Abilene? (Houston, Austin, Lubbock: low crime, high school, universities)

[Crosstimbers Okie]

What's it like? A good place to live? Any good Crappie/Catfish lakes nearby? Walking trails?

[SaladoSam]

I've always said that Abilene is a great place to raise a kid but you wouldn't want to live there. It is a good place but having said that I'll add that it's a matter of judgement. What are you looking for?

Hopefully Teatime and JamesAbilene will come on shortly to extoll Abilene's virtues. For me, the best part of Abilene is the rumble of a B1 bomber (http://www.b1b.wpafb.af.mil/pages/flightline.html - broken link) in the morning. Gives me a sense of security.

The local lake is Fort Phamtom Hill and includes the ruins of Fort Phantom Hill, near the dam. Fishing is possible.

[Westerner92]

I really like Abilene. It has a surprising amount of entertainment and culture for a city its size. It has three private colleges, creating a sort of college town feel. The schools are good from what I hear, particularly Wylie ISD. There are mountain biking and hiking trails in the hills/mesas south of town, and there are several large lakes nearby, like Lake Breckenridge and Possum Kingdom Lake, which are stocked with fish. I think Abilene is a good place to live and I would recommend it to you.

[teatime]

LOL, sorry, I'm just tired of writing about Abilene, I guess. There are so few of us Abilenians on the forum! Someone's going to accuse us of working for the Chamber of Commerce! :P

Abilene IS a great place to live! Just the right size to be comfortable and non-stressed, with lots of restaurants, arts, and things to do, and small enough to feel close-knit and neighborly. I don't know anything about fishing but we've got Lake Fort Phantom (which the city is actually planning to develop into a great recreational spot), Lake Abilene and Abilene State Park, plus Kirby Lake. I'm assuming at least a few of these have fish. I always see lots of folks towing boats about around town and Tighe (sp.?) Boats has a plant here.

Housing is VERY affordable, schools are very good, and folks are friendly. We have lots of concerts, plays, arts events and performances. I love the downtown -- it was revitalized many years ago and is very pretty. We've got manufacturing, wind farms/wind technology, 3 universities plus community colleges, and Dyess Air Force Base, so the local economy is weathering the recession pretty well.

[WillysB]

There are so few of us Abilenians on the forum! Someone's going to accuse us of working for the Chamber of Commerce!

Teatime, after high school I moved to Houston for a few months where I was a non-stop commercial for Abilene. My dad's GF asked if I wanted to work for the Chamber of Commerce. Guess I didn't catch on at the time but my ramblings have since ceased.

That's why I recommend you for commentary on the Big A. You could probly write up something and save it in a Text file. Then when someone asks about Abilene you could just cut and paste.

[lileee 08]

Yes, all the positives i said as well about Abilene! AB does grow on you, like i said we have lived in all major cities in texas except houston (which i dont like to visit too much either!) its a great safe place for kids!

[JamesAbilene]

I have lived in large and small cities. This thing that I love most about Abilene is that it is a very easy place to live while still offering amenities like good shopping, good restaurants, lots of concerts, plays, etc. at the universities. Traffic is light--except during the 15 minute rush hour. People are friendly. It is an easy, great place to live. Good schools, low crime level, inexpensive housing. To me, it is the perfect size--big enough to offer you everything you need, but small enough to not have the disadvantages of a large city such as horrendous traffic. It is also centrally located--3 hours or less to the metroplex, Lubbock, Wichita Falls, San Angelo, Midland/Odessa. Add another hour and you are in Austin. You can't beat it!