Amarillo is steeped in cowboy culture and history. Of course, it is a very modern city with contemporary art, world-class attractions, architecture and top-notch facilities. There are plenty of amazing facts that you should know before travelling to this charming city, like the city took its name from the yellow grass which grows in that area, one of the major industries in the city is Helium industry, and many more such facts. Take note of the following facts about Amarillo-
Image by Meniscus at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
Amarillo Geographic and Demographic Fast Facts
- Amarillo is located in the Texas Panhandle, with a part stretching into Randall County.
- It is the 14th most populous city in the US state of Texas.
- It is the largest city in the Texas Panhandle.
- It is the county seat of Potter County.
- The ethnic composition of Amarillo includes White- 59.7%, Black or African American-6.3%, Alaska Native and American Indian-0.5%, Asian-3.1%, from some other race- 0.1%, two or more races- 1.5%.
Amarillo History Fast Facts
- Francisco Coronado was the first European to come to the area in 1541.
- Amarillo became a county seat in 1887.
- In 1887, the first railroad freight service started in the area.
- The city was called Oneida in 1887 and later the name was changed to Amarillo, which is “Yellow” in Spanish language.
- In 1913, it was the first city in the state of Texas and only the 5th in the country to follow city manager type of government.
- Air mail service began to Amarillo in 1930.
- The city by twentieth century established itself as one the busiest cattle shipping centers in the world.
- Amarillo was included in the 20 Best Places to live in the West by Cowboy Magazine (2011).
- Tyler’s, Amarillo BBQ joint was included in the list of “The 50 Best Barbecue Joints in the World” by Texas Monthly (2013).
- According to True West Magazine (2015), Amarillo was in the “Top 10 Western Towns of the Year”.
Amarillo Government and Economy Fast Facts
- Amarillo follows the Council-Manager type of government.
- The economy of Amarillo largely depends on the modern ranching and farming, petrochemicals, tourism and heavy manufacturing industries.
- It is the Texas Panhandle’s regional economic center.
- Major employer in Amarillo is the meat packing industry.
Amarillo Important and Interesting Fast Facts
- Amarillo is known as the “Helium Capital of the World” as it has one of the world’s most high-yielding and fruitful helium fields.
- It is also called as the “Yellow Rose of Texas” and the “Rotor City of USA”
- The city is home to the Palo Duro Canyon, the largest canton in the Texas.
- It holds a record of being the Cattle shipping capital of the United States.
- The city is home to one of the largest nuclear weapons assembly plants in the US.
- Many popular movies like the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and many more have been shot in Amarillo and the surrounding landscapes.
- The Rick Husband International Airport of Amarillo has the 3rd largest runway in the world. Also, it is one of the space shuttle’s landing sites.
- The Big Texas Steak Ranch, popular all over the world for its 72 ounce steak challenge is in Amarillo. Anyone who completes the steak in less than an hour gets the meal for free.
- The main local newspaper of Amarillo is the “Amarillo Globe-News”.
