Is Abilene, TX A Good Place To Live?

Ossiana Tepfenhart
by Ossiana Tepfenhart

Texas is full of cities that are amazingly popular among transplants. Abilene is a great place to choose if you’re a fan of small-town life. But, just what it is it about this quaint city that makes Abilene, TX a good place to live?

Abilene offers an excellent city for people who want to experience a nice-paced, blue-collar lifestyle. Low unemployment rates, a very reasonable average home price, and plentiful historic attractions make Abilene, TX a good place to live. However, it can feel isolated from other cities, lacks entertainment options, and has low wages.

Cities like New York City and Los Angeles have all the attention when it comes to real estate. On the other hand, moderately-sized towns like Abilene, Texas, don’t have that kind of reputation, so you need to dig a little deeper to learn about the area. This article will lay out the upsides and downsides of this town so you can decide if Abilene, TX is a good place to live.

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Why Is Abilene, TX A Good Place To Live?

Abilene is the kind of city where you get to enjoy small-town life in a larger city area. This quiet little city has a fairly low cost of living, which makes it attractive for people who want to have a better quality of life.

With that said, history buffs will love to see the nice range of museums and historic landmarks that call Abilene home. If you want to move to the great state of Texas, this pretty city might be the place you’ve been looking for.

1. Low Unemployment

It’s no secret that Texas is currently undergoing a major economic boom. Abilene is no exception to the rule. The current unemployment rate is a scant 3.3%, making it an exceptionally industry-friendly area.

If you are in need of a job, then you will find one in Abilene. The area is also undergoing a renaissance of sorts, with many construction projects and events underway. So, it’s not slowing down any time soon.

2. Low Cost Of Living Makes Abilene, TX A Good Place To Live

Real estate is not something that’s very affordable these days, especially when you are talking about city living. Believe it or not, Abilene is not your normal city in this respect. The median price of a home in Abilene rests at around $155,900. This is almost half of the national average, which sits around $291,000 depending on the source you use.

The majority of homes have a value between $100,000 and $200,000 and property taxes are below the national average. Rent is also affordable, with a studio apartment averaging $610 per month. You can rent a two-bedroom for about $833 and a four-bedroom for roughly $1,414 per month.

Needless to say, this is one of the best places for people who want to get the dream of homeownership underway. The overall cost of living isn’t too bad either. It’s approximately 21 percent less than the average. So, for every $1 most people in an average cost area would spend, you would have to spend 79 cents.

3. Good Schools

Make no mistake about it. While Abilene is a blue-collar city that has affordable housing, it doesn’t slouch on schooling. Niche reports that Abilene has some of the best schools in the county.

Although Abilene spends less per student than the national average, it boasts a more favorable student-to-teacher ratio. Supportive teachers, ample sporting clubs, and an overall positive sense of community make this a great place to grow up and learn.

The community has a very deeply ingrained “go-getter” attitude. This tends to encourage students to do their best in every endeavor they undertake.

4. Beautiful Surroundings Makes Abilene, TX A Good Place To Live

Ask anyone who’s lived in Abilene for a while, and you’ll hear the exact same thing: the town is one of the prettiest cities you’ll ever see. The streets are clean. There are trees everywhere. The architecture carries that old-fashioned, down-home charm that people think of when they hear the word “Texas.”

People who are aesthetic in mind tend to fall in love with the city based on looks alone. If you’re a fan of little town vibes in a bigger city, then Abilene will suit you perfectly. This is an amazingly nice town.

5. Low Crime Rates

Most cities have a pretty bad crime rate, but not Abilene. This is one of the better cities to raise a family in, simply because that small-town attitude tends to mean lower crime rates.

The crime rate in Abilene is 5% less than in the rest of Texas and only slightly higher than the national average. Abilene is safer than about 26% of other states in states in the country. There are approximately 514 violent crimes and 2,649 property crimes per year in Abilene, with the majority of reports being assaults and thefts.

Everyone knows everyone, and many locals still feel like their family can “leave the door open” while they’re at home. That’s a luxury that’s unusual to find these days.

What Are The Pitfalls Of Living In Abilene, TX?

Abilene is a good place to live for some, but this doesn’t mean that it’s a paradise for everyone. There are drawbacks that might make you think twice about moving here. These, in particular, tend to be problematic…

1. Low Wages

While Abilene does boast a low unemployment rate and affordable housing on every corner, the truth is that there is still an issue with the local economy. Most of the jobs that are in and around the area tend to be fairly low in terms of pay. The median household income is around $46,000. This is fairly far below the $53,482 for a typical Texan home.

Individually, the numbers get a little bleaker. The typical individual income centers around $21,095 per year. This means that a fair number of adults earn around $10.10 hourly, assuming the standard work hours of 2,087 per year for a full-time worker. Most people might find this to be too low for them.

2. Lack Of Entertainment

While Abilene is a city with a large population, it’s not a “city” city. In other words, while you might find some historic venues and museums, it’s not a place that brings in much nightlife. There are restaurants and a couple of bars. However, you are going to be hard-pressed to find nightclubs blasting EDM or hip-hop shows in this area.

If you were hoping for a major theme park or anything similar to that, then you are going to be disappointed. While Abilene is a great city to live in, there’s a reason why it’s not a major tourist attraction. The area is not exactly entertainment-heavy, so bons vivants are going to be a bit bored.

3. Isolation

Abilene is a little strange when it comes to its layout and location. While the city has over 130,000 people who call it home, it’s still a very small town in terms of atmosphere. If you’re not a fan of a place where everyone knows everyone, and what everyone’s up to, then you might not enjoy life in Abilene.

To make matters a little bit more exaggerated, the city of Abilene is fairly isolated from other major cities. It can take a serious drive before you reach another major city. Even the suburbs tend to feel fairly sparse.

This can be offputting for people who are used to having a wide range of cities they can travel to. Likewise, it can be strange for people who tend to have access to a bunch of travel hubs.

4. Unfriendliness

This is hit-or-miss in terms of reviews. Most people find Abilene to be a very friendly community with a deeply Southern vibe. However, in our research, there have been several people who have complained about the local attitude. Some have complained about people being superficially friendly but also being standoffish when it comes to meeting new people.

In some cases, people have felt left out from the culture of the town. This led them to feel upset or even alienate from their neighbors. If you are looking for a place that has a deeply diverse or liberal outlook on life, you might find Abilene to be too difficult to deal with.

Though this was a complaint that came up somewhat regularly, we want to emphasize that your mileage may vary. Most people do not have this issue.

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Related Questions

Is Texas an expensive state to live in?

It depends on where you live. When you take a look at the average cost of living across the board, Texas ranks at 95 where 100 is average. So overall, it’s a slightly cheaper than usual state to live in. However, the cities are noted for being pretty pricey and for having a cost of living that’s increasingly high.Much of this is due to the current influx of Silicon Valley companies moving to the Lone Star State. With increased wages and urban influence, Texas has begun to see real estate costs similar to cities like Miami and New York.But, overall, the median home price in Texas is below the national average and the average rent for a two-bedroom home or apartment is $1,146. Of course, this can vary widely from city to city.For example, in Austin, the median home price is almost twice as much as the national median home price. However, in Houston, the median home price is roughly $70,000 less than the national median.


What climate issues is Texas currently facing?

The two most common dangers for Texas residents are hurricanes and tornadoes. These two storms regularly hit the state, often leaving serious damage in their wake. It’s not unheard of for Category 5 hurricanes to decimate the coast. Another issue that has recently begun to harm Texans is climate change.In recent years, Texas has experienced record-breaking heat waves as well as extremely unusual ice storms. This is often blamed on climate change interfering with natural weather patterns.


Why is real estate so cheap in Texas?

The cost of housing is lower in Texas because of two primary factors. First, wages tend to be lower in this state, which means that affordable homes kind of *have* to be a thing in order for people to maintain the status quo. Second, land is extremely plentiful in Texas. I mean, it’s one of the biggest states in the union, and the population density is far lower than most other highly populous states.As a result, Texas real estate has lower prices. It’s just a matter of supply and demand.

Ossiana Tepfenhart
Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.

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