Amarillo, Texas is the main city of the Texas Panhandle – an area whose size is similar to the entire state of Virginia. With a population of 192,000, Amarillo counts as a major city for all of Texas, ranking 15th among its largest cities. Despite this, Amarillo retains a rural character and feel. The city's air is ranked among the cleanest in the country, and Amarillo is surrounded by some of the busiest ranchland in the United States. When moving to Amarillo, you can take advantage of these characteristics and more.
Economy:
Amarillo was founded on the basis of cattle ranching, and the cattle industry still remains a major part of the city's economy. With more than five million cattle fed annually, Amarillo's ranches and feedlots produce 25 percent of all beef consumed in the United States. Ranching and agriculture together result in a $4 billion per year industry, employing over 33,000 locally. Other major industries include oil and gas production, precious metals refining and military manufacture. Two major military manufacturing plants – Bell Helicopter Textron and Pantex – employ many in the Amarillo area. Other significant employers include Tyson Foods, the Amarillo Independent School District, the Baptist St. Anthony's Health Care System, the City of Amarillo, Northwest Texas Healthcare System, Amarillo College and United Supermarkets.
History:
Although Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Coronado explored the Amarillo area in 1541, permanent settlement in the area did not begin until the end of the 19th century. In 1876, Colonel Charles Goodnight, the inventor of the chuck wagon, started a ranch with 1600 head of cattle in what would become Amarillo. J.T. Berry chose the actual town site in April of 1887, choosing an area with good access to water along the under-construction railroad tracks. The town became the Potter County seat later that same year. One year later, Henry B. Sanborn and Joseph F. Glidden purchased land east to the east of Amarillo and proposed moving the town. Following flooding in 1889, the proposal was approved, and the county seat position transferred to the new site. Non-agricultural industries grew in Amarillo with the discovery of natural gas (1918) and oil (1921), and the town's proximity to the railroad continued its position as a major center for the region. Industrial growth and the opening of the Amarillo Air Force base led to the city's emergence from the Depression, although the base's closure in 1968 renewed economic hardship for some time. Today Amarillo moving companies are very busy shuffling in new residents every day.
Tourism:
As the region's principal city, Amarillo is host to many of the cultural and recreational attractions of the Texas Panhandle. The city is home to multiple museums, including the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum (the largest history museum in Texas), the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum and the Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian. Performance art is also strong in the city, with ballet, opera, symphony companies that put on performances throughout the year. Other attractions in and around Amarillo include the Palo Duro Canyon (30 miles south of the city and the country's second-largest canyon), the Wonderland Amusement Park and the Amarillo Zoo. For shopping, the downtown area along the historic Route 66 provides specialty shopping, antiques and restaurants. You can reach Amarillo by air at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, offering non-stop flights to Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Denver and Las Vegas. Within Amarillo, the Amarillo City Transit System offers local bus service.