Why is the new $500 Billion dollar AI Data Center going there?
Natural Gas?
Wind/Solar farms?
Tunnel the hell out of it?

When did they start building this?

Isn't Abilene the beginning of Tornado Alley?

just really interested in this....

Obviously there are no hard and fast boundaries for West Texas (hence all the arguments) but I would think it's more the western edge of central Texas. As for the beginning of Tornado Alley, I think it's had one recorded tornado in its history, and that was an EF-1 or 2 a couple of years ago that was really more dust devil on steroids than a tornado. I would argue the tornado zone begins a little further east, but what do I know?

As for the new AI center, I have not a clue why it is going here.

Cheap land and labor plus the energy from wind turbines can be sold and sent to these service centers.
And there may be fields of solar panels there now.

Easy for the decision makers and great for the Big Country.

I'd definitely consider Abilene to be West Texas. As other posters have said, there's cheap land, relatively close to DFW, lots of wind and solar going in around it and there's a decent airport already there. I feel Abilene is the next Austin.

It's northeast of San Angelo which also isn't west Texas.

jja79 said:

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It's northeast of San Angelo which also isn't west Texas.

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Well, that's like your opinion, man!

As is yours. Where I'm from San Angelo was a 3 hour drive east which contributed to my opinion.

As long as you agree that Big Lake is in west Texas, I'm happy.

jja79 said:

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It's northeast of San Angelo which also isn't west Texas.

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According to Amon Carter, Fort Worth is where the West begins, and since Abilene is west of Fort Worth, you decide.

bqce said:

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jja79 said:

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It's northeast of San Angelo which also isn't west Texas.

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According to Amon Carter, Fort Worth is where the West begins, and since Abilene is west of Fort Worth, you decide.

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He was wrong.

Good point.

bqce said:

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Good point.

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bqce said:

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jja79 said:

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It's northeast of San Angelo which also isn't west Texas.

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According to Amon Carter, Fort Worth is where the West begins, and since Abilene is west of Fort Worth, you decide.

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Fort Worth is due north of Temple and NE of the geographic center of Texas. Is Temple west Texas? Of course not.

SW AG80 said:

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As long as you agree that Big Lake is in west Texas, I'm happy.

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My line is Highway 163 from Sterling City down to Barnhart to Ozina then Comstock. Big Lake is west of there. Obviously some have a different definition. What's yours?

Early in the thread about west Texas I described my west Texas

A line from Roby down through Sweetwater, to San Angelo down through Sonora to Del Rio. For the north boundary up to Snyder, over to Andrews. Seminole and Lamesa are more South Plains, not west Texas.

Trans Pecos area is far west Texas.

El Paso is New Mexico.

I finished the book "Claytie". Enjoyed it. My Ft. Stockton grandfather is mentioned in Ch 2. Claytie was a great Aggie and quite a character.

And how is the Golden Tor?

That's true, but Temple is just south of West, Texas.

bqce said:

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Good point.

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The phrase is more of a marketing slogan refering to the spirit of the "Old West", cowboy days. It has nothing to do with geography.

I'm aware of the marketing aspect of that phrase and Carter's extreme disdain for Dallas. My response wasn't serious. Neither was my last one about Temple and West, Texas. I thought we were just having a little fun, at least I was