I got back from Marfa Texas and really liked the land and the community.

I would be interested in hearing any opinions on the viability of living/working in Marfa and raising a family.

Thanks

I know members of a family who populated the Marfa community for years. Great family of folks who would make great neighbors. Absolute salt of the earth.

The whole Marfa-Alpine-Ft.Davis area is nice. Might take a while to not be a newcomer, but it is a nice area. Just a hell of a long way to an airport or major hospital.

If I were picking I think Ft. Davis has a slightly cooler temp.

My .02

Make a living there? Depends on what you do. There is no economy in Marfa or Ft. Davis besides tourism and tomato factories...and art. Most of the locals move away, the rest strive for a city job. Alpine has the university and any law enforcment agency you can think of. Construction never ends in the area for small contractors. Most businesses of all types fail. If I could make a good living there I would.

Lawyer?

Same here.

The vastness of the area and the feel of the town really put the zap on my wife and I.

We are both lawyers and would love to move there but do not think that we could sustain a practice unless we traveled far and wide.

You know the old saying. One lawyer in a town starves. Two prosper.

We love it out there, too, but we limit ourselves to vacationing several times a year. We own property in Terlingua, but go up to Marfa, Fort Davis, Marathon, and Alpine for other things to do.

Looking for someone on the board who resides in Marfa. I am trying to get some information about a Village Farms tomato plant being built in Marfa.
Mainly - I am curious if some can tell me if ground has been broken yet?
Thanks
Z

I forgot about the lawyers. The area has several that seem to make a good living. That could work.

Mellison

Anyone you know that would feel comfortable in speaking with me on the legal market the area?

I can name a bunch but I couldn't tell you what they specialize in. I'd start with someone public, like the county attorney. Steve Houston is his name.

Steve Houston. He has an office in Marfa?

[This message has been edited by Six String (edited 5/26/2009 1:09p).]

Alpine.

My cousin moved to Marfa to open Padre's club. He is a convert, he says, to the West Texas lifestyle. He had lived in Houston and Austin all his life. He was the former manager of the Continental Club in Houston, so I'm sure Marfa was quite a change from that.

LifeLong

How long has he been there and was it a good move for him?

It kind had the same effect on our family when we went there.

He's been there 3 years I think. He is a city councilman now (since last year). He comes back to Houston several times a year, but always is glad to get back to Marfa.

Can any Marfa residents/frequent visitors post about Village Farms tomato hot house? Anyone know if construction is underway?

z100,

try these people:
http://www.bigbendgazette.com/

Thanks AA

This might not be part of the topic, but I lived in Alpine for 5 years, Marfa for a year, and Ft. Davis briefly. I now live in Houston but try to make it out to the area once a year.

Alpine is a nice community. I worked at the grocery store (Furr's at the time). Last time I went through I was surprised by how little things change out there. Progress is slow for sure. I think any professional (Dr., CPA, lawyer, etc.) could make a decent living, but it does take a while for the community to accept newcomers.

The community I miss the most is easily Marfa. There is just something about that place that really stuck with me. I worked at a now failed restaurant in the shopping strip by Marfa Book Co. Marfa is not really a place you move to get rich or anything (unless you are a rancher). You move there to get away from everything.

Where is the best schools for you children in the area, (ages 6 and 8 years old)?

rbcs 2:

Thank you for the insight.

Opinion on schools?

The best way to put it about public schools I guess would be, if your kids are the type to stay out of trouble and get good grades, they will excel. It is a typical public school system, where most kids don't try too hard. So the cream will rise to the top. My younger brother and sister went through the Alpine school system. I would expect Marfa's to be about the same.

There isn't a lot of gang activity and violence (probably none actually), but there are a fair share of bad seeds in public school. Which shouldn't be a shock.

As far as private schools? I know there are some montessori schools out there, and some church affiliated schools, but I couldn't really offer an opinion on them.

I don't know if homeschooling is an option, but there are a lot of families that go this route out there because of the remoteness.

If I was going to recommend something to you, I would say go the public school route and see how it works out. If you find a better school that you want to put your kids in then move them to that school. Your kids won't lose the friends they made because the towns just aren't that big.

Anyway, I hope that helps. Let me know if you have other questions. I am obviously envious that you and your family are considering a move out there. Living in West Texas is something that will always stick with me.

Thank you again

My parents (mostly my dad) got the itch and moved to Alpine from East Texas about 4 years ago. Though they liked Marfa, it's even smaller than Alpine and they knew job prospects would be limited. Neither of them had a job lined up and were not ready to retire but had some prospects, and had marketable experience. My dad got a job fairly quickly that he has enjoyed and my mom took a year off then went to work at the university.

I enjoy getting away from Dallas and visiting them, things really slow down out there.

My only words of advice would be to 1. visit out there many times before deciding to make the move. It can seem like there is a lot going on when you just visit once and have a lot to see, but once you've seen everything and you're out there for good...it's really slow (not that it's necessarily a bad thing).

2. though it will probably be great for your family life, your kids will likely grow up a bit sheltered to the point that going from Marfa or Alpine to a place like A&M could be completely overwhelming. There's a reason a lot of those kids out there stay and go to Sul Ross, West Texas A&M or UTPB. It's a big culture shock to go to a 40,000 person university or go to a school in Dallas, Houston or beyond.

Thank you for the observation.

Could you let me know what type of employment your father found?

He's a psychologist and got on at a treatment center for behavioral and developmental issues.

Next time you talk to him could you ask him his opinion of the feasibility of another lawyer in the city of Marfa and then post his advise.

Another question for you Big Bend Region folks...

How does Marfa, Alpine, Big Bend towns, etc. supply themselves with water?

Espically that big resort at Lajitas?

Does this region have the water issues that seem to be prevelant in the southwest?

And yet another question for the Marfa experts: my son and I will probably be through there next weekend. Any advice on places to eat, etc.?

quote:

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How does Marfa, Alpine, Big Bend towns, etc. supply themselves with water?

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Underground water

quote:

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Does this region have the water issues that seem to be prevelant in the southwest?

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No because the population is so small. Water supply is expected to be sufficient for at least the next 50 years.

Thank on the H2o response

As far as good places to eat.....

Try the place in the hotel Pasino. I found their kitchen to be very good.

Also, there is a place right down the main street from Hotel Pasino, before you get to the railroad track that has a good menu. I cannto think of the name, but is modern with an emphisis on italian food.

Very good.

For hang out Pizza, try the place. (Pizza Station?), at the main crossroads in town.

There is a very cool breakfast place in the neighborhoods close to the courthouse I think called City Grill, but there are only open for breakfast on certain days. Very good.

The town is easy to explore and identify the good places.

Enjoy

Thanks, Six String. We'll check them out.

Restaurants:
Jett's: http://www.hotelpaisano.com/pages/jetts.html
Maiya's: http://www.maiyasrestaurant.com/

As for Lajitas, you can't really live in the Big Bend area unless you grasp a very simple concept that Steve Smith never did: The desert always wins.

Lajitas is starting to become more visitor friendly. I was there in February. I'd recommend this story from Texas Monthly from December 2007 to see the aftermath.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/2007-12-01/feature3.php

quote:

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The Last Resort
When Steve Smith bought the remote Big Bend town of Lajitas in 2000, he dreamed of building a lush, five-star retreat that would attract the likes of Tiger Woods and Tom Cruise. Instead, he paid dearly to learn an age-old lesson: The desert always wins.

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