The small Texas art town named among America's most beautiful

MARFA, Texas - The small Texas town of Marfa, known for its extensive art culture, has been named one of the 28 most beautiful towns in America by Condé Nast Traveler.

Marfa is a small city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos region in far West Texas. It's located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, close to the Mexican border. Marfa was founded in the early 1880s as a water stop on the railroad. The town's population peaked in the 1930s, but it has declined since then.

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The Art Scene

The town of Marfa, with a population of 1,974, has become a hotbed for art culture in recent years. With 16 art galleries for every 124 residents, Marfa has proven to be quite the draw for many artists looking to showcase their work. The beautiful West Texas scenery is the perfect backdrop for many artists' work and is a major attraction for nature lovers from across the country.

Marfa also hosts the Chinati Foundation, a permanent art museum created by Donald Judd that is home to several works by artists like John Chamberlain, Donald Judd, and Dan Flavin.

As a result of this attention from the art world, Marfa’s first full-service hotel, the Hotel Saint George, opened in 2017. Marfa continues to expand, with restaurants like Vietnamese restaurant Marpho, or Planet Marfa for pizzas and drinks.

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The Marfa Lights

The mysterious Marfa Lights have been reported for over a century, and they continue to intrigue visitors from all over the world. There's no scientific explanation for the lights, but they're definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

Marfa brings the natural world together with the world of modern art like few others can and thus deserves its place as one of the most beautiful towns in the United States.

To see the rest of the towns covered, visit Condé Nast Traveler.