Alpine, Texas Community Guide 2018 | Página 5

2018-2019 Community Guide 05 Chamber of Commerce Directory One of the Best Places to Live in Texas Enjoying the outdoors is part of everyday life in Alpine, with year-round hiking, bicycling, golfing, hunting, and camping. There’s great hiking just 30 miles away in the Davis Mountains. An additional 30 miles leads to the world’s largest outdoor spring-fed pool at Balmorhea. A full array of activities lie just 100 miles south in Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. Low humidity and the absence of big-city lights makes star-gazing a backyard activity in Alpine. The beauty of the Big Bend attracts and inspires artists from all over the world. Many have made Alpine their home. Add to the mix the talented, energetic art students at Sul Ross State University, and it’s no wonder there’s such a thriving art scene. Strong community support for the arts explains why art is everywhere in Alpine: restaurants, banks, business and medical offices... even in galleries! Ranching continues to be a cornerstone of life in the Big Bend, and you can expect to cross paths with working ranchers and cowboys on a typical day in Alpine. Rodeo is big at Sul Ross State University, birthplace of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Preserving the traditions of the American West is the focus of annual events like the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Trappings of Texas, and Big Bend Ranch Rodeo. Perhaps the best thing about Alpine is its friendly, small-town atmosphere and strong sense of community pride. In 2014, Alpine was a winner of the Governor’s Community Achievement Award -- one of the most coveted environmental and community improvement honors in Texas. Alpine is a unique combination of cultures, talents and energies working together to create one of the best places to live in Texas. Journalist Dan Rather says Alpine is “a town-city that has kept its West Texas tradition, look and feel, while adopting the best of what’s up-to-date in the Lone Star State.” We agree! We think you will, too. There’s lots to love about this vibrant town: mild climate, mountain views, a lively art scene and strong community spirit.