Terlingua, Texas, residents resist possible move into Big Bend region by Dollar General

Not everyone loves a bargain.

Residents of Terlingua, Texas, are banding together to oppose a possible move into the area by discount chain Dollar General.

The locals say they worry the store could ruin the "rugged independence" of the area, known as a gateway to the Lone Star State's Big Bend region.

Concern has been creeping into the residents' hearts since local volunteer firefighter Tony Drewry approached a survey crew in June to ask if they were employed by Dollar General. It turns out they were.

In a call with LoneStarLive.com , Drewry noted many locals have "been through this" song and dance before with Dollar General.

"Nobody needs one of these things around here," Drewry said. "There's a perceived need, I guess, but we disagree."

Residents in Alpine, Texas, which is some 83 miles north of Terlingua, attempted to stop a third Dollar General location from opening in the city that's home to about 6,000 people. Roughly 100 people showed up to an Alpine City Council meeting in October 2022, pleading for the city to intervene. While the Alpine City Council momentarily tried to halt progress, Dollar General prevailed after threatening legal action .

A Change.org petition that was first posted by the Terlingua Heritage Cooperative on Aug. 16 seeks to stop the proposed Dollar General in Texas' southwestern Brewster County. At the time of publishing, the petition has collected 1,579 signatures — about 10 times the number of residents in Terlingua.

Terlingua locals understand the petition might not stand a chance against a huge corporation like Dollar General, which made over $11.7 billion in gross profit in 2023, but they're hoping those who visit the area realize they have a stake in the fight, too.

Terlingua locals share concerns, while Dollar General cites 'economic benefits' Sometimes, the best thing a community can do is rally together to fight for something they believe in. And in this case, it's the rugged beauty of Terlingua.

"If we don't say something, before we know it, it looks like Moab," warned Drewry of how he feels Terlingua might change if the proposed Dollar General comes to fruition.

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LoneStarLive.com reached out to Dollar General regarding its possible plans in Terlingua and how company officials feel about the Change.org petition.

A publicist for Dollar General said the following via email:

"At this time, we are currently in due diligence phase for a new Dollar General location in Terlingua, Texas. This means we are reviewing the opportunity to add a new store in Brewster County, but we have not committed to doing so just yet. Based on our current timeline, we anticipate having a final decision by winter 2024."

They noted Dollar General takes "a number of factors into consideration" when selecting potential new store locations to "ensure we can continue to meet our customers' price, value and selection needs."

The company also shared its belief that "the addition of each new store provides positive economic benefits " for the communities they enter, such as providing customers access to affordable products and creating new jobs for residents.

However, staffing a Dollar General in the census-designated area might be challenging. According to 2022 census data , only 154 people call Terlingua home.

Some Terlingua residents, such as Drewry, are most concerned about the impact of bringing a Dollar General into an area of the Chihuahuan Desert known for its numerous dark sky designations .

Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park are both International dark sky parks. Such parks restrict or reduce light pollution to maintain naturally dark night skies that are perfect for stargazing . According to the National Park Service , Big Bend has "the darkest night skies of any national park in the lower 48 states."

While there are guidelines in place for locations with dark sky designations, Drewry believes that in practice, such guidelines and ordinances don't have a lot of teeth. The Big Bend Times previously reported that Dollar General has come under fire for ignoring dark sky ordinances in Texas cities like Alpine, Marfa and Presidio.

The pros and cons of bringing Dollar General to Terlingua, Texas The Change.org petition refers to Terlingua as a "rare gem" and a "haven of rugged independence" that has some of "the darkest night skies in the country." More importantly, it states Terlingua is a place that has managed to be "completely untouched by chain box stores" that the petition says are plaguing cities across the United States.

The closest McDonald's to Terlingua, for example, is 83 miles away in Alpine, Texas, while the closest Target is over 300 miles away in El Paso, Texas.

The fear of many Terlingua residents, as outlined in the petition and as expressed on the r/BigBendTX subreddit , is that allowing Dollar General to set up shop in the area will negatively impact local businesses and set a precedent that attracts "opportunistic corporations," which would further transform the area into "yet another overexploited, homogenized gateway community" to a national park, like Big Bend National Park.

"Whether any of you who don't live here realize it or not, the lack of infrastructure and major development is one of the things that keeps the Big Bend wild, unique, and unlike almost any other place. Would love it if it stayed that way, and I bet you would too," commented Reddit user u/alacrandelnorte, or Antonio Alacrán.

However, under the same Reddit thread, Redditor u/jboogthejuiceman pointed out what they believe to be a few positives of having a Dollar General in a remote area: "I can anecdotally tell you that there are numerous Dollar Generals across Texas that offer affordable food that is good value with good nutrition, where it otherwise wouldn't be available."

This Redditor offered additional insight, saying while they think the market is "oversaturated" with Dollar Generals and "some probably put locally owned businesses out of business," they believe the bargain store can "absolutely be an asset to a rural community," noting that it "still doesn't make it right for Terlingua, but if it's coming regardless, hopefully it does offer some positive impacts."

LoneStarLive.com contacted Cottonwood General Store, the grocer in Terlingua, Texas, asking if the store's owner had an opinion on the proposed Dollar General and how it might impact them. The employee who answered the phone said the owner "would never wish somebody else's business to fail," adding that they are "not worried" about the proposed Dollar General.

Though many locals are tuned into the negative possibilities, Dollar General said it does offer positive things for communities it enters, like access to goods and products they might not currently have, tax revenue for the areas it enters and allows local nonprofits, schools and libraries to apply for grants through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.