Monthly
|author=Dan Solomon}}</ref>

"Marfa" is the eighth track on Texas [[Symphonic Rock|symphonic rock]] band [[Mother Falcon]]'s second studio album, ''You Knew''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=An Interview With Chamber Rockers Mother Falcon|url=https://marfapublicradio.org/blog/west-texas-talk/an-interview-with-mother-falcon/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=KRTS 93.5 FM Marfa Public Radio|language=en-US}}</ref> It is also the name of songs by [[Wildcat! Wildcat!]], [[S. Carey]], and [[Paul Cauthen]] ("Marfa Lights").<ref>{{Cite news|last=Carroll|first=Jim|title=Wildcat! Wildcat!: No Moon at All|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/wildcat-wildcat-no-moon-at-all-1.1925722|access-date=2020-07-04|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=S. Carey: Hoyas EP|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16587-s-carey-hoyas-ep/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=Pitchfork|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=VICE - The Gospel According to Paul Cauthen|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-gospel-according-to-paul-cauthen/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=Vice.com|date=October 10, 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

Marfa is featured in [[Ben Lerner]]'s 2014 novel ''[[10:04 (novel)|10:04]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Witt|first=Emily|date=2015-01-03|title=Ben Lerner: 'People say, "Oh, here's another Brooklyn novel by a guy with glasses"'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/03/ben-lerner-1004-novel-books-interview|access-date=2020-11-28|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

==Media==
Marfa is home to [[National Public Radio]]-affiliated station [[KRTS]].

Marfa houses the offices of the ''[[Big Bend Sentinel]]'', serving Marfa, and ''International''/''Internacional'', serving Presidio, in one building.<ref>{{cite web|last=Butcher|first=Sterry|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com:443/being-texan/long-live-the-big-bend-sentinel-viva-el-internacional/|title=Long Live the 'Big Bend Sentinel.' Viva 'El Internacional.' |work=[[Texas Monthly]]|date=October 2019|accessdate=2022-05-26}}</ref> 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 <!-- current --> issues and general information about Marfa, Alpine, and Fort Davis.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}
{{clear}}

==Infrastructure==
{{wide image|USA Marfa pano TX.jpg|750px|[[Hotel Paisano]] and the Presidio County Courthouse}}
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 (United States)|National Historic Site]] in 2022.<ref name="doi">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-18 |title=President Biden Designates Blackwell School National Historic Site as America's Newest National Park |url=https://doi.gov/pressreleases/president-biden-designates-blackwell-school-national-historic-site-americas-newest |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=US Department of the Interior |language=en}}</ref>

Marfa International School,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marfais.org/ |title=Marfa International School - Marfa, Texas |website=www.marfais.org |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823195436/http://www.marfais.org/ |archive-date=23 August 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> a private school, opened in 2012,{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} serving students in grades 1–8, with scholarships available based on need.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} However, it closed in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dixonwater.org/education/school-partnerships/marfa-international-school/|title = Marfa International School :: Dixon Water Foundation}}</ref>

Presidio County is within the [[Odessa College District]] for community college.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm|title=Texas Education Code Sec. 130.193. ODESSA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.}}</ref>

===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.<ref name="library">{{cite web|url=http://marfapubliclibrary.org/about-us|title=Who We Are|publisher=Marfa Public Library|access-date=2015-04-11}}</ref> 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.<ref name="library" /> The present library building was donated to the City of Marfa in 1973 by the first chairperson, Laura Bailey, and her husband Bishop.<ref name="library" /> Future expansions and renovations to the current building are also planned.

==Transportation==

=== Highways ===
*{{jct|state=TX|US|90}}: U.S. Route 90 runs through town along San Antonio St., leading northwest 74 miles (119 km) to [[Van Horn, Texas|Van Horn]] with access to [[Interstate 10 in Texas|I-10]] and east 26 miles (42 km) to [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]].
*{{jct|state=TX|US|67}}: U.S. Route 67 runs south from town along S Highland Ave., leading 59 miles (95 km) to [[Presidio, Texas|Presidio]] and 60 miles (97 km) to the [[Presidio–Ojinaga International Bridge|Presidio-Ojinaga International Border Crossing]]. At the intersection of Highland Ave. and San Antonio St., US 67 runs concurrently with US 90 through [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]] before turning north towards [[Fort Stockton, Texas|Fort Stockton]].
*{{jct|state=TX|TX|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 [[Alpine (Amtrak station)|nearest station]] is located in [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]], {{convert|26|mi|km|abbr=on}} northeast.

=== Bus ===
[[Greyhound Lines]] operates an intercity bus service from the [[Western Union]] office.<ref>"[http://www.greyhound.com/home/TicketCenter/terminal.asp?city=683815 Marfa, Texas]{{dead link|date=June 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}." [[Greyhound Lines]].</ref> 

=== Airports ===
Commercial air service is available at either [[Midland International Airport|Midland International Air and Space Port]] ([[IATA airport code|IATA]]: '''MAF''', [[ICAO airport code|ICAO]]: '''KMAF''', [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] [[Location identifier|LID]]: '''MAF''') or [[El Paso International Airport]] ([[IATA airport code|IATA]]: '''ELP''', [[ICAO airport code|ICAO]]: '''KELP''', [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] [[Location identifier|LID]]: '''ELP''').<ref>{{cite web |last=Lawlor |first=Julia |date=2005-04-29 |title=The Great Marfa ... Land Boom |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/29/realestate/the-great-marfa-land-boom.html |accessdate=2022-05-26 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The airports are, respectively, 182 miles (292 km) northeast, and 189 miles (304 km) northwest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cienegita Ranch House to El Paso International Airport |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/30.3095084,-104.0206008/El+Paso+International+Airport+(ELP),+Convair+Rd,+El+Paso,+TX/@31.04904,-106.5274395,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x86e75a93bc660f7d:0x1f2f4f000097b549!2m2!1d-106.3710198!2d31.8064342!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDgyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw== |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Cienegita Ranch House to El Paso International Airport |language=en}}</ref> [[Marfa Municipal Airport]] ([[IATA airport code|IATA]]: '''MRF''', [[ICAO airport code|ICAO]]: '''KMRF''', [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] [[Location identifier|LID]]: '''MRF''') is a county-operated public-use airport 3 miles (5 km) to the north of the city in unincorporated Presidio County.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{notelist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Marfa, Texas}}
{{wikivoyage|Marfa}}
{{Portal|Texas}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150524062110/http://marfachamber.org/ Marfa Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.bigbendsentinel.com/ ''The Big Bend Sentinel''] – local newspaper
* [http://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=MRPL&t=institution&o=&system=PTH&pageSize=24&view=grid&sort=date_a View Historic Photos of Marfa from the Marfa Public Library], hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070825212146/http://our.tentativetimes.net/marfa/ ''Marfa! Marfa! Marfa!''] – 1998 article by Magdalin Leonardo

{{Presidio County, Texas}}
{{Texas}}
{{Texas county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Marfa, Texas| ]]
[[Category:Artist colonies]]
[[Category:Cities in Texas]]
[[Category:Cities in Presidio County, Texas]]
[[Category:County seats in Texas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1880s]]
[[Category:1880s establishments in Texas]]