Amarillo, Texas

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Template:RedirectTemplate:Infobox City Amarillo is the county seat of Potter CountyTemplate:GR 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 once self-proclaimed as the "Helium Capital of the World" for having one of the country's most productive helium fields. The city is also known as "The Yellow Rose of Texas" and most recently "Rotor City, USA" for its V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft assembly plant.Template:Ref Amarillo operates one of the largest meat packing areas in the United States. Pantex, the only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the country, is also a major employer. The attractions, Cadillac Ranch and Big Texan Steak Ranch, were located on old U.S. Route 66, which passes through the city.

Amarillo's name probably 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) or the yellow wildflowers that were plentiful during the spring and summer. Despite having a Spanish origin name, the City of Amarillo is pronounced in English as Am-ah-rillow not Ah-mah-ree-yoh. Amarillo residents are known as Amarilloans. Notable residents include astronaut Rick Husband, the Dory Funk wrestling family, and Cadillac Ranch sponsor Stanley Marsh 3.

History

In April 1887, J. T. Berry established a site for a town after he chose a well-watered section along the way of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad, which had begun building across the Texas Panhandle. Berry and Colorado City, Texas merchants wanted to make their new town site the region's main trading center. On August 30, 1887, Berry's town site won the county seat election and was established in Potter County. The settlement originally was called Oneida, it would later changed it name to Amarillo. Most of the town's first houses were painted yellow in tribute of the name change. Availability of the railroad and freight service after the county seat election made the town a fast growing cattle marketing center.

Image:Amarillo Texas Downtown 1912.jpg

On June 19, 1888, Henry B. Sanborn, who is given credit as the "Father of Amarillo," began buying land to the east to move Amarillo after arguing that Berry's site was on low ground and would flood during rainstorms.Template:Ref He also offered to trade lots in the new location to businesses in the original city’s site and help the expense of moving buildings. Sanborn’s incentives gradually won over people, who moved their businesses to Polk Street in the new commercial district. It rained heavily and almost flooded Berry’s part of the town in 1889 and prompted more people to move to Sanborn's location. Eventually it would lead to another county seat election made Sanborn's town the new county seat in 1893.

By the late 1890s, Amarillo had emerged as one of the world's busiest cattle shipping points, and its population grew significantly. The city became an elevator, milling, and feed-manufacturing center after an increasing production of wheat and small grains during the early 1900s. Discovery of gas in 1918 and oil three years later brought oil and gas companies to the Amarillo area. 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.Template:Ref The plant would be the sole producer of commercial helium in the world for a number of years.Template:Ref

Following the lead of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad established services to and from Amarillo. 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.

During the 1930s, the city was hit by the Dust Bowl and entered into an economic depression. The U.S. Highways 60, 87, 287, and 66 merged at Amarillo, making it a major tourist stop with numerous motels, restaurants, and curio shops. World War II led the establishment of Amarillo Army Air Field at the Amarillo airport and the nearby Pantex Army Ordnance Plant, which produced bombs and ammunition. After the end of the war, both of the facilities were closed. The Pantex Plant was reopened in 1950 and produced nuclear weapons throughout the Cold War . The following year, the air base was reactivated and expanded to accommodate a Strategic Air Command wing.Template:Ref The arrival of servicemen and their families ended the city's depression. Between 1950 and 1960, Amarillo's population grew from 74,443 to 137,969. However, the closure of the Amarillo Air Force Base on December 31, 1968, contributed to a decrease in population to 127,010 by 1970. In the 1970s, ASARCO, Iowa Beef Processors, and Owens-Corning built plants at Amarillo. The following decade, Amarillo's city limits encompassed 60 square miles in Potter and Randall counties. The intrastate interstate highway I-27 connecting Lubbock to Amarillo was built mostly during the 1980s.

Geography and climate

Image:Palodurolighthouse.jpg Amarillo is located near the middle of the Texas Panhandle and is part of the Llano Estacado region which has a surface that is relatively flat and has little drainage in the soil.Template:Ref 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. 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.

About 64 km (40 mi) northeast of Amarillo is the Canadian River, which divides the southern part of the High Plains to form the Llano Estacado. The river is dammed to form Lake Meredith, a major source of drinking water in the Texas Panhandle region.Template:Ref The city is situated near the Panhandle Field, in a productive gas and oil area, covering 200,000 surface acres in Hartley, Potter, Moore, Hutchinson, Carson, Gray, Wheeler, and Collingsworth counties. The Potter County portion had the nation's largest natural gas reserve.Template:Ref Approximately 40 km (25 mi) south of Amarillo is the canyon system, Palo Duro Canyon.

Cityscape

Most of Amarillo’s population growth and commercial development are occurring in the southern and northwestern parts of the city.Template:Ref Similar to many towns in the Texas Panhandle, the city’s downtown has suffered economic deterioration throughout the years.Template:Ref In order to try to help revitalized it; the organization Center City of Amarillo was formed to establish partnerships with groups who have a huge presence in the city to support the downtown. Since its conception in the 1990s, Center City created archways over two streets, sponsors public art projects such as murals, and started block parties in the downtown area.

The 31-story Chase Tower, the tallest building between Dallas and Denver, was opened in Amarillo's downtown in 1971. It is an office building and had two prior names: SPS Tower and Bank One Center.Template:Ref The Santa Fe Building, completed in 1930, was the regional offices of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway company but was vacant for several years until Potter County bought the building for $425,000 USD in 1995 to gain new office spaces.Template:Ref

Image:Amarillo Texas - Santa Fe Railroad Building1.jpg Amarillo's historic homes and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places reflect the economic growth from around 1900 to the start of World War II. Polk Street contains many of the city's historic downtown buildings and homes. 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. A local newspaper article in 1914 promoted the planting of trees as a sanitary asset due to the author cited studies by the New York County Medical Society and the New York City Park Commission which claims areas with trees have less bacteria and fewer dust particles. The trees that lasted the Texas Panhandle environment line the streets in Amarillo's older neighborhoods.Template:Ref

The City of Amarillo's Parks and Recreation Department operates over 50 municipal parks including a skatepark, west of the city. Amarillo's largest parks are Medical Park, Thompson Memorial Park, and Memorial Park, near Amarillo College's Washington Street Campus. From 1978 to 2002, the Junior League of Amarillo and the City of Amarillo's Parks and Recreation Department co-sponsored Funfest, a family entertainment festival, benefiting the city parks and the league's Community Chest Trust Fund. Funfest was held in Thompson Memorial Park during Memorial Day weekend.Template:Ref Completed in 2000, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park adjoins with a shallow playa lake which located south of it was the original town site of Amarillo.Template:Ref

Climate

Amarillo and along with the Texas Panhandle's climate is classified as subhumid to semiarid. It is characterized by a rush of cold air from the north or northwest into a warmer area and occasionally, by blizzards during the winter season and a hot summer.Template:Ref The January's average high in the city is 9 °C (49 °F) and average low is -6 °C (22 °F); July's average high is 33 °C (91 °F) and average low is 18 °C (65 °F).Template:Ref The highest temperature ever recorded in Amarillo was 42 °C (108 °F); the lowest was -27 °C (-16 °F).Template:Ref The normal annual rainfall for Amarillo is 485 mm (19 inches).Template:Ref Amarillo is in an area of the United States which tornadoes are most frequent called the "Tornado Alley."

Demographics

Image:Amarillo Texas - Persons Per Square Mils - Census 2000.png

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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 city's population is approximately 180,791 according to a July 1, 2004 estimate.

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 which had a significant increase of 63.35% compare to the 1990 U.S. Census report.

There are 67,699 households, 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 classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 67,699 households, 2,981 are unmarried partner households: 2,713 heterosexual, 82 same-sex male, and 186 same-sex female. 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. Approximately 37.5% of African American households in 2000 have an income below $15,000, compared to 17.59% of White households and 22.08% of Hispanic households. In addition, about over 34.6% of the total African American population lived in poverty, compared to 22.8% of the Hispanic population and 10% of the White population.

Law and government

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 commission.Template:RefTemplate:Ref Amarillo's commission composed of five elected commissioners, one of them is the mayor of the city. The mayor and each commissioner serves a two-year term. The role of the commission is to pass ordinances and resolutions, adopt regulations, and appoint city officials, including the city manager. 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.

Amarillo is in the U.S. House 13th Congressional district, and is represented by Representative Mac Thornberry. In the Texas Legislature, the city is in the 31st District in the Texas Senate and in the 87th district in the Texas House of Representatives. As the seat of Potter County, the city is the location of the county's trial, civil, and criminal courts. The Randall County Amarillo Annex building is located within the city limits and houses its Sheriff's Office and Justice of the Peace Court, Precinct 4.

Economy

See also: List of companies in Amarillo, Texas

Image:Potter County Courthouse building - Amarillo Texas USA.jpg Amarillo is considered the regional economical center for the Texas Panhandle as well as eastern New Mexico and the Oklahoma Panhandle. The meat packing industry is a major employer in Amarillo; about one-quarter of the United States' beef supply is processed in the area. Petroleum extraction is also a major industry. The helium industry has decreased in significance since the federal government privatized local operations in the late 1990s. Bell Helicopter Textron opened a helicopter assembly plant near the city's international airport in 1999. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry with the largest contribution to personal income in the city was the services industry with 23.52% in 2000. The government industry contributed 16.37% while retail trade category contributed 10.16%.

The city's largest employer in 2005 is Tyson Foods with 3,700 employees. The Amarillo Independent School District is next with 3,659 employees followed by BWXT Pantex, Baptist St. Anthony’s Health Care System, City of Amarillo, Northwest Texas Healthcare System, Amarillo College, and United Supermarkets. Other major employers include Bell Helicopter Textron, Owens-Corning, and ASARCO. The largest financial institution serving the city is Amarillo National Bank.Template:Ref As the dairy industry flees California, the Amarillo region, particularly in Hereford, Texas, serves as a fast growing milk producing area as several multi-million dollar state of the art dairies were built in early 2000s.Template:Ref The city is also surrounded by farmers with wheat and irrigated corn as the main crops.

The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) is funded by a city sales tax, and it provides aggressive incentive packages to existing and prospective employers. 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 USD subsidy to American Airlines to retain jet service.Template:RefTemplate:Ref The AEDC is largely responsible for bringing Bell Helicopter Textron's development of the V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft and the future site of Marine One assembly in Amarillo.Template:Ref

Education

Image:Amarillo-College-Washington-St-Clock-Tower-Dec2005.jpg

According to the 2000 United States Census, 20.5% 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% of adults over 25. While, 79.3% of Amarillo residents over the age of 25 earned a high school degree compare to the national average of 80.4%.Template:Ref

The higher education institutions in the city are Amarillo College, a two-year community college with over 10,000 students; Wayland Baptist University, a private university based in Plainview, has a branch campus in Amarillo; and Texas Tech University at Amarillo, a branch campus of Texas Tech University that offers selected master's degree programs. West Texas A&M University in nearby Canyon, Texas is the primary center for post-secondary education in the Amarillo area and the Texas Panhandle.

The public primary and secondary education are mostly handled by the Amarillo Independent School District (AISD) and Canyon Independent School District. (CISD) The AISD has approximately 29,000 students in 2004 while CISD has over 7,000 students in 2000.Template:RefTemplate:Ref The AISD operates 4 high schools (Amarillo, Caprock, Palo Duro, and Tascosa), 9 middle schools, 36 elementary schools, a specialty high school (Amarillo Area Center for Advanced Learning), and an alternative school. (North Heights Alternative) While, the CISD has 1 high school (Randall), 2 junior high/intermediate schools, and 4 elementary schools in Amarillo. Other school districts in the city are River Road, Highland Park, and Bushland Independent School Districts. Nonreligious and Christian denomination private schools in Amarillo include St. Andrew's Episcopal School, Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Redbud Academy, San Jacinto Christian Academy, and Arbor Christian Academy.

Culture

See also: List of Amarilloans

Amarillo has a number of natural attractions near the city. The Palo Duro Canyon State Park is United States' second largest canyon system, after the Grand Canyon and is located south of Amarillo. Palo Duro has a distinct hoodoo that resembles a lighthouse. Another natural landmark near the city, the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is located 48.2 km (30 miles) north of Amarillo. It is once known as the site for prehistoric inhabitants to obtain flint in order to make tools and weapons. About 161 km (100 miles) 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 taking cared of by Charles Goodnight.Template:Ref

Image:Amarillo Texas Cadillac Ranch2 2005-05-29.jpg Local millionare Stanley Marsh 3 has funded many public art projects in the city including the Cadillac Ranch, located west of Amarillo on I-40, a monument of painted Cadillac automobiles that were dug into the ground head first. Some of Marsh's other projects are the Dynamite Museum, which consist of thousands of mock traffic signs scattered across the city and a supposed remains of a giant statue called the Ozymandias.Template:Ref The statue has two disembodied legs and a pedestal with a mock historical marker explaining how a wonder of the ancient world was vandalized by students from Lubbock, Texas.Template:Ref Despite the attention of Stanley Marsh 3's creations, critics have called them eye sores with little or no artistic value. In response to the criticism, he quoted as saying, "Art is a legalized form of insanity, and I do it very well."Template:Ref

The city has events and attractions honoring the cowboy and Texas culture. During the third week of September, the Tri-State Fair & Rodeo brings participants mostly from Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas to Amarillo since 1921.Template:Ref On the Tri-State Exposition grounds, the Amarillo National Center is a special events center for events ranging from national equestrian competitions to motor sports and rodeos. The World Championship Ranch Rodeo sponsored by the Working Ranch Cowboys Association is held every November in the Amarillo Civic Center. The historic Amarillo Livestock Auction holds a free to the public cattle auction on Tuesdays. Now located on I-40, The Big Texan Steak Ranch, was made famous by offering visitors a free 2 kg (72 ounce) beef steak if they eat it and its accompanying dinner in under an hour.

Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2006, houses the Amarillo Opera, Amarillo Symphony, and Lone Star Ballet concerts. The facility, located just across the Amarillo Civic Center, features a 1,300-seat auditorium. The Globe-News Center was built in hope by the city officials and others that it will spur a revitalization of the downtown area.Template:Ref The nonprofit community theater group, Amarillo Little Theatre, has its season run from September to May. The theater group's two facilities are located west of Amarillo's downtown. In the Palo Duro Canyon’s amphitheatre, an outdoor musical called Texas plays nightly during the summer. The musical depicts a story about the history of Texas Panhandle settlers throughout the years. In 2002, the producers changed its name to Texas Legacies after retiring the previous script that was used for 37-years for a more historically accurate one but they decided to revert back to the original script due to declining attendance in 2006.Template:RefTemplate:Ref

Image:Globe-News Center in Amarillo Texas USA.jpg The Amarillo Public Library is affiliated with the Harrington Library Consortium. The consortium consist of four local area libraries (Amarillo College, Amarillo Public Library, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Library at Amarillo, and West Texas A&M University) that share resources and cooperate with one another.Template:Ref The Amarillo Public Library's main branch is located in downtown and operates 4 neighborhood branches.

Museums and art collections

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse breed. The organization is headquartered in Amarillo and has a museum. In addition, the AQHA and Center City of Amarillo co-sponsors the project, "Hoof Prints of the American Quarter Horse" which consist of horse statues located in front of several Amarillo businesses. An area business would purchase a horse statue and a local artist paints on it.Template:Ref

Two of the Amarillo area's higher education institutions have at least one museum in their campuses. The Amarillo Art Center is located in Amarillo College's Washington Street Campus, opened in 1972, is a building complex with an art museum and concert hall. In addition, the Amarillo College's Washington Street Campus is the home of the largest natural history museum of any two-year college in the United States.Template:Ref Located on the campus of West Texas A&M University, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum claims to be the largest historical museum in Texas.

Don Harrington Discovery Center, located near the Harrington Regional Medical Center, is an interactive science center and space theater with over 60 hands-on exhibits.Template:Ref Outside of the building contains a steel structure called the Helium Monument which has time capsules and designates Amarillo the "Helium Capital of the World." Also near the Discovery Center, the Amarillo Botanical Gardens has gardens, indoor exhibits, and a library for visitation throughout the year.

Other notable museums in the area, the Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum displays a collection of Native American artifacts and provides dance performances. The English Field Air & Space Museum operated by the Texas Aviation Historical Society displays aircraft and space exhibits. English Field used to be the city's airport.Template:Ref

Local media

Image:Amarillo Tx - Dynamite Museum - Scuba Pig.jpg The major local newspaper is the Amarillo Globe-News, owned by Morris Communications, was a combination of three newspapers: Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo Globe, and Amarillo Times. Other publications include a local monthly magazine dealing with city and regional issues in the Amarillo area called, Accent West. The American Quarter Horse Association publishes two monthly publications, The American Quarter Horse Journal and The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal.

Amarillo's major network television affiliates are KACV 2 (PBS), KAMR 4 (NBC), KVII 7 (ABC), KFDA 10 (CBS), KCIT 14 (FOX), KCPN 33 (Ind.), and KTMO 36 (Telemundo). In the 2005-2006 television season, Amarillo is the 131st largest television market in the United States designated by Nielsen Media Research.Template:Ref

Amarillo is the 195th largest United States radio market in autumn 2005 designated by the radio audience research company, Arbitron. The top 5 rated commercial radio stations in autumn 2005 according to Arbitron are classic hits station KXGL-FM 100.9; hip hop station KQIZ-FM 93.1; country station KGNC-FM 97.9; news and talk station KGNC-AM 710; and KMXJ-FM 94.1, an adult contemporary station.Template:Ref Other notable radio stations around the area include the college stations KACV-FM 89.9 (Amarillo College) and KWTS-FM 91.1 (West Texas A&M University) in nearby Canyon.

In the national and international media

The city gained national media attention in 1998 when television talk show host Oprah Winfrey was unsuccessfully sued by local cattlemen for comments made on her show connecting American beef to mad cow disease, costing them and their industry millions of dollars.Template:Ref In order to attend the trial in Amarillo, she temporarily relocated her show to the Amarillo Little Theatre for nearly a year. During the trial, Winfrey hired jury consultant, Dr. Phil McGraw, to aid her attorneys on selecting and analyzing the members of the jury.Template:Ref McGraw would later become a regular guest on Winfrey's television show and started his own talk show, Dr. Phil, in 2002. The murder of Brian Deneke also brought attention outside of the Texas Panhandle mainly due to the crime revolved around a conflict between two different cultures.

Image:Amarillo-Texas-Starry-Night-Horse-Dec2005.jpg Amarillo has been mentioned in popular music such as George Strait's "Amarillo By Morning", Nat King Cole's "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66", and the British song "Is This the Way to Amarillo?" written by Howard Greenfield, recorded famously by Yorkshireman Tony Christie and Neil Sedaka, and revived by Peter Kay through performances in the comedy series Peter Kay's 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.

The Amarillo Film Commission is a division of the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council that was created to provide film crews with locations and other assistance when filming in Amarillo.Template:Ref Amarillo was the setting for motion pictures such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Plutonium Circus, the 1995 SXSW winner for best documentary feature.

Sports

The af2 indoor American football team Amarillo Dusters and the CHL hockey team Amarillo Gorillas both play in the Amarillo Civic Center. Amarillo, was formerly home of the AA Amarillo Gold Sox and the independent Amarillo Dillas. The Dillas are expected to return to the playing field in the 2006 as a member of newly-formed United League Baseball.Template:Ref The Dillas and Gold Sox played in the Potter County Memorial Stadium.

West Texas A&M University 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.Template:Ref During high school American football season, the Amarillo Independent School District schools' home games are in Dick Bivins Stadium which had a $5.7 million USD renovation in 2005.Template:Ref Randall High School (part of the adjacent Canyon Independent School District) plays its home games in Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon.

Infrastructure

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. It was converted from the old Amarillo Air Force Base. 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 Airport), Houston (George Bush Intercontinental Airport), Albuquerque, Clovis, Denver, and Las Vegas.

Image:Amarillo Tx - Brick Streets.jpg Local transit services in the city have been available since 1925 and it has been provided through the City of Amarillo's Amarillo City Transit (ACT) department since 1966; prior to that time the system was privately owned. ACT operates bus services that include fixed route transit and demand response paratransit which are designed for people with disabilities. The ACT transports approximately 350,000 passengers per year on the fixed route and 30,000 paratransit passengers, but it is a declining ridership. ACT has no plans to scale back any of their transit routes or services. Amarillo has no passenger rail service.

The streets in Amarillo's downtown area conform to a grid pattern. The city's original street layout was set up by William H. Bush, beginning at the west end of the town moving to the east. Bush named the north to south streets for past United States presidents, in chronological order except for John Quincy Adams because the surname was taken with the second president, John Adams.Template:Ref (The last president so honored was Grover Cleveland; though the city has expanded eastward the pattern was not continued.)

In 1910, the Amarillo voters approved to pay for street paving and the materials used to pave the streets were bricks.Template:Ref Today, brick streets are still being used in some parts of the downtown area.

Less than one mile of intrastate interstate highway I-27 is located in Potter County. The highway terminates at the city's main west-east highway I-40 near the Potter-Randall County line. The roadway continues northward into downtown Amarillo via U.S. 60, 87, and 287, a series of four one-way streets. North of downtown the highway becomes U.S. 87 and continues northward to Dumas, Texas.

Medical centers and hospitals

Amarillo is home to medical facilities including Baptist St. Anthony’s and Northwest Texas Hospitals, the Don & Sybil Harrington Cancer Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Texas Tech School of Pharmacy. All are located in the Harrington Regional Medical Center, the first specifically designated city hospital district in Texas.Template:Ref 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.Template:Ref BSA was a result of a merger between the Texas Panhandle's first hospital, St Anthony's, with High Plains Baptist Hospital in 1996. The Texas Pharmacy Museum, the only Texas museum concentrated in the history of pharmacy, is located in the Harrington Regional Medical Center.Template:Ref

The Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center is located east of Harrington Regional Medical Center. 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.Template:Ref

Utilities

Drinking water is provided by the City of Amarillo and its Utilities Division. Amarillo's water supply comes from Lake Meredith and the Ogallala Aquifer. The city's drinking water is a blend of both sources. Lake Meredith is located northeast of Amarillo contains at least 431 million m³ (114 billion gallons) of water. The city's daily water production averages between 151,416-189,270 m³ (40-50 million gallons).Template:Ref

Collection and disposal of city's trash or garbage are the responsibility of City of Amarillo's Solid Waste Collection and Solid Waste Disposal Departments. Amarillo's non-hazardous solid waste are collected and disposed it through burial in the city's landfill. The City of Amarillo also operates recycling collection centers located one near the downtown area and at 4 fire stations in the city.Template:Ref Other utilities are primarily provided by private organizations. Natural gas is distributed by Atmos Energy. Electric power service is distributed by Xcel Energy. Wired telephone service provider is primarily by AT&T. Cable television is provided by Cox Communications.

Notes

| author = Amarillo Economic Development Corporation
| url = http://www.amarilloedc.com/index.php?id=125
| title = What Is Rotor City, USA
| accessdate = 2006-01-28

|first=
|last=
|author=Liz Everett
|title=History Makers of the High Plains: H.B. Sanborn
|date=May 19, 2000
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/051900/his_sanborn.html

| author = Amarillo Economic Development Corporation
| url = http://www.amarilloedc.com/index.php?id=51
| title = Community History
| accessdate = 2006-01-28

|first=
|last=
|author=Greg Livadas
|title=State of Ballooning: Texas
|date=October 1999
|publisher=Balloon Life Magazine
|url=http://balloonlife.com/publications/balloon_life/9801/9910/sob9910.html

|first=
|last=
|author=
|title=Junior League eyes end to Funfest
|date=January 25, 2001
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/012501/new_funfest.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=
|title=Amarillo to dedicate park honoring civil rights leader 
|date=January 14, 2000
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/011400/new_civil.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Joe Chapman
|title=Land Grab
|date=February 27, 2005 
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/022705/spe_landgra.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Chris Moon 
|title=Downtown Dilemma: How did it happen? 
|date=September 15, 2003
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/091503/usn_downtown.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Cheryl Berzanskis
|title=Bank One Center to be renamed in Chase merger 
|date=June 10, 2004
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/061004/new_bankone.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=
|title=Santa Fe: Renovating an Amarillo Landmark
|date=
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/thegallery/santafe/intro.html

| author = Excursia / Best Read Guide
| url = http://excursia.com/destinations/USA/TX/amarillo/stories/20000929/att_historictour.shtml
| title = Take a Historic Tour of Amarillo 
| accessdate = 2006-03-11

| author = Fredrick W. Rathjen
| authorlink = 
| coauthors = 
| year = 1973
| month = 
| title = The Texas Panhandle Frontier
| chapter = Chapter 1
| chapterurl = 
| editor = 
| others = 
| edition = 
| pages = 
| publisher = The University of Texas Press
| location = 
| id = ISBN 0-292-78007-9
| url = 

| author = Weather Channel
| url = http://www.weather.com/activities/other/other/weather/climo-monthly-graph.html?locid=USTX0029&from=search
| title = Monthly Averages for Amarillo, TX
| accessdate = 2006-02-13

| author = NOAA
| url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ama/climate/rec_norm_ama.htm
| title = Records, Normals and Climate Notes For Amarillo
| accessdate = 2006-02-13

| author = BWTX Pantex
| url = http://www.pantex.com/environment/aser/2002/Chapter01.pdf
| title = 2002 Site Environmental Report for Pantex Plant
| format = PDF
| accessdate = 2006-02-13

| author = Weatherbase
| url = http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=036327&refer=
| title = Historical Weather for Amarillo, Texas,  United States of America
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2006-04-15

| author = City of Amarillo's Community Development Department
| url = http://www.ci.amarillo.tx.us/departments/commdev/pdf/2005-2010%20Analysis%20of%20Impediments.pdf
| title = 2005-2010 Analysis of Impediments
| format = PDF
| accessdate = 2006-01-27

| author = Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council
| url = http://www.visitamarillotx.com/History/index.html
| title = History & Trivia
| accessdate = 2006-01-27

|first=
|last=
|author=Dwayne Hartnett
|title=Money Talk
|date=February 27, 2005
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/022705/spe_mtalk.shtml

| author=Steve Levine
| title=Cows in Hereford Are All Fired Up About Ethanol Plant
| publisher=The Wall Street Journal
| page=A1
| date=January 24, 2006

|first=
|last=
|author=Kerry Curry
|title=Phone calls 'in the mail' for AEDC
|date=September 9, 1997
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/090997/phone.html

|first=
|last=
|author=
|title=Amarillo renews American deal
|date=May 29, 1997
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/052997/renews.html

|first=
|last=
|author=Dwayne Hartnett
|title=Sky's the limit 
|date=February 27, 2005
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/022705/spe_sky.shtml

| author = U.S. Census Bureau
| url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Amarillo&_cityTown=Amarillo&_state=04000US48&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010
| title = Amarillo city, Texas Fact Sheet
| accessdate = 2006-01-28

| author = Amarillo Independent School District
| url = http://www.amaisd.org/commreport/district_profile.pdf
| title = District Profile
| format = PDF
| accessdate = 2006-02-07

|first=
|last=
|author=Beth Wilson
|title=School enrollment up in Canyon, down in Amarillo
|date=September 29, 2000
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/092900/new_schoolenrollment.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Rick Storm
|title=Bison herd to be moved to Caprock Canyons
|date=July 4, 1997
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/070497/bison.html

|first=
|last=
|author=Jennifer S. Cowley
|title=Public Art in Private Places
|date=October 2001
|publisher=Texas A&M University's Real Estate Center
|url=http://recenter.tamu.edu/tgrande/vol8-4/1523.html

|first=
|last=
|author=
|title=The yellow rose of Texas
|date=April 10, 2004
|publisher=The Independent
|url=http://travel.independent.co.uk/americas/article55354.ece

| author = Frommer's
| url = http://www.frommers.com/destinations/amarillo/1723010029.html
| title = Unanticipated Rewards--Cadillac Ranch
| accessdate = 2006-03-06

|first=
|last=
|author=
|title=Tri-State Tradition
|date=June 26, 2005 
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/062605/spe_disama_26.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Phillip Yates 
|title=It all started with a vision
|date=January 15, 2006
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/011506/gnc/spe_gnc1.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Chip Chandler
|title='Legacies' preview gets positive response
|date=October 26, 2002
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/102602/ent_legaciespre.shtml 

|first=
|last=
|author=Jim Crawford
|title='Texas' is back, y'all 
|date=February 8, 2006
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/020806/new_3924505.shtml

| author = Harrington Library Consortium
| url = http://www.hlc-lib.org/history.html
| title = Profile
| accessdate = 2006-02-09

|first=
|last=
|author=Kevin Welch
|title=Horses of many colors
|date=November 16, 2003
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/111603/new_horses.shtml

| author = Don Harrington Discovery Center
| url = http://www.dhdc.org/exhibits.html
| title = Exhibits
| accessdate = 2006-02-14

|first=
|last=
|author=Greg Cunningham 
|title=Transportation key to Amarillo's past, future
|date=June 26, 2005 
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/062605/spe_disama_6.shtml

| author = Nielsen Media Research
| url = http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html
| title = 210 Designated Market Areas
| accessdate = 2006-02-09

| author = Radio & Records
| url = http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/DetailsPage.aspx?MID=9&RY=2005&RQ=4&MP=0&OTHER=2&MN=Amarillo&MS=TX&MR=195&12P=191200&UP=2/2/2006&SU=C&BPER=&HPER=17.7&OPER=&NSD=&CE=0
| title = Fall 2005 Arbitron Results in Amarillo
| accessdate = 2006-02-10

|first=
|last=
|author=Daniel Frankel
|title=Ranchers Say Oprah Created Lynch Mob Mentality
|date= January 21, 1998
|publisher=E! News
|url=http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,2414,00.html

|first=
|last=
|author=Mark Donald
|title=Analyze this
|date= April 13, 2000
|publisher=Dallas Observer 
|url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2000-04-13/news/feature.html

| author = Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council
| url = http://www.amarillofilm.org/
| title = Amarillo CVC Film Commission
| accessdate = 2006-02-09

|first=
|last=
|author=Lance Lahnert
|title=Mark Lee to be named revived Dillas' GM today
|date=January 10, 2006
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/011006/dil_3686659.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Greg Riddle
|title=NWIT - show board of directors the money
|date=March 20, 1997
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/032097/directors.html

|first=
|last=
|author=
|title=The new Dick Bivins 
|date=August 23, 2005 
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/082305/pig_2547173.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Ralph Routon 
|title=Street names can honor past, embrace future (Opinion article)
|date=February 8, 2004
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/020804/new_routon.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=Debra A. Parker
|title=Brick streets helped build
|date=May 17, 2001
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/051701/new_brickstreets.shtml

|first=
|last=
|author=George Schwarz
|title=BSA facilities receive honors 
|date=July 8, 2005 
|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News
|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/070805/new_2305721.shtml

| author = Texas Tech Health Science Center at Amarillo
| url = http://www.ttuhsc.edu/sop/prospective/visitors/museum.aspx
| title = Texas Pharmacy Museum
| accessdate = 2006-04-05

| author = Library of Congress - Congressional Records
| url = http://icreport.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r108:H13SE4-0025:
| title = THOMAS E. CREEK DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER -- (House of Representatives - September 13, 2004)
| accessdate = 2006-04-17

| author = City of Amarillo's Utilities Division
| url = http://www.ci.amarillo.tx.us/departments/dirutils/pdf/2005%20CCR%20MSWORD.pdf
| title = 2005 Water Quality Report
| format = PDF
| accessdate = 2006-01-28

| author = City of Amarillo
| url = http://www.ci.amarillo.tx.us/departments/solidwaste.htm
| title = Solid Waste Departments
| accessdate = 2006-02-07

References

• Template:Handbookoftexas. URL accessed on January 26, 2006.
• {{cite web

| author = City of Amarillo's Community Development Department
| url = http://www.ci.amarillo.tx.us/departments/commdev/pdf/2005-2010%20Analysis%20of%20Impediments.pdf
| title = 2005-2010 Analysis of Impediments (PDF file)
| accessdate = January 28
| accessyear = 2006

}}

• {{cite web

| author = City of Amarillo/Municode
| url = http://library.municode.com/mcc/home.htm?infobase=11818&doc_method=cleardoc
| title = Municipal Code City of Amarillo
| accessdate = February 18
| accessyear = 2006

}}

• {{cite web

| author = United States Department of Transportation
| url = http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/econdev/i27tx.htm
| title = Economic Development History of Interstate 27 in Texas
| accessdate = February 18
| accessyear = 2006

}}

External links

Template:Commons

• City of Amarillo's Website
• Amarillo Area Parks

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

de:Amarillo fr:Amarillo gl:Amarillo, Texas nl:Amarillo pl:Amarillo pt:Amarillo