Info about Abilene, TX (Dallas, Fort Worth: real estate market, apartments, low crime)

[tg031]

Hello, I was wondering if I could get a little insight about Abilene, TX. Things to do, good areas of town to live, areas of town to stay away from, and I guess things that would be good to know about it. What are the pros and cons? Thanks!

[anl321]

I am considering moving to Abilene and have visited and talked to a lot of people about it. But I am by no means an expert, so take this with a grain of salt:Abilene is the main city/town between Dallas/Fort Worth and Lubbock or Midland. It is more dry than east Texas and Dallas but still very hot like in the rest of Texas. There is a zoo, several museums, parks, hiking trails, sports facilities, parks, rodeos, country clubs, festivals and parades for holidays, a philharmonic and occasional broadway and comedy shows. There are also several activities associated with churches and with the three universities in town, which have religious affiliations.The town is divided into north and south by a railroad track. There are several nice neighborhoods on the south side of town and there are also some areas southeast and southwest of the city limits that are very popular. There are a few nice areas in the north, but also some areas to avoid on the north side. Pros: great place to raise a family, low cost of living, low crime, no traffic, good schools, very friendly people, variety of restaurants and shops, good health care for a town its size.Cons: not a whole lot of things to do, not the prettiest landscape or downtown, not much public transportation, no population growth, difficult job market (as with many places these days)Neutral: large religious presence with many churches and most people attend church regularly (dont know what your personal preferences are).Hope this is helpful. Again, I am not an expert on Abilene and I would like to hear what others think of Abilene and how it compares to other places.

[Westerner92]

^^^ Very good post. Abilene is the town I'm most familiar with besides Lubbock and I have nothing to add.

[Dangerfield]

anl321 gave a fairly accurate description.

I'll add that Abilene has a major military presence with Dyess AFB on the westside of town. This gives the city a more diverse vibe than most other places in West Texas.

[empress80]

try Google their official website, i am sure it is very informative.

[TT Dave]

I'm an Abilene native and moved away to other Texas cities several times over the years and now I live in Abilene again. The info that anl321 posted above pretty much sums it up! The only thing I can think to add to that description is that there is a fairly nice state park (Abilene State Park) about 15 miles south of town near Buffalo Gap, TX. The terrain is flat here in Abilene but there are a lot of small hills and more trees down there, so it's fairly scenic for this area and is a nice place to camp out if that's your thing. There are a few lakes around here but none of them are very good for boating or fishing. If you're going to move here, like it was stated above, it's best to stay on the south side of town. Most of the good restaurants and shopping areas are on the south side as well. The nicest area on the north side is on the far northeast side in the general vicinity of the Abilene Christian University campus. They've recently added some new retail and a few new restaurants out in that area. Anyway, hope that helps and if you have any more questions, I'll be glad to answer them!

[tg031]

Thanks alot! This has all been very informative!

[Ketabcha]

Above all, Abilene is family-friendly. It's a good town. People sit out on their porches in the evening and visit with people who are walking by. Abilene has a small town feel but it is larger than a small town. There are good restaurants, libraries, an old time movie theater downtown (if it is still there) and a lot of very nice people.

My parents liked it so much that when Dad retired from the Air Force they decided to stay put in Abilene. My father is buried there and we recently moved our mother to the Dallas area to be closer to us. It just about killed us to sell the family home but we found wonderful buyers for it. That's interesting too, Abilene has been immune from the downturn in the real estate market that is found elsewhere in the US. It thrives in Abilene.

Abilene has a main street called "Sayles Blvd" and it has the older homes on it that rank state recognition. Streets on either side of Sayles have lovely old homes, too.

If I was raising a family I would like it to be in Abilene. After 40 years I still have friends from high school there who never left Abilene except to go to college. Oh, Abilene has 3 church-affiliated Universities in town, too.

You can get to Ft. Worth in under 3 hours and to Dallas in under 4 driving straight east on I-20. There are also a lot of very interesting small towns around Abilene. A weekend trip can take you to lots of neat places.

[charliedelta]

I signed on just to comment here.

I have found a few threads for you about abilene with the search. Each has a lot to add to this thread.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/searc...rchid=13068040

I have lived in Abilene now for 2 years. I am military. Not from TX but I can tell you that this has to be one of the best states ever. I love the gun laws but everyone one knows how conservative red blooded the state is... pure!

Abilene has a decent sized mall with JCPenny, Sears, Dillards... We have home depot, 2 lowes, 2 walmarts (one is new and one of the biggest in the country), several lakes and parks to fish. We have an interstate and highway loop all the way around the city and rural areas. You can get anywhere in under 15 minutes. One major travel truck stop to the north on I20.

The land area is covered in tress in the city and outlying areas (all imported of course) flat and dry outside the rural areas, farm land as far as the eyes can see and wind mills EVERYWHERE! We have small mountains or hills south of us. Buffalo gap is very beautiful and is the place to live around here. Tuscola is very nice as well just 10 miles south of town. There are a hundreds of 4-500,000 dollar homes and there is a decent realestate market here. Even with the rest of the country suffering we are doing well.

The military is not dirty, reckless, loud, or disrespectful like some "army" towns I grew up in. The Air Force is much more appreciative of this town and the community supports us 100 percent. We have a great relationship with the community here and Dyess is the biggest money maker for this town. I fly C-130 aircraft and enjoy flying over west texas. There isnt a whole lot to see but when we get south of town there is more to look at.

I am an avid 4 wheeler (jeeps, broncos, etc) and this town has nothing compared to where I came from (colorado Springs) now if dirt bikes, or quads are your thing you can find some great places to wheel.

Recreation is pretty decent. There are places like Mr. Gattis, the Zoo, the huge fair grounds, the Airport Airshows, Primetime (gocarts, minigolf), Golf Courses galore!!! There are 4 counting the air force base golf course.

We have a recycling center like no other, I know this isnt a big deal to some but you can land scape turn your shrubs in for free and they mulch them. They have acres of course to fine shredded landscapeing for CHEAP! The recycling center also has everything you need to get rid of and reuse. This is a great resource for boxes (moving) newspaper, firewood, and all the normal metals and plastics, etc.

Good source for jobs... Welding, pipe fitting, industrial, mrs bairds bread plant (smells wonderful downwind), beer and soda plants, windmills, farming, agriculture, colleges (3), Air Force Base Civilians, LOTS of small business...

Churches, Churches, Churches, take your pick

Great eats!!! BBQ galore, Famous daves, tx roadhouse, abuelos, roses tortilla factory, jasons deli, look at this link, there are hundreds, abilene tx restaurants - Google Maps

Looking for more shopping, we are the center for all the small towns around here and we run 150,000 people counting the city and vicinity. We have Pet smart, bed bath and beyond, Ross, Mardel, Family Christian, lifeway book stores, best buy, books-a-million, and much more.

Overall very easy to live here, its a family town with a few outter limits nightlife over 51 estabilishements. I dont care for it but guys at the air base talk about them. Dont be fooled Abilene is not DFW but it holds its own and I LOVE IT!

Oh yeah... I own my own home here, none of the apartments have garages so buying a home is a must if you have to have a place to work on your cars or projects.

There is much more that I missed but you wont hate this place like you would... say Altus Oklahoma now that place has NOTHING but a walmart, thats it...

[JamesAbilene]

I am also an Abilene booster. I have lived in many places in the US, and this is by far the best. My wife and I would not live anywhere else. There is a great small town feel with the amenities of a larger town. I can't add anything to what the other posters have said. Just consider this one more vote for a great town.