Wylie is an unincorporated community in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The once predominantly rural area has developed into a suburbanbedroom community in recent years as the city of Abilene has expanded southward. A significant portion of Wylie now lies within the city limits of Abilene, although a few areas often associated with the community are located outside of the city and remain unincorporated. Though much of Wylie is now located within the far southern portion of Abilene, the area has retained a distinct identity through its school system, the Wylie Independent School District.
Wylie was named after J. J. Wylie, an early settler, who moved Taylor County in 1880. The first settlers farmed in the Wylie area beginning 1881, Wylie as a community did not develop until 1902, when John H. Vance arrived from Austin, Texas. Vance purchased several acres of land southwest of Abilene, and built the first general store. Vance included a residence attached at the back for his family. The structure was located on the southwest corner of what is now the intersection of Buffalo Gap Road and Antilley Road. The store was known as Vances Corner. That same year with the population growing, residents went to Mary V. Wylie, widow of J. J. Wylie, for assistance with a school and church. Mary donated land across the road to the north of the Vance store. The Wylie school district was designated in 1888, but records indicate that the school did not operate until 1902. In 1902, three prominent citizens contributed $120 apiece for the purchase of materials, and several residents got together to build a building for use as both a school and a church. In 1904, John Vance installed a post office in his store and named it Sambo, for "Brother Sam", his good friend and neighbor Sam Little. The Sambo post office operated from December 1904 until February 1912, when Abilene began rural postal delivery. By 1915, the student population outgrew its current building. In her donation of land, Mrs. Wylie stipulated that the name of the school be changed to Wylie, in honor of her late husband. The citizens accepted her terms and voted for a $3,000 bond issue. A two-story plank building was constructed in 1916 and named Wylie School. Between 1950 and 1986, Wylie's population more than tripled due to the tremendous growth in southwest Abilene. In the 1980s, land development caused property valuations to increase more than ten-fold. This growth brought affluent subdivisions such as the Fairway Oaks Country Club and the Mall of Abilene to the area.
