Former ranch community fit for a “Midnight Cowboy”
Home to over 22,300 people, Big Spring is the largest community in Howard County and has been the county seat since 1882. Nearly 200 years ago, Big Spring was a haven for cowboys riding through on the Texas and Pacific Railroad. This legacy was immortalized in the opening shot of the Oscar-winning film “Midnight Cowboy,” which showcased the Big Spring landscape. In the modern day, the former ranch town is supported by jobs in healthcare and at the Delek oil refinery. Big Spring’s main draw is still its natural features, including the large spring at the base of Scenic Mountain, which gave the city its name. Views of the sunset over the bluffs along Comanche Trail or at Big Spring State Park continue to capture the imagination of anyone who visits. “Big Spring is in the middle of West Texas where the Old West still remains,” says Terri Telchik, a Big Spring native and facilities supervisor for the city. “Growth and possibilities are just as endless as the skyline.”
Sunsets over Big Spring State Park
Any time of day, the best views in the city are in Big Spring State Park. The park’s 3-mile paved trail, also called the Roman Road, wraps around a 200-foot bluff on Scenic Mountain that overlooks the entire city. “You can see for 14 miles straight. You can see your dog two weeks after he’s run away,” Telchik says. The park’s “Sunset Podiums” are some of the best viewing spots in the city for the show of red, orange and purple that sweeps across the horizon every day.
Orchestra concerts at the Comanche Trail Amphitheater
Comanche Trail Park is home to the city’s namesake Historic Spring. The 400-acre park also has a limestone amphitheater, an 18-hole golf course and a fishing lake. In December, the main trail is surrounded with thousands of lights shaped like poinsettias for the annual Festival of Lights, a Big Spring tradition since 1996. The amphitheater hosts the Big Spring Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Pops” concert in the summer. It is just one of the yearly orchestra performances across the city.
Custom homes built near Scenic Mountain
The area mostly features midcentury single-family homes, and plots of land also frequently come on the market. Plots with vantage points of Big Spring State Park or Comanche Trail Park are especially in demand for buyers looking to build custom homes. The city's median property price is $246,500, below the Texas median. Homes sell in an average of 62 days, compared to the national average of 45 days.
Big Spring ISD and Howard College
The city has private schools like Runnels Academy and New Hope Christian Academy and public options through Big Spring Independent School District. Big Spring ISD earns a C-plus from Niche. Howard College, a public community college, is based in town. The college operates the Southwest College for the Deaf, one of the only community college programs in the country designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
The historic Hotel Settles on Third Street
Big Spring’s small downtown district surrounds Third and Fourth streets with barbershops, thrift shops and restaurants serving Southern comfort food. One of downtown’s cornerstone restaurants is Big John’s Feed Lot, which won a Big Spring Herald Readers’ Choice award for its fish and shrimp special. The historic Hotel Settles is also in the center of downtown. The hotel is decorated in its original 1930s-era opulence, from velvet sofas in the Mezzanine Lobby to the gold inlaid ceilings of the Grand Ballroom.
Highways to Odessa, Abilene and Lubbock
Interstate 20 is a direct line between Odessa to the west and Abilene to the east, while U.S. Highway 87 is the fastest route to Lubbock. Big Spring has no public transportation, so cars are the primary mode of transportation. Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, 110 miles away, is one of the closest commercial airports.
High winds bring cold fronts to West Texas
Big Spring is windy year-round through the hot summer and cool winter. High winds often bring cold fronts from November to February.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Big Spring accounted for 70% of reported crimes in Howard County in 2022. That year, the city had a rate of 2,819 reported crimes for every 100,000 people.
Written By
Delaney Murray
Photography Contributed By
Debbie Giesbrecht
