If highways are spokes connecting the rim of destinations in the Big Bend Region of West Texas, then Alpine is the hub of the wheel.
From Del Rio, two hundred miles of great highway take travelers to Alpine. And from there travelers can easily travel south to Big Bend National Park (80 miles), north to Fort Davis (26 miles), west to Marfa (26 miles), or east to Marathon (31 miles). But its geography may not be the chief asset of Alpine.
Now, with a population hovering at 6,500, Alpine is growing, but no one seems interested in too much growth and a loss of small town, friendly identity. Still, according to the Handbook of Texas, “Alpine is listed as one of the fifty safest and most economical places for retirement in the United States.”
Climate plays a big role in Alpine’s popularity, aptly named for the cooler temperatures there at 4,481 feet above mean sea level. (Del Rio International Airport is 1,002 feet above MSL.) “We have more than 400 motel and hotel rooms,” Austin enthused, adding that the lodging accommodations range from modern to historic.
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