Abilene seems okay, several institutes of higher learning plus the air force base. I sold my home in a Waco suburb last June for my asking price without a realtor. It was only on the market three weeks before it went under contract. You don’t see big jumps in value here, rather slow and steady increases. All in all I was happy with about a 20% increase over a five year period.
I am a Houston native and have only passed through those other cities. West Texas is bleak and depressing no matter if the towns are nice. I love the Texas hill country and Big Bend but everything in between is awful to look at.