Buffalo hunters settled in western central Texas in the 19th century. In 1881, Abilene was founded after the arrival of the railroad. The settlement was named after Abilene in Kansas. The town grew as a shipping point for cattle ranches. Nowadays it is the financial, commercial and educational center of a large part of western Texas. The city's diversified manufactures include electronic, aircraft and missile components, as well as oil-field and agricultural equipment, food and dairy products, clothing, metals and musical instruments.

Livestock includes cattle, sheep and poultry, while agriculture mostly consists of cotton, wheat, sorghum and hay production. Minerals that are important to Abilene's economy include oil, natural gas, caliches, sand, gravel and clays. Regional petroleum industry headquarters are in Abilene, as well as Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene Christian University and McMurry College.

The historic downtown area is north of the Union Pacific railway line. Some of the most interesting places in Abilene include:

• The First Baptist Church dates from 1954. Its spire is 140 feet tall.
• The Gothic Church of the Heavenly Rest.
• Hotel Wooten is a former 16-storey hotel that was built in 1930. Nowadays it's an appartment building.
• The highest building in Abilene is the 283 feet tall Enterprise Tower. It has 20 storeys.
• The Taylor County Courthouse is a concrete and pink granite building.
• The Paramount Theatre was inaugurated in 1930 and restored in 1986.
• Lincoln Junior High School was built in 1923 in Gothic Revival style. It includes two large gargoyles (sculptures of fantasy animals) at the entrance and has Gothic and art deco motifs.

There are various hotels and restaurants in town. Abilene is 280 km west from Dallas and 2190 km southwest from Washington D.C. It has good connections with the rest of the United States via interstate 20 (I-20) that runs past the city.