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. It is the county seat of Potter County 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

• 1541 - A Spanish conquistador named Francisco Coronado was the first European to visit the Amarillo region.
• 1887 - Amarillo was founded.
• 1918 - The founding 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.
• 1971 - British singer Tony Christie released his famous tune "Is this the Road to Amarillo?", which returned to the top of the UK Singles Chart in 2005 and has remained there for the past five weeks.
• 1998 - Oprah Winfrey was sued by cattlemen for "beef-defamation" and the trial was held in Amarillo. Oprah moved her popular TV show temporarily from Chicago to Amarillo.
• 2003 - Amarillo native, Rick D. Husband was killed along with the rest of the STS-107 crew when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated after re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

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

The city is the self-proclaimed "Helium Capital of the World" and is one of the largest beef producing cities in the United States. The city also has major industry plants such as Bell Helicopter (a helicopter plant), Owens Corning (a fiberglass plant), Tyson Fresh Meats Plant, and Pantex (a nuclear weapons plant). The city is also surrounded by farmers with wheat as the main crop. In the past Amarillo was home to a U.S. Air Force base but that was closed in the seventies.

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.

List of major freeways

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

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 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). 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

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 (and the rest of the full dinner, including roll, shrimp cocktail, and salad) in under an hour. By the way they chose what is edible on the steak and what is not.

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 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

Colleges and universities

Amarillo has 2 higher education institutions. Amarillo College is a two-year fully-accredited community college. Wayland Baptist University , a private university which is based in Plainview, has a campus in Amarillo and offers various 4-year degrees. [1] Another university close to Amarillo is West Texas A&M University which is in nearby Canyon, 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.

Media and journalism

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

• The Watchman Herald - Christian World News & Media.

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 though 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.
• 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.

External links

• City of Amarillo's Website
• Amarillo Texas History
• The Handbook of Texas - Amarillo Entry
• Amarillo Globe-News' Website