Create React App provides a great tool for getting a React application up and running, but when building or prototyping an application that requires a server-side component, it's not as clear. To address this, setting up an Express server within the same project allows developers to start everything with one command. This involves installing necessary dependencies, creating a server, and configuring Create React App to proxy non-text/html requests through to the Express server. The combination of these tools enables developers to quickly build React applications backed by an Express server, making it easier to create complex applications like Twilio Video or Chat integrations.