Mulling over retirement options, came across a house in Abilene that could be nice. I see there is an Air Force base there (Dyess).

Anyone with firsthand knowledge of the place?

Hot and dusty. Summer is brutal. Small town with a small college, lots of ranchers and oilfield folks. Above average healthcare for the size of the town.

It’s hot here in Central Texas during the summers….I’m 2 hours southeast from Abilene. They have a higher rate of tornadoes. It does get cold in the winter.

If you saw the house online it probably has 5-10 cash offers above asking price since you started this thread!

Sorry, no insider info on Abilene.

I live in the DFW area and I can't say that I've ever been to Abilene but their CVB used to run tourism ads similar to the one below but much shorter of course. I gotta say they didn't really make me say "Damn, I've got to visit Abilene" much less live there.

You may wish to look into the interesting history of this 'suburb' of Abilene.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact,_Texas

I was born in Abilene, but my information is 56 years old.

It is hot in the summer but no worse than any other part of Texas. As they say, it is a dry heat. Seriously, there is not much humidity in West Texas. It also can get cold in the winter, but only in short stretches. It doesn't rain much.

There is a really good steakhouse just outside of town.

With Dyess and the college it is probably a good small city to live in, if you want to live in a small city. They are ranchers, farmers, and oil-men out there.

I was stationed there from 98-02 and again from 04-09. Hot in the summer, surprisingly cool in the winter. Yes, it is a dry heat but 105 is still damn hot. Three small Christian collages. Good healthcare. Good schools. Decent food options for a small city. One of the best steakhouses in the country located in the small town of Buffalo Gap about twenty minutes away. Perini Ranch Steakhouse There was an outdoor range just outside of town, you could shoot out to 300 yards. 2.5 hours to Ft Worth. Longer drive to the Texas Hill country but not too bad. Good place to live.

Of course, my info is 12 years old, so take it with a grain of salt.

I’ve lived there. I liked it. Last I knew, they had three small universities there. So, courses and decent libraries are available. No traffic to speak of. It’s a place unlike humid Houston. Shade has value in Abilene. You’ll have enough winter to appreciate the spring and enough summer to appreciate the fall. Not many fishing lakes around. We used to do a little quail hunting north of there. If you’re into rattlesnake hunting, Sweetwater, west of there, holds a snake roundup may still hold a roundup every year.