It is situated in the grasslands of the Texas Panhandle, and is surrounded by dense prairie. The city has events and attractions honoring the cowboy and Texas culture. Another part of Amarillo's sporting history was its roots in professional wrestling. Though urbanization, agricultural farming, and construction have occurred over the last century in and around Amarillo, the native grasslands that dominate this region have remained largely untouched. Singer Lacey Brown of Amarillo advanced to the top 24 in season 8 on the hit show American Idol. North of downtown the highway becomes US 87 & 287 and continues northward to Dumas, Texas.[64]. Also located in Amarillo, the 113-year-old West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) is home to an international faculty and over 8,000 students. World War II led the establishment of Amarillo Army Air Field in east Amarillo and the nearby Pantex Army Ordnance Plant, which produced bombs and ammunition. The City of Amarillo also operates recycling collection centers, one located near the downtown area and four at fire stations in the city. Amarillo is also mentioned in the song "Route 66". Several country songs have touted the inexplicable draw of Amarillo. The Amarillo mountains are really a thing, and they're kind of confusing. Teams in competition prepare a feast of breaded beef cutlets, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and sourdough biscuits and attempt to duplicate the food served on western cattle trails of the 1860s and 1870s. Due to the lake's low water level, water is now only supplied by the aquifer. [81] The nonprofit community theater group, Amarillo Little Theatre, has its season run from September to May. The chief city of the Texas Panhandle, Amarillo is located on a sandy playa, or dry lake bed, and the tawny colour of its soil lends the city its name (Spanish: Yellow). Discovery of natural gas in 1918 and oil three years later brought oil and gas companies to the Amarillo area. The city encompasses 99.48 sqm in both, Potter and Randall Counties. Route 66 Motor Speedway, a 3/8 mile clay, high-bank oval track, sits east of the city. These vintage postcards of Palo Duro Canyon are a true look into the past. Beef production remains one of the largest industries in the Panhandle, producing 88% of Texas' beef and 30% of the nation's beef. The airport is served by several major air carriers with non-stop service to Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas. The organization is headquartered in Amarillo and has a museum. Other members include the Amarillo's public schools, Amarillo College, Canyon Area Library, Lovett Memorial Library in Pampa, Texas, and Hutchinson County Library in Borger, Texas. Amarillo was hit by the Dust Bowl and entered an economic depression. You start pointing out landmarks and things you recognize. Greyhound Bus provides daily commercial service to Amarillo. There is also an American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame exhibited in the museum. Sanborn also offered to trade lots in the new location to businesses in the original city's site and help with the expense of moving to new buildings. Over 23 bus routes criss-cross the area. The City of Amarillo is providing this information as a public service. Nicknamed "The Grand Canyon of Texas," it is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 6,000 feet deep. The median age was 34.1 years. The mountains are home to numerous working ranches and quarry operations, the state reformatory, recreational homes and campsites, and scenic parklands. The state park preserves a 15-mile segment, comprising 28,000 acres of rugged topography. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine in Amarillo, Harrington Cancer Center, and Texas Oncology-Amarillo have added significantly to the prestige of the medical community. The eastern end of the mountains offers 1,000 feet (305 m) of topographic relief in a region otherwise dominated by gently rolling grasslands. Like most of the Texas Panhandle, Amarillo has a temperate semi-arid climate (Kppen climate classification BSk). The first Mrs. Thompson, May Peterson Thompson, a former Metropolitan Opera singer, was involved in the arts while in Amarillo and later when the couple lived in Austin. One thing you don't account for however is something looking bigger or smaller than you seemed to think it was. Amarillo is simple to navigate. [110], According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 23.3% of all adults aged 25 and older have obtained a bachelor's degree, and 85% a high school diploma or equivalent from 2016 to 2020.[59]. [37], Amarillo's historic homes and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places reflect the economic growth from around 1900 to the start of World War II. Visit The Amarillo Civic Center for indoor stage productions home to the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra and the Lone Star Ballet. ETA: The Simms building is where the city health clinic (for city employees) and 911, police, sheriff, fire and ems dispatch are located. In 2021, about 0.1% of Amarillo's residents identified with Judaism and 2.1% were Muslim. Large ranches exist in the Amarillo area; among others, the defunct XIT Ranch and the still functioning JA Ranch founded in 1877 by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair. While the fossil fuel industry, including oil, gas, and helium, remains supportive of the area, the availability of jobs related to renewable energy increases. Early residents originally pronounced the city's name more similar to the Spanish pronunciation /mrijo/ ah-m-REE-yoh, which was later displaced by the current pronunciation. at the Canyon E-Way Interchange to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The musical depicts a story about the history of Texas Panhandle settlers throughout the years. Spend a day strolling through the shops, including the Downtown Women's Center. Surrounded by prairie grass and nestled at an altitude of 3,671 ft., the region receives about 19.5 inches of precipitation annually including 3 inches of snow. That doesn't mean that Amarillo doesn't have mountains. 15-Day Forecast [Updated: Feb 28 2023 / 03:22 PM CST ] Day. Local millionaire Stanley Marsh 3 funded many public art projects in the city including the Cadillac Ranch, located west of Amarillo on Interstate 40, a monument of painted Cadillac automobiles that were dug into the ground head first. [28] The city's original street layout was set up by William H. Bush, beginning at the west end of the town moving to the east. Amarillo is also home to the Venom, a professional indoor football team charter members of the Champions Indoor Football league. Christie's version, which only managed to reach 18 when originally released in 1971, made it to the number 1 spot in the UK Singles Chart in 2005 for 7 weeks. And, as the stars come out, this quiet little city comes alive. Think about ice ages, volcanic eruptions, earthquakesand not to mention the Texas panhandle wind that I'm pretty sure could blow a mountain over on the right day. [129], Buffalo Airport is a public-use general aviation airport located in Randall County, 9 nautical miles (10mi; 17km) south of Amarillo's central business district. Located on the campus of West Texas A&M University, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum claims to be the largest historical museum in Texas. The Amarillo metropolitan area covers four counties: Armstrong, Carson, Potter, and Randall. Amarillo, TX 10-Day Weather Forecast - The Weather Channel | Weather.com 10 Day Weather - Amarillo, TX As of 11:38 am CST Today 64/ 34 0% Fri 03 | Day 64 SSW 12 mph Sunny. In her later years, she lived in the Herring Hotel, owned by Ernest Thompson, and was often known informally as "Miss Amarillo".[113]. And in Amarillo, there is plenty of football to go around. And the Harrington Cancer Center Complex is an expanding specialized medical complex that operates in conjunction with Texas Tech University. But, the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum is also home to the North American Hockey League team, the Raging Bulls. Popular . [61] Baptists made up 40.2% of the Christian population and Catholics were 13.3% of the local population. Notable Amarilloans include actress Ann Doran (19112000), old-style journalist Bascom N. Timmons, the Dory Funk wrestling family, former UFC Champions Heath Herring and Evan Tanner, astronaut Rick Husband, professional golfer Ryan Palmer, rockabilly pioneer Buddy Knox, actress Carolyn Jones, actress and dancer Cyd Charisse, actor and poet Harry Northup, State Senator Max Sherman, Republican state chairman Tom Mechler, politicians Beau Boulter and John Marvin Jones, businessman T. Boone Pickens, Jr., singer-songwriter J. D. Souther, gambler Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston, soldier and interior decorator Clyde Kenneth Harris, and music artist and composer Terry Stafford ("Amarillo by Morning"; "Suspicion"). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [119] The movie Bomb City is based on the events surrounding Deneke's murder. The Palo Duro Canyon is the second-largest canyon system in the United States. Bush named the north to south streets for past United States presidents, in chronological order except for John Quincy Adams because the surname was taken with the second president, John Adams. The city was the home of the Double-A Amarillo Gold Sox Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League off and on from 1939 to 1982. I'm always down for a good brain challenge. [26] The city is situated near the Panhandle Field, in a productive gas and oil area, covering 200,000 acres (81,000ha) in Hartley, Potter, Moore, Hutchinson, Carson, Gray, Wheeler, and Collingsworth Counties. Interstate 27 highway connecting Lubbock to Amarillo was built mostly during the 1980s.[11]. [148] Increased rainfall in recent years[when?] The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is a 24-team league from Alaska to Texas for pre-collegiate 16- to 20-year-olds. For other uses, see, Location within Potter and Randall Counties, with Potter to the north, 7910179111, 79114, 7911679121, 7912379124, 79159, 79163, 7916679168, 7917179172, 79174, 79178, 79182, 79185, 79187, 79189, This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. Used to be a military base close to where the airport is was told that the actual base goes many levels underground. [130], Local transit services in the city have been available since 1925 and have been provided through the City of Amarillo's Amarillo City Transit (ACT) department since 1966; before that time the system was privately owned. Siemens Government Technologies also operates in Amarillo, providing technological solutions for infrastructure, energy, and healthcare. The airport covers 40 acres (16ha) and has two grass runways. [73] Amazon, Asset Protection Unit, and Texas Tech University Vet School were named some major organizations contributing to the city and metropolitan area's economic growth. [121][122], On May 5, 2020, Amarillo ranked 13th in the nation for Highest Average Daily Growth Rate of COVID-19 cases by the New York Times.[123]. Amarillo has celebrated National CleanUp Day on the third Saturday of September annually since 2018.[25]. The closest Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagan meeting officially advertised is located a 5-hour plus drive in Denton, TX despite there being a UU congregation in Amarillo it does not host a CUUPs chapater. Nate Blakeslee. [147], Drinking water is provided by the City of Amarillo and its Utilities Division. Amarillo is infamous for its unpredictable weather patterns, with massive temperature changes on a daily basis, raging winds, devastating hailstorms and "northers", long periods of drought, late frosts, spring tornadoes, dust-storms, and floods. The meat packing industry is a major employer in Amarillo;[66] about one-quarter of the United States' beef supply is processed in the area. Driving Distance from Amarillo 2 hours, 25 minutes. [93] During high school football season, the Amarillo Independent School District schools' home games are in Dick Bivins Stadium which had a $5.7million renovation in 2005. The United States government, through the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, provided the funding to build the facility, while the Texas government will run it after construction is completed. West Texas A&M University, a regional university headquartered in nearby Canyon, has a campus building in downtown Amarillo. The role of the commission is to pass ordinances and resolutions, adopt regulations, and appoint city officials, including the city manager. The Amarillo metropolitan area is the 180th-largest in the United States with a population of 236,113 in four counties: Armstrong, Carson, Potter, and Randall. [139][140], Amarillo is home to medical facilities including Baptist St. Anthony's and Northwest Texas Hospitals, the Don & Sybil Harrington Cancer Center, Bivins Memorial Nursing Home, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech School of Pharmacy, and Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation. She returned to the show again in season 9 and advanced to the top 12 but was eliminated from the program on March 17, 2010. West Texas A&M University features a full slate of NCAA Division II teams; however, Amarillo College is one of the few community colleges in Texas without an athletic program. Amarillo's water supply used to come from both from Lake Meredith and the Ogallala Aquifer. Palo Duro Canyon State Park, 30 miles southeast of the city, offers hiking, biking, horseback riding, and zip-lining. Other publications include a local monthly magazine dealing with city and regional issues in the Amarillo area called, Accent West and a daily online paper, The Amarillo Pioneer. Venom plays their games at the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum throughout the summer. In addition to sculptures scattered throughout Center City, some Points of Interest include: 1) The Bivin's Home, located at 1000 S. Polk. It's a deceptive altitude increase when coming from Oklahoma City. While the streets running northsouth honor past presidents and are designated 'streets', eastwest streets are numbered and are designated 'avenues'. The four acres of the Mary E. Bivins Tropical Conservatory offer lush gardens and seasonally themed activities and classes. has helped the lake regain much of its volume. [47] Amarillo is also recorded as the windiest city in the U.S. by the Weather Channel. It is considered by many as a mecca for culture and creators not just a stop off of I-40. Pantex is about 20 miles from downtown Amarillo. You may recognize quite a few of the iconic landmarks found in the canyon, but there's still others that you just might have not seen yet! [103], The United States Postal Service operates the Amarillo Main Post Office. Basically underneath us, a long long way underneath us, there is a section of the Earth's mantle that we don't know much about; other than that when there are deep earthquakes the shock waves give off some really interesting readings. The BNSF Railway complex in Amarillo continues to serve a heavy daily traffic load, approximately 100110 trains per day. The Amarillo area is an outdoor playground. The Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument provides for a fascinating day of exploration. The median homeowner costs with a mortgage were $1,272 and without a mortgage $479. [9], The city of Amarillo, originally named Oneida, is situated in the Llano Estacado region. The BSA facility, opened in 1985, was the first free-standing hospice west of the Mississippi River to be built and opened without debt.[144]. All are located in the Harrington Regional Medical Center, the first specifically designated city hospital district in Texas. The cost of eating out is comparable to most Texas cities. Amarillo residents Dory Funk, Stanley Blackburn and Doc Sarpolis promoted the territory for several decades. [8] The Amarillo-Pampa-Borger combined statistical area had an estimated population of 308,297 as of 2020. In 1951, the army air base was reactivated as Amarillo Air Force Base and expanded to accommodate a Strategic Air Command B-52 Stratofortress wing. The city commission holds its regular meetings on Tuesday of each week. Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. Which Texas And Oklahoma Towns Are Really Route 66 Ghost Towns. The Tri-State Fair-PRCA Rodeo and supportive industries remain major employers within Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle. "[11] Near the proximity of the Discovery Center, the Amarillo Botanical Gardens has gardens, indoor exhibits, and a library for visitation throughout the year. Fall is considered the best season in Amarillo, with its cool, crisp mornings and warm, lazy afternoons. Go ahead and try to see how many you can guess correctly! Amarillo, Texas, is the pride of the Texas Panhandle. Much of the area around the city includes working ranches. Thompson instituted a major capital-improvements project and worked to reduce utility rates. What to Know Before Moving to Midland, Texas, What to Know Before Moving to Houston, Texas, Restaurants, Breweries, and Bars in Amarillo, Cost of Living in Amarillo, Texas - PayScale.com, Cost of Living Calculator Amarillo, Texas - Salary.com, Amarillo, Texas Cost of Living - AreaVibes.com, Amarillo 10-day Weather Forecast - Weather.com, Average Weather in Amarillo - WeatherSpark.com, List of Major Weather Events near Amarillo - Weather.gov, Amarillo Commuting Times - BestPlaces.net, Amarillo Drive Time Map - ViaMichelin.com, Amarillo Road Construction News - Amarillo.gov, Amarillo Independent School District (AISD), TEXAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION CONSUMER PROTECTION NOTICE, TEXAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION INFORMATION ABOUT BROKERAGE SERVICES, Professional and educational opportunities, Jeans and boots are the standard dress code, Minimal traffic provides easy access to major freeways. Amarillo's downtown is thrift central. [95][96] Amarillo's commission is composed of five elected commissioners, one of whom is the mayor of the city. Four separate school districts combine to form Amarillo schools. [22] The arrival of servicemen and their families ended the city's depression. Swinford retired in January 2011 and was succeeded by fellow Republican Four Price, who is the current representative. The canyon is a prominent mountain biking destination and hosts the annual 50-mile Palo Duro Canyon Trail Run. [19] The U.S. National Helium Reserve is stored in the Bush Dome Reservoir at the Cliffside facility. The so named Amarillo Mountains are a range of granite mountains that run from northwest to southeast thru the Amarillo, TX area. [128] The airport was named after NASA astronaut Rick Husband, an Amarillo native and commander of the final flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-107, which disintegrated on re-entry, killing Husband and his crewmates. One example of the numbering difference regards the former U.S. Highway 66 routing west of downtown and into the San Jacinto neighborhood. The location of this facility also gave rise to the nickname "Bomb City". From 1978 to 2002, the Junior League of Amarillo and the city of Amarillo's Parks and Recreation Department co-sponsored Funfest, a family entertainment festival, benefiting the city parks and the league's Community Chest Trust Fund. The city became a grain elevator, milling, and feed-manufacturing center after an increase in production of wheat and small grains during the early 1900s. The Eastridge neighborhood houses many immigrants from countries such as Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. This of course means they're very, very old. In the final settlement, the City of Amarillo agreed to pay $5million in damages to the former Tulia defendants; disband the Panhandle Regional Narcotics Task Force that it set up to oversee the sting operation; and require early retirement for two Amarillo Police Department officers who were responsible for supervising the sting's sole undercover agent. [35][36] The Santa Fe Building, completed in 1930, was the regional offices of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, but was vacant for several years until Potter County bought the building for $426,000 in 1995 to gain new office spaces. A hamburger costs around $8, and a movie night for two will cost about $25. [11], The United States government bought the Cliffside Gas Field with high helium content in 1927 and the Federal Bureau of Mines began operating the Amarillo Helium plant two years later. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. The Pantex Plant was reopened in 1950 and produced nuclear weapons throughout the Cold War.[11]. Bell Helicopter Textron opened a helicopter assembly plant near the city's international airport in 1999.[64]. Amarillo has been mentioned in popular music such as George Strait's "Amarillo by Morning" by Paul Fraser and Terry Stafford (Stafford did his original version before Strait did his own cover), Mark Chesnutt's Blame It on Texas, Nat King Cole's "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66", Bob Dylan's "Brownsville Girl" (Amarillo was referred to as the "land of the living dead"), Rob Zombie's "Two Lane Blacktop", "Amarillo Sky" by Jason Aldean, "A Quick Death In Texas" by Clutch, Marty Robbin's "Running Gun", and the song "Is This the Way to Amarillo" written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, recorded famously by Yorkshireman Tony Christie and Sedaka, and revived in the UK by comedian Peter Kay through performances in the comedy series Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights and in a charity performance for Comic Relief. The Amarillo area is an outdoor playground. So away we went. A helipad is available. Known as the United States' third windiest city, the constant breeze makes even the hottest days bearable and contributes to Amarillo's suitability for wind farm development. Amarillo's well-regarded orchestra makes these old walls sing with Symphony Underground events, and we found a display of Mondrian-ish color-block paintings that made an interesting contrast with the 1949 Art Deco building's curved lines. [124][125] In 2010, Damon Albarn wrote the song "Amarillo" whilst on tour in America with the Gorillaz, although it is not known to what extent the song is reference to the city. Former residents Evander "Ziggy" Hood and Montrel Meander are in the National Football League. [10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 90.3 square miles (234km2), with 89.9sqmi (233km2) of it land and 0.4sqmi (1.0km2) of it (0.50%) covered by water. [87] Outside of the building is a steel structure called the Helium Monument which has time capsules and designates Amarillo the "Helium Capital of the World. [97], As the seat of Potter County, the city is the location of the county's trial, civil, and criminal courts. Funk's sons, Dory Funk, Jr., and Terry Funk were both National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champions and represented Amarillo. The tornado, shortly after 8 pm, ripped through Amarillo's most densely populated areas, demolishing almost half of the city, causing catastrophic damage and loss of life. The streets in Amarillo's downtown area conform to a grid pattern. The Amarillo Mountains are underground. There's a solid chance that if you're reading this, you're more than likely in the Texas panhandle. If you can't, you pay $72 for the experience. [114] The American Quarter Horse Association publishes two monthly publications, The American Quarter Horse Journal and The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, HISPANIC Newspaper El Mensajero owned by Dr. Ramon Godoy started printing in 1989. The Amarillo Mountains are underground. At least, that's what's going on according to these guys. Winter in the Panhandle is harsh. If so, you know that the panhandle of the Lone Star State isn't know for snow capped peaks. Due to the lack of developed drainage, much of the rainfall either evaporates, infiltrates into the ground, or accumulates in playa lakes. Amarillo's largest parks are Medical Park, Thompson Memorial Park, and Memorial Park, near Amarillo College's Washington Street Campus. The depth from land surface to the base of the aquifer can range from the land surface to as much as 1000 feet below surface.

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