CRAWFORD, Texas, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President Bush is spending his final days at his Crawford, Texas ranch that rivals the White House as a symbol of his presidency, observers say.
Bush bought the craggy 1,583-acre estate and former hog farm in Crawford, a town of 751 people, in 1999 just after announcing his run for president.
The property, in its wide-open spaces setting reminiscent of a frontier novel, carried a particular appeal as a symbol of rugged masculinity and down-home America for a candidate educated at Yale and scion of a well-connected East Coast family, The Boston Globe noted.
He made his 77th trip this week to the ranch where during his tenure, he has dealt with al-Qaida, decided to go to war and learned of Hurricane Katrina, greeted 18 foreign leaders and conducted scores of news conferences.
Days at the ranch are coming to a quiet end with the approaching handover of power to President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 20.
Bush and his wife Laura plan to move to Dallas after he leaves office.
