Billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban can pretty much buy anything he wants. He proved that by purchasing a small town in the Lone Star state because a friend needed to sell it. That’s what friends are for.
Why did Mark Cuban buy a town in Texas?
Cuban, who has a net worth somewhere near $6 billion, bought the tiny town of Mustang. It’s just a 77-acre blip about 55 miles South of Dallas in Navarro County, with a population of 23 people.
According to NBC News, Cuban has no plans for what will happen with the town. He said in an email to the source “Did it to help out a friend. No plans yet!”.
What is the town that Mark Cuban bought like?
The town is about what you’d expect, featuring a resident alligator in one pond, a strip club that shuttered due to a murder, and a water tower that’s wholesome as far as we know.
It’s not known how much Cuban paid for the town, but in 2017, it was put on the market for $4 million. A real estate agent said that was overpriced, even when it was reduced by half!
Neighbors of the town told The Daily Beast that it doesn’t really have any operational businesses or residents.
“I’ve been a lifelong resident [of the area] and seen a lot come and go over there, but it’s always been less than desirable,” said nearby business owner Jerry Newsom. “They’ve had strip clubs and adult video stores and all kinds of stuff over there. So anything that Mark Cuban will bring in… would be better than what’s been there.”
Mustang was founded in 1973 with the explicit purpose of selling alcohol to surrounding dry counties, then came the strip clubs and porn shops.
“It’s where all the bad stuff used to happen,” an area employee said.
There used to be a strip club in the town called Wispers Cabaret that made the news in 2008 when a man named Fernando Ramirez felt like he was scammed during one of his dances. He got rowdy and was dragged out of the club, reports said. He hit his head during the action and later died.
Cuban can be seen on the hit ABC series Shark Tank when he’s not slowly purchasing America one tiny town at a time.