Abilene, Texas, United States

🇺🇸 Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statistical area. Abilene is home to three Christian universities: Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and Hardin–Simmons University. It is the county seat of Taylor County. Dyess Air Force Base is located on the west side of the city.

Abilene is located off Interstate 20, between exits 279 on its western edge and 292 on the east. It is 150 miles (240 km) west of Fort Worth. The city is looped by I-20 to the north, US 83/84 on the west, and Loop 322 to the east. A railroad divides the city down the centre into north and south. The historic downtown area is on the north side of the railroad.

History Established by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881, the city was named after Abilene, Kansas, the original endpoint for the Chisholm Trail. The T&P had bypassed the town of Buffalo Gap, the county seat at the time. Eventually, a landowner north of Buffalo Gap, Clabe Merchant, known as the father of Abilene, chose the name for the new town. According to a Dallas newspaper, about 800 people had already begun camping at the townsite before the lots were sold. The town was laid out by Colonel J. Stoddard Johnson, and the auction of lots began early on March 15, 1881. By the end of the first day, 139 lots were sold for a total of $23,810, and another 178 lots were sold the next day for $27,550.

Abilene was incorporated soon after being founded in 1881, and residents began to set their sights on bringing the county seat to Abilene. In a three-to-one vote, they won the county election to do so. In 1888, the Progressive Committee was formed to attract businesses to the area, and in 1890 renamed itself as the Board of Trade. By 1900, 3,411 people lived in Abilene. In that decade, the Board of Trade changed its name to the 25,000 Club, in the hope of reaching a population of 25,000 by the next census. By 1910, though, the population had increased only to 9,204. Another group was formed, the Young Men's Booster Club, which became the Abilene Chamber of Commerce in 1914.

The cornerstone was laid in 1891 for Simmons College, the first of three universities in Abilene. It later developed as Hardin–Simmons University. Childers Classical Institute was founded in 1906, and developed as Abilene Christian University, the largest of the three. In 1923, McMurry College was founded; it later expanded its offerings as McMurry University.

In the late 20th century, Abilene succeeded in gaining branches of Texas State Technical College and Cisco College. Headquarters of the latter institution are located in the city. In 1940, Abilene raised the money to purchase land to attract establishment of a U.S. Army base, south-west of town. It was named Camp Barkeley. When fully operational, it was twice the size of Abilene, with 60,000 men. When the base closed after World War II, many worried that Abilene could become a ghost town, but as the national economy boomed, many veterans returned to start businesses in Abilene.

In the early-1950s, to advocate for an Air Force base, residents raised US$893,261 (equivalent to about $9,325,416 in 2021) to purchase 3,400 acres (14 km²) of land. The Southern block of Congressmen gained approval for such a base here. For decades, Dyess Air Force Base has been the city's largest employer, with 6076 employees in 2007.

From 1950 to 1960, Abilene's population nearly doubled, from 45,570 to 90,638. In 1960, a second high school was added to the city's school system, Cooper High School.

In 1966, the Abilene Zoo was established near Abilene Regional Airport. The following year, one of the most important bond elections in the city's history passed for the funding of the construction of the Abilene Civic Center and the Taylor County Coliseum, as well as major improvements to Abilene Regional Airport. In 1969, the Woodson elementary and high school for black students closed as the city integrated its school system, more than 10 years after the US Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.

In 1982, Abilene became the first city in Texas to create a downtown reinvestment zone. Texas State Technical College opened an Abilene branch three years later. The 2,250-bed French Robertson Prison Unit was built in 1989. A half-cent sales tax earmarked for economic development was created after the decline in the petroleum business in the 1980s. A branch of Cisco College was located in the city in 1990.

Several major projects of restoration and new construction: The Grace Museum and Paramount Theatre, and development of Artwalk in 1992, sparked a decade of downtown revitalization. In 2004, Frontier Texas!, a multimedia museum highlighting the history of the area from 1780 to 1880, was constructed. That year an $8 million, 38-acre (150,000 m²) Cisco Junior College campus was built at Loop 322 and Industrial Boulevard. Simultaneously, subdivisions and businesses started locating along the freeway, on the same side as the CC campus. This area attracted Abilene growth on the Loop.

Abilene has become the commercial, retail, medical, and transportation hub of a 19-county area more commonly known as "The Big Country", but also known as the "Texas Midwest". It is part of the Central Great Plains ecoregion. By the end of 2005, commercial and residential development had reached record levels in and around the city.

Geography Abilene is located in north-eastern Taylor County. The city limits extend north into Jones County. Interstate 20 leads east 149 miles (240 km) to Fort Worth and west 148 miles (238 km) to Midland. Three U.S. highways pass through the city. US 83 runs west of the city centre, leading north 24 miles (39 km) to Anson and south 55 miles (89 km) to Ballinger. US 84 runs with US 83 through the south-west part of the city but leads south-east 52 miles (84 km) to Coleman and west with I-20 40 miles (64 km) to Sweetwater. US 277 follows US 83 around the north-west side of the city and north to Anson, but heads south-west from Abilene 89 miles (143 km) to San Angelo. According to the United States Census Bureau, Abilene has a total area of 112.2 sq mi (290.6 km²), of which 106.8 sq mi (276.6 km²) are land and 5.4 sq mi (14.0 km²) are covered by water (4.82%). The water area is mainly from three reservoirs in the city: Lytle Lake south-east of downtown on the western edge of Abilene Regional Airport, Kirby Lake on the south-east corner of the US 83/84 and Loop 322 interchange, and Lake Fort Phantom Hill in Jones County in northern Abilene. Clear Creek runs through the city just east of downtown, flowing north to Elm Creek and ultimately part of the Brazos River watershed.

The fastest-growing sections of the city are in the south-west, along Southwest Drive, the Winters Freeway, and the Buffalo Gap Road corridor; the south-east, along Loop 322, Oldham Lane, Industrial Drive, and Maple Street; and in the north-east near the intersection of SH 351 and I-20. Many developments have begun in these three areas within the last few years with a citywide focus on the reinvigoration of downtown Abilene.

Notable architecture Notable and historical buildings in Abilene include: • Hotel Wooten (1930) at 302 Cypress Street downtown, built by grocery entrepreneur H. O. Wooten, at 16 stories tall, is designed after the Drake Hotel in Chicago. It was restored in 2004 as a high-end apartment building. • First Baptist Church (1954) at 1442 North Second Street has a spire 140 feet from the ground. Pastor Dr. Jesse Northcutt oversaw the planning of this building of 325 tons of steel. • The Church of the Heavenly Rest, Episcopal, at 602 Meander Street, reflects surprising Gothic architecture on the West Texas Plains. Its plaque reads: "No man entering a house ignores him who dwells in it. This is the house of God and He is here". • The 20-story Enterprise Tower at 500 Chestnut Street, the highest structure in Abilene, rises to 283 feet above the Plains. It is the tallest building in west-central Texas and one of the five highest in the western two-thirds of the state. • The Taylor County Courthouse at 300 Oak Street, with its international architectural style of concrete and pink granite, resembles few other courthouses. • Paramount Theatre at 352 Cypress Street opened in 1930 and restored in 1986 had an original marquee 90 feet tall, with 1,400 lights. • Lincoln Junior High School, 1699 South First Street. In 2012, the Abilene Independent School District deeded the property to the City of Abilene. This property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 2012. Built in 1923, the architecture is Gothic Revival and includes two large gargoyles at the entrance and has Gothic and art deco motifs. It opened as Abilene High School in 1924, became Lincoln Junior High in 1955, and Lincoln Middle School in 1985. The campus closed in 2007. As of 2019, the Abilene Heritage Square was renovating the school into "a multipurpose centre for learning, making, discovery, building community and innovating and encouraging our city's future businesses". The Abilene Public Library will also use the restored building as the new main branch.

Economy The economy in Abilene was originally based on the livestock and agricultural sectors, but is now based strongly on government, education, healthcare, and manufacturing. The petroleum industry is prevalent in the surrounding area, also. The city has established incentives to bring new businesses to the area, including job training grants, relocation grants, and more.

Top employers The top 15 employers in Abilene, as of December 2019, were: 1 Dyess Air Force Base; Military; 2 Hendrick Health System; Healthcare; 3 Abilene ISD; Education; 4 Abilene Christian University; Education; 5 City of Abilene; Government; 6 Abilene State Supported Living Center; Mental health; 7 Texas Department of Criminal Justice; Law enforcement; 8 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Claims Center; Call center; 9 Abilene Regional Medical Center; Healthcare; 10 AbiMar Foods; Manufacturing; 11 First Financial Bank (Texas); Banking; 12 Taylor County; Government; 13 Wylie ISD; Education; 14 Eagle Aviation Services; Aviation; 15 Hardin–Simmons University; Education;

Government and infrastructure The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Abilene District Parole Office in the city. The Robertson Unit prison and the Middleton Unit transfer unit are in Abilene and in Jones County.

The United States Postal Service operates the Abilene Post Office and the Abilene Southern Hills Post Office.

Colleges and universities

Abilene Christian University campus Abilene is home to six colleges, three of which are religiously affiliated. Hardin–Simmons University is the oldest, founded in 1891. Abilene Christian University is the largest with 2012 undergraduate enrollment at 4,371. Name Affiliation Founded Enrollment Abilene Christian University Churches of Christ 1906 5,731 Cisco College 1972 3,806 Hardin–Simmons University Baptist 1891 2,392 McMurry University Methodist 1923 1,372 Texas State Technical College West Texas 1985 1,049 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Abilene Campus 2006 332

Health care Hendrick Medical Center includes two large hospital campuses on the north and south sides of Abilene, and is one of the city's largest employers. It is one of seven healthcare institutions affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

The Presbyterian Medical Care Mission was founded in 1983 as a medical and dental clinic. Its services are focused to low-income individuals and families without insurance.

Culture The cultural aspects of Abilene revolve around a mix of the local college and university campuses, the agriculture community of the surrounding area, and a growing nightlife scene in the downtown area. Abilene is also home to the restored Paramount Theatre, the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra, the Grace Museum, the Center for Contemporary Arts, the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, The Abilene Zoo, Frontier Texas!, the 12th Armored Division Museum, the Taylor County Expo Center, the Abilene Convention Center, six libraries (three private, three public), 26 public parks, six television stations, a daily newspaper, and several radio stations, including one NPR station (89.5 KACU).

Media: Newspapers The Abilene Reporter-News is the primary daily newspaper of the city of Abilene and the surrounding Big Country area.

Television • KRBC-TV (NBC) • KTES-LD (Me-TV) • KTXS-TV (ABC) • KTAB-TV (CBS) • KXVA-TV (FOX).

Radio • 88.1 FM KGNZ (Christian contemporary) • 89.5 FM KACU (Public Radio) • 90.5 FM KAGT (Christian contemporary) • 91.3 FM KAQD (Religious) • 91.7 FM KQOS (Religious) • 92.5 FM KMWX (Red Dirt Country) • 93.3 FM KBGT (Tejano) • 94.1 FM KVVO-LP (Inspirational Country) • 95.1 FM KABW (Country) • 96.1 FM KORQ (Farm, Country) • 98.1 FM KTLT (Active Rock) • 99.7 FM KBCY (Country) • 100.7 FM KULL (Classic hits) • 101.7 FM KTJK (Adult hits) • 102.7 FM KHXS (Classic Rock) • 103.7 FM KCDD (Top 40) • 105.1 FM KEAN (Country) • 106.3 FM KKHR (Regional Mexican) • 106.9 FM KLGD (Country) • 107.9 FM KEYJ (Active Rock) • 1280 AM KSLI (Country) • 1340 AM KWKC (News Talk) • 1470 AM KYYW (News Talk) • 1560 AM KZQQ (Sports talk).

Transport: Major highways • Interstate 20 • Business Loop 20 • US 80 (former) • US 83 • US 84 • US 277 • SH 36 • Loop 322 • SH 351 • FM 89 (Buffalo Gap Road) • FM 600 • FM 707 (Beltway South) • UR 18 • UR 3438.

Airport The city of Abilene is served by Abilene Regional Airport.