Abilene Texas living for young growing family? (Dallas, Austin: for rent, home)

[Cheyprops13]

Hello! I am from Wisconsin my family and I are looking into moving down to Abilene Texas due to my husbands work, they are transferring him down there. Just wondering what the area is like and if its a nice place to raise a family? His job would be on Arnold Blvd between Marigold street/N14th and 5 points pkwy. Is this a nice area or are there nice areas near by? We have two young children so just wondering if its a nice area and we are younger also. Please any information would help and would be appreciated! Thank you!

[Westerntraveler]

The nice areas of Abilene are by ACU and the Winters freeway.ACU is North by 20.Winters freeway is towards Buffalo Gap.Be ready for drastic change and mind-blowing culture shock.Da Lene is way different than the Midwest.Abilene is sort of a stagnant place.

[metroxian]

Just wondering what the area is like and if its a nice place to raise a family?

I would tend to agree with Westerntraveler, that Abilene is stagnant. My perception is that it is not pro growth. It's original economy was farm and ranch, then the air base more than doubled in size. I attended most of my public schools there (air force brat), long ago and have returned to visit my mother until just a few years ago. However, I've often said that Abilene is a great place to raise a kid but you just wouldn't want to live there.

The area you've referred to is 'way out west of town'. You won't be raising kids in that area, other than on 'Take your kid to work' day. It would be a ten minute or so (maybe less) trek down Arnold Blvd to Southwest Blvd or Rebecca Lane to an area outside the loop where you DO want to live. Alternately, inside the loop, south of S14th - on the west side of town. I mention these areas as they look to be the most convenient commute for your husband. Commute is not a fully appropriate term for Abilene. There's not much traffic at rush hour and there's not much of any where to go.

Abilene has pockets of good neighborhoods. Much of the inner city has been abandoned with populations headed towards the ACU area, or towards Wylie. HEADS UP: Wylie is an independent school district NOT to be confused with the Wylie school district in Dallas. If I were a kid and parents looking for a good neighborhood, I'd want the area call 'Fairway Oaks'. It's further south of Rebecca Lane and is accessed by Antilley Road (pronounced antlee). There is a medical center nearby. You'll see a lake to the east... ignore it. You won't want to touch it.

And yes, prepare for the culture shock. Abilene is the quintessential dry, dusty, nobody cares little town from the movies. However, it is in the land of 'Friday Night Lights' being one of the schools in the competition district of that movie. That would be the Abilene school district, not to include the Wylie district.

[Cheyprops13]

Thank you both! That will be very helpful in our planning!!
We have a fair anount of Tornadoes here and of course Blizzards just wondering if there is any concern for any types kf natrual disasters there? Or any types of bugs or reptiles we should be aware of? Sorry if i seem illiterate on this all but i have never really traveled out of state so im only familiar with were we live. Also do you know if most places for rent are pet friendly? We do have a blue nosed pittbull who is very friendly and up here most places wont rent to you if you have a pitt bull

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by Cheyprops13

Thank you both! That will be very helpful in our planning!!
We have a fair anount of Tornadoes here and of course Blizzards just wondering if there is any concern for any types kf natrual disasters there? Or any types of bugs or reptiles we should be aware of? Sorry if i seem illiterate on this all but i have never really traveled out of state so im only familiar with were we live. Also do you know if most places for rent are pet friendly? We do have a blue nosed pittbull who is very friendly and up here most places wont rent to you if you have a pitt bull

Anytime.Brown Recluses, Black widows, scorpions, bees, wasps,hornets,mosquitos, fire ants, are some of the bugs in the area.There's lots of Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes in the Big Country because you are close to Sweetwater which has the World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup.Most places prolly wont allow pit bulls

[Cheyprops13]

Alright that sounds sort of creepy lol! We dont have any of that here except wasps bees and mosquitos and what not.. Alrighty thank you much!

[metroxian]

Yeah, you might find all of that, sometime, somewhere. But not likely. Mostly just typical home and yard bugs unless you're in some undeveloped pasture, or hanging around a tank (you might call that a pond but no such thing exists in Texas).

Abilene can have cold weather, sometimes really hot. I've walked across campus in shirt sleeves as it started snowing and didn't get cold. That would be due to low humidity. It got cold later on. You can have a 'norther'. Canadian cold air. There's always concern for weather phenomena but to experience the phenomena is somewhat rare. In the half century I've known Abilene there hasn't been a tornado touch down there. I did see one hovering over the lake north of town but it never dropped down, and later disappeared. There can be hail storms summer or winter, so you'll want covered parking is your car is precious.

Just south of Abilene is Buffalo Gap - mentioned above. That is an area that is the divide between the Colorado and Brazos rivers watershed. The Colorado flows toward Austin and to the gulf. The Brazos starts in New Mexico, travels east almost to Fort Worth then heads south to the gulf. So the watershed in Abilene flows north to feed the Brazos. The geography lends itself to Abilene being dry. You'll pray for rain if religious. You'll wish you could if not.

The 'ground' in Abilene is a reddish dirt. Red clay. There's not much more fun in Abilene than playing in the water flow when there's a good rain. So... forget the tighty whiteys. They'll be dirt red. And the water tastes fairly nasty. A couple times a year the lake 'turns over', a water temp phenomena. You'll long for a ten foot snow. Or lots of cold beer.