ABILENE, TEXAS

'Abilene' is a city in Taylor County, and Jones County Texas, United States,in the central portion of the state. The population was 115,930 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County. Dyess Air Force Base is located to the west of the city.
Abilene is located off Interstate 20, between exits 279 on its western edge and 292 on the east. Abilene is 150 miles west of Fort Worth, Texas The city is looped by I-20 to the north, US 277/83 on the west, and FM 322 to the east. A railroad divides the city down the center into north and south. The downtown area is on the north side of the railroad.
The newest parts of the city seem to be growing to the southwest and south following US 83/84 and in the northeast at I-20 and SH 351. There are three lakes in the city, one on the western edge of Abilene Regional Airport, one on the southeast corner of US-83/84 & FM 322 interchange, and the other is located in Jones County to the north side of the city.

Contents

History

Geography and Climate

Demographics

Culture

Events

Major Highways

Interstates

US Highways

Texas State Routes

Farm to Market Roads

Famous People from Abilene

Newspapers & Media

Colleges & Universities

References

External links

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 city later became a major cattle-producing area with diversified farming. In recent years, petroleum has added great impetus to the city's economy. By 1900, 3,411 people lived in Abilene. When the city celebrated its centennial in 1981, the city set up a demonstration oil-drilling rig on the county fairgrounds just to illustrate the techniques of "making hole". By pure accident, it struck oil, not much - but enough for modest profitable production.
Abilene is the commercial, retail, medical, and transportation hub of a 19-county area known both as "The Big Country" and the "Texas Midwest". By the end of 2005, commercial and residential development had reached record levels in and around the city.

Geography and Climate

Abilene is located at (32.446425, -99.745482), 160 miles (257 km) west by south of Fort Worth.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 286.5 km² (110.6 mi²). 272.3 km² (105.1 mi²) of it is land and 14.2 km² (5.5 mi²) of it (4.95%) is water.

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	89	93	97	99	109	109	110	109	107	103	92	89
Norm High °F	55.2	60.7	69.1	77.3	84.7	91.1	94.8	93.7	86.7	77.6	65.1	56.9
Norm Low °F	31.8	36.5	43.8	51.8	61	68.5	72.3	71.4	64.4	54.4	42.3	33.9
Rec Low °F	-9	-7	7	25	36	47	55	50	35	23	14	-7
Precip (in)	0.97	1.13	1.41	1.67	2.83	3.06	1.7	2.63	2.91	2.9	1.3	1.27
''Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]''

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 115,930 people, 2005 estimate placed the city's population at 120,021), 41,570 households, and 28,101 families residing in the city. The population density was 425.8/km² (1,102.7/mi²). There were 45,618 housing units at an average density of 167.5/km² (433.9/mi²). The ethnic makeup of the city was 78.07% White, 8.81% African American, 0.55% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.73% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.45% of the population.
There were 41,570 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 41,570 households, 1,709 are unmarried partner households: 1,577 heterosexual, 62 same-sex male, and 70 same-sex female households. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 15.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,007, and the median income for a family was $40,028. Males had a median income of $28,078 versus $20,918 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,577. About 10.9% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. Abilene also ranked as the 17th city in the nation for high education in September/October of 2006. Abilene has two school districts within the city limits, the Abilene ISD, and Wylie ISD (WISD). They are referred to as the WAISD.

Culture

The cultural aspects of Abilene center around a mix of the three religiously affiliated private universities: Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University, and McMurry University, as well as the Abilene Campus of Cisco Junior College, a West Texas campus of Texas State Technical College, American Commercial College, the agriculture community of the surrounding area, and the numerous evangelical churches present.
Abilene is also home to the restored Paramount Theater, The Abilene Philharmonic Association, The Grace Museum, the Center for Contemporary Arts, The National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, The Abilene Zoo, Frontier Texas, the 87th Armored Division Museum, Taylor County Coliseum, five libraries, twenty-six public parks, six television stations and an ever variable number of radio stations, including one National Public Radio Station (89.7 KACU).
Abilene has one of the only competing and performing jump rope teams in the area, known as the "Jammin' Jumpers". They formed in 1996 and have been to the National Jump Rope Championships in Walt Disney World 3 times: in 2001, 2003, and 2005.
The city's main newspaper is the ''Abilene Reporter-News''. George Hamilton IV had a country and pop hit in 1963 with a song about the city, simply entitled "Abilene."

Events

The West Texas Fair & Rodeo, ten days in mid-Sept., features exhibits and amusements reflecting early days of Abilene, plus modern attractions of West Texas.
The Western heritage classic in early May features ranch rodeo, campfire cook-off, sheep dog trails, farrier competition, Cowboy Poets Society, Western art show and many other activities.
The first weekend in April features Abilene Founder's Day (formerly known as Celebrate Abilene), an outdoor festival held in the historic downtown area bringing the arts, history, railroad and family entertainment.
On every second Thursday evening of the month, Artwalk is held in downtown Abilene. During Artwalk all the local museums are free, the Paramount theater shows an "Art Film", local musicians and performers busk, and several crafters and artists set up booths and sell their wares.
There are also several special interest conventions, festivals, and shows scattered throughout the year including: The Abilene Gem and Mineral Show, the West Texas Book and Music Festival, The Abilene Gun and Knife Show, The Friends of the Abilene Public Library Book Sale, and The Erinshire Folk Festival.
The Erinshire Folk Festival is an annual event started in 2003 and is held at Erinshire Gardens. The purpose of the festival is to spotlight Abilene area musicians and original music.
Considerably more popular than the Erinshire folk festival is the annual "Cruise Night" parade of classic and modern sports cars held each September.
Also of note is the annual Abilene High vs. Abilene Cooper football game, usually held near Halloween. The two high schools often play each other to a close and exciting game, usually decided by two touchdowns or less. Two of these, the 2001 and 2002 games, were for the district championship and were known as the "Showdown at Shotwell" games, because the game is played at Shotwell Stadium.

Major Highways

Interstates

★ Interstate 20

★ Business Loop 20

US Highways

★ US 83

★ US 84

★ US 277

Texas State Routes

★ TX 36

★ Loop 322

★ TX 351

Farm to Market Roads

★ FM 89

★ FM 600

★ FM 707

★ FM 3438

Famous People from Abilene

★ Sonny Cumbie, quarterback for the Los Angeles Avengers^[1] Played collegiately at Texas Tech

★ Jonathan Johnson, AHS graduate and current 800m state record holder--now Olympic qualifying professional mid-distance runner

★ Jamison Priest, folk/Americana trio, singers and songwriters^[2]

★ Clint Norris, bassist and back-up vocalist for the Christian metal band As I Lay Dying.

★ Bob Estes, PGA golfer

★ Carol Hall, composer/lyricist

★ Cris Judd, married Jennifer Lopez

★ John Lackey, starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

★ Caryl Mack Parker, country singer

★ Gary Perkins, radio broadcaster

★ Dominic Rhodes, running back for the Oakland Raiders

★ Justin Snow, long snapper for the Indianapolis Colts

★ Diane Stanley, children's book author

★ Hollis Thomas, NFL defensive tackle

★ Terry Orr, former tight end of the Washington Redskins

★ Randall "Tex" Cobb, Prize fighter, and actor, (Raising Arizona)

★ Lee Roy Parnell, Country Musician

★ Shae D'Lyn, Actress, (Dharma & Greg)

★ Ty O'Neal, Rodeo cowboy, actor (''The Mighty Ducks'' sequels)

★ Coby Archa, Survivor cast member

★ Duane Whitaker, Actor, (''The Devil's Rejects'')

★ Deirdre Lovejoy, Actress, (''The Talented Mr. Ripley'')

★ Roy Crane, Nationally syndicated cartoonist, (Wash Tubbs, Captain Easy, Buz Sawyer)

★ Stedman Graham, Hardin-Simmons University ex-basketball player and motivational speaker (longtime boyfriend of Oprah Winfrey)

★ Bonnie Curtis, Abilene Christian University, Assistant to film director Steven Spielberg-turned film producer (Minority Report," AI: Artificial Intelligence," "Saving Private Ryan."

★ Carol Hall, songwriter, Wrote music for broadway hit, "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

★ Paige Moss, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Beverly Hills 90210."

★ Fess Parker, Hardin-Simmons University. Played football at HSU before transferring to University of Texas. Starred in TV series ''Daniel Boone'' (1964-1970).

★ Jess Cagle, Writer for ''Entertainment Weekly'', ''Time''

★ Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Hits include ''All the Gold in California,'' ''Houston.''

★ Ray Berry, Cooper High School. Played linebacker for Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks 1987-93. Played collegiately at Baylor University

★ Charles Coody, Stamford and Abilene, professional golfer since 1963. Won the Masters in 1971. Owns Diamondback Golf Course in Abilene. Twelve victories on the Professional Golfers Association tour.

★ Mason Williams, guitarist and composer

★ Ann Wedgewood, actress, ''Another World'', ''Three's Company'', ''Evening Shade'', ''Roseanne''^[3]

★ Megan Ewing, supermodel, Victoria's Secret, Guess, Abercrombie and Fitch

★ Andy Holmes, creator, writer & performer of Gerbert puppet and television series (seen internationally and on PBS from 1992-1995); author and illustrator, over 40 published books

★ Jessica Simpson born in Abilene, singer, actor

★ John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Graduate of Abilene Christian University. Professional wrestler (Former WWE Champion), radio show host

★ Billy Olson, pole-vaulter at Abilene High School and Abilene Christian University. Made the U.S. Olympic Team and held several World Records

Newspapers & Media

★ KEYJ ROCK 108 (ACTIVE/ALTERNATIVE ROCK)

★ The Abilene Reporter News

★ KTAB-TV (CBS)

★ KRBC-TV (NBC)

★ KTXS-TV (ABC)

★ 100.7 The Eagle (Classic Rock)

★ Power 103.7 FM (KCDD-FM) (Top 40/CHR)

★ 99.7 KBCY (KBCY-FM)( Texas' Best Country)

★ 102 The Bear (KHXS-FM) (Classic Rock)

★ 98.1 FM, 98X (KTLT-FM) (Alternative Rock)

★ KEAN 105.1 (KEAN-FM) Country's Number 1 Country

★ 95
★ Q (KORQ-FM 95.1) (Top 40 / CHR)

★ 96.1 (KNCE-FM) (Variety Hits)

Colleges & Universities

★ Abilene Christian University

★ American Commercial College

★ Cisco Junior College

★ Hardin-Simmons University

★ McMurry University

★ Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing (formerly the Abilene Intercollegiate School of Nursing)

★ Texas Tech University at Abilene

★ Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy Abilene Campus

★ Texas State Technical College

References

1. http://www.arenafootball.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=244691&DB_OEM_ID=3500
2. http://www.texasmusicconnection.com/directory/link_in_frame.php?link=3857&c=204
3. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0917190/

External links

★ Abilene, TX City Webpage

★ The Grace Museum

★ Abilene Police Department

★ Abilene Fire Department

★ Abilene Public Library

★ Abilene.com

★ MyAbilene.com

★ Abilene Area Parks

★ Open Directory: Abilene