Tumbleweeds Make Me Thirsty

Feeling a little parched in the dusty and hot town of . . .

Abilene, TX

Campus Look – 5

Campus Feel – 1

Town – 5

School Size – 1400

Student:Faculty Ratio – 14:1

Faculty – 100

4BR 3BA – $280,000

Comments:

Abilene is located in very close proximity to the town of Nimrod, which ups its cool points by a handful, but other than that I’m not too keen on the location.  It’s about 4 hours from the infinitely cooler towns of Austin and San Antonio, two places I would much rather live, and it is 13 hours from my parents and nearly 17 to Patrick’s family.  It is also damn hot and dusty in the summer, and extremely conservative.  I don’t mind being in the minority, politically speaking, but I would hate to be the loneliest, onliest blue family in a big ole red area of a big ole red state.  Now, Abilene has been listed as being in the top 100 safest places to live in America, and safety’s good.  Also, I would be allowed, nay, encouraged, to wear cowboy boots to work every day and learn how to judge all the events that make up a rodeo, and that would temper the BORINGNESS a bit.  I will say, just about every picture of faculty and staff on this school’s website live up to the Texan stereotype.  Big hair, big mascara, big smiles – it’s all very jaunty and TEXAN.

This school in Abilene is listed as one of the top 40 in the country where average students can excel.  An interesting statistic . . .  Also, they still have visiting hours – students may only visit students of the opposite sex between noon and midnight, every day.  It’s an alcohol free campus, and students have to dress "moderately and appropriately."  Can we say conservative?  I think I would be annoyed with the administration a lot, and would have to embrace the whole Heart of Texas mentality, which would be a stretch.  But I could do it if I had to.  I know it would be a safe place with ok schools for Jack.  It would be a small town with not a lot to do, but we could make our own fun.  Our Texan friends describe it as "not bad" and "not the WORST place in Texas to live."  Faint praise, but I’ll take it!