The name Amarillo was adopted in 1892 when the city was incorporated. It means “yellow” in Spanish and refers to the yellow banks of nearby Amarillo Lake. In the 1890’s, Amarillo was a booming cattle town, one of the most important cattle shipping points in the nation.

What year was Amarillo founded?

1913: Amarillo was the first city in Texas and only the fifth in the nation to adopt a city commission/city manager form of government. 1918: Natural gas was discovered in the Texas Panhandle. 1921: Oil was discovered in the area.

Why was Amarillo built?

Amarillo boomed as a cattle-marketing center. Holding grounds, complete with pens, were built near the tracks to corral the numerous herds that came from ranches in the Panhandle, South Plains, and eastern New Mexico for shipment.