Editing Abilene, Texas (section)

==Geography==
Abilene is located in northeastern Taylor County. The city limits extend north into Jones County. Interstate 20 leads east {{convert|149|mi}} to Fort Worth and west {{convert|148|mi}} to [[Midland, Texas|Midland]]. Three [[U.S. highways]] pass through the city. [[U.S. Route 83 in Texas|US 83]] runs west of the city center, leading north {{convert|24|mi}} to [[Anson, Texas|Anson]] and south {{convert|55|mi}} to [[Ballinger, Texas|Ballinger]]. [[U.S. Route 84 in Texas|US 84]] runs with US 83 through the southwestern part of the city but leads southeast {{convert|52|mi}} to [[Coleman, Texas|Coleman]] and west with I-20 {{convert|40|mi}} to [[Sweetwater, Texas|Sweetwater]]. [[U.S. Route 277 in Texas|US 277]] follows US 83 around the northwestern side of the city and north to Anson, but heads southwest from Abilene {{convert|89|mi}} to [[San Angelo, Texas|San Angelo]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Abilene has a total area of {{convert|290.6|sqkm|order=flip|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|276.6|sqkm|order=flip|abbr=on}} are land and {{convert|14.0|sqkm|order=flip|abbr=on}} are covered by water (4.82%). The water area is mainly from three reservoirs in the city: [[Lytle Lake]], southeast of downtown on the western edge of [[Abilene Regional Airport]], [[Kirby Lake]] on the southeastern corner of the US 83/84 and Loop 322 interchange, and [[Fort Phantom Hill|Lake Fort Phantom Hill]] in Jones County in northern Abilene. Clear Creek runs through the city just east of downtown, flowing north to Elm Creek and ultimately part of the [[Brazos River]] watershed.

The fastest-growing sections of the city are in the southwest, along Southwest Drive, the Winters Freeway, and the Buffalo Gap Road corridor; the southeast, along Loop 322, Oldham Lane, Industrial Drive, and Maple Street; and in the northeast near the intersection of SH 351 and I-20. Many [[Developments in Abilene, Texas|developments]] have begun in these three areas within the last few years with a citywide focus on the reinvigoration of downtown Abilene.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.downtownabi.com/|title=Downtown Abilene Initiative {{!}} Shopping, Dining, Entertainment & More|website=Downtown Abilene Initiative|access-date=2018-11-25}}</ref>

===Climate===
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Abilene lies at the edge of a [[humid subtropical climate]], with areas to the west being [[semiarid]].

{{Weather box
| location = Abilene, Texas ([[Abilene Regional Airport]]), 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1885&ndash;present
| single line = Y
| collapsed  = yes
| Jan high F = 58.8
| Feb high F = 62.8
| Mar high F = 70.9
| Apr high F = 79.2
| May high F = 86.3
| Jun high F = 92.8
| Jul high F = 96.4
| Aug high F = 96.0
| Sep high F = 88.7
| Oct high F = 79.3
| Nov high F = 67.8
| Dec high F = 59.4
| year high F = 78.2
| Jan mean F = 46.3
| Feb mean F = 50.1
| Mar mean F = 58.1
| Apr mean F = 66.0
| May mean F = 74.1
| Jun mean F = 81.1
| Jul mean F = 84.7
| Aug mean F = 84.2
| Sep mean F = 76.8
| Oct mean F = 67.0
| Nov mean F = 55.5
| Dec mean F = 47.3
| year mean F = 
| Jan low F = 33.7
| Feb low F = 37.4
| Mar low F = 45.3
| Apr low F = 52.8
| May low F = 61.9
| Jun low F = 69.5
| Jul low F = 73.1
| Aug low F = 72.4
| Sep low F = 65.0
| Oct low F = 54.7
| Nov low F = 43.3
| Dec low F = 35.2
| year low F = 53.7
| Jan avg record high F = 78.6
| Feb avg record high F = 82.9
| Mar avg record high F = 88.6
| Apr avg record high F = 93.2
| May avg record high F = 98.6
| Jun avg record high F = 100.1
| Jul avg record high F = 102.6
| Aug avg record high F = 102.4
| Sep avg record high F = 97.5
| Oct avg record high F = 92.4
| Nov avg record high F = 83.2
| Dec avg record high F = 77.9
| year avg record high F = 104.6
| Jan avg record low F = 17.8
| Feb avg record low F = 20.1
| Mar avg record low F = 25.3
| Apr avg record low F = 34.7
| May avg record low F = 45.2
| Jun avg record low F = 59.6
| Jul avg record low F = 65.8
| Aug avg record low F = 63.0
| Sep avg record low F = 49.8
| Oct avg record low F = 35.3
| Nov avg record low F = 24.8
| Dec avg record low F = 18.8
| year avg record low F = 14.0
| Jan record high F = 90
| Feb record high F = 94
| Mar record high F = 98
| Apr record high F = 104
| May record high F = 109
| Jun record high F = 110
| Jul record high F = 110
| Aug record high F = 113
| Sep record high F = 108
| Oct record high F = 103
| Nov record high F = 93
| Dec record high F = 90
| year record high F = 113
| Jan record low F = −9
| Feb record low F = −7
| Mar record low F = 9
| Apr record low F = 25
| May record low F = 33
| Jun record low F = 44
| Jul record low F = 54
| Aug record low F = 48
| Sep record low F = 38
| Oct record low F = 23
| Nov record low F = 13
| Dec record low F = −7
| year record low F = −9
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 1.10
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.29
| Mar precipitation inch = 1.73
| Apr precipitation inch = 1.86
| May precipitation inch = 3.21
| Jun precipitation inch = 3.44
| Jul precipitation inch = 1.92
| Aug precipitation inch = 2.53
| Sep precipitation inch = 2.67
| Oct precipitation inch = 2.83
| Nov precipitation inch = 1.40
| Dec precipitation inch = 1.26
| year precipitation inch = 25.24
| Jan snow inch = 0.7
| Feb snow inch = 1.0
| Mar snow inch = 0.1
| Apr snow inch = 0.3
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.0
| Nov snow inch = 0.7
| Dec snow inch = 0.9
| year snow inch = 3.7
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 4.6
| Feb precipitation days = 5.1
| Mar precipitation days = 5.8
| Apr precipitation days = 4.7
| May precipitation days = 8.0
| Jun precipitation days = 6.9
| Jul precipitation days = 4.7
| Aug precipitation days = 6.0
| Sep precipitation days = 5.9
| Oct precipitation days = 6.2
| Nov precipitation days = 4.5
| Dec precipitation days = 4.8
| year precipitation days = 
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 0.5
| Feb snow days = 0.8
| Mar snow days = 0.2
| Apr snow days = 0.0
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.1
| Nov snow days = 0.3
| Dec snow days = 0.5
| year snow days = 
| Jan sun = 204.6
| Feb sun = 203.4
| Mar sun = 263.5
| Apr sun = 282.0
| May sun = 306.9
| Jun sun = 330.0
| Jul sun = 347.2
| Aug sun = 316.2
| Sep sun = 258.0
| Oct sun = 248.0
| Nov sun = 198.0
| Dec sun = 192.2
| source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00013962&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Abilene RGNL AP, TX
|access-date = May 2, 2023
}}
</ref>
| source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=sjt
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS San Angelo
|access-date = May 2, 2023
}}
</ref> Hong Kong Observatory (sun only, 1961–1990)<ref name=HKO>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/n_america/us/abilene_e.htm
 |publisher   = Hong Kong SAR Government
 |access-date  = 2011-12-10
 |title       = Climatological Normals of Abilene
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120727162359/http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/n_america/us/abilene_e.htm
 |archive-date = 2012-07-27
}}</ref>
| date = December 2011
| source = 
}}

=== Notable architecture ===
{{multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 330
| image1            = Abilene June 2019 11 (Hotel Wooten).jpg
| caption1          = [[Hotel Wooten]]
| image2            = Abilene June 2019 39 (The Enterprise).jpg
| caption2          = [[Enterprise Tower]]
}}

Notable and historical buildings in Abilene include:

*[[Hotel Wooten]] (1930) at 302 Cypress Street downtown, built by grocery entrepreneur H. O. Wooten, at 16 stories tall, is designed after the [[Drake Hotel (Chicago)|Drake Hotel]] in [[Chicago]]. It was restored in 2004 as a high-end apartment building.
*First Baptist Church (1954) at 1442 North Second Street has a spire 140 feet from the ground. Pastor Jesse Northcutt oversaw the planning of this building of 325 tons of steel.
*The Church of the Heavenly Rest, Episcopal, at 602 Meander Street, reflects surprising Gothic architecture on the West Texas Plains. Its plaque reads: "No man entering a house ignores him who dwells in it. This is the house of God and He is here."
*The 20-story [[Enterprise Tower]] at 500 Chestnut Street, the highest structure in Abilene, rises to 283 feet above the Plains. It is the tallest building in west central Texas and one of the five highest in the western two-thirds of the state.
*The Taylor County Courthouse at 300 Oak Street, with its international architectural style of concrete and pink granite, resembles few other courthouses.
*[[Paramount Theatre (Abilene, Texas)|Paramount Theatre]] at 352 Cypress Street opened in 1930 and restored in 1986 had an original marquee 90 feet tall, with 1,400 lights.
*Lincoln Junior High School, 1699 South First Street. In 2012, the Abilene Independent School District deeded the property to the City of Abilene. This property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 2012. Built in 1923, the architecture is Gothic Revival and includes two large gargoyles at the entrance and has Gothic and art deco motifs. It opened as Abilene High School in 1924, became Lincoln Junior High in 1955, and Lincoln Middle School in 1985. The campus closed in 2007. As of 2019, the Abilene Heritage Square was renovating the school into "a multipurpose center for learning, making, discovery, building community and innovating and encouraging our city's future businesses."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Abilene Heritage Square|url=https://www.abileneheritagesquare.org/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Abilene Heritage Square|language=en-US}}</ref> The Abilene Public Library will also use the restored building as the new main branch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/library-event-center-coffee-shop-and-more-coming-to-old-lincoln-middle-school/|title=Library, event center, coffee shop, and more part of $41.5 million project at old Lincoln Middle School|date=2019-07-26|website=KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref>