[4] The Hale County portion of Abernathy is part of the Plainview micropolitan statistical area, while the Lubbock County portion is part of the Lubbock metropolitan area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km2), all land.

[4] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,865 people, 1,176 households, and 865 families residing in the city.

The Santa Fe Railroad wanted to follow a straight line from Plainview to Lubbock.

A straight-line survey was run and it went east of the present site of Abernathy.

Originally owned by John Y. Ligon, the section that was to become the Abernathy town site was purchased by J.C. Roberds from E.S.

On June 18, 1909, the official survey of the town site was recognized by Gov.

Mr. Monk was the resident agent for the company, and a small frame office building was built.

A two-story yellow hotel, a lumberyard, blacksmith shop, and three or four residences were some of the roughly 10 buildings moved.

These stubs denoted streets for the next few years, until a grader finally came in to run ditches.

Town residents had free range on the section, and their milk cows and horses and mules were turned loose to graze.

The stock would stray out of the section, and range cattle would come into town, when someone happened to leave the gates open.

The ladies had to stand guard at their clotheslines to keep the livestock from ruining their laundry.

When a load of feed was brought to town, the cattle and horses had to be chased away until it was unloaded in stack lots or barns.

Generally, gardens and cow lots were integral parts of each household.