Abilene, KS

Abilene is located at 86 mi/138 km west of Topeka. Abilene (pop. 6,500) was the northern terminus of the legendary cattle route known as the Chisholm Trail. Longhorn cattle from Texas were driven north on the trail to Kansas, which was one of the few Midwestern states with access to the railroad. As it grew into a boom town, Abilene became home to such famous Old West lawmen as Wild Bill Hickok and Tom Smith. Kansas is a major breeding center for greyhounds, and Abilene is home to the Greyhound Hall of Fame. Museum-goers may want to take in the Antique Doll Museum or the Museum of Independent Telephony

Population (year 2000): 6,543. Estimated population in July 2005: 6,409 (-2.0% change)
Males: 3,084 (47.1%), Females: 3,459 (52.9%)

Dickinson County

Zip code: 67410

Median resident age: 39.8 years
Median household income: $33,778 (year 2000)
Median house value: $65,800 (year 2000)

Races in Abilene:

Ancestries: German (29.7%), Irish (13.6%), English (11.3%), United States (10.5%), Swedish (4.6%), Dutch (4.0%).

Elevation: 1153 feet

Land area: 4.1 square miles

For population 25 years and over in Abilene

• High school or higher: 84.0%
• Bachelor's degree or higher: 16.8%
• Graduate or professional degree: 4.4%
• Unemployed: 3.0%
• Mean travel time to work: 17.2 minutes

For population 15 years and over in Abilene city

• Never married: 18.5%
• Now married: 57.1%
• Separated: 1.1%
• Widowed: 11.9%
• Divorced: 11.5%

2.1% Foreign born (1.0% Europe, 0.9% Latin America, 0.2% Asia).

Population change in the 1990s: +201 (+3.2%).