Western Edge

Abilene is a quiet, suburban-looking city of about 125,000 that’s home to 3 Christian universities, an Air Force base, and a popular children’s book festival and museum. One dispute about the city is whether it counts as West Texas, and according to a totally scientific and statistically significant Instagram poll I ran, 68% of 552 respondents stated that Abilene does, in fact, count as West Texas.

It’s also home to some good ole dive bars and the most interesting one I came across was the Western Edge. To start, the cowboy-themed facade is exactly what you want and need from a bar in these parts. The interior is pretty roomy and there’s pool tables, a covered patio, and karaoke at night. One interesting feature is there’s a garage door behind the bar, leading me to believe the back of the place was built as an addition.

Overall, it looks like a great spot for a get-together or birthday party, if the regulars and bartender will let you have a good time, that is. That’s because this was the site of a stabbing that showed up on the news.

Does this mean it’s a dangerous place? Maybe! But it’s not a guarantee. One of my favorite bars of all time had a stabbing happen. Ask any ER worker and they’ll tell you stabbings are more common than you’d think. So just keep that in mind (or bring your own knife) before visiting. Good luck!

From the news:

“Court documents say the victim was at the Western Edge Bar in Abilene when a female (later identified as Miller) began to argue with his girlfriend.

The argument escalated to a fight, and when the victim asked two men behind him for help breaking it up, the documents say the men began punching the victim.

He soon realized he was being stabbed then collapsed, according to the documents, which say he was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery.

Witnesses were able to identify all three suspects accused in the assault.”

Jacob Adam Garcia was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the stabbing, which included “at least” 8 stabs with a “6-8 inch” knife. Gracia and accomplices were wearing Villista shirts—a support group for the Banditos motorcycle club.