Cultural Amenities
Need more reasons to move to Abilene? Here's 50 good ones from the Abilene Reporter News.
- Volunteerism
Whether it’s our frontier heritage or religious faith or just being a good neighbor, Abilenians seem willing, even anxious, to volunteer to help where needed. And hundreds of nonprofit organizations are eager to put them to good work. - Friendliness
Newcomers are made to feel welcome and are encouraged to jump right in and become part of the community. "Abilenians," says one who has lived here most of his life, "promote an attitude of openness." - Right Size
Abilene is big enough to offer most of the amenities of urban life, yet small enough to retain many of the qualities of small town life.
- All America City
In 1990, Abilene was named an All America City in recognition for the way we pulled together to make our community a better place in which to live. That spirit, which has grown to embrace cultural diversity and ethnic leadership in recent years, built Abilene and continues to sustain us today.
- Churches
Religion has a positive and profound impact on the quality of life in Abilene. Polls show Abilene to be well above the national norm in religious affiliation, regular church attendance and percentage of income contributed to religious causes.
- Progressive Leadership
Abilene has been fortunate throughout its history to have optimistic and visionary leaders who have looked to the future, planned for it, shaped it, built it. Because of progressive leadership, we have always managed to overcome obstacles that threatened to stifle development of the city.
- Philanthropic Generosity
We are blessed with a number of philanthropic individuals and foundations that spend generously to make the community a better place. And the philanthropic spirit isn’t limited just to those with a lot of money. People with ordinary incomes do extraordinary things through their contributions to charitable, educational, cultural and religious causes.
- Neighborhoods
How people feel about their own neighborhood is usually an indication as to how they feel about their city. Abilene has good neighborhoods in all parts of town, neighborhoods that are safe, well maintained, child friendly, accessible neighborhoods where people take pride in living there.
- Higher Education
Abilene is a college town, with McMurry, Hardin-Simmons and Abilene Christian universities, Abilene Intercollegiate School of Nursing, Cisco Junior College, Texas State Technical College and the Texas Tech University College of Engineering Abilene campus. Higher education has a huge impact on the cultural, spiritual and economic life of the community.
- Good Schools
Abilene and Wylie schools are outstanding and have the credentials to prove it. And the schools have leaders, teachers, parents and citizens working to make them even better.
- Western Heritage
The West is alive and well in Abilene. Most of us don’t ride horses to work or spend our weekends rounding up cattle, but craftsmen still produce boots and saddles here, two of our major festivals celebrate our western heritage, and thousands of visitors come to town to participate in equine events at the Expo Center.
- Museums
Abilene’s downtown cultural district is home to The Grace Museum, the Center for Contemporary Art, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, and the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum, as well as the Elks Art Center, the Depot, the Santa Calls statue in Everman Park, Abilene Ballet Theater and Paramount Theatre.
- Local History
Every place has a history. Abilene’s is closely tied to the railroad, the buffalo herds, the cattle industry, the military and higher education. Local history is presented in The Grace’s history museum downtown, the Buffalo Gap Historic Village and more than 40 historical markers throughout the county. Sometime in 2004 the Frontier Texas! center will open, highlighting area history as the home base for the Texas Forts Trail.
- Music
For a city our size, we have an enormous number of outstanding musicians and musical groups covering a variety of styles and tastes. University and high school groups from Abilene are in demand throughout the state and are invited to make national and international tours. Whether your taste is classical, country, Christian, rock, handbells, fiddles, ethnic, ballet, opera or musical theater, you should be able to find it here.
- Theater
Abilene is a regional center for live theater, with about 50 plays produced here every year by educational, community and professional theater groups. Those include a dozen or so musicals, which consistently rank as the most popular performances with Abilene audiences.
- Artwalk
On the second Thursday evening of each month, Abilenians gather downtown to celebrate the city’s lively cultural scene. Hundreds of people stroll down Cypress, Pine and Cedar streets for a local cultural feast.
- Libraries
Activity at Abilene’s two public libraries downtown and south branch continues to increase. And library patrons here also have access to the three university libraries through the local library consortium.
- Zoo
Not many cities our size have a zoo at all, much less one with the reputation the Abilene Zoo enjoys. Besides general exhibits, the zoo offers educational programs, Zoo Camp and special programs like the Zoo Serenade.
- Butterflies
Monarch butterflies migrate through Abilene twice a year, gracing the community with their beauty in the spring and late summer or early fall. The Zoo is an official Monarch Sanctuary.
- Paramount Theatre
If there is one symbol that readily identifies Abilene, it may well be the marquee of the Paramount Theatre. Built in 1930, the theater was restored in the late 80s and is considered Abilene’s crown jewel. It was the catalyst for downtown revitalization and historic-preservation efforts in the community.
- Celebrations
We always seem to be celebrating something with a festival, an observance, a dinner, a special event. Maybe Abilenians feel we have so much to celebrate, just living here.
- Regional Center
Abilene is the commercial, media, cultural, educational and governmental hub of what is called the Big Country, the Texas Midwest, or West Central Texas, a 22-county area with a population of more than 325,000.
- Dyess Air Force Base
Dyess AFB is the largest employer in town, and its economic impact is staggering. Beyond that, Dyess personnel and their families have a significant influence throughout the community on our schools, our churches, our organizations and our politics.
- Government Jobs
Five of the top six employers in Abilene are government entities. Besides Dyess, they are the Abilene public schools, Abilene State School, the prison system and the city.
- Downtown Renewal
The revitalization of Abilene’s downtown is recognized by other cities as an example of what can be done with a decaying central business district. The downtown facelift is a source of community pride and wonderment. Far from being an eyesore, downtown is now a thriving business and cultural center.
- Affordable Housing
Abilene consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Texas and the nation when it comes to buying a home.
- Agriculture and Energy
Despite the city’s growth over the years into a metropolitan region, Abilene’s roots remain firmly planted in the land. Farming and ranching, and oil and gas continue to be major contributors to the local economy.
- Shopping
One of the things people come here to do is shop. Abilene is a regional retail marketing center, with a busy mall, major stores and interesting shops scattered throughout the city.
- Highways
Interstate 20 flows through Abilene, as do four U.S. highways and two state highways, bringing visitors, commerce and jobs.
- Meeting Facilities
The Abilene Civic Center and Taylor County Expo Center are outstanding facilities, and they stay booked with all kinds of events throughout the year. Their helpful and friendly staffs keep events coming back here year after year.
- Little Traffic
The pace of life is a little slower here and the stress factor a little lower, and much of the credit can go to the absence of traffic congestion. No long commutes to work. No crowded freeways.
- Central Location
Abilene sits deep in the heart of Texas, within easy driving distance of major cities and major airports.
- Low Crime
Personal safety is a critical factor in determining the quality of life of any community. In Abilene, our low rate of violent crime is a big plus.
- Fire Protection
With eight strategically located fire stations in town, Abilenians can count on quick response to fires, medical emergencies and other crisis situations. The city’s grand new Central Fire Station opened last year.
- Medical Care
Abilene is home to two regional health centers, a state school for the mentally handicapped and a variety of clinics and programs that translate into a network of first-class medical care, a community wide caring attitude and thousands of jobs.
- Good Drinking Water
If you’ve ever lived in a city where the water tasted bad, then you aren’t likely to take good drinking water for granted. Abilene’s water has won statewide taste tests.
- Beautification
It’s not something we’ve always been known for, but in the past two decades, Abilenians have devoted more attention to improving the aesthetics of the city. The efforts have paid off with increased state recognition, government grants and community pride.
- Barbecue
We’ll put our city’s barbecue up against anybody’s. Abilene has a preponderance of excellent barbecue establishments, which have earned reputations that extend beyond the city limits, even beyond the state line.
- Mesquite-Grilled Steaks
Mesquites may not be the prettiest trees around, but they are the most abundant, a visible tribute to the values of persistence, endurance, determination and even grace that have also marked the character of Abilenians over the years. And mesquite wood can’t be beat when it comes to cooking delicious steaks.
- Variety of Restaurants
Abilene offers a wide selection of home-owned restaurants with distinctive local dishes as well as most of the well-known national restaurants and fast-food places more than 300 in all.
- Weather
Most of the time our weather is pleasant, averaging 66.3 degrees year round. It’s warm more often than cold, clear more often than cloudy. We do have our dust storms and droughts and tornadoes, which keeps things interesting.
- Sunrises and Sunsets
The beauty of West Texas sunrises and sunsets, unimpeded by tall trees or tall buildings, surely rank among the most spectacular anywhere.
- College Sports
Abilenians have more than 40 college sports teams to cheer for at the Division II and Division III levels. And few cities of any size can boast of three college baseball stadiums that are the size and quality of Abilene's.
- High school sports
With three public high schools and a private high school, there's plenty of action to satisfy even the most rabid sports fan. Thousands of young people get the high school and middle school levels. Over the years, local high school teams have won hundreds of district championships and almost four dozen state titles.
- Youth Sports
Youth sports are huge in Abilene, and many families find their lives revolving around the week’s sports schedule. Children are encouraged to try out several sports before having to focus on one or two in high school.
- Spacious Parks
The city operates 26 public parks with modern, clean, well-lighted facilities. They are great places for a family outing, exercise, a ball game or just to unwind after a stressful day. A recent addition to the park system is the always-busy skateboard facility at Rose Park.
- Abilene State Park
Abilene State Park isn’t officially in Abilene. But since it has Abilene in its name, we’ll count it as one of the great things about Abilene anyway. It’s a delightful getaway just a few miles south of town.
- Golf
Our warm weather and clear skies make Abilene ideally suited for golf. We have three public and two private 18-hole courses, and a public nine-hole par 3 course, as well as an 18-hole public disk golf course for participants who prefer to throw their disks rather than their clubs.
- Tennis
Abilene is a major city when it comes to tennis. All four high schools have fielded state-championship teams and individuals, and Abilene middle schools have strong tennis programs and facilities. All three local universities have varsity tennis programs, some nationally ranked.
- Hunting
If you like to hunt, you don’t have to drive very far from Abilene to find happy hunting grounds for deer, quail and dove.
