Amarillo Texas: Encyclopedia - Amarillo Texas

Amarillo, Texas

Location within the state of Texas

Amarillo is the county seat of Potter County^GR6 in the U.S. state of Texas within the West Texas region. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 173,627 (though a July 1, 2004 estimate placed the city's population at 180,791). The Amarillo metropolitan area, however, has an estimated population of 236,113 in four counties.

The city'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).

Amarillo has the famous Route 66 (now U.S. Highway 66) as it passes through the city.

Amarillo Texas - History

• 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 210,000.

Amarillo Texas - Geography

Amarillo is located at 35°11'57" North, 101°50'43" West (35.199252, -101.845163)^GR1.

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.

Amarillo Texas - Demographics

As of the census^GR2 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.

Amarillo Texas - Economy

Amarillo is a vibrant economic hub serving portions of five states. Once 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 Helicopter Textron (final assembly point of the V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft and future site of Marine One assembly), Owens Corning (fiberglass plant), Tyson Fresh Meats Plant, Asarco (copper plant), and the Pantex nuclear weapons plant. Amarillo National Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in America not operated by a major multi-state bank. The city is also home to Amarillo Design Bureau Inc., which maintains and develops various game systems, background material and miniatures for the Star Fleet Universe.

The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation is funded by a city sales tax, and it provides aggressive incentive packages to existing and prospective employers. The AEDC is largely responsible for the development of the Osprey assembly point in Amarillo, destined to be a hub for future aerospace industry in Amarillo.

Amarillo is also home to major medical facilities including Baptist St. Anthony's and Northwest Texas Hospitals, the Harrington Cancer Center, and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech School of Pharmacy. All are located in the Harrington Regional Medical Center, one of the largest land masses in the United States dedicated to health care. Baptist St. Anthony's, known locally as BSA, has been listed among US News & World Report's "Top 50 Hospitals" for each of the past four years.

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.

Corporate presence

Amarillo is home to a few corporate headquarters. Additionally, several companies have a large presence in the city.

• Affiliated Foods, Inc., grocery cooperative
• Corporate Systems, medical claims administration software developer
• Hastings Entertainment, books and music retailer
• Pantex, nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly
• Tech Spray, chemical cleaners producer
• Toot 'n Totum, convenience store chain

Major companies in Amarillo

• Bell Helicopter Textron, helicopter and tiltrotor manufacturer
• BNSF Railway, railroad
• Tyson Foods, beef processor
• Xcel Energy, electric provider

Amarillo Texas - Transportation

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 Southwest Airlines, Continental Express, Great Lakes Aviation, and American Eagle, with non stop service to Dallas (Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International), Houston (Intercontinental), Albuquerque, Denver, and Las Vegas.

Major highways

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

Amarillo Texas - Sites of interest

Amarillo is the home of The Big Texan Steak Ranch, 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.

West of Amarillo and just south of Interstate 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.

Amarillo Texas - Education

Amarillo Texas - Colleges and universities

According to the U.S. Census Bureau 20.5 percent of all adults over the age of 25 in Amarillo have obtained a bachelor's degree, as compared to a national average of 24.4 percent of adults over 25.

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 center for post-secondary education in the Amarillo area and the northern Texas Panhandle.

Amarillo Texas - Media and entertainment

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

Amarillo 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. Also in 2005, the Dutchman Albert West recorded a new version.
• 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.
• Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey was unsuccessfully sued by local cattlemen for defaming beef in late '90s. In order to attend the trial in Amarillo, she temporarily relocated her show to the Amarillo Little Theater for nearly a year.
• In the film Serpico (1973), the main character and his first girlfriend are sitting in a bathtub, facing each other. She announces that she is leaving him for a man in Amarillo, but that she can continue to study ballet dancing there. Serpico (Al Pacino) is bemused and dubious.

Amarillo Texas - 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.

From 1968 to 1996, Amarillo hosted the annual National Women's Invitational Tournament, a postseason women's college basketball tournament^[3].

Amarillo Texas - Notable citizens of Amarillo

• Cyd Charisse, dancer and actress
• Danny Elfman, film composer
• Ron Ely, actor (Tarzan)
• Kevin Fowler, country music singer
• Dory Funk, professional wrestler
• Dory Funk, Jr., professional wrestler
• Terry Funk, professional wrestler
• Blair Garner, country music radio host
• Mike Hettinga a/k/a Mike Knox, professional wrestler
• Rick D. Husband, astronaut
• Carolyn Jones, actress (The Addams Family)
• Paul Lockhart, astronaut
• Stanley Marsh 3, millionaire, philanthropist, and prankster
• Ben Sargent, editorial cartoonist
• Amarillo Slim, professional poker player
• J.D. Souther, country rock singer
• Evan Tanner, professional mixed martial artists
• William Thomas, professional American football player
• Paula Trickey, actress (Pacific Blue)
• Erik Watts, professional wrestler
• M. K. Wren, mystery and science fiction writer

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Amarillo Texas", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki