Discover Magazine | 2010

DISCOVER AMARILLO SPRING 2010

A CITY’S TRACK RECORD

RAILROADS INSTRUMENTAL TO AMARILLO. 6

GITTIN’ THE BOOT

FOOTWEAR IS THE SOUL OF THE COWBOY. 10

WORKING CLASS

TOP EMPLOYERS, BY THE NUMBERS. 34

A GUIDE TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR NEWCOMERS AND RESIDENTS

THE PANHANDLE

10 12 14 16

Many businesses offer a Western experience. Saddle on up and head on in.

Cowboy up: Learn to talk the talk — and avoid getting called out for being a greenhorn.

Some famous faces have called the Panhandle home, and the area has its place in movie lore.

The weather can get wild — and dangerous. You’ll need to be prepared.

FOUNDING OF AMARILLO

AREA ACTIVITIES

18 20 21 22 24 26 27

Many getaway destinations are an easy drive from here.

Chow down on Texas grub. (P.S.: Around here, beef is king.)

It doesn’t take a lot of green to play the public golf courses.

From art to shopping, indoor activities abound.

For the sports fan, three pro teams call Amarillo home.

Dozens of parks dot the landscape.

One surely is near you.

Is the outdoors your thing? Great.

Your options are plentiful.

BUSINESSES

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Our natural resources have a profound effect on the economy.

36 37 38

The choices of hospitals and health care options are extensive.

Bell Helicopter continues to be the place for a whirlwind of activity.

Amarillo Independent School District leads the list of top employers. Check out the top 20, by the numbers.

In print, on television or via the airwaves, the media have it covered.

Agriculture and wind energy continue to prosper.

An expansion plan by the railroads set the stage for the settlement of Amarillo, and gas and oil discoveries from 1918 to 1921 fueled its growth.

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Many factors are key in the real estate market.

THROUGH THE YEARS: A look at some major stories from each decade throughout the 100 years of the Amarillo Globe-News.

— STORY ON PAGE 6

WESTERN FOOTWEAR

Researching banks and credit unions is just a click away.

GETTING SETTLED

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The court system: Judge for yourself how important it is.

The essentials: everything from signing up for cable to obtaining your driver’s license.

School districts — and how to get your children enrolled.

Higher education is highly important, and Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University are bedrocks for learning.

Demographics show that your neighbors are a diverse bunch.

Welcome mats are laid out in abundance for worshipers of all faiths.

ON THE COVER : A Kwahadi dancer peforms Song of the Eagle at the Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian, at 9151 E. Interstate 40 in Amarillo.

– GLOBE-NEWS FILE PHOTO

See out what goes into creating that authentic Western style — and what might fit you best.

— STORY ON PAGE 10

Discover Amarillo is a publication of the Amarillo Globe-News. Visit us online at amarillo.com 4 | DISCOVER

THROUGH THE YEARS For 100 years, the Amarillo Globe-News and its publishing predecessors have chronicled global events and significant moments that have made the Panhandle the place it is today — from the booms in oil, agriculture and helium to today’s diversified economy. The paper has captured the rise of the Hollywood movie, documented crimes and fires, and news that made headlines locally and around the world.

Here’s a sampling of stories from our past 100 years:

1910-1919 Amarillo Daily News, March 11, 1913 CARSON CAPITAL GROWS STEADILY Heavy crops during 1912 bring general prosperity: Carson County was in the spotlight as an agricultural mecca for the region. Shipped from the county seat of Panhandle: 400 train cars of grain, 30,000 head of cattle and 3,000 hogs. Panhandle (population 700) just had completed the $68,000 Carson County Courthouse and was about to build a new school.

1920-1929 Amarillo Sunday News-Globe, Feb. 17, 1929 HELIUM PLANT NOW READY FOR OPERATION AMARILLO FIELD WILL SUPPLY WORLD WITH RAREST OF ELEMENTS

The helium plant was fully operational March 1. About 95 percent of the world’s supply of helium would continue to be produced from this plant until 1943, when the Excell Helium Plant near Dumas was built to support the war effort.

The plant cost about $500,000 and was built on prairie land. The plant operated 24 hours a day, seven day a week, and employed about 75 people.

In 1996, the Interior Department was directed to begin liquidating the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve by 2005, and in 1998, a phased shutdown of the Amarillo Helium Plant and the Excell plant at Masterson began.

1930-1939 Amarillo Sunday News-Globe, April 20, 1930 GRETA GARBO PLAYS “ANNA CHRISTIE” FOR FIRST TALKIE The Mission Theater was the first Amarillo theater to carry Greta Garbo’s first “talkie,” or talking movie.

The Swedish-born actress’ first lines in the movie, which was screened at the Mission, were, “Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side — and don’t be stingy, baby.”

Amarillo’s Liberty Theater also announced that it had installed an apparatus to begin showing talkies.

HISTORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 7 6 | DISCOVER

Amarillo’s origin: Follow the tracks Railroads helped make the city what it is today

BY DAVID WARREN / david.warren@amarillo.com It was a settlement that occurred largely by happenstance.

While there already were established pioneer communities in the Texas Panhandle, such as Mobeetie, Clarendon and Tascosa, it was an expansion plan by the railroads that helped give rise to Amarillo.

And that rise was swift.

Amarillo, incorporated in 1887 at the intersection of railroad lines that joined to accommodate a burgeoning cattle market, promptly became known as the world’s greatest cattle-shipping center.

According to historical accounts, at times, there were 50,000 head of cattle waiting for railroad cars to haul them away.

But the human population began catching up. In 1890, there were 482 people living in the ramshackle town. Ten years later, that number had grown to 1,442. In 1910, there were 9,957 people, and by 1922, the bustling city had a population of about 16,000.

Now, more than 100 years after its founding, Amarillo is poised to exceed

GLOBE-NEWS ARCHIVES

This undated photograph shows the Amarillo Gas Co. plant.

200,000 people.

But in the mid-1880s, there were two primary rail lines — the Fort Worth & Denver, and the Kansas & Southern — that began to stretch across the Panhandle. It was the junction of the lines that played a significant role in the creation of Amarillo, according to a 1957 account in the Panhandle-Plains Historical Review.

But Bill Green, curator emeritus at the

THROUGH THE YEARS FROM PAGE 6

1940-1949

The Amarillo railroad yard in 1903 showed signs of the city’s growth.

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, said there were a couple of other factors that also gave rise to the city.

Merchants in Colorado City, west of Abilene, had established a lucrative commercial market with the Panhandle, thanks to the railroads, and sought to expand that market by helping establish a settlement just west of present-day Amarillo, Green said.

It wasn’t a sound piece of land, though — low-lying and prone to flooding. The settlement then was moved eastward, becoming the start of the city we know today.

Green said the sheer ambition of Panhandle pioneers can’t be overlooked as another reason for Amarillo’s early boom.

“Those men were young and full of energy and very aggressive and just pushed Amarillo to the absolute limit” to bring new business here, Green said.

He cited people like Lee Bivins, Col. C.T. Herring, R.B. Masterson, John Shelton, and B.T. Ware. But he also mentioned Mrs. M.D. Oliver-Eakle as making significant commercial contributions at a time when women and business rarely mixed.

“Part of it was pride,” he said. “It was their town, and they wanted it to be wonderful.”

Eventually, three railroads served Amarillo that contributed mightily to the community’s development. The first courthouse was built in 1888, the first schoolhouse in 1889. Also, the first bank opened in 1889, and St. Anthony’s Sanitarium was established in 1900.

Amarillo wrote its own charter in

GLOBE-NEWS ARCHIVES

The Amarillo Times, April 30, 1942 AMARILLO VOLUNTEERS REACH 12,000 The number of Amarillo residents volunteering for civilian defense work during World War II reached unprecedented levels in April.

But the month also was significant for construction that began on the Amarillo Army Air Field adjacent to the former English Field.

The base was activated Sept. 2, and its purpose was to train mechanics and flight engineers for the B-17 Flying Fortress.

With the end of the war, the base was inactivated in 1946 but would reopen five years later as a consequence of the Korean conflict, and it would employ tens of thousands during the next 15 years.

1950-1959 Amarillo Sunday News-Globe, Jan. 21, 1951 CITY HAILS HUGE PANTEX PROJECT AEC TO SPEND 20 MILLION DOLLARS FOR PERMANENT-TYPE PLANT HERE The plant, closed shortly after World War II, was to be re-opened by the Atomic Energy Commission to assemble and dismantle nuclear weapons.

About one-fourth of the 16,000 acres of the old Pantex Ordnance plant 17 miles east of Amarillo was taken over by the commission, with an estimated $20 million price tag for the job. The segment known as Zone 12 was used as the new production plant.

During World War II, it was the last section to be completed and never actually was used.

Pantex came to employ about 1,000 people at the time, a work force that has grown to about 3,000.

1960-1969

GLOBE-NEWS ARCHIVES

Conductor J.C. Hudspeth waves goodbye on behalf of the Fort Worth & Denver Train No. 8 on Dec. 15, 1966, as it leaves Amarillo for the last time.

1913. Gas and oil discoveries were made near Amarillo from 1918 through 1921. The building of railroad lines and depots continued in the area until the early 1930s.

Amarillo Globe-Times, Dec. 31, 1968 AAFB BECOMES UNIT OF SAFB (SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE) Without fanfare or ceremony, Amarillo Air Force Base passes into history.

On New Year’s Day 1969, it becomes a detachment of Sheppard Air Force Base at Wichita Falls.

The base, once boasting a population of more than 20,000 and the largest jet engine mechanics school in the world, later employed only a caretaker force.

HISTORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 8 DISCOVER | 7

THROUGH THE YEARS FROM PAGE 7

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Coulter Road Baptist Church

Amarillo Daily News, March 2, 1970 FIRE SWEEPS THROUGH AHS “A calm Sunday morning was interrupted about 6:15 a.m. when a custodian at First Baptist Church noticed flames coming from nearby Amarillo High School.

Chaos descended as a fire, started by a faulty boiler, destroyed the original downtown high school.

For 41⁄2 hours, 100 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. Most of the fire damage was to the auditorium and two-thirds of the top floor, but smoke and water damage made the school a complete loss.

It was an emotional experience for 1,700 students, who helped retrieve trophies, pictures, textbooks and other mementos.

Students finished the school year in makeshift classrooms at several downtown churches.

The new Amarillo High would open on South Bell Street four years later.

Amarillo was the talk show capital of the world. Popular daytime host Oprah Winfrey taped her show here while defending herself in Amarillo’s federal district court.

Amarilloan Paul Engler and cattlemen across the U.S. alleged in a federal civil lawsuit that Winfrey made disparaging remarks in a 2006 show that caused a severe drop in cattle prices. The court ruled in Winfrey’s favor, and the host and her show quickly returned to Chicago.

2000-PRESENT

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Loving • Sharing • Serving SUNDAYS: Worship 8:30 & 11:00

Bible Study 9:45

Senior Pastor

Chris Robeson

4108 Coulter Rd • 806.352.5278 806 352 5278 www.coulterbc.com

8 | DISCOVER

July 23, 1989 GROUND BROKEN FOR LOCAL PRISON With the turn of 10 shovelfuls of sod, ground was broken for a new maximum-security prison in Amarillo named after former Texas Gov. William P. Clements Jr. The city of Amarillo was chosen as the site of the prison after successful lobbying efforts by local leaders and assistance from the Panhandle legislative delegation.

A second prison unit, the Nathaniel J. “Nat” Neal Unit, later was established in the city.

1990-1999 Amarillo Daily News, Feb. 27, 1998 OPRAH VINDICATED For six weeks in 1998,

Amarillo Globe-News, Feb. 2, 2003 A NATION GRIEVES On Feb. 1, a white wisp streaked across the morning Panhandle sky, marking the final flight and passing of Amarillo astronaut Rick Husband and six other crew members aboard the Columbia space shuttle.

Husband and his crew were returning from a 16day mission when the shuttle burned up after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, killing all aboard. It was determined that protective heat tiles on the shuttle had been damaged during takeoff.

— GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

EXPERIENCE TEXAS Amarillo offers its own brand of Texas culture, whether that be saddle makers, boot makers, unique places to eat or outdoor drama. They say as much about the city as the people who have made them an Amarillo tradition.

What follows is a sampling of those places that epitomize that distinctive culture.

OLIVER’S SADDLE SHOP

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

Cowboy boots in an array of colors line the shelves at Beck Cowboy Boots, which offers customers 120 sizes, many of which can be tried on in the store.

Well-heeled tradition

The look: Want to go Western? Step on in

BY BRAD NEWMAN / brad.newman@amarillo.com If you want to live out West, you might want to dress like it.

Western wear is a common sight in these parts: blue jeans, cowboy hats, pearl-snap shirts — and, of course, cowboy boots.

Boots are must-have footwear for many Amarilloans, whether they’re cow folk or not.

First-time cowboy boot buyers should keep a few things in mind while shopping for the right pair.

THE OCCASION “Probably the most important factor in deciding on a pair of boots is knowing what they’re going to be used for,” said Bob Ross at Western Leather Craft Boot Co. in Amarillo.

Working ranchers or farmers will want to scout out a pair that will endure the elements, he said.

Those who want to wear cowboy boots only every so often — for instance, to rodeos or West10 | DISCOVER

ern-themed entertainment events — should consider “roper” boots, Ross said.

“They’re essentially a boot made on a shoe heel,” he said.

HANDMADE VS. FACTORY Cowboy boots can be found on shelves at retailers throughout Amarillo, but for a quality pair of boots, consider visiting a shop that makes them by hand.

Beck Cowboy Boots, 723 S. Georgia St., has fashioned cowboy boots since 1916.

“Handmade boots are the best quality,” said Jeremy Pool at Beck Cowboy Boots. “They are built specifically to fit people as they should.”

Of course, handmade boots cost more. A pair at Beck Cowboy Boots starts about $400, and the price increases, depending on leather type and customized details.

Factory boots typically range from $100 to $150.

❱❱ ADDRESS: 3016 Plains Blvd., 806-372-7562. ❱❱ HOURS OF OPERATION: 8 a.m.6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.noon Saturday. ❱❱ WHY TEXAN?: Customordered saddles have been made at Oliver’s since 1960.

Richard Oliver’s grandfather, Claude William Oliver, started the original store in 1917 in Vernon. The store makes saddles, tacks, chaps and does repair work. There’s a waiting list of 12 to 14 months. Oliver’s makes about 60 saddles a year and, all told, has made more than 3,400.

‘TEXAS’ MUSICAL DRAMA

❱❱ ADDRESS: Palo Duro Canyon Pioneer Amphitheatre, 17 miles south of Amarillo, 806655-2181. ❱❱ DAYS OF OPERATION: June 4-Aug. 21. Tickets: $9.95$29.95. ❱❱ WHY TEXAN?: Since 1966, this outdoor musical and dance drama has been performed under the stars in scenic Palo Duro Canyon. “Texas” is the fictional telling of the settling of the Texas Panhandle in the late 1880s. The Big Texan Steak Ranch caters an optional steak dinner. Nightly performances begin about 8:30.

STOCKYARD CAFE

❱❱ ADDRESS: 101 S. Manhattan St., 806-342-9411 ❱❱ HOURS OF OPERATION: 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 5-8:30 p.m. Friday. ❱❱ WHY TEXAN?: The cafe is on the grounds of the Amarillo Stockyards. Sale day is Tuesday, and the cafe usually is packed with cattlemen, but city slickers are just as prevalent.

Many order the cafe’s specialty — the chicken-fried steak made from scratch. It has been featured on the Travel Channel.

BECK COWBOY BOOTS

❱❱ ADDRESS: 723 S. Georgia St., 806-373-1600. ❱❱ HOURS OF OPERATION: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. ❱❱ WHY TEXAN?: Harry Beck’s dad Earl and twin brother Bearl opened the first store, in 1921 in Amarillo. They crafted custom-ordered boots until 1952. Earl’s son Harry, after several similar business ventures, reopened Beck’s Cowboy Boots in 1993. After a customer tries a “fit kit,” a pair is crafted to specification.

They custom-make more than 1,500 boots a year and have more than 120 sizes. About 40 percent of the customers are cowboys and ranchers.

COYOTE BLUFF CAFE

❱❱ ADDRESS: 2417 S. Grand St., 806-373-4640. ❱❱ HOURS OF OPERATION: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. ❱❱ WHY TEXAN?: On the outside, the cafe might look like a tool shed, but inside, the drinks are cold and the food is hot. The small building was cut in half and moved from the north to the south side of Interstate 40. It was then a liquor store, another cafe, and, for the past 17 years, it has been Coyote Bluff. There are 12 tables, and it seats 48. Rib-eyes and hamburgers are the specialties — especially the Hell Burger, after it was featured on the Travel Channel.

LONE STAR BAR AND GRILL

❱❱ ADDRESS: Farm-to-Market Road 1151, seven miles south of Amarillo, between Osage and Washington, 806-622-9827. ❱❱ HOURS OF OPERATION: 49:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday; 4-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; liquor license open until midnight. ❱❱ WHY TEXAN?: The specialty is the rib-eye steak, specifically a new 12-ounce rib-eye. Lone Star used to sell only the 16-ounce, and two often split it, but the 12ounce has proved popular.

Right behind are the various hamburgers.

— COLUMNIST JON MARK BEILUE

PHOTOS BY ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

FROM LEFT: At Beck Cowboy Boots, Rafael Espinoza stitches a design onto a piece of leather that will become the top part of a pair of boots. Several pairs of boots wait to be finished. Owner Harry Beck shows how a 40 penny nail with flattened tips is placed into the shank of a boot. Beck said the nail is placed there for comfort and durability, and that a cowboy boot has one and a western boot doesn’t.

SIZES The length of a boot, from heel to toe, is measured in inches, just like any type of shoe. But buyers also need to know their foot width.

The width of a cowboy boot has nine measurements, from A (the narrowest) to EE (the widest).

The D width is considered to be the average width for men; the B width is considered to be the average for women.

“You can’t tighten boots like you can a shoe,” Pool said. “So it’s important to have your feet measured well so you get a good-fitting boot.”

Cowboy boot makers said interested shoppers should try on a pair.

“Cowboy boots are great for anyone in search of comfortable, durable footwear,” said Pool, who wears cowboy boots every day. “If you take care of them, you can enjoy them for five to 10 years.”

And you might not ever want to wear anything else, Ross said.

“It doesn’t take long to get used to wearing cowboy boots,” he said.

“And you won’t go back to regular shoes once you do.”

WESTERN WEAR PRICES* COWBOY HAT: $30-$50 BELT BUCKLE: $50-$100 BANDANNA: Less than $5 BOOTS: Factory pair starts at $100; handmade pair starts about $400 *Prices are estimates

Rosalio Quiroz stretches the leather onto the mold of a boot at Beck Cowboy Boots. Twice-stretched leather enables the boot to keep its shape longer.

DISCOVER | 11

ID: -1 size: 4.454 by 381.6 cyan yellow

Talk the talk

BY CHERYL BERZANSKIS / cheryl.berzanskis@amarillo.com Hey, y’all.

None of that oratorical nonsense like “Friends, Romans, countrymen” for me. No sirree, Bob. I talk Texan, and I can teach you, too.

Naturally, much of the local vernacular is derived from the region’s rural origins, and the cowboy culture is a rich well from which to draw.

Let me give you a few examples.

When your neighbor scrapes his knee and ponders whether to visit the doctor, you might think he needs to just “cowboy up,” which means, “don’t be a sissy.” When a braggart can’t help but mention the fine beef on his family spread, a five-acre ranchette, someone inevitably will call him “all hat and no cattle.” A fellow who can survive falling off a horse or being kicked by a cow without complaint is “tougher’n a boot,” referring to the leather-shod feet that carry a cowboy many a mile.

The picture words that help us communicate in unmistakable ways also draw from nature.

“Dumber than a box of rocks” — correctly pronounced, “dummer’n a boxa rocks” — recalls the stones upon which you stub your toe. (But you’ll cowboy up and won’t mention it to anyone.) “That dog won’t hunt” is a going-nowhere bad idea, and “tall cotton” signals

STEPHEN SPILLMAN / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

When someone tells you to “cowboy up,” they’re saying “don’t be a sissy.” Klancy Best, 16, of Gage, Okla., knows the ropes of cowboy life and the language that goes with it.

prosperity after picking time in the fall.

Remember, many expressions, like “dumber’n a boxa rocks,” have their own pronunciation. Your first lesson will involve omittin’ any “g” you come across at the end of a word.

The second lesson will involve changing “o” to “uh.”

Consider this: “I’m about ready to go to town. I am running errands today.”

In Texan, it becomes, “I’m uh-fixin’ tuh go tuh town. I’m a-runnin’ errands tuhday.”

Please don’t feel obligated to pronounce all the letters in a word — “g” and “l” being especially superfluous — and certainly add a few syllables, if you’d like. Locals do it all the time.

SOUND TEXAN HOW TO SOUND LOCAL, EVEN IF YOU JUST GOT OFF THE AIRPLANE: ❱❱ Refer to the midday and evening meals as dinner and supper, not lunch and dinner. ❱❱ Say either “thank you” or “you’re welcome” with a single, hearty “You bet!” ❱❱ Harken back to the cowboy

12 | DISCOVER

with, “He looks rode hard and put up wet” to refer to someone who has lived a difficult life and it shows on his face. ❱❱ On a very windy Panhandle day, remind children and the skinny to put “rocks in your pockets” to avoid being blown away.

Role call The famous: Did you know they had ties to the Panhandle?

Amarillo claims its share of movie stars and big-name musicians.

Here is a sampling of celebrities who have called the Panhandle home. ❱❱ TULA ELLICE FINKLEA, AKA CYD CHARISSE Charisse, a dancer and actress who died in 2008 at age 86, is one of Amarillo’s most famous natives.

The performer showcased her skills in movie musicals in the 1940s and 1950s and continued on Broadway into the 1990s.

Charisse danced opposite Fred Astaire in “The Band Wagon” and “Silk Stockings,” and in “Singin’ in the Rain” with Gene Kelly. ❱❱ RON ELY Ely, an Amarillo High School graduate who was born in Hereford, is best known for his portrayal of Tarzan on the NBC show of the same name in the 1960s. He also has appeared in several other television shows and films. ❱❱ CAROLYN JONES Jones played the role of Morticia in the television comedy series “The Addams Family” in the 1960s.

She also starred in several films during that era and earned nominations for and Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

She died in 1983.

14 | DISCOVER

❱❱ PAULA TRICKEY Actress Trickey, of Amarillo, is best known for her role as Cory McNamara in the USA Network series “Pacific Blue,” which aired from 1996 to 2000.

She also appeared in the third and fourth seasons of “The O.C.” ❱❱ KEVIN THORNTON Thornton, an Amarilloan, was a member of the early-1990s singing sensation R&B quartet Color Me Badd.

The group’s chart-topping hits included “I Wanna Sex You Up” and “I Adore Mi Amor.”

The foursome disbanded, and in 2008, Thornton released a Christian record titled “Conversion.” ❱❱ JOHN RICH Rich is one half the country music duo Big & Rich, known for its songs “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” and “Lost in This Moment.” ❱❱ TRAVIS WARREN Travis Warren fronted the rock band Blind Melon from 2006 to 2008.

The group, which found major success in the early 1990s, disbanded after the death of its original lead singer in 1999 but reformed in 2006 with Warren on vocals.

— STAFF WRITER BRAD NEWMAN

REALITY TELEVISION SHOW CONTESTANTS Several individuals from the Amarillo area have participated on reality television shows in recent years. A sampling: ❱❱ LACEY BROWN, “American Idol,” season 9 (2010); advanced to top 12 ❱❱ ELEISHA MILLER, “America’s Got Talent,” season 4 (2009); advanced to top 40 ❱❱ PRESTON LEE, “Top Design,” season 2 (2008); advanced to top three ❱❱ RORY SCHEPISI, “The Next Food Network Star,” season 3 (2007); advanced to top two ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS Lacey Brown ❱❱ WILL BIGHAM, “On the Lot,” season 1 (2007); winner — STAFF WRITER BRAD NEWMAN

MOVIES FILMED IN THE REGION A handful of movies — or at least scenes from movies — have been shot in the Panhandle. Some include: ❱❱ “HUD” (1963) Paul Newman starred in this cowboy film, shot primarily in Claude, 30 miles southeast of Amarillo. ❱❱ “INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE” (1989) The final sunset scene of the third installment of the blockbuster franchise was filmed on a ranch southeast of Amarillo. ❱❱ “LEAP OF FAITH” (1992) Plainview, about 75 miles south of Amarillo, was the site for this film about a fraudulent Christian faith healer. It stars Steve Martin, Liam Neeson and Debra Winger. ❱❱ “WAKING UP IN RENO” (2002) Amarillo’s Big Texan Steak Ranch is featured in this comedy-drama starring Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, Patrick Swayze and Natasha Richardson. The movie is about two redneck couples who take a trip from Little Rock, Ark., to Reno, Nev. ❱❱ “CAST AWAY” (2000) The last scene in this Tom Hanks film was shot in Canadian, about 100 miles northeast of Amarillo. ❱❱ “PAPER HEART” (2009) An Amarillo couple, Don and Sally Emerson, are interviewed in this documentary-style feature film about the meaning of love. The film stars Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera.

— STAFF WRITER BRAD NEWMAN

Exposed to the elements The weather: Tornadoes, hail ever-present seasonal threats If you have a meteorological appreciation for tornadoes and hail, then Amarillo’s spring and summer weather will be right up your alley, literally.

Each year, the Texas Panhandle, situated on the western edge of the aptly named Tornado Alley — it’s an area that runs through six states — is in position for tornadic activity.

Tornado Alley, which spans parts of Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and northwest Arkansas, is in the stretch of the United States where the most tornadoes occur.

From 1950 through July 31, 2009, 8,049 tornadoes have been recorded in Texas. During that period, 1,022 have been recorded in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, said Steve Bilodeau with the National Weather Service in Amarillo.

But if a tornado crosses a county line, it’s counted twice. If it crosses two county lines, then it’s counted three times.

“Basically, the whole thing is the combination of the warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, the warm, dry air from the southwest and the cool, dry air from the north,” Bilodeau said.

In addition to the tornadic activity, Amarillo has been listed as the secondmost hail-prone city in the country, behind only Tulsa. Oklahoma City comes in third.

It also has the designation of being the third-most windy city in the country, with daily average wind speeds of 13.5 mph.

Only Blue Hill Observatory in Massachusetts, with average winds of 15.4 mph, and Dodge City, Kan., with average winds of 14 mph, top it.

— STAFF WRITER JANELLE STECKLEIN

Amarillo weather RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE: 108 degrees, on June 24, 1953; June 27-28, 1998; and June 24, 1990 RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE: 16 below zero, in 1899 AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE: 57 AVERAGE ANNUAL PRECIPITATION: 19.71 inches MOST ANNUAL PRECIPITATION: 39.75 inches, in 1923 LEAST ANNUAL PRECIPITATION: 9.56 inches, in 1970 MOST CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION: 75, beginning Oct. 21, 1956 EARLIEST FREEZE: Sept. 21, 1983 LATEST FREEZE: May 7, 1915 and 1917 AVERAGE DATE OF LAST FREEZE: April 18 RECORD 24-HOUR SNOWFALL: 20.6 inches, March 2526, 1934 RECORD MONTHLY SNOWFALL: 28.7 inches, February 1903 RECORD SEASONAL SNOWFALL: 50.9 inches, 1918-19 Source: National Weather Service in Amarillo

���������������������������������� ���������������������������������� Highs and lows of Amarillo weather ��������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������� �������

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Source: National Weather Service in Amarillo

Tornado safety

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If the area starts to look stormy and the sky turns greenish, tune to a local radio or television station, or look at a Web site, such as amarillo.com, that can provide information. A “tornado watch” means a tornado is possible. A “tornado warning” means a tornado has been spotted or is indicated on radar.

Either way, you should take shelter immediately. You also can listen for tornado sirens in most areas. Have a plan in place before a tornado arrives.

If you are in a place without

a basement, avoid windows and outside-facing walls. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or a windowless interior hallway. Crouch as low as possible, facing down; cover your head with your hands. A bathtub can offer protection. Cover yourself with thick padding (mattress and blankets) to protect from debris. You can put a metal trash can over yourself to protect from debris.

SOURCE: TORNADOPROJECT.COM

STEPHEN SPILLMAN / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

16 | DISCOVER

GLOBE-NEWS FILE

Spectators cheer as balloons rise at Palo Duro Canyon during the final day of the Pirates of the Canyon balloon festival. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is one of the most scenic destinations in the area and is home to the musical “Texas” each summer.

That’s a short jaunt? Get outta here Day trips: Try your hand at a ranch; go see some gators (yes, gators) Want to get away, and don’t want to hop onto an airline to do so? Well, you can be, as The Beatles once sang, a Day Tripper.

The Panhandle and South Plains offer a variety of stops — from lakes to trails, from alligators to horses, from huge crosses to the turning of the leaves. And it’s guaranteed to get a family back that same day.

A SAMPLING OF SITES AN EASY DRIVE FROM AMARILLO: ❱❱ BAR H DUDE RANCH: This working cowboy ranch is three miles west of Clarendon, on Texas Farm-to-Market 18 | DISCOVER

Road 3257, just off U.S. 287, about an hour drive from Amarillo.

The public can join regular cowboys and feed livestock, mend fences, haul hay, move the herd or engage in dozens of other ranch chores.

More relaxing activities are available, like horseback riding, hiking, biking, pitching horseshoes or volleyball.

800-627-9871, www.barhduderanch.com ❱❱ BOB WILLS MUSEUM: The museum in Turkey, 100 miles southeast of Amarillo, honors the man known as the King of Western Swing. Wills was

reared on a farm just north of Turkey.

The museum includes memorabilia of the Texas Playboys and of Wills’ career and his influence on American music, including fiddles, boots, hats, recordings, music and photos.

806-423-1033, www.bobwills.com/museum ❱❱ CANADIAN FOLIAGE TOURS: In and around Canadian, 120 miles northeast of Amarillo, on Highway 60. It’s a different slice of the Texas Panhandle, with trees, hills and other natural beauty.

Foliage tours in the fall,

when cottonwoods, hackberries and black locusts change colors, attract many tours and visitors. The Canadian Fall Foliage Festival is each October.

806-323-6234 ❱❱ CAPROCK CANYON STATE PARK: This relatively new state park of 15,000 acres, near Silverton, about 100 miles southeast of Amarillo, was opened in 1982. It offers camping and hiking, as well as activities on 120-acre Lake Theo.

The park also is home to the official state bison herd.

The Caprock Canyon Trailways is 64 miles of trails for

hiking, biking and horseback riding.

806-445-1492, www.tpwd.state.tx.us I�D�:� �-�1� ❱❱ THEs�i�z�e�:� CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: The �b�y� �4�.�4�5�4� second-largest cross in North America c�y�a�n� �y�e�l�l�o�w� is just west of Groom, 42 miles east of � Amarillo, off Interstate 40.

The 190-foot, 2.5 million-pound cross is the centerpiece of a 10-acre display that includes stations and statues depicting scenes of the crucifixion. There also is a large gift shop.

About 300,000 people visit the site each year.

806-665-7788, www.crossministries.net

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❱❱ LAKE MEREDITH/GREENBELT LAKE: Lake Meredith, which covers 16,400 acres, is 50 miles northeast of Amarillo, along Highway 136. Activities include boating, camping, and fishing for walleye, crappie, bass and catfish.

Hunting is available for whitetail and mule deer, dove, turkey and quail.

806-857-3151, www.nps.gov/lamr.

Greenbelt Lake, which is 2,000 acres, is 60 miles southeast of Amarillo, four miles north of Clarendon. Boating, camping and fishing for bass, crappie and channel catfish is available.

806-874-3650, www.texassportfishing.com ❱❱ PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK: The park is 26,275 acres on the north end of Palo Duro Canyon.

The canyon itself, at 120 miles long and 20 miles wide, is the second-largest canyon in the United States, behind only the Grand Canyon.

There are 30 miles of unmarked trails.

Hiking, trail running, road biking, camping horseback riding and wildlife viewing are available.

The outdoor musical drama “Texas” is performed in the Pioneer Amphitheater during the summer.

806-488-2277, palodurocanyon.com ❱❱ TEXAS ALLIGATOR RANCH: In the northern part of the Panhandle is, of all things, an alligator ranch. Live alligators of all sizes are available for viewing. More than two dozen are in stock.

Chickens, peacocks, turkeys and prairie dogs also are on the site.

The ranch is one-quarter mile west of Spearman, on Texas 15.

806-659-2924, www.texasgatorranch.com — GLOBE-NEWS STAFF DISCOVER | 19

Lick your chops Restaurants: However you slice it, beef’s king Beef.

It’s for any meal of the day.

Since Amarillo is a mere 60 miles from one of the most prolific cattle-feeding regions of the world, it stands to reason that steaks, hamburgers and barbecue joints abound here.

We have compiled a list — no, we’re not claiming it’s a comprehensive list, so don’t call to complain — of restaurants big and small, cheap and pricey, that take protein off the hoof and turn it into something delectable.

P.S.: Leave your best shirt at home when dining at these places. You might wear your dinner home in the form of barbecue sauce or the juicy drippings from a moist burger.

ARNOLD BURGER, 1611 S. Washington St. 806-372-1741 BBQ BARN, 3319 S. Bell St. 806-9715 BEANS N THINGS, 1700 E. Amarillo Blvd. 806-373-7383 BIG DADDY’S BBQ, 400 E. Hastings St. 806-383-9731 BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH, 7701 E. Interstate 40. 806-3727000 BILL’S GO BURGER, 4500 S. Washington St. 806-355-1841 BLUE SKY, 4201 W. Interstate 40. 806-355-8100 BUNS OVER TEXAS, 3440 S. Bell St. 806-358-6808 BURGER BARN, 8528 US 287.

806-381-9499 BUTCH’S BBQ JOINT, 7028 S. Western St. 806-7011 CATTLE CALL BARBECUE, 4111 Wolflin Ave. 806-463-7900 CEE N DEE’S, 1010 N. Fillmore St. 806-342-4014 COUNTRY BARN, 8200 W. Interstate 40. 806-356-8095 COYOTE BLUFF, 2417 S. Grand St. 806-373-4640 Nobody will have to ask “Where’s the beef?” when they get a look at the giant quad-patty burger at Arnold Burger.

GLOBE-NEWS FILE

20 | DISCOVER

DYER’S BAR-B-QUE, Wellington Square. 806-358-7104 ED’S GRILL, 2801 S.E. 27th Ave. 806-373-3260 FURRBIE’S, 210 S.W. Sixth Ave. 806-220-0841 GOLDENLIGHT CAFE, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave. 806-374-9237 HENK’S PIT BAR-B-QUE, 1508 S. Grand St. 806-372-9011 HOME PLATE DINER, 5600 S. Bell St. 806-359-4444 HUMMER’S SPORTS CAFE, 2600 Paramount Blvd. 806-3530723 JEFF’S GRAND BURGER, 3609 S.W. 45th Ave. 806-352-8601 LONE STAR BAR AND GRILL, Farmto-Market Road 1151. 806622-9827 MARTY’S, 2749 Westhaven Village. 806-353-3523 OUTLAWS SUPPER CLUB, 10816 E. Third Ave. 806-335-1032 RIBS N MORE, 2601 W. Sixth Ave. 806-373-9481 ROBINSON’S BBQ, 5920 Hillside Road. 806-358-2194 SMOKEY JOE’S TEXAS CAFE, 2309 S.W. Sixth Ave. 806-3316698 STOCKYARD CAFE, 101 S. Manhattan St. 806-342-9411 WESLEY’S BEAN POT & BBQ, 6404 River Road. 806-381-2893 — STAFF WRITER CHERYL BERZANSKIS

Strike while the iron’s hot Golf courses: You won’t spend a lot of green while going for it Amarillo’s golfing community is afforded an opportunity to play a variety of public and private courses.

The city boasts two public courses (Ross Rogers and Comanche Trail) that feature 36-hole layouts.

The Ross Rogers WildHorse and Comanche Trail Arrowhead courses have been recognized by the Dallas Morning News the past two years as the best in the state for their dollar value.

The three country clubs (Amarillo, Tascosa and La Paloma) provide their members an opportunity to not only golf, but to attend many social functions. ‘‘The city of Amarillo has seen fit to provide its citizens with some excellent golf courses,’’ Ross Rogers pro Sherwin Cox said. ‘‘City officials have not hesitated to spend money in an effort to keep the courses in great condition. ‘‘Our green fees are among the lowest in the state for a city this size, and it affords people to play as much as they might like.’’

Cox said that, combined annually, more than 104,000 rounds are played at the two public courses.

Anyone wishing to play a lot of golf can do so by purchasing annual permits through the city. They range from $640 for seniors (62 and older) to $930 for all others. Additional family members can purchase a permit for $595. ‘‘There are a large amount of people that take advantage of our permit program,’’ Cox said. ‘‘In fact, permit players accounted for about 33 percent of the rounds played last year. ‘‘The green fees accounted for more than $1.1 million in revenue, with over $310,000 of that from permit holders.’’

— STAFF WRITER LES GILES

THE COURSES ❱❱ ROSS ROGERS COMPLEX WildHorse and The Old Course 722 NW 24th Ave. 806-378-3086 PRO: Sherwin Cox GREENS FEES: Old Course — $15 daily; $11 for junior-senior and twilight, after 3 p.m.; WildHorse — $21 daily; $17 for junior-senior and twilight.

CART: $24.

HOURS: Daylight to dark. Open every day of the year, except Christmas.

AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS FILE

Tom Doughtie of Amarillo chips to the green on the par-5 fifth hole at the Ross Rogers Complex. Ross Rogers, along with the Comanche Trail Complex, are the two full-length public venues in Amarillo. Preston West is a par-3 course. ❱❱ COMANCHE TRAIL COMPLEX

Arrowhead and Tomahawk 4200 S. Grand St. 806-378-4281 PRO: George Priolo GREENS FEES: $15 daily; $11 for junior-senior and twilight, after 3 p.m.

CART: $24.

HOURS: Daylight to dark. Open every day of the year, except Christmas.

NOTE: Permits are available at Ross Rogers and Comanche Trail. The cost of a regular permit is $930. A senior permit (62 and older) costs $640. For additional family members, the cost of a permit is $595. Senior permits are good only for Monday through Friday. Seniors pay regular greens fees on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

❱❱ LA PALOMA GOLF CLUB

4502 Fairway Drive 806-342-3051 PRO: Dave Donachie MEMBERSHIP COST: $500 initiation fee. The monthly fee for a family membership is $275, including a $75 quarterly food charge. A single membership is $252 per month, and social membership is $60 per month. The club also has non-resident family memberships at $130 per month and a junior-single membership (younger than 35) for $222 per month. A non-resident single membership is $115 per month. For swimming-pool-only membership, the cost is $550 per year.

HOURS: 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Closed until 1 p.m.

Tuesday.

NOTE: Non-members who are affiliated with other clubs or guests of members can play for $47.

Members of the club don’t pay for cart rentals

or range balls, and there never are any assessments.

❱❱ AMARILLO COUNTRY CLUB 4800 Bushland Blvd.

806-355-5021 PRO: Dell Wood MEMBERSHIP COST: $3,500-$4,500 transfer fee, plus the market value of a stock membership, which is negotiable. The club is limited to 665 stockholding memberships. The monthly dues are $290. Greens fees are $50 when accompanied by a member.

HOURS: Summer hours, 7:30 a.m.-dark. Closed on Monday.

❱❱ TASCOSA COUNTRY CLUB North Western Street 806-374-2351 PRO: Alan Coe MEMBERSHIP COST: $2,000 initiation; $270 per month.

There is a $500 transfer fee for a membership that is purchased from a member. Greens fees are $35 weekdays and $50 weekends when accompanying a member.

HOURS: Daylight-dark. Closed on Monday.

❱❱ PRESTON WEST PAR 3 9101 S. Coulter St. (806) 353-7003 GREENS FEES: $12 weekdays; $14 weekends and holidays. Seniors, $9; juniors, $11 (weekdays).

HOURS: 8 a.m.-midnight through Labor Day. TEE TIMES: First come, first served.

DISCOVER | 21

Inside scoop on indoor entertainment Having fun: Art, shopping, history, movies, culture — there’s plenty to get into Amarillo is best known for its wide-open spaces, but the city also has plenty of indoor attractions.

From museums to movie theaters to shopping, Amarilloans and visitors can find something to their liking. ❱❱ AMARILLO BOTANICAL GARDENS 1400 Streit Drive. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday-Friday; 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saturday. Winter hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Free through June 30; admission fee after that.

806-352-6513, www.amarillo botanicalgardens.org. ❱❱ AMARILLO COLLEGE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Inside Ordway Hall, 22nd Avenue and Washington Street. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday, or by appointment.

806-371-5081. ❱❱ AMARILLO MUSEUM OF ART 2200 S. Van Buren St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. every third Thursday; 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. 806-371-5050, www.amarilloart.org. ❱❱ AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM 2601 E. Inter-

state 40. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. MondaySaturday. Admission fee; free for AQHA members. 806-376-5181, www.aqha.com. ❱❱ DON HARRINGTON DISCOVERY CENTER AND SPACE THEATER 1200 Streit Drive. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday; noon-4:30 p.m.

Sunday. Admission fee. 806-3559547, www.dhdc.org. ❱❱ DOWNTOWN AMARILLO Primarily South Polk Street, between Sixth and Ninth avenues. Dining and live entertainment. ❱❱ GALLERIES AT SUNSET CENTER 3701 Plains Blvd. More than 100 artists in various media fill studios in this former indoor mall. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. MondaySaturday; open until 9 p.m. every first Friday. Some galleries open Sunday. 806-353-5700, www.amarilloartists.com.

❱❱ HARRINGTON HOUSE 1600 S. Polk St. Tours on the half-hour 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday from April-December.

Reservations required. Free.

806-374-5490, www.harrington househistorichome.org. ❱❱ HISTORIC ROUTE 66 Southwest Sixth Avenue, between Georgia and Western streets. Shopping, dining and live entertainment. www.amarillo66.com. ❱❱ KWAHADI MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN AND PERFORMANCE CENTER 9151 E. Interstate 40. Noon-5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 1-5 p.m Sunday. Sept.-May hours: 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Admission fee. 806-335-3175, www.kwahadi.com. ❱❱ MOVIE THEATERS Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive. 806-352-5200.

Tascosa Drive-in Theater, 1999 Dumas Drive. 806-383-3882.

United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd. 806468-6500.

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22 | DISCOVER

Varsity Theatre, 2302 Fourth Ave., Canyon. 806-655-9529.

Westgate Mall Cinema 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40. 806-3528900. ❱❱ PANHANDLE-PLAINS HISTORICAL MUSEUM 2503 Fourth Ave., Canyon. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Monday-Saturday; 1-6 p.m.

Sunday. Sept.-May hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission fee. 806-651-2244, www.panhandleplains.org. ❱❱ TEXAS PHARMACY MUSEUM 1300 Coulter St., inside Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy.

Guided tours 1-4 p.m. MondayFriday, or by appointment. Free.

806-356-4000, ext. 268. ❱❱ WESTGATE MALL 7701 W. Interstate 40. Anchor stores are Dillard’s, 806358-7771; J.C. Penney, 806-355-7241; Bealls, 806359-8551; and Sears, 806354-7700. 806-358-7221, www.westgatemalltx.com.

— STAFF WRITER BRAD NEWMAN

The pros

STEPHEN SPILLMAN / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

Baseball, football or hockey at a higher level? We got game Amarillo is home to three professional sports teams, a rarity for a city with a population nearing 200,000.

For most of the year, there is some sort of pro sport going on in Amarillo — from hockey in the fall to football in the spring to baseball in the summer.

There have been league championships in baseball (the Amarillo Dillas won backto-back league titles in 2008-09) and football (the Amarillo Venom, formerly the Amarillo Dusters, won a league title in 2004), and hockey (Amarillo Gorillas) has had its heyday — with five consecutive playoff appearances from 2002-2007.

— STAFF WRITER DAVE HENRY 24 | DISCOVER

BASEBALL: AMARILLO DILLAS

FOOTBALL: AMARILLO VENOM

HOCKEY: AMARILLO GORILLAS

LEAGUE: United League. Season usually begins in late May and runs through early September.

OWNER : The Dillas are owned by the league.

GENERAL MANAGER : Mark Lee STADIUM: Amarillo National Bank Dilla Villa, 3300 E. Third Ave. OFFICES: Amarillo Dillas Baseball, 801 S. Polk St. PHONE: 806-342-0400 WEB SITE: www.myamarillodillas.com

LEAGUE: Indoor Football League.

Season usually runs from early March through late June.

OWNER : Randy Sanders GENERAL MANAGER : Joe Morgado STADIUM: Cal Farley Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St. OFFICES: 901 S. Buchanan St. PHONE: 806-350-7277 WEB SITE: www.govenom.com

LEAGUE: Central Hockey League.

Season usually begins in October and runs through March.

OWNER : Randy Sanders GENERAL MANAGER : Robert Simmons STADIUM: Cal Farley Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St. OFFICES: 901 S. Buchanan St. PHONE: 806-242-7825 WEB SITE: www.amarillogorillas.com

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AMARILLO PARKS Amarillo has dozens of parks. The following gives the location for each, but it’s a broad range — from those many acres in size to ones that offer a playground and limited green space: Alice Landergin School, 3209 S. Taylor St. Arden Road School, 6801 Learning Tree Ave. Avondale School, 1500 S. Avondale St. Belmar School, 6342 Adirondack Trail Benton, 1401 S. Vernon St. Bones Hooks, 2000 N. Hughes St. East, 700 Ross St. Eastridge School, 1314 Evergreen St. El Alamo Softball Field, 1621 S. Houston St. Ellwood, 1100 S. Jackson St. Forest Hill, 3515 E. Amarillo Blvd.

Gene Howe, 1400 Martin Road Gene Howe School, 5108 Pico St. Glenwood, 2407 S. Houston St. Greenways, Coulter and Andover streets Hamlet School, 705 Sycamore St. Hilltop School, 1800 N. Travis St. Hines Memorial Softball Field, 1300 N.W. 18th Ave. Horace Mann, Northeast Fifth Avenue and Hayes Street John S. Stiff Memorial, 4800 Bell St. Julian Parkways, Bonham and Alabama streets Lamar School, 3800 S. Lipscomb St. Lawndale School, 2215 S. Bivins St. Margaret Wills School, 3500 W. 11th Ave. Martin Luther King Jr., 1501 W. Amarillo Blvd.

Martin Road Lake, 1300 N. Mirror St. Martin Road Softball Complex, 1300 N. Mirror St. Mary Hazelrigg, 705 N.W. Fourth Ave. Medical Center, 1100 Wallace Blvd.

North Lake Medical Center, 1100 Wallace Blvd.

South Lake Medical Center, 1100 Wallace Blvd.

Memorial, 2501 S. Washington St. Mesa Verde School, 4011 Beaver St. Oak Dale School, 2711 S. Hill St. Oliver Eakle, 2801 S. Tyler St. Olsen School, 2409 Anna St. Paramount, 3400 Fleetwood Drive Pleasant Valley, 700 E. Central Ave. Puckett School, 6700 Oakhurst St. Rick Klein Sports Complex, 3901 S. Grand St. Ridgecrest School, 5306 W. 37th Ave. River Road Softball Field, 3501 River Road Robert E. Lee School, 119 N.E. 15th Ave. Rock Island Rail Trail, stretches from Seventh Avenue and Crockett to Coulter Street Sam Houston, 4101 Line Ave. San Jacinto, 100 S. Louisiana St. Sanborn, 700 S. Roberts St. Skate Park, 5000 S. Bell St. Sleepy Hollow School, 3435 Reeder St. South Georgia Elementary School, Wilbur and Susan drives

26 | DISCOVER

ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS ❱❱ WONDERLAND PARK 2601 Dumas Drive. April-September. Times vary; park open every day during summer months. Admission charges vary; group rates available. 800-3834712, 800-383-3344, www.wonderlandpark.com. ❱❱ AMARILLO ZOO Thompson Park, 2401 Dumas Drive.

Times vary. Free; donations accepted. 806-381-7911, www.amarillozoo.org. ❱❱ SPLASH AMARILLO WATER PARK 1415 S. Sunrise Drive. Opens at noon in summer months, weather permitting; temperature must be 75 degrees before park opens to public. Admission charges vary. Group rates for 15 or more. 806-376-4477, www.splashamarillo.com. ❱❱ AMARILLO NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER 5000 S. Bell St. Times and rates vary, but park open every day. 806359-2090.

Southeast Softball Complex, 5018 Susan St. Southeast Regional, Southeast 46th Avenue and Osage Street Southlawn, 46th Avenue and Kline Road Southwest Softball Complex, 4417 S. Bell St. Stephen F. Austin, 2400 Crockett St. Sunrise School, 5123 E. 14th Ave. Taylor Street Mini-Park, Southeast Sixth Avenue and Taylor Street Thompson Memorial, Northeast 24th Avenue and Highway 287 West Hills, 4401 Westhills Trail Western Plateau School, 4927 Shawnee St. Will Rogers, 714 N. Buchanan St. Willow Vista, 7600 Pavillard St. Windsor School, 7600 Pavillard St. Woodlands School, 2701 N. Coulter St. — GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

Outdoors outlook Activities: The possibilities

ID: -1

for adventure are wide open

size: 4.454 by 381.6

There’s plenty of outdoors all around the Panhandle, for everyone from hikers and cyclers to campers and folks who just would rather not be inside.

Wide horizons invite you to hit the road to find a fishing hole in the summer or explore a canyon in the fall. The places for recreation can be as developed as a city park or as primitive as when the cowboys first rode in.

Some are free, and others charge minimal fees, but they’re all offering as much adventure as you want.

A FEW OF THE OPTIONS:

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❱❱ PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK, On Texas 217, about 12 miles east of Canyon. Daily entrance: $5 for adults, with senior discounts; free for 12 and younger. 806-488-2227, www.palodurocanyon.com.

Hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, birding, picnicking. ❱❱ LAKE MARVIN AND GENE HOWE WILDLIFE REFUGE, Farmto-Market Road 2266, Canadian. 806-323-8642.

Free. Hiking, birding, picnicking, camping, fishing. ❱❱ GREENBELT RESERVOIR, Four miles north of Clarendon, on U.S. 70, on the Salt Fork of the Red River. Daily entrance fee: $5 adults; free for 14 and younger; $5 per boat daily, with discounts for longer; $100 per year for wave runners. 806-8745111. Boating, fishing, camping, birding. ❱❱ LAKE MEREDITH NATIONAL RECREATION AREA AND ALIBATES FLINT QUARRIES NATIONAL MONUMENT, 419 E. Broadway St., Fritch. Free, but $4-per-day boating fee; three days for $10. 806-857-3151. Hunting, fishing, camping, boating, hiking, picnicking, off-road vehicles.

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❱❱ LAKE MCCLELLAN, From Interstate 40 east of Amarillo, take Farm-to-Market Road 2477 north. U.S. Forest Service, 580-497-2143. Camping, picnicking. ❱❱ BUFFALO LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Farm-toMarket Road 168, south 1.5 miles from U.S. 60 in Umbarger. 806-499-3382. $2 per car. Wildlife viewing, interpreted trail, birding trail, picnicking. ❱❱ CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK, Three-and-a-half miles north of Texas 86, on Farm-to-Market Road 1065, in Quitaque. Daily entrance fee: $3 for adults, with senior discounts; free for 12 and younger. 806-455-1492. Camping, hiking, horseback riding, cycling, boating, swimming, scenic drive. ❱❱ GIRL SCOUT CAMP KIWANIS BIKE RANCH, Entrance at West Ninth Avenue and Helium Road. $5. 806-3560096. Cycling only. Closed June and July. Open other months Tuesday-Thursday, daylight-dark; Sundays, 1 p.m.-dark. ❱❱ WILDCAT BLUFF NATURE CENTER, 2301 N. Soncy Road. $3 for adults; $2 for children and seniors; free for younger than 3. 806-352-6007. Tuesday.Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Trails open sunrise-sunset. www.wildcatbluff.org. Hiking, wildlife viewing.

— STAFF WRITER KEVIN WELCH DISCOVER | 27

Naturally, we’re resourceful

Economy: Oil, gas, crops and cows: Region outstanding in its fields

BY KAREN SMITH WELCH karen.welch@amarillo.com Cows and crops, oil and gas.

They’re the basic building blocks of the regional economy and the Amarillo economy.

Within the city limits, slightly more than 1 percent of the work force is employed in the natural resources and mining sector, the category in which agriculture, oil and gas are lumped, Happy State Bank Economist Karr Ingham said.

“But that number can be very misleading, because Amarillo is very much a regional city,” he said. “People outside the region travel to Amarillo for goods and services, and when agriculture, oil and gas suffer across the region, there are simply fewer dollars to be spent within Amarillo.”

The Amarillo area’s primary industry is most visible in the feed yards, dairies and ranches surrounding the city, Amarillo National Bank Vice President Pat Ware said.

“Under the ag umbrella are farming, feedlots and dairies,” he said. “Those all offer good diversification. Cows are the inputs, and they have two different outputs — milk and hamburgers.

“And cheese — most of the dairy products are, in fact, cheese from around here.”

The Panhandle climate enables farming to be a year-round industry, with primary crops being wheat, corn, milo and, “towards Lubbock,” cotton, Ware said.

But agricultural products are commodities — goods that aren’t much different, no matter who supplies them — and the prices they bring are vulnerable to fluctuations in supply and demand, Ingham said.

“A bushel of wheat is a bushel of wheat, no matter where it comes from,” he said.

The same goes for another Panhandle economic driver, the oil and gas industry.

“We’re about 90 percent gas production here, versus 10 percent oil,” Ware said.

“We follow natural gas prices more closely (in assessing the economy). If gas prices are high, there will be more drilling out there, which should boost our employment.

“Right now, gas prices are low. There’s a lot of supply, and demand is pretty low.

That drives the price down.”

Fluctuations felt in the commodities markets, especially the dramatic decline of 30 | DISCOVER

GLOBE-NEWS FILE PHOTOS

ABOVE: Holstein dairy cows feed at North Star Dairy near Hereford. Dairy and beef cattle, along with oil and agriculture, form the heart of the unseen backbone of the Amarillo economy. BELOW: The Bushland Grain Co-op grain elevator in Bushland.

the oil and gas industry in the 1980s, have spurred Amarillo to better diversify its economy to “shield us from those brutal ups and downs,” he said.

Employment numbers provide a glimpse of economic drivers, but not the total picture, Ingham said.

“There are some sectors of the economy that don’t make up as large a percentage of the total employment, but they may pay better or they may pack a better economic bang for the buck.”

Ingham estimated that 83 percent of the jobs in Amarillo are in the service sector, a wide-ranging category that includes health care, information services, real estate, retail and other service work.

Goods-producing jobs, such as manufacturing, and oil and gas, account for the other 17 percent, he said.

Ingham broke down other parts of the

economic picture, based on employment, attributing 15 percent of the job base to health care, 11.5 percent to manufacturing and 6 percent to construction.

The sky’s the limit Bell Helicopter: Whirlwind of production anticipated for Amarillo plant

BY JIM MCBRIDE jim.mcbride@amarillo.com

Wartime needs in Iraq and Afghanistan will keep Bell Helicopter’s Amarillo workers busy for the foreseeable future as attack and utility helicopter production ramps up to meet a growing demand for military aircraft.

Earlier this year, the Navy awarded Bell a $50 million contract for materials and components needed to build 18 new UH-IY “Hueys,” eight remanufactured AH-1Z attack helicopters and two new-build AH-1Zs. About 40 percent of the work will be done in Amarillo.

The Amarillo plant, which employs more than 900 workers, assembles V-22 Ospreys, but the Marine Corps’ increasing need for utility and attack helicopters also will drive production requirements.

Originally, the bulk of the helicopters assembled in Amarillo were scheduled to be remanufactured aircraft, but Bell is pressing ahead with programs to build all-new Hueys and incrementally assemble more new AH-1Zs. In 2005, Defense Department officials decided to begin building all new Hueys based on cost considerations and the needs of the Marine Corps.

The H-1 program, which is responsible for building utility and attack helicopters for the Marine Corps, originally called for building 180 AH-1Zs and 100 UH-IYs. In 2008, the Defense Department authorized increasing the H-1 program to 226 AH-1Zs and 123 UH-1Ys to meet Marine Corps needs.

The increase also will require Bell to manufacture 58 new AH-1Z airframes.

“Given the high demand for helicopters in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, 32 | DISCOVER

STEPHEN SPILLMAN / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

A CV-22 Air Force Osprey now costs about $73 million, compared with about $63 million for the MV-22, the Marine Corps version, according to recent figures from Naval Air Systems Command.

choosing to build new UH-1Ys allowed the Marines to avoid having to pull helicopters out of their fleet for two years to undergo the remanufacturing process,” said Kevin Kett, program manager for Bell Helicopter’s H-1 Upgrade Program. “The first all-new UH-1Y was delivered to the Marines in June 2008, and all UH-1Ys delivered since then have been build-new aircraft.”

In November, nine Hueys from a California squadron were sent to Afghanistan, and three Hueys were deployed in August with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Force aboard the USS Boxer.

Bell aims to complete construction of a $31 million, 137,000-square-foot flight hangar for the H-1 helicopter program in October.

The hangar will be dedicated

to H-1 flight operations. The city will pay for the hangar with the proceeds of a recent bond issue.

Bell plans to increase its work force to 1,300 by 2012 as it expands V-22 Osprey and helicopter production in Amarillo.

Bell, which assembles Ospreys in Amarillo under a partnership with Boeing, is in the third year of a five-year, $10.4 billion Osprey production contract. The Amarillo plant assembles MV-22s for the Marine Corps and CV-22s for Air Force Special Operations.

The contract also has an option for more aircraft, which already has netted some additional orders. In September, a supplemental authorization by Congress added five CV-22s and two MV-22s to the contract.

The Navy is studying the possibility of issuing a second

major V-22 production contract, a potential multibilliondollar aircraft procurement that could boost Osprey production in Amarillo starting in fiscal year 2013.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said that the production rate for V-22s is expected to be 35 aircraft annually for fiscal years 2010 through 2012.

“The program is planning and budgeting for cost savings that would result from a second multiyear procurement that would begin in fiscal year 2013,” the GAO said in a new report.

If all planned military acquisitions are financed by Congress, 458 Ospreys will be built for the Marines, Air Force and Navy, according to information from Bell.

GLOBE-NEWS FILE PHOTO

Highland Park Elementary School first-grade teacher Angela Caldwell is one of about 4,280 who work for the Amarillo Independent School District, which is the top employer in the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Hire aspirations

Top employers: Job base is diversified, and jobless rate is among lowest in Texas Amarillo enjoys a diverse employment base, ranging from meatpacking to manufacturing to financial services.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s most recent statistics show employment in Amarillo’s Metropolitan Statistical Area at more than 131,000, and the city’s unemployment has fluctuated from 5 percent to 6 percent, among the lowest in the state.

— BUSINESS EDITOR JIM MCBRIDE

Amarillo’s top employers Here’s a brief look at the city’s top 20 employers, according to the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce:

1 2 3

AMARILLO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, which operates schools throughout Amarillo, employs about 4,280.

TYSON FOODS, an Amarillo meatpacker : about 3,700.

B&W PANTEX, the contractor that operates the Pantex Plant, which assembles, dismantles and refurbishes nuclear weapons: about 3,200.

34 | DISCOVER

4

BAPTIST ST. ANTHONY’S HEALTH SYSTEM, an Amarillo health care provider that operates one of the city’s two hospitals: about 2,900.

5 6

THE CITY OF AMARILLO, which manages and operates the city’s municipal government services: about 1,970.

NORTHWEST TEXAS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, an Amarillo health care provider that operates one of the city’s two hospitals: about 1,350.

7 8 9

WAL-MART, a major retailer : about 1,350 at its four Amarillo stores.

AFFILIATED FOODS, a grocery wholesaler : about 1,110.

BELL HELICOPTER, which assembles V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and helicopters for the Marines and the Air Force: about 1,060.

10 11

XCEL ENERGY, which provides electrical utility services throughout the Texas Panhandle: about 1,000.

WESTERN NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE CO., a major insurance provider : about 890.

12

TEXAS TECH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, a branch of Texas Tech University that trains pharmacy students, medical students and physical therapy students: about 760.

AMARILLO COLLEGE, a junior college: about 680.

POTTER COUNTY COURTHOUSE, the county seat of Potter County government: about 590.

TOOT’N TOTUM, a local chain of convenience stores: about 560.

AMARILLO NATIONAL BANK, a family-owned bank: about 550.

UNITED SUPERMARKETS, a Lubbock-based grocery chain: about 530.

CACTUS FEEDERS, a cattle-feeding operation: about 500.

HASTINGS ENTERTAINMENT INC., a retail chain that sells music, videos and electronics: about 490.

OWENS CORNING FIBERGLAS, a Randall County factory that produces composites used as raw materials for other products: about 475.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

To your health Hospitals: Community served well by extensive choices The Amarillo medical community draws about 500,000 patients from at least four states.

The medical district — it’s bordered by Coulter Street to the west, Bell Street to the east, Interstate 40 to the south and Southwest Ninth Avenue to the north — boasts two 400-plusbed acute care hospitals, a Veterans Affairs hospital, a branch of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and multiple cancer centers, nursing homes and doctor’s offices.

Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services bought Northwest Texas Hospital from the Amarillo Hospital District after voters approved a nonbinding referendum in May 1996.

That same year, High Plains Baptist and St. Anthony’s hospitals merged to form Baptist St. Anthony’s Health System.

The resulting hospital is on Wallace Boulevard where the Baptist hospital stood.

— GLOBE NEWS STAFF

AMARILLO HOSPITALS BAPTIST ST. ANTHONY’S HEALTH SYSTEM 1600 Wallace Blvd.

806-212-2000 NORTHWEST TEXAS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM 1501 S. Coulter St. 806-354-1000 THOMAS E. CREEK DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER 6010 W. Amarillo Blvd.

806-355-9703 PLUM CREEK HEALTHCARE CENTER 5601 Plum Creek Drive 806-351-0300 TRIUMPH HOSPITAL 7501 Wallace Blvd.

806-467-7000

URGENT CARE CENTERS AMARILLO URGENT CARE 1915 S. Coulter St. 36 | DISCOVER

GLOBE-NEWS FILE

Baptist St. Anthony’s Health System and Northwest Texas Healthcare System are the predominant health care providers in the medical district in Amarillo — and in the community.

806-352-5400 Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

BSA URGENT CARE CENTER 4510 Bell St. 806-212-4835 Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

CARE TODAY URGENT HEALTH 3440 Bell St. 806-379-9225 3300 E. Interstate 40, No. 400 806-379-8552 Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

FAMILY MEDICINE CENTER OF AMARILLO 1500 S. Coulter St., Suite 6 806-467-9777 Monday-Friday, noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

FAMILY MEDICINE CENTER OF CANYON 911 23rd St., Canyon 806-655-2104 Monday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-7:30 a.m.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT This year, the Amarillo Public Health Department finished construction and moved into a $2.4 million building on Martin Road.

The department’s free-standing building has about three times the previous space at the northwest corner of the J.O. Wyatt clinic at 1411 E. Amarillo Blvd.

The department provides immunizations, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, screening and treatment for tuberculosis, and offers health screenings for international refugees, among other services.

AMARILLO PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT 1000 Martin Road, Amarillo 806-378- 6327 Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Local media ❱❱ IN PRINT

The Amarillo Globe-News has published in one form or another for more than 100 years. The daily newspaper, and its Web site, amarillo.com, cover Amarillo, Canyon and cities throughout the Texas Panhandle.

Home delivery is available in most areas. For more information about a subscription, call 806-345-3012.

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❱❱ ON THE WEB

Amarillo.com is the Web site of the Amarillo Globe-News. It frequently has been chosen by readers in the Best of Amarillo contest as the region’s best site for news, advertising information, entertainment tips and breaking news reports.

The site contains information found in the paper, as well as Web-specific offerings. There are several related sites that easily can be accessed through amarillo.com. Some of those include Pigskin Review, Get Out!, Amarillo Magazine, Best Read Guide, Home and Garden, Sunday Homes, Drive and TV Week.

In addition to the Amarillo Globe-News, there are numerous other media outlets serving Amarillo. They range from a weekly publication (The Independent) to a number of broadcast stations. A listing follows:

❱❱ TELEVISION

NBC AFFILIATE KAMR broadcasts local news at 5:30 a.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. It doesn’t have a noon newscast. It covers the Texas Panhandle, the Oklahoma Panhandle and eastern New Mexico. It can be found online at www.myhighplains.com.

FOX AFFILIATE KCIT has a 9 p.m. news show. An agreement between Nexstar Broadcasting, which owns KAMR, and Mission Broadcasting, which owns KCIT, allows the two stations to pool their resources.

KCIT can be found on Channel 14.

ABC AFFILIATE KVII has several news shows, starting with morning news at 5:30 a.m., and broadcasts at noon, 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. The station covers 34 counties, from eastern New Mexico to Childress County in the eastern Texas Panhandle. It also broadcasts north, to the Kansas-Oklahoma border, and south, to Plainview. The station’s Web site is www.connectamarillo.com.

CBS AFFILIATE KFDA has been on the air since April 1953. It has a morning show, and news programs at noon, 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. The station covers eastern New Mexico, the Oklahoma Panhandle, the Texas Panhandle and Ellis County in Oklahoma. The station’s Web site is www.newschannel10.com.

TELEMUNDO is a Spanish-language sister station to KFDA, owned by London Broadcasting since July 2008. News broadcasts are at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

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❱❱ RADIO

KGNC-AM hit the airwaves in 1935. KGNC-AM 710 covers a 109-county, five-state area. KGNC also made Amarillo’s first FM broadcast, on Christmas Eve 1958. KGNC’s parent company, Morris Communications, also owns the Amarillo Globe-News.

KGNC-FM 97.9 (country) KGNC-AM 710 (news talk) GAP BROADCASTING operates five radio stations in Amarillo. The Dallas-based company runs 116 radio stations in 24 markets in 10 states.

KMXJ-FM 94.1 Mix 94.1 (adult contemporary) KXSS-FM 96.9 KISS FM (top 40 pop) KPRF-FM 98.7 Jack FM (adults hits) KATP-FM 101.9 Kat Country 102 (country) KIXZ-AM 940 Newstalk 940 AM (news talk) CUMULUS MEDIA, the country’s second-largest operator of radio stations, controls six stations in Amarillo.

KZRK-FM 107.9 Rock 108 (active rock) KPUR-FM 107.1 The Armadillo (country) KPUR-AM 1440 ESPN (sports talk) KZRK-AM 1550 ESPN Deportes (sports talk in Spanish) KQIZ-FM 93.1 The Beat (top 40 pop) KARX-FM 95.7 The Kar (classic rock)

DISCOVER | 37

Air apparent Wind energy: Burgeoning technology creates a buzz

STEPHEN SPILLMAN / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

A tractor is used to till land south of Adrian. There are 14 million acres of agricultural land in the Texas Panhandle, which provides more than half the corn and wheat sold in Texas.

Growing strong

Agriculture: In the big picture, crops are all-important Agriculture is big — really big — in the Texas Panhandle.

There are 14 million acres of agricultural land in the 26 counties, and about 5 million of those are in crops. If it were its own state, the Panhandle would rank as the 13th-highest producer of wheat and No. 2 in fed-cattle marketing, according to statistics from Texas AgriLife Extension economist Steve Amosson.

Annual sales from 2005 to 2008 totaled more than $3.7 billion, with $1.3 billion of that coming from crops, and the rest from animals and animal products. That’s a 27.6 percent increase from the $2.9 billion during the previous four-year period, Amosson said.

And that’s just the direct effect.

All those farmers, ranchers and work38 | DISCOVER

AGRICULTURE BY THE NUMBERS AVERAGE ANNUAL SALES

Corn Wheat Cotton Grain sorghum Fed beef Hogs Milk

2005-2008 STATE

PERCENT OF SALES

$421.7 million $303.1 million $238.9 million $110.1 million $1.5 billion $206.7 million $298.7 million

52 51 11 19 74 94 24

Source: Texas AgriLife Extension

ers have to feed, clothe and entertain their families, spending money in towns across the area and multiplying their effect on the economy of the region.

— STAFF WRITER KEVIN WELCH

The wind energy business in the Panhandle is like the light breeze before the storm.

There are three moderately sized wind farms and several smaller installations, each generating many construction jobs, then a few maintenance positions upon completion. Within a year or so, that could change.

Wind energy-generation companies have been working in the region for a few years, lining up leases with landowners in anticipation of approval of a development system by the state Public Utility Commission. Transmission builders now have a schedule to follow, and they’re to have electric lines operable by the end of 2013.

That’s the green light for wind farms.

The PUC is calling for more than 5,000 megawatts of wind energy to flow through the lines to the metropolitan areas of Texas.

A megawatt can power about 300 average homes. Commercial wind turbines commonly have the capability of producing about 2 megawatts if running at maximum capacity 24 hours a day. They cost about $3.5 million each, including installation, but that can vary.

Based on the PUC goal, there could be 2,500 turbines built in the Panhandle at a cost of more than $9 billion. Economic developers are hoping a decent share of that will be spent locally for labor and parts.

There would be an average of one maintenance worker, after construction, for every eight to 10 turbines.

Wind industry companies are setting up shop in Amarillo, and area cities like Pampa are trying to lure similar businesses to boost their economies.

Zarges, a German company that builds components for wind turbine towers, is about to construct an 80,000-square-foot building thanks to $4.75 million in incentives from the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. It plans to grow enough to hire 100 people the next two years.

Alstom Power, a European wind turbine component manufacturer, will get $2.2 million in property tax abatements and $12.5 million in other incentives from the AEDC to build a $25 million factory in Amarillo. It promises to create 275 direct jobs. Expectations are, hundreds more related jobs will follow.

Amarillo College, Clarendon College, Mesalands Community College, West Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University all have programs related to wind work.

— STAFF WRITER KEVIN WELCH

Feeling at home

For rent

Real estate: Market dependent on key factors The strength of the Amarillo residential real estate market will be difficult to assess until the third or fourth quarter, after tax credits have expired and aren’t driving consumer behavior, two local brokers say.

“The (market) information is so skewed, I don’t think anybody can tell you with certainty what’s happening in the market,” Coldwell Banker Amarillo broker Randy Jeffers said.

Jeffers and Prudential Ada broker Greg Glenn said the April 30 expiration of tax credits available to first-time and existing homebuyers boosted sales in March and likely would do the same through April.

But sales could drop dramatically in May and June, as they did in December and January after the first-time homebuyers credit was set to expire Nov.

30, 2009, they said.

Lawmakers extended the $8,000 credit for first-time buyers and added a $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who make a purchase, but not before people rushed to beat the original Nov. 30 deadline, Glenn said.

His analysis of Amarillo Association of Realtors data shows 454 home sales during the first three months of 2010, off 9.6 percent from the 502 sales made during the same period last year.

Jeffers, who crunches the numbers slightly differently, identified 482 sales that closed from Jan. 1 to March 31, 7.7 percent behind the 2009 firstquarter sales.

Jeffers placed the 2010 firstquarter average sales price at $137,106 and the median sales price — that’s the price at which half the sales were higher

priced and half were lower priced — at $116,000.

But the median price can be skewed by heavier sales of homes with smaller price tags — generally, the segment of the market targeted by first-time buyers seeking a federal income tax credit, he said.

Veros Real Estate Solutions predicts Amarillo will have a modest 2.7 percent increase from March 2010 through March 2011, making it the fifth-strongest market nationwide during that period.

A Fiserv Case-Shiller Index released April 8 said residential real estate prices in the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area — Potter, Randall, Carson and Armstrong counties — should, by 2012, rebound to the peak levels reached in 2008.

— STAFF WRITER KAREN SMITH WELCH

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40 | DISCOVER

The Amarillo apartment market is “a little soft to attract developers to build new units,” a situation due to the addition of new units in recent years and a difficult construction financing market, an FIMC Commercial Realty 2010 Apartment Market Survey said.

One new complex opened in late 2009, with another opening early this year, adding a combined 252 units to the market, according to the survey of 13,000 units in Amarillo and Canyon.

The overall 2010 Amarillo and Canyon apartment occupancy rate is 86.4 percent, compared with 85.3 percent in 2009.

In March, the monthly average effective rent — that’s the rental rate paid after all specials and discounts are deducted — for Amarillo apartments was $591, up 3.3 percent from March 2009, according to information from ALN Apartment Data.

Wealth of knowledge ID: -1

Finances: It’s easy to research banks, credit unions

size: 4.454 by 381.6

Federal agencies offer ways to research banks and credit unions cyan yellow in Amarillo and elsewhere.

Information about banks can be found on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Web site. Credit union information is available on the National Credit Union Administration Web site.

To access information about Amarillo banks, log on to www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp. Fill in the city/state boxes, then click “Find.” To access information about Amarillo credit unions, visit http://cuonline.ncua.gov/credituniononline/cu/ findcreditunions.aspx. Fill in the city/state boxes, then click “Find.”

The top 10 banks, by market share of deposits, in the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area are listed below.* The 2000 U.S. Census defines the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area as Potter, Randall, Armstrong and Carson counties. ❱❱ AMARILLO NATIONAL BANK 14 offices in market 1 office outside market 623 employees 49.94% market share Total deposits in market: $2,119,242,000 Total deposits outside market: $97,086,000 ❱❱ HAPPY STATE BANK 11 offices in market 10 offices outside market 390 employees 13.88% market share Total deposits in market: $588,850,000 Total deposits outside market: $351,285,000 ❱❱ BANK OF AMERICA 7 offices in market 6,166 offices outside market 180,360 employees 7.37% market share Total deposits in market: $312,643,000 Total deposits outside market: $817,676,678,000 ❱❱ WELLS FARGO BANK 7 offices in market 3,422 offices outside market 145,580 employees 7.51% market share Total deposits in market: $285,329,000 Total deposits outside market: $325,131,671,000 ❱❱ FIRSTBANK SOUTHWEST 4 offices in market 4 offices outside market 184 employees 5.40% market share Total deposits in market: $228,981,000 Total deposits outside market: $337,490,000 FIRST UNITED BANK 4 offices in market 10 offices outside market 195 employees 4.09% market share Total deposits in market: $173,645,000 Total deposits outside market: $536,241,000 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK 3 offices in market 5,226 offices outside market 165,426 employees 3.92% market share Total deposits in market: $166,225,000 Total deposits outside market: $617,957,775,000 ❱❱ HERRING BANK 4 offices in market 9 offices outside market 167 employees 3.35% market share Total deposits in market: $142,189,000 Total deposits outside market: $205,699,000

❱❱ WACHOVIA BANK 1 office in market 3,337 offices outside market 79,791 employees 2.31% market share Total deposits in market: $98,212,000 Total deposits outside market: $394,090,792,000 ❱❱ STATE NATIONAL BANK OF GROOM

2 offices in market 0 offices outside market 11 employees 0.74% market share Total deposits in market: $31,232,000 Total deposits outside market: $0 A National Credit Union Administration search engine shows 10 credit unions in Amarillo. Below is a list, including the assets and number of members with each credit union, according to a June 2009 report. ❱❱ ACCESS COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION Members: 9,843 Assets: $76,456,794 ❱❱ AMARILLO COMMUNITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Members: 24,718 Assets: $134,897,311 ❱❱ AMARILLO POSTAL EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION Members: 1,524 Assets: $12,105,466 ❱❱ BNSF CREDIT UNION Members: 1,600 Assets: $7,877,408 ❱❱ CITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Members: 2,995 Assets: $22,680,569 ❱❱ INTERCORP CREDIT UNION Members: 960 Assets: $3,756,638 ❱❱ SANTA FE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Members: 7,790 Assets: $96,959,339 ❱❱ TEXAS PLAINS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Members: 6,941 Assets: $26,726,551 ❱❱ THE EDUCATION CREDIT UNION Members: 16,551 Assets: $143,641,340 ❱❱ THE PEOPLE’S FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Members: 17,050 Assets: $106,722,526

*EMPLOYEE DATA COMES FROM FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORP. DATA AS OF DEC. 31.

ALL OTHER INFORMATION COMES FROM AN FDIC DEPOSIT MARKET SHARE REPORT AS OF JUNE 30, 2009, THE MOST RECENT REPORT AVAILABLE. — GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

DISCOVER | 43

GLOBE-NEWS FILE PHOTO

The Potter County Courts Building on South Fillmore Street in Amarillo.

And justice for all

The courts: Trials and tribulations are spread among a number of judges, venues Amarillo is home to several AMARILLO COURTS IN POTTER AND RANDALL COUNTIES state district courts, a U.S. District Court, justice of the peace courts and the state Court of Appeals.

Federal criminal and civil cases are heard by U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson.

Five state district courts cover civil, family and criminal felony cases in Potter, Armstrong and Randall counties.

Three of the five district courts, the 47th, the 181st and the 251st, handle cases in Potter and Randall counties.

In Potter County, the 320th District Court is the principal family court, and criminal cases also are heard in the 108th District Court.

Jury selection for both counties is based on licensed drivers and registered voters living in each county. Juries typically are needed for family custody, criminal felony, misdemeanor and all types of civil cases.

44 | DISCOVER

❱❱ POTTER COUNTY

POTTER COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 1: Judge W.F. “Corky” Roberts, 900 S. Polk St., Suite 1200, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2375.

POTTER COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 2: Judge Pamela Sirmon, 900 S. Polk St., Suite 1216, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2380.

COUNTY JUDGE: Arthur Ware, 900 S. Polk St., Suite 101, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2250.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 1: Judge Debbie Horn, Potter County Courthouse, 900 S. Polk St., Suite 1103, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806349-4880.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 2: Judge Nancy Bosquez, 701 S. Pierce St., Suite 204, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2390.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 3: Judge Frank Frausto, 13651 W. Interstate 40, Amarillo, TX 79124.

806-355-3070.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 4: Judge Thomas Jones, Potter County Courthouse, 723 N. Taylor St., Suite A, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806379-2817.

47TH DISTRICT COURT: Judgeship vacant after death of Hal Miner.

District Courts Building, 501 S. Fillmore St., Suite 3A, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2350.

108TH DISTRICT COURT: Judge Douglas Woodburn, District Courts Building, 501 S. Fillmore St., Suite 4A, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-3792355.

181ST DISTRICT COURT: Judge John Board, District Courts Building, 501 S. Fillmore St., Suite 3B, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2360.

251ST DISTRICT COURT: Judge Ana Estevez, District Courts Building, 501 S. Fillmore St., Suite 4C, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2365.

320TH DISTRICT COURT: Judge Don Emerson, District Courts Building, 501 S. Fillmore St., Suite 4B, Amarillo, TX 79101. 806-379-2370.

❱❱ RANDALL COUNTY

RANDALL COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 1: Judge James Anderson, Randall County Justice Center, 2309 Russell Long Blvd., Suite 132, Canyon, TX 79015. 806-468-5551.

RANDALL COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 2: Judge Ronnie Walker, Randall

County Justice Center, 2309 Russell Long Blvd., Suite 130, Canyon, TX 79015. 806-468-5670.

COUNTY JUDGE: Ernie Houdashell, North Annex, 400 16th St., Suite 230, Canyon, TX 79015. 806-4685500.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 1: Judge Jerry Bigham, Randall County North Annex, 400 16th St., Suite 220, Canyon, TX 79015. 806-4685606.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 4: Judge Clay Houdashell, Randall County Annex, 4111 S. Georgia St., Suite 100, Amarillo, TX 79110.

806-468-5658.

47TH DISTRICT COURT: Randall County Justice Center, 2309 Russell Long Blvd., Canyon, TX 79015.

806-468-5556.

181ST DISTRICT COURT: Judge John Board, Randall County Justice Center, 2309 Russell Long Blvd., Canyon, TX 79015. 806-468-5559.

251ST DISTRICT COURT: Judge Ana Estevez, Randall County Justice Center, 2309 Russell Long Blvd., Canyon, TX 79015. 806-468-5563.

— GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

Settle down, now

Services: All the post-move essentials are at your fingertips — or a short visit away ❱❱ ELECTRICITY

XCEL ENERGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 800-895-4999; www.xcelenergy.com. Deposit based on credit history.

❱❱ NATURAL GAS

ATMOS ENERGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 888-286-6700; www.atmosenergy.com CITY OF AMARILLO, 806-378-3030, 509 S.E. Seventh Ave., Room 102, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; http://www.2turniton.com/ or http://amarillo.gov/departments/utilitybilling/ acctpaym.html. $35 minimum deposit.

❱❱ TRASH

❱❱ VEHICLE REGISTRATION

CITY OF AMARILLO, 806-378-3030, 509 S.E. Seventh Ave., Room 102, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; http://amarillo.gov/departments/utilitybilling/ acctpaym.html

❱❱ CABLE

SUDDENLINK COMMUNICATIONS, 806-358-4801; www.suddenlink.com

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

❱❱ INTERNET

CLEARWIRE, 806-359-6600; www.clearwire.com SUDDENLINK COMMUNICATIONS, 806-358-4801; www.suddenlink.com NTS COMMUNICATIONS INC., 806-376-7747; www.ntscom.com PATHWAYZ COMMUNICATIONS, 806-355-0551; www.pathwayz.com

❱❱ WATER

The Santa Fe Building, 900 S. Polk St., houses the Potter County Tax Office and county clerk’s office, where newcomers can register their vehicles and where voter registration takes place.

www.sansat.com NTS COMMUNICATIONS INC., 806-376-7747; www.ntscom.com AT&T WIRELESS, 800-288-2020; www.att.com SUDDENLINK COMMUNICATIONS, 877-794-2724; www.suddenlink.com

❱❱ TELEPHONE

AMA/TECHTEL COMMUNICATIONS, 806-322-2222; www.amatechtel.com PATHWAYZ COMMUNICATIONS, 806-355-0551; www.pathwayz.com SANDERS SATELLITE SYSTEMS, 806-353-6706;

POTTER COUNTY TAX OFFICE, Santa Fe Building, 900 S. Polk St., 806-342-2612; 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Monday-Friday.

RANDALL COUNTY TAX OFFICE, 400 N. 16th St. Canyon, 806-468-5540; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

RANDALL COUNTY ANNEX, 4111 S. Georgia St. Amarillo, 806-468-5654; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday.

Don’t forget proof of liability insurance, Texas inspection receipt and vehicle title or registration receipt from previous state. Price varies by type of vehicle.

❱❱ DRIVER’S LICENSE

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TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, 4200 Canyon Drive, 806-468-1300; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, open until 7 p.m. Thursday. If you are new to Texas, you have 90 days after entry into the state to secure a Texas driver’s license. Be sure to bring a certified copy of your birth certificate, Social Security card, proof of insurance and your valid out-of-state driver’s license. Cost of driver’s license is $24 and is good for six years.

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❱❱ VOTER REGISTRATION

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POTTER COUNTY COURTHOUSE, County Clerk’s Office, Santa Fe Building, 900 S. Polk St. 806-379-2246; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

RANDALL COUNTY TAX OFFICE, 400 N. 16th St. Canyon, 806-468-5540; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

RANDALL COUNTY ANNEX, 4111 S. Georgia St., Amarillo, 806-468-5654; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday.; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday.

— GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

GLOBE-NEWS FILE PHOTO

For services, Randall County residents can visit the justice center, 2309 Russell Long Blvd. in Canyon, above, or the Randall County Annex at 4111 S. Georgia St. 46 | DISCOVER

HARWELL & HARWELL ORTHODONTICS CR EATING LEGEN DA RY SM I L ES FOR T HE PA N H A N D L E • Specialists in braces for children & adults • Father-son practice with over 40 years of experience, as well as the knowledge to care for all of your orthodontic needs • Utilizing the most modern orhtodontic techniques including the Damon self-ligating system, the Damon Clear bracket, Invisalign and the customized Insignia bracket system • Customized payment options – braces are more affordable now than ever before!

• Highly decorated – Texas Monthly Super Dentist 7 Years Straight and Best of Amarillo 2009 • Concerned with your oral health – Every patient receives an Oral B electic toothbrush with treatment, which has proven to reduce plaque by over 40% • Community focused – We have awarded over $20,000 to local graduating seniors over the last 9 years!

• An outstanding team with over 175 years of experience • Fun, friendly, professional atmosphere where you can receive the smile you deserve!

• No referral necessary, so call today for your free initial exam – 353-3593 ot 1-800-7ORTHO7 or visit us online at www.harwellortho.com

Creating Legendary Smiles for the Panhandle AMARILLO • BORGER GUYMON • PAMPA

806.353.3593 1.800.7ORTHO7 Dr. Harwell Sr. & Dr. Anthony Harwell Jr.

W W W. H A R W E L L O R T H O . C O M

School districts Education: Public, private, charter and home ... here’s the list AMARILLO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

806-326-1001 7200 W. Interstate 40 www.amaisd.org SUPERINTENDENT: Rod Schroder SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: Anette Carlisle HIGH SCHOOLS: Amarillo, Caprock, Palo Duro and Tascosa About 32,000 students 53 campuses divided into four clusters by high school Most elementary schools serve pre-kindergarten through fifth grade Most middle schools serve sixth through eighth grade High schools serve ninth through 12th grade

BUSHLAND ISD

806-359-6683 2300 Wells St., Bushland www.bushlandisd.org SUPERINTENDENT: Don Wood SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: John Todd Cornett About 1,200 students Bushland Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fourth grade Bushland Middle School serves fifth through eighth grade Bushland High School serves ninth through 12th grade

CANYON ISD

806-677-2600 Soon to be at the northwest corner of Buffalo Stadium Road and Interstate 27 www.canyonisd.net SUPERINTENDENT: Mike Wartes SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: Jim Murphy HIGH SCHOOLS: Randall, Canyon About 8,800 students 15 campuses divided into two feeder patterns by high school Pre-kindergarten available at some elementary schools All elementary schools serve kindergarten through fourth grade Intermediate schools serve fifth and sixth grade Junior high schools serve seventh and eighth grade High schools serve ninth through 12th grade

HIGHLAND PARK ISD

806-335-2823 15300 E. Amarillo Blvd. www.hpisd.net SUPERINTENDENT: Mike Brown SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: Henry Sena About 900 students Highland Park Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade Highland Park Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade Highland Park High School

48 | DISCOVER

serves ninth through 12th grade

RIVER ROAD ISD

806-381-7800 9500 N. U.S. 287 www.rrisd.net SUPERINTENDENT: Randy Owen SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: Stacey Johnson About 1,500 students Rolling Hills Elementary School serves 3-yearolds through fifth grade River Road Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade River Road High School serves ninth through 12th grade

AMARILLO ISD SCHOOLS

AMARILLO AREA CENTER FOR ADVANCED LEARNING 1100 N. Forest St. 806-326-2800 AMARILLO HIGH 4225 Danbury Drive 806-326-2000 CAPROCK HIGH 3001 S.E. 34th Ave. 806-326-2200 NORTH HEIGHTS ALTERNATIVE 607 N. Hughes St. 806-326-2850 PALO DURO HIGH 1400 N. Grant St. 806-326-2400 TASCOSA HIGH 3921 Westlawn St. 806-326-2600 JOHNNY N. ALLEN SIXTH-GRADE CAMPUS 700 N. Lincoln St. 806-326-3770 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN MIDDLE 1808 Wimberly Road 806-326-3000 JAMES BONHAM MIDDLE 5600 S.W. 49th Ave. 806-326-3100 JAMES BOWIE MIDDLE 3001 E. 12th Ave. 806-326-3200 DAVID CROCKETT MIDDLE 4720 Floyd Ave. 806-326-3300 LORENZO DE ZAVALA MIDDLE 2801 N. Coulter St. 806-326-3400 JAMES W. FANNIN MIDDLE 4627 Rusk St. 806-326-3500 SAM HOUSTON MIDDLE 815 Independence St. 806-326-3600 HORACE MANN MIDDLE 610 N. Buchanan St. 806-326-3700 WILLIAM B. TRAVIS MIDDLE 2815 Martin Road 806-326-3800 AVONDALE ELEMENTARY 1500 Avondale St. 806-326-4000 BELMAR ELEMENTARY 6342 Adirondack Trail 806-326-4050 LEE BIVINS ELEMENTARY 1500 S. Fannin St. 806-326-4100 CARVER ACADEMY 1905 N.W. 12th Ave. 806-326-4150 CARVER EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY 1800 N. Travis St. 806-326-4200 CORONADO ELEMENTARY 3210 Wimberly Road

806-326-4250 EASTRIDGE ELEMENTARY 1413 Evergreen St. 806-326-4300 EMERSON ELEMENTARY 800 N. Cleveland St. 806-326-4350 FOREST HILL ELEMENTARY 3515 E. Amarillo Blvd.

806-326-4400 GLENWOOD ELEMENTARY 2407 S. Houston St. 806-326-4450 HAMLET ELEMENTARY 705 Sycamore St. 806-326-4500 HUMPHREY’S HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY 1301 S. Dallas St. 806-326-4550 MIRABEAU B. LAMAR ELEMENTARY 3800 S. Lipscomb St. 806-326-4600 ALICE LANDERGIN ELEMENTARY 3209 S. Taylor St. 806-326-4650 LAWNDALE ELEMENTARY 2215 S. Bivins St. 806-326-4700 ROBERT E. LEE ELEMENTARY 119 N.E. 15th Ave. 806-326-4750 MESA VERDE ELEMENTARY 4011 Beaver Drive 806-326-4800 OAK DALE ELEMENTARY 2711 S. Hill St. 806-326-4850 OLSEN PARK ELEMENTARY 2409 Anna St. 806-326-4900 PARAMOUNT TERRACE ELEMENTARY 3906 Cougar Drive 806-326-4950 PLEASANT VALLEY ELEMENTARY 4413 River Road 806-326-5000 PUCKETT ELEMENTARY 6700 Oakhurst Drive 806-326-5050 RIDGECREST ELEMENTARY 5306 S. 37th Ave. 806-326-5100 WILL ROGERS ELEMENTARY 920 N. Mirror St. 806-326-5150 SAN JACINTO ELEMENTARY 3400 W. Fourth Ave. 806-326-5200 SANBORN ELEMENTARY 700 S. Roberts St. 806-326-5250 SLEEPY HOLLOW ELEMENTARY 3435 Reeder Drive 806-326-5300 SOUTH GEORGIA ELEMENTARY 5018 Susan Drive 806-326-5350 SOUTH LAWN ELEMENTARY 4719 S. Bowie St. 806-326-5400 SUNRISE ELEMENTARY 5123 E. 14th Ave. 806-326-5450 TRADEWIND ELEMENTARY 4300 Williams St. 806-326-5500 WESTERN PLATEAU ELEMENTARY 4927 Shawnee Trail 806-326-5550 WHITTIER ELEMENTARY 2004 N. Marrs St. 806-326-5550 MARGARET WILLS ELEMENTARY 3500 W. 11th Ave. 806-326-5650 WINDSOR ELEMENTARY 6700 Hyde Parkway 806-326-5700 WOLFLIN ELEMENTARY 2026 S. Hughes St. 806-326-5750

WOODLANDS ELEMENTARY 2501 N. Coulter St. 806-326-5800

CANYON ISD

CANYON HIGH 1701 23rd St., Canyon 806-677-2660 RANDALL HIGH 5800 Attebury Road, Amarillo 806-677-2333 MIDWAY ALTERNATIVE 13501 S. Bell St. Outside Amarillo 806-677-2455 CANYON JUNIOR HIGH 910 Ninth Ave., Canyon 806-677-2700 WESTOVER PARK JUNIOR HIGH 7200 Pinnacle Drive, Amarillo 806-677-2420 CANYON INTERMEDIATE 506 Eighth Ave., Canyon 806-677-2800 GREENWAYS INTERMEDIATE 8100 Pineridge Drive, Amarillo 806-677-2460 ARDEN ROAD ELEMENTARY 6801 Learning Tree Ave., Amarillo 806-677-2360 CITY VIEW ELEMENTARY 3400 Knoll Drive, Amarillo 806-677-2500 CRESTVIEW ELEMENTARY 80 Hunsley Road, Canyon 806-677-2780 GENE HOWE ELEMENTARY 5108 Pico Blvd., Amarillo 806-677-2380 HILLSIDE ELEMENTARY 9600 Perry Ave., Amarillo 806-677-2520 LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARY 6407 Lair Road, Amarillo 806-677-2830 REEVES-HINGER ELEMENTARY 1005 21st St., Canyon 806-677-2870 SUNDOWN LANE ELEMENTARY 4715 Sundown Lane, Amarillo 806-677-2400

BUSHLAND ISD

BUSHLAND ELEMENTARY 2300 Wells St., Bushland 806-359-5410 BUSHLAND MIDDLE 2300 Wells St., Bushland 806-359-5418 BUSHLAND HIGH 1201 S. Farm-to-Market Road 2381, Bushland 806-359-6683

HIGHLAND PARK ISD HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY 15300 E. Amarillo Blvd.

806-335-1334 HIGHLAND PARK MIDDLE 3801 N Farm-to-Market Road 1912 806-335-4714 HIGHLAND PARK HIGH 15300 E. Amarillo Blvd.

806-335-2821

RIVER ROAD ISD

ROLLING HILLS ELEMENTARY 2800 W. Cherry Ave. 806-383-8621 RIVER ROAD MIDDLE 7600 Pavillard Drive 806-383-8721 RIVER ROAD HIGH 101 W. Mobley St. 806-383-8867

PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS

RICHARD MILBURN ACADEMY Ninth-12th grade 806-463-2284 4106 S.W. 51st Ave. www.milburnschools.org/ articles/rma_amarillo_tx VISTA ACADEMY Kindergarten-eighth grade 806-367-5447 3242 Hobbs Road, Suite F www.vista-academies.com

AMARILLO PRIVATE SCHOOLS

ARBOR CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Kindergarten-12th grade www.arborchristian academy.com info@arborchristian academy.com 806-355-7207 5000 Hollywood Road ASCENSION ACADEMY Sixth-12th grade www.ascensionacademy.org 806-342-0515 9301 Ascension Parkway, just west of 45th Avenue and Soncy Road CENTRAL BAPTIST CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 4 years-12th grade www.centralbaptistweb.org 806-372-1464 1601 S.W. 58th Ave. HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC ACADEMY Sixth-12th grade www.holycrosscatholic academy.org 806-355-9637 4110 S. Bonham St. THE KING’S ACADEMY OPERATED BY CITYCHURCH Pre-kindergarten-third grade www.citychurchamarillo.com 806-371-0089 Second Avenue and Tyler Street, in Citychurch education building OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL 3 years-fifth grade 806-372-2629 1108 S. Houston St. ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL 3 years-eighth grade www.standrewsschool.org 806-376-9501 1515 S. Georgia St. ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL 3 years-fifth grade www.stjosephamarillo.org/ school E-mail: stjosephcatholic school@yahoo.com 806-359-1604 4118 S. Bonham St. ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL 3 years-fifth grade www.stmarysamarillo.org 806-376-9112 1200 S. Washington St. SAN JACINTO CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3 years-12th grade www.sanjac.org 806-372-2285 501 S. Mississippi St. TRINITY LUTHERAN SCHOOL 4 years-sixth grade www.trinityama.org 806-352-5620 5005 W. Interstate 40

HOME SCHOOL

PANHANDLE CHRISTIAN HOME EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION 806-356-1316 www.pchea.org — GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

FIVE THINGS

ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ENROLLING

Children must be 5 years old

by Sept. 1 to enter kindergarten in Texas public schools. They must be 6 by Sept. 1 for first grade.

Where your child will attend school primarily depends on home address. In Amarillo Independent School District, call 806-326-1350. Otherwise, call your child’s school district.

IMMUNIZATIONS

Texas law requires schoolage children to receive vaccinations at the appropriate ages for the following diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A and B, and varicella.

For more information, consult your child’s doctor or visit www.immunizetexas.com.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Schools rely on parent volunteers. Campus organizations include Parent Teacher Associations, Parent Teacher Organizations and booster clubs.

Contact your child’s school to learn about these organizations, fees, registration and activities.

MEALS

Public schools offer breakfasts and lunches. In 2008-09, student meal prices ranged from 90 cents to $1.50 for breakfast, and from $1.70 to $2.65 for lunch. Lunch prices are higher for students in middle school and high school.

Families that need assistance with meals can apply for free or reduced-price meals.

Applications for assistance are available through your child’s school.

TRANSPORTATION

School districts provide bus transportation to and from campuses. In the Amarillo and Canyon school districts, students can ride the bus if they live two miles or more from their schools.

Parents will need to call the following to find out about bus routes: ■ Amarillo ISD: Durham School Services at 806-3715698 ■ Canyon ISD: 806-677-2670 ■ Bushland ISD: 806-3510383 ■ Highland Park ISD: 806335-2821, ext. 101 ■ River Road ISD: call 806383-3347

Textbook examples of progress Higher education: Growth, expansion reflect importance of West Texas A&M, Amarillo College In 1909, Texas lawmakers passed a bill creating the West Texas State Normal College in Canyon.

One hundred years later, administrators at what is now West Texas A&M University oversee a growing campus with more than 7,500 students and 60 undergraduate degree programs.

The school started classes in 2008 in its Amarillo Center, now three floors in the Chase Tower in Amarillo.

It continues to renovate parts of its Canyon campus as it hopes to expand its total enrollment to 9,000 students during the next few years.

Last fall, the school debuted $17 million in renovations to its Classroom Center. Earlier this year, construction crews demolished the historic old Fine Arts

Building in order to build a parking lot for the crowded campus. A four-story dormitory is in the works to replace Hudspeth Hall.

Amarillo College still is overseeing the spending and construction from its $68 million bond issue passed in November 2007.

In February 2009, workers broke ground on the Steven W. Jones Hall, the $11.5 million future home of the school’s nursing and dental programs on Southwest Ninth Avenue.

Classes began this spring in the $9 million science building on the Washington Street campus.

The project includes numerous other renovations and upgrades to the college’s campuses.

— STAFF WRITER DAVID PITTMAN

❱❱ AMARILLO COLLEGE

ENROLLMENT: 11,100 FACULTY: 234 STAFF: 457 DEGREE PROGRAMS: 85 CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS: 58 PRESIDENT: Paul Matney CAMPUS LOCATIONS: Six total: four in Amarillo, and one each in Hereford and Dumas CONTACT: 806-371-5000 WEB SITE: www.actx.edu GOVERNANCE: Locally elected, ninemember board of regents

❱❱ WEST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ / AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS

Don Mullen takes a look at a turbine control unit during an Introduction to Wind Energy class at the Amarillo College East Campus.

ENROLLMENT: 7,776 FACULTY: 251 STAFF: 583 UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS: 60 MASTER’S-LEVEL PROGRAMS: 43 PRESIDENT: J. Patrick O’Brien CAMPUS LOCATIONS: 135-acre residential campus in Canyon, and three floors of the Chase Tower in Amarillo CONTACT: 806-651-0000 WEB SITE: www.wtamu.edu GOVERNANCE: Member of the Texas A&M University System

It’s fair to say, getting around is easy Transportation: Don’t spin your wheels finding transit

OPTIONS

For those wanting to visit Amarillo and get around the city, there are plenty of options.

From a plethora of cab companies, a bus transit system and several rental car companies to the soon-to-be four airlines flying in and out of Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, it’s easy to motor about.

American, Southwest and Continental (and, soon, Delta) all have daily flights in and out of the airport.

For visitors, four rental car companies operate in the airport, near the baggage claim area.

Also, a number of taxi companies are available to pick up travelers and take them where they need to go.

Once inside the city, a public bus system is available (it has been in opera-

RICK HUSBAND AMARILLO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Regular parking (outdoors, farther from terminal) $4.35/day

AIRLINE RESERVATIONS

TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS IN AMARILLO

tion in one form or another since 1925). The city started operating the Amarillo City Transit system in 1966.

Under the direction of the city’s transit department, ACT operates about a half-dozen bus routes, connecting riders from as far west as Westgate Mall to the North Branch Library in the northeast side of the city.

A busy stop is the downtown transfer station at southeast Third Avenue and Fillmore Street. Service is provided Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., except on holidays: The city also offers a “paratransit” service for people with disabilities and those who are unable to use a fixed-route bus.

— GLOBE-NEWS STAFF

PASSENGER BOARDINGS

AMERICAN EAGLE 800-433-7300 www.aa.com CONTINENTAL EXPRESS 800-523-3273 www.continental.com SOUTHWEST 800-435-9792 www.southwest.com DELTA (Flights to Memphis, Tenn., scheduled to start June 11) 800-221-1212 www.delta.com

CAR RENTALS

All are located in the baggage claim area Avis: 806-335-2313 Enterprise: 806-335-9443 Hertz: 806-335-2331 National: 806-335-2311

PARKING

Parking garage: $6.50/day Preferred parking (outdoors, closer to terminal) $5.50/day

TAXI-PROS: 806-350-7777 YELLOW CAB: 806-371-8294 AA ROYAL CAB: 806-680-6023 AA DISCOUNT CAB: 806-374-1111 ACE’S TAXI SERVICE: 806-676-7263 SKY LIMOUSINE: 806-457-8759

AMARILLO CITY TRANSIT FARE INFORMATION Adults: 75 cents Children (ages 6-12): 60 cents Children younger than 6 with paying adult: free Student: 60 cents (middle and high school with ACT ID card) Senior citizens 65 and older: 35 cents (with Medicare and City Transit ID card only) Medicare cardholder: 35 cents FOR MORE INFORMATION Amarillo City Transit P.O. Box 1971 Amarillo, TX 79105-1971 Phone: 806-378-3095 TDD: 806-372-6234

DISCOVER | 49

Crunching the numbers

Demographics: Amarillo has its lures as a desirable place to live, work or own a business

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50 | DISCOVER

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27 percent. The city’s female population is 52 percent, compared with the state average of 50.4 percent.

“Amarillo has a lot of good things going for it, and you’re going to see that in the census count” of this year, Mayor Debra McCartt said. “It’s a great place to live and work, or own a business, and, of course, to raise a family.”

Also, the city is becoming more racially diversified. Although whites are the dominant ethnic group, the percentage of Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians, particularly Hispanics, is on the rise. In the 2008 population estimate, people with Spanish surnames accounted for 26.9 percent of the population, compared with 21.9 percent in the 2000 census count.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if our Hispanic population is now over 30 percent,” said state Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo. “The demographics in our city are changing, just like in the rest of the state.”

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Amarillo has not grown as fast as other Texas cities, and the median household income falls below the state average, but other demographic trends make the city a desirable place to live and work.

As of 2008, the last estimate the U.S. Census has done, the city was believed to have 186,806 residents, a 6.9 percent increase since the 2000 population count.

The state’s estimated growth during the sixyear period was 12.7 percent. Also, Amarillo is a bit older than most of the state.

The percentage of people 65 and older is 11.4, compared with 9.9 statewide.

In addition, the annual median household income was $42,886, $6,192 lower than the state average of $49,078. It was the same story for per capita income. The average Amarilloan lived on $22,724 a year, about $2,000 less than the state average of $24,709.

On the other hand, Amarillo’s monthly unemployment rate usually is the lowest in Texas. In March, for example, it was 5.6 percent, far below 8.2 percent for the state, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The city has a 14.5 percent poverty rate, below the state rate of 15.4 percent, according to Census Bureau data.

And at a time when gas prices rapidly are rising again, the work commute is much shorter than in the rest of the state. The average worker in the city spends 15.9 minutes driving to work, compared with 24.9 minutes for other Texans.

And largely because the unemployment rate is well below the state average, annual per capita retail sales are $14,951, about $4,000 higher than across the state.

This, in turn is good news for business owners, particularly for businesses owned by women. One of every three businesses in the city is owned by a woman, a figure significantly higher than the state average of

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enrique.rangel@morris.com

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BY ENRIQUE RANGEL

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Exhibitions of faith Religion: Houses of worship?

There’s a wealth of denominations

Religion is a big deal in Amarillo.

Faith groups from all major world religions count believers in Amarillo, and many even-smaller sects boast robust congregations of believers.

In addition to the more than 156,000 people in Potter and Randall counties who identify themselves as Christians, other world religions have houses of worship in Amarillo. A Hindu temple, two Buddhist temples, a mosque and a Jewish temple provide places of worship.

— STAFF WRITER CHERYL BERZANSKIS

RELIGIONS AND DENOMINATIONS African Methodist Episcopal Anglican Apostolic Assembly of God Baha’i Baptist Missionary Association of America Bible Buddhist Calvary Chapel Catholic Christian Christian Methodist Episcopal Christian Science Church of Christ Church of God Church of God in Christ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church of the Living God Church of the Nazarene Community of Christ Disciples of Christ Eastern Orthodox Episcopal Evangelical Free Foursquare Gospel Full Gospel Hindu Independent Christian Islam Jehovah’s Witnesses Jewish Lutheran Mandean Messianic Metaphysical Methodist Metropolitan Community Church Missionary Pentecostal Pentecostal Church of God Pentecostal Holiness Presbyterian Quaker Reformed Episcopal Salvation Army Southern Baptist Unitarian Universalist United Pentecostal Unity Vineyard USA

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