I visited Mark Cuban’s Texas ghost town, and ‘Mustang’ was more barren and mysterious than I ever imagined

2024-01-13T11:43:01Z

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A street sign pointing toward Mustang and its neighboring town, Angus.

Alcynna Lloyd/Business Insider

Billionaire Mark Cuban bought the ghost town of Mustang, Texas, in 2021 for about $2 million.
Cuban has never even been there and has “zero plans for it,” he told me in an email.
I drove to visit Mustang, population zero. I found no buildings, but an intriguing history.

I recently learned that Mark Cuban, the billionaire and former owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, bought an entire “ghost town'” called Mustang for about $2 million in 2021.

Mustang is about an hour away from the part of Dallas where I live. But until now, I had never come across it — and it appears that almost nobody in my circles had either.

The Census reports that Mustang’s population is zero, so maybe that makes sense.

Typically, I would file away this newfound knowledge in the recesses of my mind — an unusual story I could later impress my friends with over coffee or dinner.

However, my curiosity refused to wane.

Numerous questions crowded my thoughts: Why would someone be interested in buying a town with no people? Is it genuinely abandoned? What might be worth saving there?

I even reached out to Cuban by email to get some answers. He had little to say about it.

“I bought it to help out a basketball buddy who was dying of cancer, he needed it for his family,” Cuban, who Forbes said has a $6.2 billion net worth, told me. “I have zero plans for it, I haven’t ever been there.”

I did some reading. Cuban bought Mustang from principal owner Marty Price, a Dallas attorney and devoted Mavericks season ticket holder, according to NBC News, who spoke with Mike Turner, a real-estate agent who brokered the deal. The New York Times reported the reason: Price, who died in August 2021, apparently didn’t want to leave his wife and children a hard-to-maintain ghost town.

I wanted to know more, but Turner didn’t call me back.

In moments like these, a saying often comes to mind, “The cure for ignorance is curiosity.”

So I went to Mustang. Yes, I hopped into my car, opened up Google Maps, and drove from my downtown Dallas apartment to a remote town that wasn’t even on my radar until last week.

Here’s what I found.

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Mustang is approximately an hour’s drive south of Dallas, a major city packed with buildings. Even its suburbs are quite dense. But Mustang is surrounded by roads with no buildings.

A back road in Angus. — A back road in Angus, the town that neighbors Mustang.

A back road in Angus, the town that neighbors Mustang.

In rural Texas, you often see large open pastures with cows and horses. When I got close to Mustang, I wasn’t surprised to see cattle ranches lining the roads.

Cows feed on some of the undeveloped land near Mustang.

As I exited Interstate 45 and neared Mustang, I was excited to see a highway sign pointing toward the town. I must be close, I thought.

The excitement turned to confusion as I drove around for 30 minutes. I couldn’t pinpoint where Mustang started and the adjacent town, Angus, began. (Angus has 458 people, while Mustang has 0, according to the most recent Census.)

Google Maps screenshot of Mustang and Angus.

Source: US Census Bureau

I tried driving down the few roads Google Maps has marked. They were unpaved, and I saw knocked-down signs and warnings to stay away. I saw a few houses, but no people.

Dead end sign. — This sign felt like a metaphor for my quest.

This sign felt like a metaphor for my quest.

Feeling frustrated, I asked a man working on the side of the road for directions to Mustang. He also had no idea but recommended checking out Stuckey’s, a longtime gas station and convenience store in Angus. But even the store’s clerk hadn’t heard of Mustang.

Stuckey's gas station in Angus. — Stuckey’s gas station in Angus.

I next approached the cashier at a grocery store in Angus, who was aware of Mustang. Victory! But all she could tell me was that it was deserted, with its most notable features being a now-demolished strip club and a fire station.

A sign of Angus grocery store. — The grocery store in Angus where I asked for directions.

The grocery store in Angus where I asked for directions.

At this point, I was feeling desperate. I decided to show up at Angus’ city hall unannounced. Government officials would have answers, right?

Angus fire station. — Angus’ fire station and city hall are in the same building.

Angus’ fire station and city hall are in the same building.

Kelley — who seemed elated to have someone to talk to — gave me the lowdown on both Angus and Mustang. She also showed me this map of the greater Angus area.

Mustang is the area labeled Mustang Courts, about 75 acres right in the middle of Angus, Kelley said.

A close-up of a map of Angus and Mustang.

Kelley explained that Mustang was originally a part of Angus but was de-annexed in July 1973 because Mustang locals wanted the freedom to sell liquor, which Angus didn’t allow at the time.

An old sign introducing the city of Mustang. — An old sign for the city of Mustang. This photo is from 2006.

An old sign for the city of Mustang. This photo is from 2006.

In 2006, the Associated Press described Mustang as “carved from a pasture in 1973 to sell alcohol so a beer run was no longer a 60-mile drive to Dallas.” The town was “broke, withering and down to about 50 residents,” the AP reported at the time.

A few days after the de-annexation, the two cities became independent entities, Kelley said.

A photo of Aubrey Smith, the mayor of Angus during Mustang's de-annexation. — A photo of Aubrey Smith, the mayor of Angus during Mustang’s de-annexation.

The 2006 Associated Press story described Mustang as having “two dusty streets, a strip club, a boarded-up country western bar, one trash bin and a dilapidated trailer park where the entire population lives.” It also had a shed for Mustang’s volunteer fire department, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Pretty much everything has since been razed, according to news reports.

I couldn’t find the strip club, Wispers Cabaret, which the Independent reported “closed after a 2008 murder in which a clubgoer was beaten to death that made headlines across the state.”

According to Kelley, Mustang has remained desolate for many years, never truly sustaining a substantial number of residents or buildings.

An 2006 for sale sign for the city of Mustang. — Mustang has been on the market multiple times in its history. This for-sale sign is from 2006.

Mustang has been on the market multiple times in its history. This for-sale sign is from 2006.

Before Cuban bought Mustang, it had been on and off the market since 2017.

There is now nothing there, Kelley said, adding that Cuban recently agreed to let Angus keep its new fire truck on Mustang land.

Shark Tank host Mark Cuban — Mark Cuban is a longtime host of “Shark Tank.”

Mark Cuban is a longtime host of “Shark Tank.”

Armed with Kelley’s information and a new perspective on the map, I hit the road again to try to see Mustang for myself. First, I passed — for the fourth time — Angus’ water tower.

On the drive to Mustang, I saw several “keep out” signs. What better way to signify you’re in the South?

A “keep out” sign on a property in Angus.

I thought my tires were going to burst driving down the unpaved country roads, but I made it. Behold: The sprawling patch of land that is Mustang.

Empty road in Mustang. — I finally found Mustang — and it was totally empty.

I finally found Mustang — and it was totally empty.

A few Angus homes surround the Mustang land, including this quaint house listed for sale for $220,000.

Source: Zillow

The area’s homes are mostly ranch-style or manfactured, with agricultural equipment in sheds outside and American and/or Texas flags flying out front.

Before heading home, I decided to check out a winery nearby. I didn’t know this part of Texas was known for growing grapes.

I parked on the side of the road to check out some horses. One in particular gazed at me, almost as if she could sense I wasn’t from around here.

Horses on a ranch in Angus. — Horses on a ranch near the winery.

I reached the winery, but unfortunately, it was closed. Just my luck. I still enjoyed its classic farmhouse-style architecture.

I briefly stepped out of my car to admire the vineyard, but upon noticing a sizable dog, I promptly hopped back in. Glancing in my rearview mirror, I could see the animal chasing my car.

While returning to Dallas, I thought about what I had seen and learned about Mustang.

While I didn’t discover anything extraordinary, what I found was a quirky little city almost forgotten to time if not for the efforts of a billionaire.

A street sign from one of Mustang's few roads is already dilapidated in this 2006 photo. — A street sign from one of Mustang’s few roads is already dilapidated in this 2006 photo. The sign was not there when I visited in January 2024.

A street sign from one of Mustang’s few roads is already dilapidated in this 2006 photo. The sign was not there when I visited in January 2024.

It reminded me that there is hidden history like this all over Texas. Sometimes, you just have to work a little harder to find it.

A firefighter from Mustang's now-disbanded fire department in a 2006 photo. — A firefighter from Mustang’s now-disbanded fire department in a 2006 photo.

This post was originally published on Business Insider