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Old 03-11-2009, 10:55 PM
 
Location: Upper East Side of Texas
12,498 posts, read 26,979,445 times
Reputation: 4890

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Quote:
Originally Posted by txsizzler View Post
Abilene proper, in my opinion, is alright looking. I have been through there many an occasion, and whilst Abilene itself looks alright, once you get outside of the city (especially north of the city), it gets plain butt ugly. Vast nothingness (save the occasional refinery, mobile home, cactus mound). Even outside of Wichita Falls looks vastly improved to the outside of Abilene.

As I mentioned, though, once inside the city limits, Abilene looks nice. Shopping is about average for this size of city, cannot really comment on the nightlife (why would I drive to Abilene for that?? lol). Alot of military presence there. Overall, not a bad place to live... cheap real estate, decent weather, nice skyline (despite what Metro Matt says).


Ian
I stand corrected. After looking at some of the individual heights for buildings in downtown Abilene it turns out they're very comparable to downtown Tyler in terms of size. Aerial pics can be deceiving sometimes.
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Old 03-12-2009, 09:18 AM
 
Location: Where I live.
9,191 posts, read 21,868,965 times
Reputation: 4934
Quote:
Originally Posted by teatime View Post
Heh, typical comments from people who like to diss Abilene. Whatever!

We have a medium-sized mall and a ton of strip malls and locally owned stores. I think we have plenty of shopping. I certainly don't have to go elsewhere for anything! Two Super Walmarts, two Lowe's, one HD, one Target, Kmart, you get the idea.

Of course, I'm not one of those who thinks that a place isn't "civilized" unless there's a bunch of Yuppie chain stores. Nope, no IKEA but we DO have a couple of local places that will HAND CARVE furniture for you plus a number of antiques stores with beautiful furniture! Custom bootmakers, too. And a locally owned natural foods store plus a BIG farmer's market.

That's the sort of thing I like. I'm really unimpressed with the supposedly trendy national chains; even though we have a lot of them, I like supporting the local folks. Our local barbecue restaurants get very high ratings from Texas Monthly and such but Famous Dave's moved in, too. So, I guess we have something for everyone.
For some reason, Abilene and Midland-Odessa always get bashed, and many don't miss an opportunity to do so.

Well, if they don't like either, they are certainly free to live elsewhere. I personally wouldn't live anywhere east or south of Abilene, given the choice.

The question of the OP was strange, and I can't imagine why anybody would actively seek the most negative.
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Old 03-12-2009, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Portland, TX. (next to Corpus Christi)
1,678 posts, read 4,010,003 times
Reputation: 3814
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cathy4017 View Post
For some reason, Abilene and Midland-Odessa always get bashed, and many don't miss an opportunity to do so.

Well, if they don't like either, they are certainly free to live elsewhere. I personally wouldn't live anywhere east or south of Abilene, given the choice.

The question of the OP was strange, and I can't imagine why anybody would actively seek the most negative.
Perhaps if the worst things about Abilene aren't all that bad, the OP can rationalize the move in a more positive light. I find that people will naturally think of the worst things first, before looking at the more positive aspects. After all, pessimism is an easier to obtain attitude that optimism.


Ian
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Old 03-12-2009, 09:38 AM
 
Location: Beaverland, OR
588 posts, read 2,828,503 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cathy4017 View Post
The question of the OP was strange, and I can't imagine why anybody would actively seek the most negative.
I don't think the OP's question was strange in the least. One can easily find out the good things & positives about a city. Just go to the city's Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Bureau website. They love to crow about everything and make their city sound like the best thing since sliced bread.

The negatives about a city are a little harder to come by. And if you were moving to a new city, wouldn't you want to know what negative aspects and hardships you would be forced to deal with? Before I moved to Portland, I certainly wanted to know that it rains 366 days each year.
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Old 03-12-2009, 09:40 AM
 
Location: I-35
1,806 posts, read 4,310,589 times
Reputation: 747
Grape St. Treadway those are some places in the Lean City as the youth call it.
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Old 03-12-2009, 10:03 AM
 
Location: Where I live.
9,191 posts, read 21,868,965 times
Reputation: 4934
Perhaps if the worst things about Abilene aren't all that bad, the OP can rationalize the move in a more positive light. I find that people will naturally think of the worst things first, before looking at the more positive aspects. After all, pessimism is an easier to obtain attitude that optimism.

True. MUCH easier.

The negatives about a city are a little harder to come by. And if you were moving to a new city, wouldn't you want to know what negative aspects and hardships you would be forced to deal with? Before I moved to Portland, I certainly wanted to know that it rains 366 days each year.

True also. Chamber information is good in that it lists the positives and all of the amenities...so you know what you're looking at in terms of housing, medical, shopping, etc. Many packets also include maps and such.

Some negatives are apparent on visiting--others not. You're right....they are harder to come by.

And did you find out that it only rains 360 days a year..? :-) Beautiful country (as is most of the PNW), but I couldn't stand the rain, humidity and frequently overcast weather!
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Old 03-12-2009, 10:37 AM
 
Location: Longview, TX
189 posts, read 628,700 times
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I can't think of 5 negatives.... I tried and my mind drew a blank. You would think a town this size wouldn't have much to do as in entertainment, but it does! There are 3 private universities, so lots of plays, music, etc. (I lived in Abilene for 4 years beacuse I went to ACU.)

I guess some wouldn't like the drier climate, but I sure wish it were here in East Texas. (Wish I could have it AND all the trees here.)

The BBQ restaraunt mentioned earlier is fantastic. Haven't found one as good... and I've been looking.

I don't know about the shopping there... I was in college, so no money to shop with.

We went out to Ft. Phantom lake a lot. Was a nice place to get away too. That and the beautiful drive throught the Buffalo Gap area. There's a nice park over there too.

The people are great in Abilene. Very friendly and generally happy.

Only 1.5 hours from the DFW area, so a plus there.

Sorry I couldn't help you out more. I tried.

Oh.... and the downtown is exceptionally nice, considering the size of the town. I loved the old theater there and the old malt/ice cream shop that used to be an old drug store. (Hope both are still there.)
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Old 03-12-2009, 12:05 PM
 
4,604 posts, read 8,228,724 times
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Only 1.5 hours from the DFW area, so a plus there.

Dude, the mile marker says Abilene to Fort Worth (city centers) is 147 miles and Dallas is 185. Not sure everyone could turn that into a 1.5 hour drive.

Your mileage may vary.
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Old 03-12-2009, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Texas
8,064 posts, read 18,004,464 times
Reputation: 3729
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cathy4017 View Post
For some reason, Abilene and Midland-Odessa always get bashed, and many don't miss an opportunity to do so.

Well, if they don't like either, they are certainly free to live elsewhere. I personally wouldn't live anywhere east or south of Abilene, given the choice.

The question of the OP was strange, and I can't imagine why anybody would actively seek the most negative.
Yeah, differences of opinion are fine as long as there's some truth to them. But it's bizarre when people simply make up stuff. Abilene isn't flat, overly dry or ugly! Our restored downtown is a model for such projects and the city is just about ringed by the Edwards plateau, which is lovely!

Abilene's just a nice, all-American type of city with strong Texas flavor. Nothing pretentious here and no pressure to be "hip." Folks are down-to-Earth and very friendly. If people want glitz and glam, Abilene's probably going to disappoint but that's not a fault in the city so why bash it? Abilene doesn't try to be something it's not.

I agree with you in finding the question odd. There is nothing overtly "bad" about Abilene. Living here is affordable with all sorts of homes and neighborhoods available, there's not a ton of crime or any glaring city problem, we've actually got seasons so there isn't anything about the weather that's oppressive (and we thankfully have low humidity!), there's plenty of shopping and services, good schools and medical care, great arts and museums, and a TON of higher education opportunities for a city this size.

Our unemployment rate is among the lowest in Texas and while wages aren't the highest, they're far from the lowest. Good mix of jobs, too -- wind technology, oil, manufacturing (we have a Mrs. Baird's plant here that pays very well, for instance), small businesses (Texas Tech has a Small Business Development Center here), medical and research, ag, and professions of all sorts.

Anything "bad" isn't really bad but boils down to personal preference. I wish we had more ethnic restaurants, particularly Indian. I wish some of the events at the civic center were a bit more affordable. That's about all I can think of.

But if someone is planning to move here, wouldn't they have already scoped out the city and made up their own minds? That's the part I don't get. As I said, "bad" is subjective.
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Old 03-12-2009, 01:27 PM
 
Location: Texas
8,064 posts, read 18,004,464 times
Reputation: 3729
Quote:
Originally Posted by Back2TX View Post
We went out to Ft. Phantom lake a lot. Was a nice place to get away too. That and the beautiful drive throught the Buffalo Gap area. There's a nice park over there too.
The city is actually planning to do more with Lake Ft. Phantom! They're putting money into that area to turn it into a nicer, more accessible recreation area with marinas and such! I believe they're starting to sell the lakefront land to the folks who live there, if they want to buy it. If I'm remembering right, the folks have just been leasing the land until now.

Abilene State Park is really nice, isn't it? We like to take a drive through Buffalo Gap and the Park some Sundays -- you don't have to pay to get in if you just want to drive around a bit. GREAT camping facilities at the state park and they have an active stargazers club and events there, too!
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