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Abilene is a city in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The population was 115,930 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Taylor County . Dyess Air Force Base is located to the west of the city.

History

Established by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881, the city was named for 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". The total population of the Abilene region exceeds 300,000. By the end of 2005, commercial and residential development had reached record levels in and around the city, enhancing a true urban environment and providing most of the amenities of much larger metropolitan areas.

Geography

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.

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