Abilene, Texas Abilene, Texas City of Abilene Downtown Abilene Downtown Abilene Flag of Abilene, Texas Named for Abilene, Kansas Abilene (/ b li n/ ab-i-leen) is a town/city in Taylor and Jones counties in West Texas, United States.
The populace was 117,063 as stated to the 2010 census, making it the 27th-most crowded city in the state of Texas.
It is the principal town/city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2011 estimated populace of 166,416. It is the governmental center of county of Taylor County. Dyess Air Force Base is positioned on the west side of the city.
Abilene is positioned off Interstate 20, between exits 279 on its edge and 292 on the east.
Abilene is 150 miles (240 km) west of Fort Worth, Texas.
Three lakes are in the city, Lytle Lake on the edge of Abilene Regional Airport, Kirby Lake on the southeast corner of the US 83/84 and Loop 322 interchange, and Lake Fort Phantom Hill in Jones County in northern Abilene.
See also: Timeline of Abilene, Texas An 1883 map of Abilene The restored Texas & Pacific Railway depot in Abilene serves as the tourist knowledge center.
Established by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881, the town/city was titled after Abilene, Kansas, the initial endpoint for the Chisholm Trail.
Eventually, a landowner north of Buffalo Gap, Clabe Merchant, known as the father of Abilene, chose the name for the new town.
Abilene was incorporated soon after being established in 1881, and Abilenians began to set their sights on bringing the governmental center of county to Abilene, and in a three-to-one vote, won the election.
By 1900, 3,411 citizens lived in Abilene, and in that decade, the Board of Trade changed its name to the 25,000 Club in the hope of reaching 25,000 citizens by the next census.
Replacing it was the Young Men's Booster Club, which became the Abilene Chamber of Commerce in 1914.
The cornerstone was laid for the first of three future universities in Abilene, called Simmons College, in 1891, which later became Hardin-Simmons University.
Childers Classical Institute followed in 1906, presently Abilene Christian University, the biggest of the three.
In 1923, Mc - Murry College was established and later became Mc - Murry University. Much more recently, Abilene succeeded in bringing Cisco Junior College and Texas State Technical College chapters to Abilene, with the Cisco Junior College command posts being positioned in Abilene.
In 1940, Abilene raised the cash to purchase territory for a U.S.
Army base, southwest of town, titled Camp Barkeley, which was at the time, twice the size of Abilene with 60,000 men.
When the base closed, many worried that Abilene could turn into a ghost town, but in the post-World War II boom, many servicemen returned to start businesses in Abilene.
Today, Dyess Air Force Base is the city's biggest employer, with 6,076 employees. By 1960, Abilene's populace nearly doubled in 10 years from 45,570 in 1950 to 90,638.
In the same year, a second high school was added, Cooper High School.
In 1966, the Abilene Zoo was created near Abilene Regional Airport.
The following year, one of the most meaningful bond elections in the city's history passed for the funding of the assembly of the Abilene Civic Center and the Taylor County Coliseum, as well as primary improvements to Abilene Regional Airport.
In 1982, Abilene became the first town/city in Texas to problematic a downtown reinvestment zone.
Texas State Technical College opened an Abilene branch three years later.
Simultaneously, subdivisions and businesses started locating along the freeway, on the same side as the CJC campus, showing a slow but progressive trend for Abilene expansion on the Loop.
Abilene has turn into the commercial, retail, medical, and transit hub of a 19-county region more generally known as "The Big Country", but also known as the "Texas Midwest", and is part of the Central Great Plains ecology region.
Abilene is positioned 150 miles (241 km) west by south of Fort Worth.
According to the Koppen climate classification, Abilene lies at the edge of a humid subtropical climate, with areas to the west being semiarid.
Climate data for Abilene, Texas (1981 2010 normals) Average snowy days ( 0.1 in) 0.9 0.7 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0.6 2.8 As of the 2010 census, Abilene had a populace of 117,063.
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. Abilene has two school districts inside the town/city limits, the Abilene Independent School District (AISD) and Wylie Independent School District (WISD).
The small-town high schools are Abilene High School and Cooper High School of AISD and Wylie High School of WISD.
A new building on the Hardin-Simmons University ground serves AISD high school students as a magnet school, called Holland Medical High School, as well as HSU students as the Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics.
Abilene also has a new high school that opened in the fall of 2009, the Academy of Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Science.
The school only accepts about 100 students each year, provides students with their own laptop computers, and is positioned inside the Abilene ground of Texas State Technical College.
Regular curriculum will still be taught, but extra emphasis and equipment would be given based on the specific field of the school, such as extra labs for a science school, and an instrument lab for a fine arts school. Also, Bond Proposition 2 for the 2008 AISD bond election proposed a new Professional and Technology magnet school to be positioned at Lincoln Middle School, one of the earliest schools in the city, after a primary renovation project.
Abilene ranked by Business Outlook periodical as the 17th town/city in the country for their enhance education fitness in 2006, the highest-ranked town/city in Texas. Abilene is home to seven colleges, three of which are religiously affiliated.
Abilene Christian University is the biggest with 2012 undergraduate enrollment at 4,371.
Abilene Christian University Churches of Christ 1906 4,371 Abilene Commercial College 1963 200 Texas State Technical College West Texas 1985 1,049 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Abilene Campus 2006 320 Abilene is also home to two Charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity schools of ministry.
One is Iris Abilene Camp Barkeley established by Norm and Angel Poorman, affiliated with Heidi Baker, and the other is the Transformation School of Supernatural Ministry (TSSM) established by Amy Black. The many historical buildings in Abilene include: Marshal Tom Hill House in Buffalo Gap Historic Village south of Abilene echoes a moving human interest story.
The Moreland-Shaheen House, 1120 Elmwood Drive, is a 1946 Art Moderne dwelling, shaded by six fruit trees, and is also referred to as the "Sugar House" because Henry Moreland directed the Abilene Dr Pepper and 7-Up bottling companies.
An Abilene dwelling has an indirect link to Hollywood actress Joan Crawford: her father, Thomas Le - Seur, was a assembly laborer on the George R.
The 20-story Enterprise Building at 500 Chestnut Street, the highest structure in Abilene, rises to 283 feet above the Plains.
Abilene Courts at 633 South Eleventh Street, a defunct motel assembled in 1930 alongside the Bankhead Highway (the precursor to U.S.
Highway 80 and Interstate 20) reflects the Abilene of yesteryear. In 2012, the Abilene Independent School District deeded the property to the City of Abilene.
It opened as Abilene High School in 1924, then became Lincoln Junior High in 1955, then Lincoln Middle School in 1985, and closed in 2007.
The Abilene Regional Medical Center was assembled by a group of physicians in 1968 as the West Texas Medical Center.
The cultural aspects of Abilene center around a mix of the small-town college and college campuses, the agriculture improve of the encircling area, and the various evangelical churches present.
The Abilene Arts Alliance captured the essence of the town/city with "Frontiering", a brand name for the town/city introduced in November 2008 to connect its pioneer spirit with its undivided accomplishments to push the boundaries of education, technology, transportation, energy, the arts, and community care.
Abilene is also home to the restored Paramount Theatre, The Abilene Philharmonic, 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, Taylor County Coliseum, six libraries (three private, three public), 26 enhance parks, six tv stations, and a several airways broadcasts, including one NPR station (89.5 KACU).
The economy in Abilene was originally based on the livestock and agricultural sectors, but has since evolved and is now based firmly on government, education, healthcare, and manufacturing.
The top 10 employers in Abilene, as of June 2014, are: 3 Abilene ISD 2450 Education 4 Abilene State Supported Living Center 1472 Government 5 City of Abilene 1200 Government 8 Abilene Christian University 850 Education 9 Abilene Regional Medical Center 760 Healthcare The Abilene park fitness includes 29 parks, occupying a total of 1,247.56 acres (5.0487 km2).
The new Abilene Zoo entrance sign The Abilene Zoo is a prominent attraction in Abilene, boasting a several hundred animals of various species.
The West Texas Fair and Rodeo, held annually for 10 days in mid-September, features exhibits and amusements reflecting early days of Abilene, plus undivided attractions of West Texas.
On every second Thursday evening of the month, Artwalk is held in downtown Abilene.
Several special-interest conventions, festivals, and shows are scattered throughout the year, including the Abilene Gem and Mineral Show, the West Texas Book and Music Festival, the Abilene Gun and Knife Show, and the Friends of the Abilene Public Library book sale.
Also of note is the annual Abilene High vs.
Abilene banner Federal Building (Courthouse and Post Office) in Abilene Abilene City Hall Looking down the row of shops on Abilene's historic Cypress Street Looking south down Cypress Street toward Abilene's tallest building, the Bank of America Tower First Central Presbyterian Church in Abilene, pastor Clifford S.
See also: List of newspapers in Texas, List of airways broadcasts in Texas, and List of tv stations in Texas The Abilene Reporter-News is the major daily journal of the town/city of Abilene and the encircling Big Country area.
A section of Interstate 20 (formerly US 80) in Abilene The town/city of Abilene is served by Abilene Regional Airport.
Carrillo, chairman of Texas Railroad Commission, county judge of Taylor County, member of Abilene City Council Charles Coody, Masters-winning experienced golfer (from Stamford and Abilene) graduate of ACU Jack Favor, rodeo star, falsely imprisoned in 1967 in Louisiana for two murders for which he was framed, released with acquittal in a second trial in 1974; lived in Abilene in childhood and graduated from Abilene High School in 1929 Billy Gillispie, former Texas Tech University Red Raiders, Kentucky, and Texas A&M men's basketball coach Homer Hailey (1903-2000), Church of Christ clergyman and professor at Abilene Christian University Robert Dean Hunter, member of Texas House of Representatives from Abilene, 1986-2007; vice president emeritus of Abilene Christian University Susan King, member of Texas House of Representatives from Abilene since 2007; surgical nurse, rancher, and businesswoman Mc - Caleb, mayor of Abilene, 1990 1999; vice-president of Abilene Christian University Charles Perry, member of Texas Senate from Lubbock, was born in Abilene in 1962 Bill Sharman, Hall-of-Fame NBA basketball player and coach, born in Abilene Jessica Simpson, singer and actress, born in Abilene The movie Friday Night Lights features games with two AISD football teams, Abilene High and Cooper High.
Abilene paradox See also: Bibliography of the history of Abilene, Texas Abilene Landmarks: An Illustrated Tour: The Story of Abilene as told through 100 of its most historic buildings, Buffalo Gap, Texas: State House Press.
Abilene Stories: From Then to Now, Abilene, Texas: Abilene Christian University Press.
Lost Abilene: Images of America, Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing.
"History of Abilene "From barns tracks to vapor trails"".
"Abilene Climate Data".
(Direct map link) City of Abilene.
"Post Office Location - ABILENE SOUTHERN HILLS." Abilene Reporter News.
"American Commercial College students in Abilene sent home as federal agents with Dept.
Abilene Reporter News.
"Cisco Junior College Abilene outgrows building".
Abilene Reporter News.
Pace, with photographs by Steve Butman, Abilene Landmarks: An Illustrated Tour (Abilene Texas: State House Press at Mc - Murry University, 2008) ISBN 978-1933 - 33730-2 "Incentives : Abilene Industrial Foundation".
"Abilene has produced more than its share of stars," Abilene Reporter-News, December 24, 1999.
"Information about Abilene Christian University".
"Coaching by Hood vaulted ACU over top," Abilene Reporter-News, June 25, 2000.
Abilene, Texas at the Internet Movie Database "Abilene gives Western farewell to delegates from new sister city".
Abilene Reporter-News.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Abilene.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abilene, Texas.
Wikisource has the text of the 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article Abilene.
Abilene, Texas at DMOZ Municipalities and communities of Jones County, Texas, United States Municipalities and communities of Taylor County, Texas, United States Mayors of metros/cities with populations exceeding 100,000 in Texas
Categories:
Cities in Texas - Cities in Taylor County, Texas - Cities in Jones County, Texas - County seats in Texas - Abilene, Texas - Busking venues - Cities in the Abilene urbane region - Populated places established in 1881 - 1881 establishments in Texas
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