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Yeah, TT Dave, and the posters ignored McMurry Unviversity, the Texas Tech school of engineering, the Texas Tech school of pharmacy, Texas State Technical College, Embry-Riddle University (on Dyess AFB), and Cisco College when they said we had only two colleges--Abilene Christian University and Hardin-Simmons University. Kind of makes me wonder if those negative posters really live in Abilene--or at least wonder if they have been around the entire city.
Generally speaking, the two main universities of ACU and Hardin-Simmons are the ones that are usually mentioned to people thinking about relocating because those are the schools that have established themselves or distinguished themselves in various ways that probably merit more mention than the others. The pharmacy school is new, not sure if it has actually had a graduating class yet, although it is a beginning. Never heard of Embry-Riddle. Somewhat familiar with McMurry, and have heard of Cisco, but apparently they don't make much impression when people talk about Abilene. So, that's why the two main universities are the ones that get focused on. There's also a school of nursing I think associated with Hendrick Hospital, not sure. I guess the issue would be what is the quality of these institutions apart from the two that are usually mentioned, i.e. ACU and Hardin-Simmons? I don't think Abilene in general is considered a major destination for higher education, and the private universities are so specialized and rather non-diverse that you don't truly get a "college town" feel that you might see in a town that has a state university that attracts all different types of people. That could be a plus or negative factor depending on what you are looking for in a town. And I agree with the other poster, for a "family friendly" town, the sidewalks are almost non-existant in many areas, forcing kids to walk in unsafe lanes or roads. Poor lighting also in many parts of town after dark. The infrastructure in older parts of town is crumbling and it would be quite sad to post photos of homes (many many of them) that are unbelievable eyesores and that's putting it mildly. It's understandable to see that in huge sprawling cities, but in a small city like this, there's really no reason why so much of the housing in various areas has been allowed to deteriorate and owners have been allowed to "do their own thing" with yards, junk piled up, etc. Yes, there are some nice areas and that's the pity that the unkempt areas keep Ab. from being what it could and should be. I'm being polite by using the word "unkempt"....if they would add more bike trails and places for people to get out and about, the health of the locals would indeed improve and weight-related health problems with go down. But overall, the people themselves are friendly, hold a door open for ya, and have a smile. Just wish they'd put a lot more effort into putting the love into their community. And one also has to ask the graduates of ACU, etc. why most of them move away to Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth and other areas because there is NO WORK in Abilene that pays them a living wage if they aren't in the military. They attend school here and then leave, so the schools don't serve as a local source of anything other than young people who get their degrees and leave for greener pastures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by James2496
Yeah, TT Dave, and the posters ignored McMurry Unviversity, the Texas Tech school of engineering, the Texas Tech school of pharmacy, Texas State Technical College, Embry-Riddle University (on Dyess AFB), and Cisco College when they said we had only two colleges--Abilene Christian University and Hardin-Simmons University. Kind of makes me wonder if those negative posters really live in Abilene--or at least wonder if they have been around the entire city.
I would also suggest checking out the Abilene forum, someone there posted a lot of pics of a certain area of town that gives you an idea of the problems in AB, I think the thread is called Ab, a (very) rough diamond or something...
this person has taken pics of places in the north area but unfortunately those pics are just the tip of the iceberg as to how crumbling a number of areas in Ab. are. esp. shack houses that should be bulldozed, poor condition of streets and abandoned storefronts.
While the north area IS like that, my friend just bought her retirement house in a very lovely area -- very desirable neighborhood. She bought it for $100,000 I believe, and it is a large and lovely 3-2 with a beautifully landscaped yard. There ARE very nice areas in Abilene, which actually shocked me when I visited there with my friend. It's certainly not Dallas, where I live, but it was a clean and pleasant town. I would choose Abilene over Lubbock ANY day...
Everyone has a different takes on things...that's why these forums exist.
My point was not to bash Abilene but to let the OP know that there are folks with other opinions about Abilene.
Yes, the the institutes of higher learning here are well founded and, while not really "diverse", they provide students an excellent alternative to the
normal "party schools". You'll never see an "ACU Girls Gone Wild" video.
I pay HUGE taxes on my 200k home.....for what? Nice parks....no!!
Storm drains......no!! Sidewalks....no!! Yes, we have some good schools but even that is being strained as the demand increases. My children attend an elem. school that is busting at the seams and there is no plan in place to decrease the number of students per classroom. Add an influx of non-english speaking refugees to the mix and the challenge to
educated out kids is increased greatly.
People overall are friendly....but there is a distinct population (Wylie) that think their poop doesn't smell....folks who have been here too long and their families have been here even longer.
The "old guard" city council doesn't want Abilene to grow and prosper...they are happy keeping it under their control no matter the long-term effect it has on Abilene. You have a decent size town on a major interstate with good weather....seems like a recipe for huge development...but no...it hasn't been allowed to happen!!
When I describe my life in Abilene, I reference the 1980's movie Footloose....I'm a big-city guy that moved to a small town under the control of hyper-religious zealots. Good thing I'm not into dancing.....
Location: Abilene/Buffalo Gap, Texas ... Moving to Cheyenne/Elk City, Oklahoma
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Reputation: 59
Okay, good, I thought I'd done lost my mind trying to recall where the second one was located
oh! and not just any 'ol Wally Worlds either, but SUPER Wally Worlds!
Hey did you hear about Girls Gone Wild showing up in Abilene earlier this year? (I think it was this year .. the older I get the months bleed together ... but it was fairly recent.) Anyway, THAT was funny!
While the north area IS like that, my friend just bought her retirement house in a very lovely area -- very desirable neighborhood. She bought it for $100,000 I believe, and it is a large and lovely 3-2 with a beautifully landscaped yard. There ARE very nice areas in Abilene, which actually shocked me when I visited there with my friend. It's certainly not Dallas, where I live, but it was a clean and pleasant town. I would choose Abilene over Lubbock ANY day...
I would say she's lucky that she has such a nice house for 100K in Abilene because in general, that's not the case, i.e. "very desirable" neighborhood in that price range. I guess it just depends on what you define as very desireable. Most of the yards in Ab. don't seem to be well landscaped - more like dry and brown, with few homes having patios or nice outdoor entertainment areas. The mosquitoes will eat you ALIVE during the summer if you're prone to getting bitten, so be sure to drench yourself if you have any notion of sitting outside after dusk to enjoy the weather or you'll come inside with 10-12 bites on arms and legs. So, maybe that's why most homes don't seem to have patios or patio covers because they don't get used much. A lot of the mid range priced neighborhoods are literally lined with basketball hoops, which is unsightly. I'm all for kids having a place to play, but when entire streets look like a basketball hoop, it's just a big turn off from an aesthetic point of view. (not to mention what it must sound like on a summer night with every kid out there bouncing their b ball under your window). I'm talking about the free standing hoops, not ones on garage doors, but standing in the way of pedestrians or in the street. There just doesn't seem to be any code enforcement, too many people looking the other way when it comes to cleaning things up. Things that absolutely wouldn't fly in other towns seem to get by in Abilene. I think it's just part of an older culture, an older way of doing things in this part of the country, and hopefully things will improve over the next few years. They should also pave the dirt alleys behind the homes, the dust clouds kicked up from cars speeding thru the alleys coat everything in your yard, home, etc. ICK. Dust is def. a problem.
Everyone has a different takes on things...that's why these forums exist.
My point was not to bash Abilene but to let the OP know that there are folks with other opinions about Abilene.
Yes, the the institutes of higher learning here are well founded and, while not really "diverse", they provide students an excellent alternative to the
normal "party schools". You'll never see an "ACU Girls Gone Wild" video.
I pay HUGE taxes on my 200k home.....for what? Nice parks....no!!
Storm drains......no!! Sidewalks....no!! Yes, we have some good schools but even that is being strained as the demand increases. My children attend an elem. school that is busting at the seams and there is no plan in place to decrease the number of students per classroom. Add an influx of non-english speaking refugees to the mix and the challenge to
educated out kids is increased greatly.
People overall are friendly....but there is a distinct population (Wylie) that think their poop doesn't smell....folks who have been here too long and their families have been here even longer.
The "old guard" city council doesn't want Abilene to grow and prosper...they are happy keeping it under their control no matter the long-term effect it has on Abilene. You have a decent size town on a major interstate with good weather....seems like a recipe for huge development...but no...it hasn't been allowed to happen!!
When I describe my life in Abilene, I reference the 1980's movie Footloose....I'm a big-city guy that moved to a small town under the control of hyper-religious zealots. Good thing I'm not into dancing.....
Yeah, paying the huge taxes and not getting the services sucks. As far as Wylie, I'm not too familiar with the area or the types of people who live there, but it seems to me that maybe it's been established as an alternative so people can flee the decayed feeling of Ab. Ab. High School, which I've driven by a few times, looked rather forlorn and in need of a facelift. I won't go as far as to say it looked junky but it seemed old and just not modern. So, I guess there's a need for a new upscale place for people to live who can't cope with the problems of Ab. and want a better school system, new housing, modern school, etc. Thus, a community like Wylie has sprung up and perhaps they are trying to distance themselves as people often do who want to be viewed as more "high status" - whether they really are or not lol....it's a perception. It's a typical situation, instead of putting funds into improving the existing potential of Abilene, which it does have, people abandon areas and push farther out and create snobby affluent "ghettos" instead of having a community approach. Again, I don't really don't anything about the people who live in Wylie - but maybe they looked around Abilene and didn't feel like investing their time, money and kid's future in a city that didn't care about its own future....
Location: Abilene/Buffalo Gap, Texas ... Moving to Cheyenne/Elk City, Oklahoma
35 posts, read 106,062 times
Reputation: 59
This is my house in central Abilene (right by Rose Park) ... taken in late October 2009 right before we put a For Sale sign in the yard ... far from "dry and brown" ... and we have five huge pecan trees for plenty of shade ... and spend most of our time on the front porch ... no alley behind our house ... and it is a quiet neighborhood.
This home has been in the family since it was built in the late 1940's ... my husband's mother grew up in this home. And my husband has lived on this street his entire life (his mother married and built one house down, and she still lives there.)
And although it is not a cookie-cutter McMansion neighborhood, we love the quaint simplicity here and love the older established areas.
I read your posts, butterflybird, and actually feel sorrow. I don't think you will find any place to suit your high expectations. There is no such thing as Utopia.
I hope you have found someplace to call home, and have found comfort and contentment there. Meanwhile, please allow others to find and embrace theirs (even if it is not up to your personal standards.)
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I didn't know we had two Home Depots. 
Hello James2496 and TT Dave! 
