Quick Facts
Here are a few commonly frequently asked questions to help guide you through your Amarillo trip.
Location
At the center of the Texas Panhandle, part of the Great Plains, and the intersection of Interstates 40 and 27 and U.S. Highways 60, 87 and 287.
Climate
Altitude 3,672 ft; annual precipitation app. 20 inches. The altitude and a constant breeze give Amarillo some of the cleanest air in the country, as well as low humidity. There are four distinct seasons and over 270 sunny days annually.
Population/Size
Amarillo metropolitan area 268,691 (Census 2020); in 1890 population was 482. The city encompasses 99.48 sqm in both, Potter and Randall Counties. There are app. 908 streets in Amarillo, as well as 58 parks and playgrounds, 4 city swimming pools, two world-class skating parks, and 32 miles of jogging trails.
Transportation
Three airlines serve Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport with over 50 daily arrivals and departures: American Eagle, Continental/United and Southwest Airlines.
Major Industries
- Ranching and Farming
- Education, Banking
- Oil and Gas
- Medical and Tourism
Major Crops
- Corn
- Cotton
- Maize
- Wheat
Famous Amarilloans
- John Ayers - offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers
- John Bayless - pianist
- Cyd Charisse - actress/dancer
- Lee Cockrell - Grand Slam rodeo cowboy
- Ron Ely - actor and original TV Tarzan
- Terry Funk - wrestler
- Charles Goodnight - first rancher in the area
- and inventor of the chuck wagon
- Rick Husband - astronaut
- Timothy Jenkins - opera singer
- Mary Jane Johnson - opera singer
- Alex O'Brien - Tennis pro
- Brandon Slay - Olympic Gold Medal winner in wrestling
- Red Steagall - country/western entertainer
- Ryan Palmer - professional golfer
- Zach Thomas - football player Miami Dolphins
Did You Know?
- In 1893 Amarillo's population was listed as "between 500 and 600 humans and 50,000 head of cattle"?
- That Amarillo (Spanish for yellow) was named after the yellow sub-soil and the yellow blooms on the area's Yucca plants?
- Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport has the 3rd largest runway in the world and is designated as an alternate landing site for the space shuttle?
- Some people maintain that during sunrise and sunset in Amarillo, one can see the curvature of the earth, due to the wide open spaces of the Great Plains?
- That in 1922 the first radio concert ever broadcast was by Amarillo radio station WDAG - one of the first licensed stations in the country?
- That in 1929 Amarillo was a stop on the route of the first, continuous, scheduled air passenger and mail service from the Atlantic to the Pacific?