5 Signs You're Absolutely From Abilene

Like many West Texas towns, Abilene has its own set of traits and special things that make it unique. Having lived here many years, here are 5 signs you are from Abilene, Texas.

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The Roar of a B-1 Aircraft Sounds Like Home

Just on the outskirts of Abilene, you’ll find Dyess Air Force Base, “the Home of the B-1”. Nothing will rattle the fillings in your teeth like the thunder of a B-1 tearing across the sky. Flyovers are fun to watch and the base is celebrated yearly with the Dyess Big Country Air and Space Expo.

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The Term “Crosstown Showdown” Can Only Mean One Time of Year

Let’s face it, high school football is huge in Texas and a hotbed for Friday Night Lights is Abilene. Two of the city’s high schools, Abilene High and Abilene Cooper face off on the field. To this day, it’s one of the biggest matchups in the area with bragging rights lasting a whole year. It’s rivalry at its best! The week leading up to the game is known as Hell Week.

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Everybody Has Driven By the “Big White Mansion”

This 12,000-square-foot home, located on Buffalo Gap Road, is definitely one of the most unique buildings in the city. It includes a ballroom and a library. Following its construction in 1983, the home instantly became a landmark. The home's original owner, Peter Kasimirs, who found his success in the hotel business passed in 2006 at the age of 93.

Photo by: Sweetwater Jaycees/Karen Hunt

Hundreds of Rattlesnakes in One Place Means Roundup Time

Every March, what's known as the World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup brings an estimated 25,000 visitors to the area. On average, 4,000 pounds of snakes are rounded up every year, where they are weighed, sexed, milked, killed, and skinned. It dates back to 1958 when farmers and ranchers tried to eradicate the local western diamondback rattlesnake population because the reptiles were biting livestock and pets.

Photo Credit: Potosi Live/Facebook

The Town of Potosi is Pronounced Correctly

Abilene is surrounded by many original-sounding towns that help make the area great. A good example is Potosi. If you’ve lived in Abilene for any amount of time, you’ll find out pretty quickly the pronunciation is PUH-TOE-SEE and not POT-UH-SEE. Other towns include Ovalo, Fluvanna and Tuscola.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.