Big Spring, TX Area Guide

The Settles Hotel, a restored 1930 landmark on Main Street, is one of the most recognizable pieces of Big Spring's architectural past still standing and actively used today. Its ornate exterior and Art Deco details are hard to miss, and the building's history as the social and commercial center of the city during the Permian Basin oil boom is visible in every floor of its renovation. The Howard County Courthouse is another enduring structure from that era, and the Potton-Hayden House, a Victorian-era home listed on the National Register of Historic Places, offers a glimpse into the city's late 19th-century residential character. The Hangar 25 Air Museum, housed in a fully restored World War II-era hangar on the grounds of what was once the Big Spring Army Air Force Bombardier School and later Webb Air Force Base, connects residents to a significant chapter in the city's military heritage. The Heritage Museum of Big Spring offers rotating exhibits on local and regional history in a 13,000-square-foot facility. Each September, the Big Spring Symphony Orchestra performs at the historic 1,400-seat Municipal Auditorium, which has been a cultural anchor for the community for decades.

Big Spring's restaurant scene is built around hearty, no-frills cooking with a strong Texas barbecue and Tex-Mex presence. Slow-smoked brisket, beef ribs, and sausage links are easy to find, as are Tex-Mex staples like enchiladas, fajitas, carne guisada, and fresh flour tortillas. Several local spots have been operating for well over two decades, serving the kinds of combination plates and weekend specials that keep regulars coming back. Mexican and Mexican-American cuisines are particularly well-represented, reflecting the city's deep cultural ties to northern Mexican and border cooking traditions. Beyond barbecue and Tex-Mex, the dining landscape includes American diner-style spots and fast-food chains along the commercial corridors near Interstate 20. For a town of its size, Big Spring offers enough variety to cover daily meals without making a long drive. Local favorites tend to rely on family recipes and generous portions rather than trend-driven menus, which suits the pace of the city just fine.

Big Spring is built for the car. Interstate 20 runs along the northern edge of the city, connecting drivers to Midland and Odessa about 40 miles to the west and to Abilene roughly 108 miles to the east. U.S. Highway 87 cuts through the center of town and extends north toward Lubbock and southeast toward San Angelo. State Highways 176 and 350 also serve the area. Getting around within the city is straightforward, with a grid-style street layout and minimal traffic congestion on most routes. Public transportation options within Big Spring are limited, as is typical for smaller West Texas cities. Most residents rely on personal vehicles for daily commutes and errands. The McMahon-Wrinkle Airpark, located on the former Webb Air Force Base grounds, provides general aviation access. For commercial flights, Midland International Air & Space Port, about 40 miles west via I-20, is the closest full-service commercial airport.

Comanche Trail Park is the largest and most-used green space in Big Spring, covering 400 acres near the southwestern part of the city. The park includes an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, baseball fields, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, and a network of hike-and-bike trails. It also contains a 6,900-seat limestone amphitheater and the restored big spring itself, the natural water source the city was named for, now fed by Comanche Trail Lake. The setting, tucked between a small hill and Scenic Mountain, gives the park a more varied terrain than you might expect in this part of West Texas. Big Spring State Park sits just minutes from the city center on the slopes of Scenic Mountain and offers hiking trails, wildlife viewing, and panoramic views of the surrounding plains. For water recreation, Moss Creek Lake is a 400-acre area southeast of the city with a beach swimming area, playground, dirt-bike course, and RV camping with full hookups. The Civilian Conservation Corps-built picnic pavilion at Big Spring State Park, constructed in the 1930s, is still in use and worth a look for its craftsmanship.

Average rent in Big Spring runs around $954 per month for a one-bedroom unit and approximately $1,261 for a two-bedroom, according to available data. These figures sit below the Texas statewide average of roughly $983 for a one-bedroom. Cost of living index data specific to Big Spring is limited, but housing costs and general expenses in smaller West Texas cities tend to fall well below the national average. The local economy is tied closely to the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin, as well as healthcare, education through Howard College, and government services including the George H. O'Brien, Jr. VA Medical Center, which is one of the area's larger employers.

Shopping in Big Spring is concentrated along the commercial corridors near Interstate 20 and along Main Street in the older downtown area. The Big Spring Marketplace and Coronado Plaza are the primary retail hubs, offering a mix of national chain stores, grocery options, and service-oriented businesses. The downtown core has seen ongoing revitalization efforts through the Downtown Revitalization Association, and a handful of locally owned shops and service businesses fill the storefronts along and near Main Street. For larger shopping needs, many residents make the roughly 40-mile drive west to Midland, where a broader selection of retail, dining, and specialty stores is available. Within Big Spring, the commercial strips near the interstate handle most everyday retail needs, from home goods and clothing to auto parts and grocery staples.

Big Spring is a Permian Basin city with surprising range: a restored 1930 Art Deco hotel, a World War II air museum, a 400-acre city park named for the natural spring that put the town on the map, and wide-open skies that draw hang gliders from across the country every year.