Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is a city located in Texas, USA and is part of the West Texas region. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 173,627; however its MSA population is now estimated at well over 200,000. It is the county seat of Potter County⁶ and a portion the city extends to Randall County. The famous Route 66 passes through Amarillo. Amarillo's name derives from the nearby Amarillo Lake and Amarillo Creek, named in turn for the yellow soil along their banks and shores (Amarillo is the Spanish word for yellow, the color).

History

Amarillo, Texas Cadillac Ranch

• 1541 - A Spanish conquistador named Francisco Coronado was the first European to visit the Amarillo region.
• 1887 - Amarillo was founded.
• 1913 - Amarillo is the first Texas city to use the council-manager form of government. ^[1]
• 1918 - The discovery of oil in the Texas Panhandle brought oil and gas companies to the region.
• 1929 - The Amarillo Helium Plant started operations.
• 1934 - Amarillo was hit by the infamous Dust Bowl.
• 1950s to 1960s - Amarillo's population grew 85 percent, from 74,443 to 137,969.
• 1968 - The closure of the Amarillo Air Force Base, contributed to the decline in population to 127,010 by 1970.
• 1980 - The population of Amarillo reached to 149,230 and its city limits encompassed 60 square miles in Potter and Randall counties.
• 2000 - The population of Amarillo reached 173,627. (The city's estimated population in July of 2002 was 177,010, a 1.9% rise from the 2000 census figure, and the most recent estimate available.) The Amarillo MSA is estimated at well over 200,000.

Geography

Amarillo is located at 35°11'57" North, 101°50'43" West (35.199252, -101.845163)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 233.9 km² (90.3 mi²). 232.7 km² (89.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.50% water.

Economy

Downtown Amarillo, 2005

Amarillo is an economic hub serving portions of five states. One known as the "Helium Capital of the World", Amarillo lies just south of the heart of one America's most productive natural gas fields and is in the middle of the most concentrated beef producing areas in the United States. As the dairy industry flees California, Amarillo serves what is fast becoming a major milk producing area as many multi million dollar state of the art dairies are built west of the city. Other major employers include Bell Textron (final assembly point of the V-22 Osprey hyrid aircraft and future site of Marine One assembly), Owens Corning (a fiberglass plant), Tyson Fresh Meats Plant, and the Pantex nuclear weapons plant.

Amarillo is also home to major medical facilities including Baptist St. Anthony's and Northwest Texas Hospitals and the Harrington Cancer Center. All three are located in the Harrington Regional Medical Center, one of the largest land masses in the United States dedicated to health care.

The city is also surrounded by farmers with wheat and irrigated corn as the main crops. In the past Amarillo was home to a U.S. Air Force base that was closed on December 31, 1968.

Airport

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport is located in Amarillo, and was named after the Amarillo native Rick Husband, who died aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The airport is served by Soutwest Airlines, Continental Express, and American Eagle, with non stop service to Dallas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, ABQ and Las Vegas.

List of major freeways & highways

• Interstate 27
• Interstate 40
• U.S. Highway 60
• U.S. Highway 87
• U.S. Highway 287

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 173,627 people, 67,699 households, and 45,764 families residing in the city. The population density is 746.0/km² (1,932.1/mi²). There are 72,408 housing units at an average density of 311.1/km² (805.8/mi²). Given Amarillo's growth rate, however, the numbers have increased, and the MSA population is now well over 225,000.

The racial makeup of the city is 77.50% White, 5.97% African American, 0.78% Native American, 2.05% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 11.32% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. 21.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 67,699 households out of which 33.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% are married couples living together, 12.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% are non-families. 27.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.53 and the average family size is 3.10.

In the city the population is spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $34,940, and the median income for a family is $42,536. Males have a median income of $31,321 versus $22,562 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,621. 14.5% of the population and 11.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Sites of interest

The Amarillo Museum of Art at the campus of Amarillo College.

Amarillo is the home of The Big Texan, which was made famous by offering visitors a free 72 ounce (2 kg) beef steak if they eat it in under an hour.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park is America's second largest canyon, after the Grand Canyon. The canyon is located south of Amarillo.

In Palo Duro Canyon, an outdoor musical called Texas Legacies plays nightly during the summer.

Near I-40, the Cadillac Ranch is a monument of painted Cadillac automobiles that were dug into the ground head first funded by local artist Stanley Marsh 3.

The Amarillo Museum of Art is located in the campus of Amarillo College. It underwent a major renovation in early 2004.

Notable natives

• Terry Funk
• Rick D. Husband
• Carolyn Jones
• Paul Lockhart
• Stanley Marsh 3
• Amarillo Slim
• J.D. Souther
• Ron Ely (Tarzan)

Colleges and universities

The Classroom Center building at the campus of West Texas A&M University in nearby Canyon, Texas.

Amarillo has 2 higher education institutions. Amarillo College is a two-year fully-accredited community college with over 10,000 students. Wayland Baptist University, a private university which is based in Plainview, has a branch campus in Amarillo but only offers one degree program in general eduacation.[2] West Texas A&M University which is in nearby Canyon, Texas is the primary mecca for higher eduacation in Amarillo Metro, and Texas Panhandle . Amarillo is the largest city in Texas with out a substantial 4-year degree granting institution. Which has unfortunately contributed to Amarillo's title as the second most uneducated city in the United States, of any city over 150,000. Roughly only 14 percent of all adults over 25 in Amarillo have obtained a Bachelor's degree.

Sports teams

The city is home to the indoor minor league football team called the Amarillo Dusters, which play in the AF2. There is also the Amarillo Gorillas which is part of the Central Hockey League. Amarillo, formerly home of the AA Amarillo Gold Sox and the independent Amarillo Dillas, is now without a profesional baseball team.

West Texas A&M 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.

Media and journalism

Amarillo's primary newspaper is the Amarillo Globe-News.

Television stations

• See: List of television stations in Texas.

Amarillo featured in entertainment

• Cast Away - Tom Hanks' character was near the Amarillo part of I-40.
• George Strait - Had a country hit called "Amarillo By Morning."
• The Grapes of Wrath - The Joad Family passed Amarillo during their trip.
• "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66" - popular jazz song written by Bobby Troup and sung by Nat King Cole in 1946.
• "Is This the Way to Amarillo?" - song written by Howard Greenfield, recorded famously by Yorkshireman Tony Christie and Neil Sedaka, and revived by Peter Kay through performances in comedy series Phoenix Nights and in a charity performance for Comic Relief. The song, which only managed to reach 18th place when originally released, made it to the Number 1 spot in the UK Singles Chart in 2005 for 7 weeks, knocked off the top spot by Akon.
• The Plutonium Circus - 1995 documentary film about the Pantex facility.
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - At the end of the film, Indy, Henry, Sallah, and Marcus ride off into the sunset. Shot on a cattle ranch near the city.

References

^  "COUNCIL-MANAGER FORM OF CITY GOVERNMENT." The Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed on May 30, 2005.

• "AMARILLO, TEXAS." The Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed on May 15, 2005.