Amarillo and the surrounding counties are known for agriculture, medicine, and energy. Depending on the climatologist's threshold. Amarillo metropolitan area 268,691 (Census 2020); in 1890 population was 482. [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. 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. Interstate 27 highway connecting Lubbock to Amarillo was built mostly during the 1980s.[11]. Golfing is a staple in Amarillo, with 12 public and municipal golf courses located within 20 minutes. Amarillo's temperature typically varies from 25F to 91F. 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. In 2020, there were 76,778 households with an average of 2.57 people per household. About 15.4% of families were below the poverty line, including 20% of those under age 18, 14.1% ages 18 64, and 12.2% of those age 65 or over. Sip fresh ground coffee at 806, and you will forget all about chain store coffee. 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. Boston, MA warning-7 F. Former residents Evander "Ziggy" Hood and Montrel Meander are in the National Football League. 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. [74] Its tourism industry also rebounded. The median age was 34.1 years. In May 1982, a strong F3 tornado struck Amarillo's western suburbs, devastating parts of Dawn, and Bushland. Amarillo is also the northern terminus for I-27, of which less than one mile (~1.6km) is located in Potter County. New homes and luxury communities pepper the area. [32] Since its conception in the 1990s, Center City has sponsored public art projects and started block parties in the downtown area. The AISD partners with WTAMU and nearby Amarillo College to provide high-school vocational training. In 1913, Amarillo became the first Texas city and the fifth in United States to use the council-manager form of municipal government, with all governmental powers resting in a legislative body, called a council (before 2014, it was called a commission). Two of the Amarillo area's higher education institutions have at least one museum in their campuses. [146] The Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Home opened in 2007. The strongest tornado to ever hit Amarillo was a deadly F4 tornado that struck the city in the night time hours of May 15, 1949. Unlike in the Rio Grande Valley or eastern portions of Texas, days where the low does not fall below 70F or 21.1C are relatively rare, due to the aridity and elevation. High 64F.. Considered a regional airport, Amarillo International accepts flights from three commercial airlines-Southwest, United, and American. In the mid-to-late 1990s, the AEDC gained notoriety by sending mock checks to businesses across the country, placing full-page advertisements in The Wall Street Journal, and paying an annual $1 million subsidy to American Airlines to retain jet service. Peaks of the Amarillo Mountains range from 2500 to 10,000 feet high. [45] Both the city and most of the county as a whole lie in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a. [81] The nonprofit community theater group, Amarillo Little Theatre, has its season run from September to May. Thompson instituted a major capital-improvements project and worked to reduce utility rates. The second airport is Tradewind Airport (TDW), a privately owned public-use airport in Randall County. [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. In Amarillo, the southern plains meet the desert. The Amarillo mountains are part of the Arbuckle/Ouichita/Wichita mountains in Oklahoma. Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. Loop 335 circles around Amarillo in all four directions and consists of four-lane roadway on its northeast and southwest quadrants and two-lane paving to the southeast and northwest. The city gained national media attention in 1998 when local cattlemen unsuccessfully sued television talk show host Oprah Winfrey for comments made on her show connecting American beef to mad cow disease, costing them and their industry millions of dollars. From 1968 to 1996, Amarillo hosted the annual National Women's Invitational Tournament (NWIT), a post season women's college basketball tournament. The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is a 24-team league from Alaska to Texas for pre-collegiate 16- to 20-year-olds. "Amarillo" redirects here. In 1910, the Amarillo voters approved to pay for street paving and the materials used to pave the streets were bricks. 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. Amarillo's major network television affiliates are KACV-TV 2 (PBS), KAMR 4 (NBC), KVII 7 (ABC), KFDA 10 (CBS), KCIT 14 (Fox), and KCPN-LD 33 (MyNet). The four acres of the Mary E. Bivins Tropical Conservatory offer lush gardens and seasonally themed activities and classes. Tyson Foods is considered the largest employer in the area. Each of these three carriers maintained substantial freight and passenger depots and repair facilities in the city through most of the 20th century and were major employers within the community.[21]. Berry and Colorado City, Texas, merchants wanted to make their new town site the region's main trading center. Amarillo had a median gross rent of $876 from 2016 to 2020. The Potter County portion had the nation's largest natural gas reserve. The small town of Tulia, Texas, approximately 47 miles (76km) south from Amarillo, was the scene of a controversial drug sting in 1999. was formed when an underground river collapsed. [132] (The last president so honored was Grover Cleveland; though the city has expanded eastward, the pattern was not continued.) [59] Of the households, 60.8% lived in owner-occupied housing units and the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $140,030. The city is situated near the Panhandle Field, in a productive gas and oil area, covering 200,000 acres (800 km2) in Hartley, Potter, Moore, Hutchinson, Carson, Gray, Wheeler, and Collingsworth counties. In 1929, Ernest O. Thompson, a decorated World War I general and a major businessman in Amarillo, was elected mayor to succeed Lee Bivins. It will accommodate six lanes at the mainlane bridge along with a complete stack interchange with direct connectors to and from I-27. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 90.3 square miles (234 km2), with 89.9 sq mi (233 km2) of it land and 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) of it (0.50%) water. Volcanism: The 35-million-year-old Davis Mountains are formed by magma from two volcanic centersthe Paisano Volcano, west of Alpine, and the Buckhorn Caldera, northwest of Fort Davis. [141], Baptist St. Anthony's, known locally as BSA, had some of its services listed on the U.S. News & World Report's "Top 50 Hospitals" from 2002 to 2005. An estimated 1.1% followed an Eastern religion such as Buddhism or Hinduism. Another three districts, Canyon Independent School District (CISD) to the south, Highland Park (HISD), and River Road Independent School District (RISD) immediately adjacent to Porter County, contribute additional educational options to the area. Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2006, houses the Amarillo Opera, Amarillo Symphony, and Lone Star Ballet concerts. Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport is a public airport located 10 miles (16km) east of the central business district of Amarillo, north of Interstate 40. 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 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. It's a deceptive altitude increase when coming from Oklahoma City. Drive The Loop. [95][96] Amarillo's commission is composed of five elected commissioners, one of whom is the mayor of the city. [15], On June 19, 1888, Henry B. Sanborn, who is given credit as the "Father of Amarillo",[16] and his business partner Joseph F. Glidden began buying land to the east to move Amarillo after arguing that Berry's site was on low ground and would flood during rainstorms. The first interchange, on the East side of Amarillo, is a multi-level interchange that provides access to both directions of the I-40 Expressway and Loop 335. Availability of the railroad and freight service after the county seat election made the town a fast-growing cattle-marketing center. This district holds many of Amarillo's early history and stories and is part of the Amarillo Cultural District. Amarillo is home to the Amarillo Gun Club, which features a variety of clay target sports including trap, skeet and 5-Stand. The Amarillo Independent School District was next with 3,659 employees followed by Pantex, Baptist St. Anthony's Health Care System, City of Amarillo, Northwest Texas Healthcare System, Amarillo College, Wal-mart, and United Supermarkets. The City of Amarillo is providing this information as a public service. Address: 1600 South Polk Street, Amarillo, Texas. 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. The roads and highways also name many areas or neighborhoods, such as "Route 66" or "The Loop.". Amarillo is an affordable, vibrant, and growing community. Due to the lake's low water level, water is now only supplied by the aquifer. The racetrack is associated with the United States Racing Association (USRA), and events run from April through September. The musical depicts a story about the history of Texas Panhandle settlers throughout the years. An area business would purchase a horse statue and a local artist paints on it.[85]. Amarillo previously hosted an independent league baseball team, the Amarillo Thunderheads of the American Association, which played its home games in Potter County Memorial Stadium from 2011 to 2015. U.S. Highway 66 also passed through the city. The range was discovered by pioneer oilmen. [76] Palo Duro has a distinct hoodoo that resembles a lighthouse. Part of the Bible Belt, Christianity is the predominant religion in Amarillo and its metropolitan area. Tom Blasingame, considered to have been the oldest cowboy in the history of the American West, worked for seventy-three years, primarily, on the JA Ranch south of Amarillo. Amarillo's climate is a bit unpredictable. A local favorite, "Texas, the Musical Drama," tells the tale of the Panhandle's settlement in the longest-running Texas musical at the Pioneer Amphitheater. 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. The cost of living in Amarillo, including apartment rentals, is slightly less than its nearest Texas city, Dallas. 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. Cable television is primarily provided by Suddenlink Communications. The underground structures known as Amarillo Mountains are an extension of the Arbuckles of Oklahoma and the Ouachita of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Amarillo is also home to the Venom, a professional indoor football team charter members of the Champions Indoor Football league. Rugged 'mountains' taller than Everest lurk deep inside Earth. The city of Amarillo's Parks and Recreation Department operates over 50 municipal parks, including a skatepark west of the city. The state park preserves a 15-mile segment, comprising 28,000 acres of rugged topography. Married-couple families had a median income of $80,819, and non-family households had a median income of $31,663. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Amarillo's population as 6.1% Hispanic and 88.5% non-Hispanic white. Several country songs have touted the inexplicable draw of Amarillo. The saturated thickness of the Ogallala aquifer in the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District ranges from 10 to over 460 feet with an estimated District average of 180 feet. Don Harrington Discovery Center, located in the city's hospital district, is an interactive science center and space theater with over 60 hands-on exhibits. In 2015, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) published the plans for the all new Loop 335 freeway that encircles the city of Amarillo. Reminder That Spring And Summer Are Close From Community Market, City Of Amarillo Went Live With Survey; Not Sending You Spam. The facility opened in 1940 and was renamed in 2005, honoring the 18-year-old Amarillo Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The city has events and attractions honoring the cowboy and Texas culture. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1981 to 2010. [30] Similar to many towns in the Texas Panhandle, the city's downtown has suffered economic deterioration throughout the years. Some of the peaks are believed to be 10,000 feet (3,000m) high. There is also an American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame exhibited in the museum. Winter in the Panhandle is harsh. Local civil rights attorney Jeff Blackburn took up the case of the Tulia defendants, which became a cause clbre and resulted in the exoneration and pardon of the defendants. He joined the Texas Railroad Commission by appointment in 1933 and was elected to full terms in 1934, 1940, 1946, 1952, and 1958. About 100 miles (160km) southeast of Amarillo in Briscoe County is Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, the state park is the home of the official Texas State Bison Herd, who were captured and taken care of by cattle rancher Charles Goodnight. 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. In 1949, a deadly F4 tornado devastated much of Amarillo, shortly after nightfall on May 15, tearing through the south and east sides of the city, killing seven people, and injuring more than 80 others. Amarillo (/mrlo/[6] AM--RIL-oh; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. [117] McGraw would later become a regular guest on Winfrey's television show and subsequently started his own talk show, Dr. Phil, in 2002. 15-Day Forecast [Updated: Feb 28 2023 / 03:22 PM CST ] Day. He authored the first state school loan programs for returning World War II veterans and college students. [39] At the time, the festival included Amarillo's only 42.2-kilometre (26.2mi) foot race, the Funfest Marathon. There are four distinct seasons in the Texas Panhandle. Amarillo entertains everyone. During the trial, Winfrey hired Dallas-based jury consultant Phil McGraw to aid her attorneys on selecting and analyzing the members of the jury. Highlight . Climbing from the canyon bottom to the rim on the new Rock Garden Trail will test any rider's lungpower. This of course means they're very, very old. Amarillo residents Dory Funk, Stanley Blackburn and Doc Sarpolis promoted the territory for several decades. In addition to some of the more established restaurants, Amarillo is known for its "hidden gems." On average, there are 5.9 days of lows at or below 10F or 12.2C, 8.8 days where the temperature fails to rise above freezing, and 61 days of 90F (32.2C)+ highs. For a more upscale dining experience, both the Metropolitan, a premier American Speakeasy and wine bar, and the OHMS Cafe & Bar, described for the refined American Fare and Art, offer excellent food, music, and ambiance. For a traditional dance club, 212 Club caters to dancers of all ages. 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! The Palo Duro Canyon is the second-largest canyon system in the United States. While the mayor serves as a presiding officer of the commission, the city manager is the administrative head of the municipal government and is responsible for the administration of all departments. Does Ghost Of A Betrayed Wife Really Haunt This Texas Airport? Route 66 Motor Speedway, a 3/8 mile clay, high-bank oval track, sits east of the city. [99][100], The Texas Seventh Court of Appeals is located in Amarillo. According to Arbitron the top 5 rated commercial radio stations in Fall 2012/Spring 2013 are: The regional public radio network, High Plains Public Radio, operates KJJP-FM 105.7. Amarillo has no passenger rail service but remains an important part of the rail freight system. Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weatherreports, maps & tropical weather conditions for the Amarillo area. [142] BSA was a result of a merger between the Texas Panhandle's first hospital, St Anthony's, with High Plains Baptist Hospital in 1996. Area architecture choices range from traditional to French cottages, from trendy hipster to Spanish Revival. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. About 20 miles (32km) northeast of Amarillo is the Canadian River, which divides the Western High Plains ecological region. All are located in the Harrington Regional Medical Center, the first specifically designated city hospital district in Texas. Measuring 120 miles long and up to 1,000 feet deep, Palo Duro is the second-largest canyon in the U.S. (only Arizona's Big Ditch beats it). Amarillo's downtown is thrift central. [151] Other utilities are primarily provided by private organizations. West Texas A&M University, a regional university headquartered in nearby Canyon, has a campus building in downtown Amarillo. Electric power service is distributed by Xcel Energy, through its wholly owned subsidiary, the Amarillo-based Southwestern Public Service Company. This iconic art installation displays ten graffiti-decorated cars, partly buried in a field along I-40 (Route 66). The large historic homes on this street were built close to downtown, and homes were located on the west side of the street as a symbol of status because they would be greeted with the sunrise every morning.[38]. 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. The locals cheer, "Fangs Up!". South of the railyard (including the downtown-city center area), numbers are officially "SW" (southwest) west of Polk, and "SE" (southeast) east of Polk. Downtown Amarillo is home not only to many historical buildings and churches but also to a plethora of public art pieces. [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]. Amarillo sits closer in proximity to the Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado state capitals than it does to Austin. The region's surface is relatively flat and has little soil drainage. Tornadoes have occurred in and around the city in 1968, 1970, 1982, 1986, 2001, 2007, and most recently in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Singer Lacey Brown of Amarillo advanced to the top 24 in season 8 on the hit show American Idol. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. Other notable museums in the area are the Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum and the English Field Air & Space Museum.