Amarillo TX‘s economy is powered by the Panhandle’s wind. Area wind turbines are creating jobs while reducing utility bills.

The city’s downtown has seen a revitalization of old buildings and new restaurants and businesses. The result is a lively atmosphere. Amarillo’s cost of living is lower than the national average. This is an important consideration when moving to a new city.

1. Amarillo Museum of Art

The Amarillo Museum of Art is a premier museum and gallery featuring European and American paintings, sculptures, photographs, and more. The museum hosts about 16 exhibitions per year in its intricate building designed by renowned architect Edward Durell Stone. The establishment also offers tours, film screenings, gallery lectures and art classes through its Museum School.

The mission of the Museum is to “enrich the lives of diverse people in the Panhandle by exhibitions, education, and collections.” Its temporary art exhibits showcase a wide range of styles and eras.

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the museum’s tropical conservatory with its flourishing indoor collection of exotic plants. There are specialized gardens like the Japanese, fragrance, and xeric gardens that you can explore too.

2. Amarillo Railroad Museum

As the name suggests, this museum focuses on railroad history in the Panhandle. There are pictures, models and real rail cars. It also has a replica of the Santa Fe Railroad, which once saw steam engines trekking across the region from Canadian to Clovis, New Mexico.

The model train project is funded by donations. Members meet every Thursday evening and the second and fourth Saturday of the month to work on the project.

Head out west on I-40 and you’ll come to Cadillac Ranch, a roadside attraction that’s become a bucket-list item for many travelers. This unique public art installation features ten Cadillacs covered in kaleidoscope colors and partly buried in an empty field.

3. Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian

This museum, which is designed to look like an Indian Pueblo, celebrates the aboriginal cultures of North America and features dance performances. Also on display are wildlife exhibits, bronze castings and Navajo rugs.

The Kwahadi Museum houses the Boy Scouts-affiliated Kwahadi Dancers who have been performing in this museum since 1944. Originally a one-shot presentation at a campfire, the troupe now tours coast to coast.

The troupe performs at the Kiva on a regular basis and for conventions and tour buses. The dancers are also available for private events and will travel to your location to provide shows. The dancers are currently preparing to tour Ontario and Quebec, Canada in the summer of 2006.

4. Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum

Located on the campus of West Texas A&M University, this museum is one of the largest in the state. The museum is dedicated to the pioneers of northwest Texas, their history and legacy. It houses a large collection of artifacts.

The museum displays everything from dinosaur fossils to a working oil well derrick and the world’s oldest Model T Ford car. The museum also features Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting Red Landscape; the T Anchor Ranch House, a cable tool drill rig; and an operating pump jack.

The museum also has a large research library and archives that collects published material, business records, and personal papers of Panhandle residents. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Review has been published since 1928. The journal publishes original and scholarly articles in the areas of ranching and farming, Panhandle-Plains history, Native American and Hispanic peoples, and western art and culture.

5. Ozymandias in the Plains

Two gigantic legs are featured in the sculpture inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem. The limbs, which are bare of any body parts, appear to be holding up the Panhandle’s vast sky. Stanley Marsh 3 commissioned Lightenin’ MacDuff, a local Artist who is self-taught, to create them.

Amarillo is dominated by the agriculture, energy, and Transportation industries. Tyson Foods is the largest employer, followed by Amarillo College and Pantex. A branch campus of West Texas A&M University is located in Amarillo.

Amarillo streets follow a grid system. The streets that run North-south are named for past presidents of the United States, while those running east-west have numbers. Many people use the numbered streets as reference points when driving in Amarillo. Amarillo has a temperate semi-arid climate. The city has hot summers, cool winters, and large diurnal temperatures variations.