AISD has begun taking steps towards creating magnet schools for the district. 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. In the city, the population was distributed as 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. Abilene is located in northeastern Taylor County. The Holland Medical High School is affiliated with Hendrick Medical Center, which is across Ambler Avenue from the university campus. The local high schools are Abilene High School and Cooper High School of AISD and Wylie High School of WISD. [44] The Robertson Unit prison and the Middleton Unit transfer unit are in Abilene and in Jones County. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.
[42], The top 15 employers in Abilene, as of December 2019, are:[43], The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Abilene District Parole Office in the city. In a three-to-one vote, they won the county election to do so. Construction will begin on South Willis on September 22 between Edgemont and South 27th Street. On June 17, 2017, Abilene elected its first African-American mayor, Anthony Williams. First Baptist Church (1954) at 1442 North Second Street has a spire 140 feet from the ground. The population density was 1,102.7 people per square mile (425.8/km2). The COVID-19 pandemic has created a myriad of new concerns and stressors for all of us. Simultaneously, subdivisions and businesses started locating along the freeway, on the same side as the CJC campus. Abilene (/æbəliːn/ ab-ə-leen) is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The City of Abilene is working to reopen facilities and services in accordance with the Governor's Open Texas guidelines. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. Lincoln Junior High School, 1699 South First Street. The cornerstone was laid in 1891 for Simmons College, the first of three universities in Abilene. ", The Moreland-Shaheen House, 1120 Elmwood Drive, is a 1946 Art Moderne dwelling, shaded by six fruit trees, and is also referred to as the "Sugar House" because Henry Moreland operated the Abilene. Abilene's low cost of living, abundant parks, zoo and large student population give it a modern feel, but a stroll through the city's historic downtown reveals a Texas town twang. 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. 1950 – Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra active. It is a STEM school, which focuses on computer science, engineering, science, and mathematics.
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. The 2,250-bed French Robertson Prison Unit was built in 1989. US 277 follows US 83 around the northwest side of the city and north to Anson, but heads southwest from Abilene 89 miles (143 km) to San Angelo. Abilene, TX. Paul D. Lack et al.
On every second Thursday evening of the month, Artwalk is held in downtown Abilene. The West Texas Fair and Rodeo, held annually for 10 days in mid-September, features exhibits and amusements reflecting early days of Abilene, plus modern attractions of West Texas. In that decade, the Board of Trade changed its name to the 25,000 Club, in the hope of reaching a population of 25,000 by the next census. Livability explores what makes small-to-medium sized cities great places to live.