| Amarillo Texas is a regional economic center in | | | | 3,500 feet above sea level. Palo Duro Canyon is |
| the Texas panhandle and adjoining areas of New | | | | the second largest canyon in the United States |
| Mexico and Oklahoma. Its population is about | | | | after the Grand Canyon. The Canyon was |
| 183,000 and its metropolitan area in the | | | | formed by water erosion from the Prairie Dog |
| surrounding four counties has about 236,000 | | | | Town Fork of the Red River. |
| people. In downtown Amarillo, the tallest buildings | | | | The city has events and attractions honoring the |
| are the 31-story Chase Tower, and the Amarillo | | | | cowboy and rodeo. During the third week of |
| National Bank Plaza One building. These may be | | | | September, the Tri-State Fair & Rodeo brings |
| the most outstanding pieces of Amarillo real | | | | participants mostly from Oklahoma, New Mexico |
| estate. | | | | and Texas to Amarillo. The World Championship |
| The city's largest employer in 2005 is Tyson | | | | Ranch Rodeo sponsored by the Working Ranch |
| Foods with 3,700 employees. Other large | | | | Cowboys Association is held every November in |
| employers are the Amarillo Independent School | | | | the Amarillo Civic Center. The Amarillo Art Center, |
| District, BWXT Pantex, which is in the nuclear | | | | opened in 1972, is a building complex with an art |
| weapons assembly business, Baptist St. Anthony | | | | museum and concert hall located on the |
| Health Care, and the City of Amarillo. Regional | | | | Washington Street Campus of Amarillo College. |
| industry includes copper refining and the meat | | | | Don Harrington Discovery Center, located in the |
| packing industry with as much as one quarter of | | | | city's hospital district, is an interactive science |
| United States beef is processed in the region. The | | | | center and space theater with over 60 hands-on |
| surrounding area is rich in the raising of cattle, milk | | | | exhibits. Near the proximity of the Discovery |
| production and other agricultural goods, and there | | | | Center, the Amarillo Botanical Gardens has |
| are still major oil fields. The Amarillo Economic | | | | gardens, indoor exhibits, and a library for visitation |
| Development Corporation (AEDC) is funded by a | | | | throughout the year. |
| city sales tax, and has worked aggressively to | | | | The colleges in the city are Amarillo College, a |
| provide incentives to prospective employers, such | | | | two-year community college with over 10,000 |
| as Bell Helicopter. This is how Bell Helicopter | | | | students; Wayland Baptist University in Amarillo; |
| Textron's development of the V-22 Osprey | | | | and Texas Tech University at Amarillo, a branch |
| hybrid was brought into the city. | | | | campus of Texas Tech University that offers |
| Amarillo has a number of natural attractions near | | | | selected master's degree programs. West Texas |
| the city, the most outstanding one being Palo | | | | A&M University, in nearby Canyon, is the regional |
| Duro Canyon State Park. Palo Duro Canyon is 120 | | | | university in the Amarillo area and the Texas |
| miles long, as much as 20 miles wide, with a | | | | Panhandle. |
| depth of 800 feet. Its elevation at the rim is | | | | |