Amarillo
City in the panhandle of northern Texas, USA, situated on the high plains, west of the Canadian and Red rivers in Potter and Randal counties; population (2000 est) 173,600. The centre of the world's largest cattle-producing area, it processes the live animal into frozen supermarket packets in a single continuous operation on an assembly line. Other industries include oil, farming, copper and zinc refining, and the manufacture of helicopters. There is a large helium plant here, and the city is also a centre for the assembly of nuclear warheads.
History
The first European explorer was Francisco Vasques do Coronado in 1541. Amarillo was founded in 1887 as a railway junction for the transportation of cattle, and incorporated as a city in 1889. Known as Ragtown when it was founded, the town was later renamed Amarillo (Spanish: ‘yellow’) after the colour of the clay banks of a nearby creek. Natural gas was discovered here in 1918, and petroleum in 1921.
Features
Much of its tourism is marketed on the Old West. Amarillo has 34 entries on the National Register of Historic Places including churches, houses, and historic districts. West Texas State University (1910) is nearby.
