While the national economy may be struggling, the West Texas Fair and Rodeo, housed at the Taylor County Expo Center, hauled in a windfall of revenue like it hasn’t seen in two full years, though it might be more related to the weekend’s perfect weather than a sign of financial recovery. Still, after two consecutive years of rain, patrons were glad to see the sun was out and spirits were high, raking in thousands more dollars than the previously dampened festivities. Rain or shine, the numbers were impressive, as the Fair improved upon its 2007 numbers as well, though the blue Texas sky was equally pristine.Fair officials aren’t ready to write off the banner weekend as the end of their problems. After all, anyone familiar with the Abilene area knows the Taylor County Expo Center is well versed on the facility’s recent history of budgetary issues. Despite the past several months of monetary shortcomings, signs of hope like the Fair and Rodeo are the direct result of a concern effort and diligent planning to drive interest in events housed at the Expo Center, especially at a time of year when college football is top dog in the state of Texas. The Fair and Rodeo’s success is particularly impressive when you consider the competition it faced on the entertainment front, highlighted by the University of Texas Longhorns squaring off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on the event’s final Saturday night. (more…)

As new housing numbers come out, it seems that more and more Americans are embracing the idea of moving to better economic conditions. In the new economically motivated migration, where do you see yourself?Why not see yourself in the heart of Texas? Specifically, you should take this opportunity to move into the heart of what as known as “Big Country”, a nineteen county zone that has at its center the city of Abilene.Abilene is the economic heart of Big Country, providing a diversification of industries that keeps the local economy alive even if individual sectors have downturns. The city’s largest employers are an army base, a federal prison, the city government, and a host of public and private universities.Abilene is also noted for its vibrant arts community, meaning that if you don’t have a traditional work background there is also economic opportunity for you in Abilene. Thanks to the city’s downtown revitalization efforts, the town is also very welcoming to entrepreneurs and small business owners. (more…)