Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas and is part of the West Texas region. It is the county seat of Potter County{{GR|6}} and a portion the city extends to Randall County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 173,627; however its metropolitan area (MSA) population is now estimated at well over 220,000. The famous Route 66 passes through Amarillo. The city's name derives from the nearby Amarillo Lake and Amarillo Creek, named in turn for the yellow soil along their banks and shores (Amarillo is the Spanish word for yellow, the color).

Economy

Amarillo is a vibrant economic hub serving portions of five states. Once known as the "Helium Capital of the World", Amarillo lies just south of the heart of one America's most productive natural gas fields and is in the middle of the most concentrated beef producing areas in the United States. As the dairy industry flees California, Amarillo serves what is fast becoming a major milk producing area as many multi million dollar state of the art dairies are built west of the city. Other major employers include Bell Helicopter Textron (final assembly point of the V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft and future site of Marine One assembly), Owens Corning (fiberglass plant), Tyson Fresh Meats Plant, Asarco (copper plant), and the Pantex nuclear weapons plant. Amarillo National Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in America not operated by a major multi-state bank.

Related Topics:
Helium - Beef - California - Bell Helicopter Textron - V-22 Osprey - Owens Corning - Tyson Fresh Meats Plant - Pantex - Amarillo National Bank

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The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation is funded by a city sales tax, and it provides aggressive incentive packages to existing and prospective employers. The AEDC is largely responsible for the development of the Osprey assembly point in Amarillo, destined to be a hub for future aerospace industry in Amarillo.

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Amarillo is also home to major medical facilities including Baptist St. Anthony's and Northwest Texas Hospitals, the Harrington Cancer Center, and the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech School of Pharmacy. All are located in the Harrington Regional Medical Center, one of the largest land masses in the United States dedicated to health care. Baptist St. Anthony's, known locally as BSA, has been listed among US News & World Reports "Top 50 Hospitals" for each of the past four years.

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Recently due to economic complacency, and an unwillingness to diversify, quality of living has declined. In a recent study, Amarillo was ranked number 200 out of 221 cities, for cities over 50,000 in regards to the economic quality of life.

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The city is also surrounded by farmers with wheat and irrigated corn as the main crops. In the past Amarillo was home to a U.S. Air Force base that was closed on December 31, 1968.

Related Topics:
December 31 - 1968

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