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

Rachel Cobb

Marfans hope to divert a highway from passing through their town

This far West Texas town is so isolated that while you can cross the Mexican border in less than an hour for lunch, the nearest shopping mall is 200 miles (about 320 km) away. Those who live around here take immense pride in the desolate landscape that served as the backdrop for the films with the most Academy Award nominations this year, Joel and Ethan Coen's murderous No Country for Old Men and Paul Thomas Anderson's epic There Will Be Blood. But instead of buzzing about their potential golden night at the Oscars, locals are more concerned these days with a...

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