Abilene

Sister cities

• Río Cuarto
• Corinth

History

Established by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881, the city was named after Abilene, Kansas, the original endpoint for the Chisholm Trail. The T&P had bypassed the town of Buffalo Gap, the county seat at the time. Eventually, a landowner north of Buffalo Gap, Clabe Merchant, known as the father of Abilene, chose the name for the new town. According to a Dallas newspaper, about 800 people had already begun camping at the townsite before the lots were sold. The town was laid out by Colonel J. Stoddard Johnson, and the auction of lots began early on March 15, 1881. By the end of the first day, 139 lots were sold for a total of $23,810, and another 178 lots were sold the next day for $27,550. Abilene was incorporated soon after its founding in 1881, From 1950 to 1960, Abilene's population nearly doubled, from 45,570 to 90,638. In 1960, a second high school (Cooper High School) was added to the city's school system. In 1966, the Abilene Zoo was established near Abilene Regional Airport. The following year, one of the most important bond elections in the city's history passed for the funding of the construction of the Abilene Civic Center and the Taylor County Coliseum, as well as major improvements to Abilene Regional Airport. In 1969, the Woodson elementary and high school for black students closed as the city integrated its school system, more than 10 years after the US Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. In 1982, Abilene became the first city in Texas to create a downtown reinvestment zone. Texas State Technical College opened an Abilene branch three years later. The 2,250-bed French Robertson Prison Unit was built in 1989. A half-cent sales tax…

Geography

Abilene is located in northeastern Taylor County. The city limits extend north into Jones County. Interstate 20 leads east to Fort Worth and west to Midland. Three U.S. highways pass through the city. US 83 runs west of the city center, leading north to Anson and south to Ballinger. US 84 runs with US 83 through the southwestern part of the city but leads southeast to Coleman and west with I-20 to Sweetwater. US 277 follows US 83 around the northwestern side of the city and north to Anson, but heads southwest from Abilene to San Angelo. According to the United States Census Bureau, Abilene has a total area of , of which are land and are covered by water (4.82%). The water area is mainly from three reservoirs in the city: Lytle Lake, southeast of downtown on the western edge of Abilene Regional Airport, Kirby Lake on the southeastern corner of the US 83/84 and Loop 322 interchange, and Lake Fort Phantom Hill in Jones County in northern Abilene. Clear Creek runs through the city just east of downtown, flowing north to Elm Creek and ultimately part of the Brazos River watershed. The fastest-growing sections of the city are in the southwest, along Southwest Drive, the Winters Freeway, and the Buffalo Gap Road corridor; the southeast, along Loop 322, Oldham Lane, Industrial Drive, and Maple Street; and in the northeast near the intersection of SH 351 and I-20. Many developments have begun in these three areas within the last few years with a citywide focus on the reinvigoration of downtown Abilene. According to the Köppen climate classification, Abilene lies at the edge of a humid subtropical climate, with areas to the west being semiarid. Notable and historical buildings in Abilene include: *Hotel Wooten (1930) at 302 Cypress Street downtown, built by grocery…

Largest nearby schools

• ABILENE H S
  High · ABILENE · 1,966 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• COOPER H S
  High · ABILENE · 1,716 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• WYLIE H S
  High · ABILENE · 1,467 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• WYLIE WEST J H
  Middle · ABILENE · 972 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• MANN MIDDLE
  Middle · ABILENE · 879 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• LONG EARLY LEARNING CENTER
  Other · ABILENE · 809 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• WYLIE EAST EL
  Elementary · ABILENE · 789 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• MADISON MIDDLE
  Middle · ABILENE · 785 students · 13.8:1 ratio