Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is a city located in Texas, USA. Amarillo is part of the Texas Panhandle region. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 173,627. It is the county seat of Potter County ⁶ and a portion the city extends to Randall County. The city self-proclaims itself as the "Helium Capital of the World" and is one of the largest beef producing cities in the United States. The famous Route 66 passes through Amarillo. Amarillo's name derives from the Spanish word for the color, yellow.

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.

Demographics

As of the census 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 people living in poverty, 19.6% are under the age of 18 and 9.3% are 65 or older.

Transportation

Airports

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport is located in Amarillo, and was named after the Amarillo native Rick Husband, whom died aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.

List of Major Freeways

List of famous people born and/or raised in Amarillo

Danny Elfman - raised in Los Angeles, California.
Terry Funk
Jimmie Dale Gilmore - raised in Lubbock, Texas.
Rick D. Husband
Paul Lockhart
J. D. Souther - born in Detroit, Michigan.

Education

Amarillo's only higher education institution is Amarillo College which is a two-year fully-accredited community college. The closest university is West Texas A&M University which is in nearby Canyon, Texas.

Amarillo's main primary education school district is the Amarillo Independent School District. Other school districts that have schools in Amarillo are Canyon Independent School District, Highland Park School District, and River Road School District.

Tourism

Amarillo is the home of the The Big Texan, which was made famous by offering visitors a free 72 ounce beef steak if they eat it under a 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 musicial 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.

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

Sports Teams

The city is home to the Amarillo Dillas, a Central Baseball League Minor league baseball team. Also, they have a minor league hockey team called the Amarillo Gorillas which is part of the Central Hockey League.

Historical Events

1541 - A Spanish conquistador named Francisco Coronado was the first European to visit the Amarillo-region.
1887 - Amarillo was founded.
1929 - The Amarillo Helium Plant started operations.
1934 - Amarillo was hit by the infamous Dust Bowl.
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 Husband was killed along with the rest of the STS-107 crew when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Media and Journalism

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

Television stations

Channel 02 - KACV - PBS
Channel 04 - KAMR - NBC
Channel 07 - KVII - ABC
Channel 09 - KFDA-DT - 1.) CBS 2.) Telemundo 3.) UPN
Channel 10 - KFDA - CBS
Channel 14 - KCIT - Fox Network
Channel 15 - KCIT-DT - Fox Network
Channel 19 - KAMR-DT - NBC
Channel 21 - KACV-DT - PBS
Channel 22 - KEAT-LP - Univision
Channel 23 - KVII-DT - ABC
Channel 33 - KCPN-LP - Independent
Channel 36 - KTMO-LP - Telemundo

In order to get the Warner Brothers Network, you must have a cable television connection from Cox Communications.

Amarillo Mention in Entertainment Medium

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.