Photo: Mark Cuban owns a ghost town in Mustang, Texas

^{This article originally appeared on Business Insider.}

Recently, we learned that Mark Cuban, billionaire and former owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, purchased an entire “ghost town” called Mustang in 2021 for about $2 million.

Mustang is about an hour from where I live in Dallas. But until now I had never encountered a Mustang. And almost no one around me had ever encountered a Mustang.

That might make sense, since according to the census, Mustang has a population of zero.

Normally, I file this newfound knowledge away in the back of my mind. Later, over coffee or dinner, I was able to impress my friends with an unusual story.

But my curiosity never waned.

Many questions flooded my thoughts. Why would someone be interested in buying an empty town? Is it really abandoned? What is worth storing there?

I even reached out to Mr. Cuban via email to get some answers. He said almost nothing about it.

“I bought it to help a basketball buddy of mine who was dying of cancer. He needed it for his family,” Cuban, who Forbes reports has a net worth of $6.2 billion, told me. “I have no plans and have never been.”

I read some of them. NBC News spoke with Mike Turner, the real estate agent who brokered the deal, who said Cuban bought the Mustang from its principal owner, Marty Price, a Dallas attorney and avid Mavericks season ticket holder. he said. The New York Times reported the reason. Price, who passed away in August 2021, apparently didn’t want to leave his wife and children in a ghost town that would be difficult to maintain.

I wanted to know more, but Turner never returned my call.

At times like this, I often think of the saying, “Curiosity is the cure for ignorance.”

So I went to Mustang. Yes, I jumped in the car, opened Google Maps, and drove from my downtown Dallas apartment to a remote town that hadn’t even been on my radar until last week.

This is what I found.

Mustang is about an hour’s drive south of the densely built metropolis of Dallas, even the suburbs. However, Mustang is surrounded by roads and no buildings.

^{A back road in Angus, a town next to Mustang. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

In rural Texas, it’s common to see vast pastures with cows and horses. As I approached Mustang, I wasn’t surprised to see cattle ranches lining the road.

Cows graze on some undeveloped land near Mustang. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider

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

^{Mustang and Angus highway sign. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

After about 30 minutes of driving around, excitement turned to confusion. It has never been possible to determine exactly where Mustang and the neighboring town of Angus originated. According to the latest census, Angus’ population is 458, while Mustang’s is zero.

Google Maps screenshot of Mustang and Angus.google map

sauce: US Census Bureau

I tried driving some roads marked by Google Maps. It’s not paved, and I saw toppled signs and warnings to stay away. I could see a few houses, but no one was there.

^{This sign felt like a metaphor for my quest. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

Feeling frustrated, I asked a man working on the roadside for directions to the Mustang. He also recommended checking out Stuckey’s, a long-time gas station and convenience store in Angus, although he didn’t know anything about it. However, even the store clerk didn’t know about the Mustang.

^{Stuckey’s gas station in Angus. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

I then approached the cashier at Angus’s grocery store, who knew about Mustangs. victory! But all she could tell me was that the place was deserted, with only a now-demolished strip club and a fire station, the most notable parts of it.

^{Angus’ grocery store where I asked for directions. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

At this point I was in despair. I showed up unannounced at Angus Town Hall. A government official can answer that, right?

^{Angus’ fire station and city hall are located in the same building. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

At City Hall I met the secretary, Trina Kelly, who didn’t let me take her picture because we don’t look her age, but she says she’s lived in Angus since she was nine years old.

^{A sign in front of Angus Town Hall. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

Kelly, happy to have someone to talk to, gave me an overview of both Angus and Mustang and showed me this map of the greater Angus region.

^{Angus and mustang map. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

Mr Kelly said Mustang is an area labeled Mustang Court, which is about 75 acres in the middle of Angus.

^{A close-up of the Angus and Mustang map. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

Mr Kelly explained that Mustang was originally part of Angus, but was demolished in July 1973 as Mustang locals wanted the freedom to sell alcohol, which Angus did not allow at the time. .

^{Mustang city old sign. This photo is from his 2006. LM Otero/Associated Press}

In 2006, the Associated Press said the Mustang was “cut from pasture in 1973 to sell alcohol, and now transports beer less than 60 miles to Dallas.” The Associated Press reported that the town “fell into ruin and decay, with its residents reduced to about 50 people.”

Kelly said both cities became independent entities a few days after annexation.

^{Photo of Angus Mayor Aubrey Smith at the time of the Mustang annexation. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

A 2006 Associated Press article said Mustang had “two dusty streets, one strip club, a boarded-up country-western bar, a trash can, and an entire population of people living there.” “It’s a dilapidated trailer park with a lot of people.” The Dallas Morning News reported that there was also a cabin for the Mustang Volunteer Fire Department there.

Almost everything has since been destroyed, according to news reports.

Whispers Cabaret, a strip club, was closed following a “murder in 2008 in which a club patron was bludgeoned to death and made headlines across the state,” The Independent reported.

Kelly said Mustang remained in disrepair for many years and never really maintained a significant number of residents or buildings.

^{The Mustang has been on the market many times throughout its history. This for sale sign is from his 2006. LM Otero/Associated Press}

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

There is nothing there now, Kelly said, adding that Cuba recently agreed to let Angus store a new fire truck on the Mustang property.

^{Mark Cuban is a longtime investor in “Shark Tank.”Christopher Willard/Getty Images}

Armed with Kelly’s information and a new vantage point on the map, I set out again to see the Mustang for myself. This is the fourth time I have passed by the Angus water tower.

^{Highway sign. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

On our way to Mustang, we saw several “No Trespassing” signs. What better way to know you’re in the South?

^{A “No Trespassing” sign on Angus’ property. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

I thought the tires were going to burst as I was driving on an unpaved country road, but I managed to pull through. Behold, vast land, that’s Mustang.

^{I finally found the Mustang, but it was completely empty. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

There are several Angus homes surrounding the Mustang property, including this quaint home on the market for $220,000.

^{Homes for sale in Angus near Mustang. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

sauce: Jiro

Most homes in the area are ranch-style or manufactured, with farm equipment in outdoor sheds and American or Texas flags flying out front.

^{Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

Before returning home, I decided to take a look at a nearby winery. I had no idea this part of Texas was known for growing grapes.

^{Sign pointing to Angelita Winery. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

I parked my car on the side of the road and looked at the horses. One in particular looked at me as if he could tell I wasn’t from around here.

^{Horses on the ranch near the winery. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

We arrived at the winery, but unfortunately it was closed. It was just my luck. I still enjoy its classic farmhouse style architecture.

^{Entrance to Angelita Winery. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

I got out of the car for a moment to look at the vineyards, but then I noticed a big dog and quickly got back in the car. I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw the dog chasing my car.

^{Angelita Winery. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

While driving back to Dallas, I thought about what I had seen and learned about the Mustang.

^{Dallas highway sign. Alsina Lloyd/Business Insider}

I didn’t discover anything special, but I did discover a quaint little city that would have been lost in time if it weren’t for the billionaire’s efforts.

^{In this 2006 photo, the road sign on one of the few roads in the Mustang is already showing its age. This sign was not there when I visited in January 2024. LM Otero/Associated Press}

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

^{Firefighters from the now-defunct Mustang Fire Department in a 2006 photo. LM Otero/Related Press}