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I see a lot of people try to compare San Angelo and Abilene but there’s simply nothing to compare. San Angelo is twice as big as Abilene and has a lot of high paying jobs which translates into better opportunities for everyone. Most of Abilene’s jobs are minimum wage at best and the ones that pay more are usually around $12/hr. I remember San Angelo having jobs paying around $20/hr which is a nice livable wage.
I see a lot of people try to compare San Angelo and Abilene but there’s simply nothing to compare. San Angelo is twice as big as Abilene and has a lot of high paying jobs which translates into better opportunities for everyone. Most of Abilene’s jobs are minimum wage at best and the ones that pay more are usually around $12/hr. I remember San Angelo having jobs paying around $20/hr which is a nice livable wage.
San Angelo is not twice as big as Abilene.where is your source for that claim?I looked up the population and Abilene is actually bigger than San Angelo.
I beg to differ. The population of Abi-LAME is less than 30k people at best. At one time over 100k people lived there but that’s changed dramatically within the last 5 years. It’s evident when you go there because of all the vacant houses and businesses. It literally takes 5 minutes to drive through town as compared to San Angelo which can take over 30 minutes to get to the other side and that’s without traffic!
Official as of May 23, last week report by the Census Bureau, for July 1, 2018 for Cities: I hope this does copy and paste, if not just enter this into your browser.
Correction. After living unfortunately in Dallas for 20 years, I can say confidently that dopey Dallas is the worst city in Texas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeTomo
I moved to Abilene 6 months ago for work. I was told that Abilene was a small city that was growing and had a lot going for it. I get to town and I get the biggest rude awakening I could have ever dreamed of. After living in Tyler for 6 years I had grown accustomed to a well kept city with friendly people. Tyler had restaurants, night life, booming economy and nice scenery to look at. Within 5 minutes of arriving in Abilene I knew I had made a mistake.
Abilene is a filthy town with a lot of nothing surrounding it for miles. Trees? None. Booming economy? What economy? Night life? Ha! Everything closes at midnight. Entire neighborhoods lay mostly abandoned and most of the remaining homes should be demolished. The restaurants that Abilene has are just chain restaurants and many are closed down. Entire blocks are empty and filled with trash, abandoned cars and tall grass. Need to catch a flight? Good luck. Abilene has one air carrier and getting a flight will cost you $500 easily. Most of the streets are in terrible shape. Within 2 weeks I had already replaced a front wheel because of a pot hole the size of a moon crater!! Is Abilene a safe city? Nope! The entire city is overrun by violent crime which occupies the entire 10pm newscast. One good thing is that housing is pretty cheap but I can definitely see why. There’s no shopping and healthcare options seem a bit limited as well.
Needless to say I’ve requested my old position back in Tyler and will be leaving in 3 weeks. If anyone reading this is considering a move to Abilene, please think about it. Abilene isn’t a growing city for opportunity as they would like you to think. It’s a dying city that needs help.
Official as of May 23, last week report by the Census Bureau, for July 1, 2018 for Cities: I hope this does copy and paste, if not just enter this into your browser.
Abilene grew from April 1, 2010 official census, of 117,063 grew each year no loss years, up to the latest numbers of July 1, 2018 of 122,999
San Angelo 93,200 no loss in any year, to 100,215
I disagree with the census reports because they are based simply on statistics and not factual evidence.
I completely disagree with the Abilene number simply because I lived there for a few months and can tell you it's a ghost town. After 5pm, the streets are completely deserted and the traffic lights begin flashing yellow. In fact, there's more cop cars than anything after 5pm. Also, several new restaurants tried to open there while I was there and closed within a month of opening the doors because of lack of traffic. A city with 122,999 people should be able to support new places opening but that's simply not the case there.
I mostly agree with the San Angelo numbers but I think they are a bit lower than the actual number. The amount of traffic is a good indicator and I can tell you the traffic is insane for a city it's size.
I disagree with the census reports because they are based simply on statistics and not factual evidence.
I completely disagree with the Abilene number simply because I lived there for a few months and can tell you it's a ghost town. After 5pm, the streets are completely deserted and the traffic lights begin flashing yellow. In fact, there's more cop cars than anything after 5pm. Also, several new restaurants tried to open there while I was there and closed within a month of opening the doors because of lack of traffic. A city with 122,999 people should be able to support new places opening but that's simply not the case there.
I mostly agree with the San Angelo numbers but I think they are a bit lower than the actual number. The amount of traffic is a good indicator and I can tell you the traffic is insane for a city it's size.
I've watched the annual estimates of cities by the census bureau for over 30 years. After each 10 year official census door to door count, the estimates have been proven to equal the actual counts within, usually 1%. Meaning next year, in May, the census bureau will release the July 1, 2019 estimates, their last annual estimate for the decade. We will receive the actual count numbers of April 1, 2020, usually in about a year after that date.
But who knows, the bureau could be wrong, but the census bureau looks at reported annual data, to come up with their estimates, it's not based on what it was last year, there are decreases, for the first time for some cities and huge increases, like McKinney, Frisco, widely fluctuating numbers, for cities, but the census bureau hits the final actual count very closely.
I once compared the mythology of the census bureau with the Texas State Data Center, similar but not exactly the same mythology.
I thought I would post the website, name has changed to Texas Demographic Center. Pretty much same numbers, but January 1, 2018 latest number compared to July 1, 2018 for the Census Bureau.
Actually, The TDC, does show a 200 drop in population for Abilene between July 1, 2017 and January 1, 2018. Figures for other cities are somewhat different too, so "we" shall see which is more correct in about two years, after actual counts are taken.
Last edited by Mark Senior; 06-15-2019 at 08:58 AM..
I disagree with the census reports because they are based simply on statistics and not factual evidence.
I completely disagree with the Abilene number simply because I lived there for a few months and can tell you it's a ghost town. After 5pm, the streets are completely deserted and the traffic lights begin flashing yellow. In fact, there's more cop cars than anything after 5pm. Also, several new restaurants tried to open there while I was there and closed within a month of opening the doors because of lack of traffic. A city with 122,999 people should be able to support new places opening but that's simply not the case there.
I mostly agree with the San Angelo numbers but I think they are a bit lower than the actual number. The amount of traffic is a good indicator and I can tell you the traffic is insane for a city it's size.
Okay then.......
You don't believe in statistics (which the Census does not use BTW, they use actual counts)
But you believe in anecdotes after living there a couple of months.
I browse the forums as visitor but I've seen this thread and I really cannot believe the misinformation that was presented here by the OP. So, I decided to make an account and let everyone here know the TRUTH about Abilene from someone who moved there and currently lives there. The OP seemed to only focus on the negatives so I've decided to focus on the positives too.
I moved to Abilene back in 2007 from College Station for work. Back then, Abilene was not a place I really wanted to be..especially coming from College Station. The city streets were not in great shape with a lot of them having potholes big enough to bust tires. Crime was really high too with drugs being a really big issue here. Not much growth was taking shape back then neither and the city itself needed a revitalization from within. After living here awhile I've really seen a change in this city and the OP didn't even care to mention them.
The OP stated that there's no growth in Abilene and that it's stagnant. In fact, Abilene is growing faster than it ever has right now with growth all over the southside and northside. New subdivisions are going up every month especially in the Wylie, Buffalo Gap, Potosi, and Tuscola area. The distance between Buffalo Gap and Abilene is shrinking every month at a pretty fast pace. Existing neighborhoods are being rebuilt as well with Paramore square being one of them. New restaurants are opening up all the time and haven't closed.. Abilene has a Hooters that has managed to survive over a year. The downtown area is also growing as multiple new restaurants and breweries have opened up. Also, a new 8-10 story 4 star hotel is being built within a couple years to be connected with the convention center. Early plans are being developed to build a minor league baseball stadium in south downtown within 10 years. If it actually comes to be, it will be a very nice addition to that side of town. The northside along the interstate is beginning to grow as well with the addition of new apartment complexes, movie theaters, restaurants and hotels. TxDOT recently announced a feasibility study of converting I20 into 3 lane because of traffic concerns in the future due to growth beginning to take shape along I20.
The OP said crime was bad and that is somewhat true but not completely. Last year was a really bad year for crime here but this year is a different story. Child sex crimes and drugs are still a major issue here but that's pretty common a lot of places these days. Overall, crime is way down this year which is welcome news.
Abilene has invested millions into quality of life amenities over the last couple years. Splash pads were installed at multiple city parks throughout the city. A new city aquatics center was built with a lazy river, wave pool, and multiple water slides. The city has big plans for the water center with growth being planned over the next few years. The zoo has seen expansions and a lot of updates over the last couple years and is a really nice way to spend an afternoon. The fairgrounds are being completely overhauled with several new additions and updates being built currently which will make it a very nice venue for years to come. Another neat thing is the Cedar Creek Waterway. Once complete, will be a walking/bike trail along cedar creek straight through the city for several miles.
The OP said there's not jobs here. That's also incorrect as the unemployment rate stays around 3.1%-3.3% which is below the national average. First Financial Bank has it's HQ here which is one of the biggest banks in Texas and growing every year. As they grow, more and more jobs will become available with them. Dyess Air Force Base will receive the new B-21 Raider long range bomber and with it will come jobs and new infrastructure. Existing companies like Abimar Foods, Martin Sprocket, Tige Boats and Broadwind Towers are all doing very well and are always hiring. Also, new companies are coming too with the addition of Prairie Dog DogFood Co. and BrightFarms recently announced their intentions to build a Hydroponics greenhouse here by 2023 which will be the first of it's kind in Texas.
The medical field in Abilene is a major deal. The city does have two hospitals with Abilene Regional Med Center and Hendrick Hospital. Both of them have seen growth over the last few years with new services coming. Both of them are very adequate for a city like Abilene. The Texas Tech School of Pharmacy has seen new additions too over the last couple years which has tripled in size and keeps growing. Abilene Christian University has made the jump to D1 athletics and have built a new football stadium and several other campus additions. The area around ACU is growing with a new shopping center currently being built across from the school with more being planned.
I want the OP to know that these are just some of the positives coming from Abilene. The city is changing and has a vision for the future. I know Abilene has it's issues but other cities have issues too and it's very closed minded to just bash the city of Abilene without taking the time to look at the positives too. I'm from College Station but I plan to stay in Abilene for the rest of my life. It's not a big bad hole in the middle of nowhere.
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