Moving to Abilene Next Year (Wylie, Cisco: appointed, condominium, crime)

[ilovepink]

My husband & I will be moving to Abilene and don't know what to expect, so we have questions. What is the job market like? He's in the Air Force but I need to find a job. Are the neighborhoods diverse? And what is going on with the housing market? A lot of the homes we saw online had been on the market for months and that raises a few eyebrows with us. Also, what type of entertainment and nightlife is there? Is there any type of motorcycle community in Abilene? That may seem like a weird question, but we're currently stationed at Pope AFB and almost every other house in most subdivisions have one or two motorcycles and I know my husband would be disappointed if he had no one to ride with. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

[teatime]

Unemployment here is VERY low -- just a bit above 3 percent -- and nearly every business has a Help Wanted sign out. You won't have any trouble finding a job, LOL. Businesses are having a hard time finding enough workers, especially with new stores and restaurants being built.

Housing is WAY affordable here, a good selection at every price range. I don't know anything about time on the market but as everywhere else I guess it's because there are more houses on the market than qualified buyers. It stinks right now for sellers.

If you like the arts and country-western stuff, you'll be at home here. Abilene does NOT have a bunch of bars and nightclubs so if that's your preference you'll be disappointed. But there are lots of fine arts performances, gallery exhibits and things going on at the museums and the universities.

Can't help you out with the motorcycle thing. Dyess AFB is a great community, though, so I'm sure y'all will make friends and find people with similar interests.

[JamesAbilene]

I know there are a few motorcycle groups in the town and in nearby Hawley. I don't anything about their organizations or numbers of members, but I do have friends who take part with some groups.

I will echo the job situation. The paper indicates that some new businesses planning to move into Abilene are concerned about the low number of folks available to work in new businesses. The 3% is pretty accurate.

Neighborhoods are diverse. I used to live in a very diverse air-force friendly neighborhood in Southwest Abilene near the Mall of Abilene and The Shops of Abilene. My wife and I put our house on the market in June, and it sold within 10 days. I think good neighborhoods will still sell quickly. We moved to a condominium for retirement. Our house sold for $109,900. It was three bedrooms, two full baths, in excellent condition, double garage, fenced yard with all of the applicances included and with central air and heat. We also had new ceramic tile floors and coutertops throughout. (Our two bedroom one bath condo cost us $45,000. It is small, but it is very nice. It is in Northeast Abilene.) For resale, I think buying in zip code 79606 and parts of 79602 are the best choices. There is also new housing near Buffalo Gap and Tuscola in South Abilene that is probably also a great investment.

We love living here. I wish you the best as you consider moving here. If you have any questions, post them here, and I will try to answer them.

[JamesAbilene]

Oh, by the way, there is a new subdivision just announced that will have 400 homes near Dyess. It is on Highway 277 and is supposed to start selling homes by spring. The interesting thing is that they are targeting air base personnel and first time home buyers by completely furnishing the homes for the buyers so that the furnishings can go on the mortgage and not require such a huge outlay of cash when folks move into the properties. I drove by the area today, and it is close to the new Shops of Abilene, the new Kohls shopping center, and base housing.

[ilovepink]

Thanks guys for the info. At first, we were going to Sumter, SC so I was very excited. We planned to buy a house in Columbia and there are so many job opportunities and things to do. I have a BS in criminal justice and am currently in school for financial crime and computer fraud. I also planned to get certified as a crime scene tech. Then we were told we had to go to Abilene. Hopefully, I can find something in my field. I'm still very depressed about the change but I do feel a little better now.

[NOTAM]

Abilene is home to TWO very large TDCJ (Texas Dept of Criminal Justice) prisons...Middleton (a transfer unit) and Robertson (max security). check them out on the TDCJ website!

Originally Posted by ilovepink

Thanks guys for the info. At first, we were going to Sumter, SC so I was very excited. We planned to buy a house in Columbia and there are so many job opportunities and things to do. I have a BS in criminal justice and am currently in school for financial crime and computer fraud. I also planned to get certified as a crime scene tech. Then we were told we had to go to Abilene. Hopefully, I can find something in my field. I'm still very depressed about the change but I do feel a little better now.

[teatime]

Oh, geez, you'll have NO trouble finding a job in criminal justice here. A few months ago on the local news there was a story about how short of help they have been at the police department, at the jails, etc. They've been spending a fortune on overtime because they can't find enough qualified employees.

Sorry you're disappointed. I've never been to S.C., so I don't know how it compares. But if you like Texas at all, you'll like Abilene. It's easy-living here. And the community really appreciates the folks at Dyess. Groups put on the "world's largest barbecue" every year for Dyess families to thank them for their service.

[JamesAbilene]

And at least three of the seven local colleges/universities offer courses in law enforcement if you wish to teach. Hardin-Simmons University, Cisco Junior College, and Texas State Technical College all have courses in that area.

[LeneCityThrasher]

basicly abilene is run by the church of christ. this is the most conservative city you will EVER find. theres is almost no night life except redneck clubs, a small mall with no food court, ocasional concerts depending on what your into, cruise night on saturdays, going to movies or eating out. most of that type stuff is on the southwest side of town where everything is locating to. our downtown is dead. the northside is dead which sucks kuz i live there. school and church is a huge part of life for most people here and they both go hand in hand. obviously no one here has read the constitution. the north side does however have bikers! on mockingbird from state st. thru n12 youll find biker gatherings almost everyweekend at these small "casino" type gamerooms. neiborhoods are pretty diverse; on my block we have "gangsters", retirees, highschool and middleschool kids, air force personell, and every ethnicity except asian. and almost every neiborhood in town is like this..except certain areas in the northcentral, southcentral, and west of the highway which are filled with illegal latinos, legal latinos, "gangsters", and drugees like crackheads. you will probably find the far southwest area near the mall and everything else in town to be a damn good place for your family...thats if you want to move to abilene. personally im going back to jersey, i hate abilene. its very boring...but there is abilene through the perspective of a 16 year old high school graduate who knows the town pretty well. i walk everywhere so i know about the hoods. im a teen so i know about fun and nightlife, which we dont have. and ive lived here about 10 years. hope this in some way helps you out.

[uktexn]

My husband and I are moving to Abilene this summer. I have read the post, but want to know if they are outdated. We have been told that we want Wylie schools over Abilene schools for our kids. Does anyone have any opinions on schools? My husband is also a rider,but of sport bikes. He was told there might be a track for him to race near by. Doe anyone know about those? I will also be job hunting, but in the education field. I currently teaching at the junior college on base here,but want to get back to elementary grades. We are currently living in England so we are trying to prepare our children for the culture shock. Thank you for anyones help or opinions about Abilene.