There seems to be too much crime in Abilene, TX?? (Houston: crime rates, mobile home)

[NEWSMD]

I may have to move to Abilene from plano, would welcome any info on the socio-economic state to the city. Is it a safe city to raise kids & be about after 6-7pm?? It seems that there is a lot of poverty or below poverty population in the city. On the other hand it seems to have many colleges & retail investments seem to be moving upwards...although that should not make a city safer...only net more tax dollars...
The FBI crime reports for year 2005 are really bad...for the city. It seems to have very high rape & murder rates besides skyhigh count of aggravated assaults...
The city & county populations look like they had a net gain of about 6000 people....in last 5+yrs...
Any direct comments from Abilenians would be welcome too... Where is the city heading?
Thanks
NEWSMD

[Steel Man]

Here is Abilene's Police Department crime rates for 2004 and 2005. I would not call 6 murders high (it was the same for both years). However, rape has gone up 38% from 55 to 76. Aggravated assaults also rose by 37% to 346.

http://www.abilenepolice.com/ana.htm (broken link)

[NEWSMD]

Overall about 8 out of 10 crime catagories are up by high numbers... for a city with 115,000 residents it is something PD must worry about. Taylor county has some 5000 residents living out of the city limits & surrounding areas. Well one would think as a small town out west maybe sort of no crime area but alas its not.
Have you lived there at some point or you live there right now?? I do thank you to take the time out & look it up.
NEWSMD

Originally Posted by Steel Man

Here is Abilene's Police Department crime rates for 2004 and 2005. I would not call 6 murders high (it was the same for both years). However, rape has gone up 38% from 55 to 76. Aggravated assaults also rose by 37% to 346.

http://www.abilenepolice.com/ana.htm (broken link)

[Steel Man]

I have lived in San Antonio since 1990. I lived in Abilene from 1974-1977. I visited there again last year and it definitely has changed (they now have a mall). The city's population was 90,000 back then, so it hasn't really grown that much in 30 years. I suspect that the murder rate is due to crimes of passion and 6 out of 115,000 (about 1 in 19,000 people) is a lot better than San Antonio with about 1 in every 6,000. BTW, I still feel safe in San Antonio. Crime is everywhere, so you have to be careful these days.

[mshay]

Originally Posted by Steel Man

I have lived in San Antonio since 1990. I lived in Abilene from 1974-1977. I visited there again last year and it definitely has changed (they now have a mall). The city's population was 90,000 back then, so it hasn't really grown that much in 30 years. I suspect that the murder rate is due to crimes of passion and 6 out of 115,000 (about 1 in 19,000 people) is a lot better than San Antonio with about 1 in every 6,000. BTW, I still feel safe in San Antonio. Crime is everywhere, so you have to be careful these days.

i used to live in abilene actually on the air force base, and when i was there they had a mall , i was there from approx1983- 1993 they had a mall then , i would like to go back and see how its changed i now live in stupid cold ohio, but will be moving to n.c. in fall 07 to start a racing career

[WestTexan87]

I lived in Abilene from 1991-1995, again from 1996-2006 and will be moving back soon. So, suffice it to say that I have a pretty good grip on what it's like to live in the town. There has never ever ever ever ever ever been a time when I felt unsafe in Abilene. I have never had a car broken into, I've never been mugged, I've never been robbed or stabbed or shot or attacked and neither have any of my friends. There are "bad" neighborhoods in Abilene which breed crime, of course, but what city doesn't have it? The key is to avoid the "scary" areas of town. Nothing will happen to you at the Mall or at Wal Mart or at one of the Universities or in 99% of the neighborhoods. The crime stats are high due almost entirely to the fact that Abilene has a few shady neighborhoods and that's just what happens in those types of areas. But again, after having spent most of my life living there, I can say I never once felt unsafe. There are wonderful schools, ample shopping, a plethora of restaurants, more museums per person than any city in Texas other than Houston, low housing costs and lots of room to roam and grow. So give Abilene a chance. Honestly, you couldn't pay me to live in Plano. I always thought of DFW suburbs as being much scarier than my little west Texas hometown. I'm sure I'm wrong, but I'm just saying that everyone has a fear of the unknown.

[NEWSMD]

I Just Came Back From Abilene From A Day Trip... There Are Troubled Areas That Seemed Like A Place Where Police Gets Calls All The Time From & That Density Of Criminal Activity & Poverty In Certain City Pockets Can Push The Number Higher Than One Would Expect..since You Have Lived There Many Years & Perhaps Are There Now I Would Agree With Your Opinion...
Plano Has Grown Into A Very Big City & So Are Numerous Suburbs Of Dfw Area..now They Are Just A Mega Metropolitan Areas & Totally Built Out... New Homes, Strip Malls, Schools Its Like They Are Creating Every Thing Brand New & Meanwhile Loosing Any History Or Look Of The Old City Charm... It Seems Its Happening In Every State & City You Can Put Your Finger On...

[florence alabama resident]

HELLO, I read a few replies or thoughts through the advertisement..I dont agree with abilene being a safe place for who? the dangerous?i have 2 kids and if it was the last place on earth i would never go back.. I WAS a resident in Abilene texas all my life i am 30 now i left there when i was 16 .Abilene is no place to grow up its dead ,ugly dry,and dangerous.its way over populated.its been taking over.................if u can say sitting on your porch and your uncle at 19 years old get stabbed if safe...then thats your kinda town..most places are not like Abilene.i live in alabama now .. its nothing like Abilene.. i still have family there.but i will never go back.....its turning out to be a mexico #2....have it!!!!!!!!

[teatime]

I live in Abilene and have NEVER felt unsafe. Quite the contrary, actually, as I've found people here to be friendly and helpful. Of course, I don't live in a sketchy area or hang out in any sketchy areas.

The two murders we've had so far this year have been "crimes of passion" and not random. I have a very nice car and it's never been vandalized or anything. We don't seem to have gang problems, either, as many Texas cities do.

This is kind of funny, but when I bought my home here I found an online deal on flooring, so I purchased it and told the company I would call for delivery when I came back for the closing. Well, the company messed up and delivered it 8 days before I came back -- they stacked it up outside in the carport and left it there! So, there it was when I came back with the Realtor for the final inspection! And, despite the fact that it had been sitting out there in plain sight for over a week, most of it was still there. (I called the company to complain and they immediately replaced the boxes that had been taken.) Frankly, if that happened in my former city, ALL of the flooring would have been stolen within a day.

I don't think you can make a decision about where to live on statistics. You have to visit, talk to people, look at property and meet the neighbors, etc. I moved here because I fell in love with Abilene when we stayed here en route to Lubbock. (My son goes to Texas Tech.) I desperately wanted to get off the Border and looked at both Lubbock and Abilene. Abilene won for the beautiful downtown, thriving Arts, affordability, and its good (almost central) location.

[teatime]

Oh, forgot to mention, NEWSMD, that you said a lot of folks here live at or below the poverty level. Well, I probably fall into that category because I'm disabled and have to live on Social Security Disability. This doesn't make me or folks like me "undesirables."

Abilene offers a lower cost of living, so people do retire here or move here because of the affordability and amenities. I used the last of my savings to buy a nice double-wide mobile home on its own land and I love it! I also love the fact that the city and county freeze the property tax rates for the elderly and disabled, so my taxes will remain low and that's a big thing for me!

Please be careful about how you use statistics. Just because people are "poor" doesn't mean they contribute to crime or aren't good people!