Offices in Abilene, Lubbock, Wichita Falls and Midland...Where to reside? (Houston: fit in, credit)

[Djeep]

While the HQ of the firm I'm joining is in Abilene, I could live in any of the four cities we have offices. I'll be traveling between them frequently. Could you compare/contrast the four metros? I understand Lubbock is the largest with a population of 200k, Abilene has 125,000 and Wichita Falls and Midland both a bit under 100k. We're relocating from a major midwestern city. Family of three with one teenage daughter in HS. Housing budget is $300-350k. Likes: eating out, theater, symphony/jazz, shopping, pro sports (yeah, I know) and walking the dogs. Looking forward to warmer weather and less snow/ice!

Gravitating towards the two larger metros, all things being equal, which I'm sure they aren't. Thanks in advance.

[NOTAM]

wow that is a hard choice. i would think Lubbock would be the best fit for you. i prefer Abilene, but that is just me and i am a simple country girl-not into the city life and city culture. Lubbock has Texas Tech-very big into sports and just a good college so you would have theater etc....
my last choice for you would be Wichita Falls. though i like it, and used to work in Wichita Falls and live not too far from there, it really is void of any real "culture" that you are looking for. probably the least progressive of the four cities you mentioned

[Dallas08]

Honestly- Lubbock. It has a great airport (so does Midland). I grew up outside of Abilene and forget about flying somewhere. There is also nothing to do. Midland is great too, but if you truely want to fit in I hope you have oil connections. Lubbock has decent shopping and pretty good housing. Good Luck

[teatime]

Originally Posted by Djeep

While the HQ of the firm I'm joining is in Abilene, I could live in any of the four cities we have offices. I'll be traveling between them frequently. Could you compare/contrast the four metros? I understand Lubbock is the largest with a population of 200k, Abilene has 125,000 and Wichita Falls and Midland both a bit under 100k. We're relocating from a major midwestern city. Family of three with one teenage daughter in HS. Housing budget is $300-350k. Likes: eating out, theater, symphony/jazz, shopping, pro sports (yeah, I know) and walking the dogs. Looking forward to warmer weather and less snow/ice!

Gravitating towards the two larger metros, all things being equal, which I'm sure they aren't. Thanks in advance.

Well, taking all of your "likes" into consideration, I'd say Abilene. For one, you could buy an incredible house here with that housing budget, LOL. Actually, you could spend a fraction of your budget and get an incredible house! The Abilene school district is highly rated and there are three universities here -- Hardin-Simmons, McMurry, and Abilene Christian -- plus a junior college and technical school.

Abilene has its own philharmonic, ballet company, opera company, and Broadway series. There's also lots of good entertainment offered by the three universities. We're just a three-hour drive from Dallas so you could easily go see the professional sports teams there (Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks, and Stars) and we're a four-hour drive to San Antonio if you wanted to see the Spurs play.

For its size, Abilene has a lot of arts and things going on. I really don't understand Abilene's "boring" tag because there always seems to be a college event or performance I'd like to attend and just don't have time! My son goes to Texas Tech and lives in Lubbock and he says Abilene is more "charming" than Lubbock because we have a really pretty downtown that's been restored and more locally owned stores and restaurants.

I like Lubbock, too, and I enjoy visiting him there because Lubbock has some really neat things. When I decided to move to West Texas, I narrowed it down to Abilene and Lubbock and decided on Abilene. Abilene is "easy living" -- no traffic jams, VERY friendly people, VERY affordable, etc. Most important to me was its central location -- 2 1/2 hour drive to Lubbock, Ft. Worth, and the Hill Country, 3 hours to Dallas, 4 hours to San Antonio. I had spent 12 years down in the Rio Grande Valley feeling very isolated and now I LOVE the fact that if there's anything going on in the big cities, it's a day trip for me. But I have everything I want in Abilene, too.

[BrushFyre]

Midland, Midland, Midland.

Many things there people don't know about and they are up to 106K in population.

They have an off-leash dog park that is really nice.
Jazz ensemble at the community college.
Summer Mummers hilarious ribald comedy during the summers.
Maverick Players put on hilarious plays all year around.
World-class speakers at the little college due to generous gifts from the super-rich.
Cute airport, really a breeze, park within feet of your carrier, in the shade.
Good restaurants, from the trendy Garlic Press to the old-timers' dives.
Shopping -- they have a mall, they have specialty stores, bookstores, 2 used bookstores, Chico's, Talbots, jewelers, etc. all through town.

Lubbock is also a winner in many ways due to Texas Tech.

You will love it, but the heat is something bad, dry or not.

[shoe01]

If you like sports, you'll love Lubbock. Tech will probably have a very good year next fall/spring in multiple sports. Plus tickets are obviously more affordable than major league pro sports.

[mpgerma]

If you think you'll buy a boat and hang out on the lakes, then I'd pick Wichita or Abilene as they have more lakes within their area.

Also, if you're a golfer, you might find out how many golf courses are available. I think Abilene has 3 or 4....I'm not sure about the other cities.

My preference would be between Midland and Abilene....Abilene is a little more blue collar than Midland, but they're both nice places.

I like Abilene and Midland. Seems like Midland is bigger if you count Odessa, but Abilene does have the proximity to Dallas that you might want to take advantage of during a weekend trip.

[case44]

I would make a serious pitch here: Now is a perfect time to take advantage of Lubbock's growth opportunities. They are seeing the largest spurt of growth they've ever experienced and are getting a taste of what big-city life is really about. One major corporation (O'Reilly Auto Parts) is putting its new distribution center in a new business park on Lubbock's north side. Their convention capabilities are being expanded and Reese Technology Center is drawing new business. They've got new homes popping up from Erskine near the loop in the northwest all the way down to 130th St in the southwest.

It's happening.

[JamesAbilene]

I have to give a pitch for Abilene. I was decidiing between those same towns plus Amarillo when I moved back here. Here are my reasons for selecting Abilene (a decision I have not regretted):

1) Climate is much more moderate in Abilene. Fewer and less severe dust storms, tornados, and snow than Lubbock and Wichita Falls, and less dust than Midland.

2) South of town is really beautiful--out near Buffalo Gap--mountainous (or hilly). Really a nice area. There is also a beautiful state park about 11 miles south in the mountains (or hills). The other cities are flat and lack that kind of scenery. Lots of beautiful new subdivisions in that area south of town and in the mountains with large new houses for much less than your budget.

3) Proximity to Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio. DFW is 36 minutes by air. Houston is about an hour by air. By car, check Teatime's email. We are closer to major cities and entertainment than any of the others.

4) Sports will be better in Lubbock with Texas Tech. But our colleges compete well in their divisions. Also, DFW sports are about 2 1/2 hours away from Abilene. They are 6 or so hours from Midland and Wichita Falls and over 8 hours from Lubbock.

5) The person who knocked our airport hasn't flown lately from here. True, it is a small airport (easy to get in and out), but American and Continental both fly out and connect in Dallas and Houston. I love flying out of it. Security clearance is fast and efficient, and you do not have to go through security in DFW or Houston--just change planes. Most major cities are as cheap from here as they are from the other three locations. Midland and Lubbock have Southwest Airlines, which I wish we did, but we can compete with the others. And, if you want to fly directly from Midland, DFW, or Lubbock, all of those airports are about a 2 to 3 hour drive from Abilene.

6) I was a music major in college, and moved here from a large Midwestern city. I was surprised--actually amazed--at the quality of our philharmonic, opera company, and ballet company. We are one of the smallest cities on the Broadway circuit and get six Broadway plays a year. This year we had Cats, Evita, Chicago, Gypsy, and a Johnny Cash musical and a Cirque. Some of last year's were Man of La Mancha, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cameltot, and I can't remember the rest. They are the same quality as the shows in Lubbock--They might be the same productions--but it is so much easier to get in and out of our Civic Center than Lubbock's. (I know, we used to have to drive to Lubbock to see these kinds of performances. We are so glad that Abilene is supporting them well enough to continue them here.) Abilene Christian University and McMurry University both have outstanding dinner theatre productions. And, there are lots of great recitals in the schools of music and Hardin-Simmons University and Abilene Christian University. I know because I attend them. All are easy to get in and out of and are usually free. ACU has a good jazz department, but I am not a jazz fan and can't comment on the quality since I don't attend those concerts.

7) Abilene is also a family friendly city. There is not a better place to raise kids. The two school districts in the city--Abilene and Wylie--are excellent. OUr zoo is excellent. We have a new place called Prime Time that has just about everything kids want to do in one area--go carts, bowling, games, etc. It is supposed to have a water park added next year.

8) We have all of the shopping, restaurants, etc. that Midland and Wichita Falls have. Lubbock has a larger mall and a larger variety of restaurants. But we can get to the edge of DFW in two hours and enjoy all that is there, and in Abilene, we can compete with Wichita and Midland easily.

9) We are greener and have more trees than the others.

10) More museums and arts performances per capita than any city in Texas except Houston.

I could go on and on. Send me a private mail if you have any specific questions.

[JamesAbilene]

Forgot one important thing about Abilene: The Abilene and Wylie school districts both offer dual credit courses in conjunction with Cisco Junior College, McMurry University, and Hardin-Simmons University. There are also magnet schools/classes on the campuses of McMurry and H-SU. Your kids can graduate from high school with a real head start on college. Next year, a science/math magnet school for 5th graders will be added to the campus of McMurry University.