Marfa is a really weird and unique place. It was originally famous for UFO sightings and then somehow became that artists enclave and achieved some sort of cult status to the point that it was a prevalent pre-tinder dating app meme for women to have pictures in front of the fake Prada storefront art installation there. That made it a really hip place for anyone who knew it, and yeah, eventually word got out and now it's super expensive.

But I don't see how that is repeatable. Trying to build a new town from scratch can't realistically have the plan of UFO sightings and cult-status house-size art installations to get people to want to live there.