Amarillo

Amarillo, which means “yellow” in Spanish, is the center of the Texas Panhandle, located at the edge of the Great Plains. It offers a true Western heritage, a unique geographical area with wide open spaces and breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Amarillo is also gateway to Palo Duro Canyon, America’s second largest canyon. With its relatively mild climate, the city is rated as having some of the cleanest air in the country.

Indians, conquistadors, buffalo hunters, settlers, cowboys, adventurers, lawmen, gunfighters, and the railroad all contributed in many ways to the development and growth of the area. That heritage is still felt here, where “cowboy” is still an honorable profession. Here you can enjoy the very best of the Old and New West!

It was founded in 1887, the city charter was adopted in 1913. Amarillo is one of the first cities in the nation to use the City Commissioner-City Manager form of government.

Today, the city features excellent accommodations, a spacious convention/ civic center, symphony, ballet, little theater, opera, and is the home of Amarillo College.

Inquire locally about Big Texan Steak Ranch & Opry. Known nationwide for 72-oz. steak dinner offered free to anyone who can eat the entire meal in one hour. More than 35,000 people have taken the challenge and 7,000 have succeeded. Outstanding country/Western performances every Tues. 7700 I-40 at Lakeside.; open daily. Tel. 806/372-6000.

Silver Mesa Ranch offers visitors horseback rides, horse-drawn wagons, cowboy breakfasts or dinners, Old West gunfights, cabin rentals and more. On Hwt 217 just outside entrance to Palo Duro State Park.