Marfa is a city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos in far west Texas, United States. Founded in the early 1880s as a railroad water stop, it lies between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park at an elevation of 4685 feet, and is the county seat of Presidio County. 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 minimalist art. Major attractions include Building 98, the Chinati Foundation, and the Marfa lights.
History
left|thumb|[[Presidio County, Texas|Presidio County Courthouse in Marfa]]
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, 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, and therefore "No one cared. The story we had suited Marfa just fine."
The town 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". 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 on Texas Route 17 and about 18 miles west of Alpine on US Route 67. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Marfa experiences a semi-arid climate (BSk) with hot summers and cool winters. Due to its elevation and aridity, the diurnal temperature variation is substantial.