Abilene is the county seat of Taylor County, Texas, and the principal city of a metropolitan area of more than 175,000 people in the Big Country region of West Texas. The city also extends into Jones County. Founded in 1881 as a stop on the Texas and Pacific Railway, Abilene was named for Abilene, Kansas, a cattle-shipping town, and it grew as a ranching, railroad, and trade center for the surrounding plains. Today the city's economy rests on three sturdy pillars: the military, education, and regional commerce and health care. Dyess Air Force Base, on the city's west side, is a major installation and a central part of the local economy, supporting thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families. Three universities — Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University, and McMurry University — give the city an outsized educational and cultural presence, together with a broader set of higher-education institutions. Abilene's downtown has branded itself the Storybook Capital of America, with storybook-themed sculptures and a celebrated children's-literature collection, adding a distinctive cultural identity. Interstate 20 runs through the city, placing it about 150 miles west of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and connecting it to the rest of the state. Roughly 125,000 people live in Abilene, drawn by a lower cost of living, a family-oriented pace, and the stability of its military and university institutions. Abilene's economy blends the military, higher education, health care, and regional commerce with the agriculture and energy activity of the surrounding Big Country. The presence of Dyess Air Force Base brings a steady military and civilian workforce, while the three universities employ faculty and staff and draw students from across Texas. Health care has grown into a major regional sector, with Abilene serving as a medical hub for a wide swath of West Texas. Families, military households, students, and retirees all find a place in the community, drawn by the city's affordability, its institutions, and the wide-open character of the region. Abilene functions as a true regional capital, providing shopping, medical care, education, and air service to communities across a large rural hinterland, and it combines a working West Texas heritage with the energy of a growing regional hub.
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