The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Amarillo, Texas, USA.
19th century
1889 – Town of Amarillo incorporated. 1890 – Population: 483. 1892 – W. W. Wetsel becomes mayor. 1899 – City of Amarillo incorporated. 1900 – Population: 1,442.
20th century
1905 – Amarillo Livestock Auction begins. It will go on to become the world's largest seller of cattle by open bidding. 1907 – Grand Opera House built. 1909 Amarillo News begins publication. Amarillo National Bank established. 1910 – Population: 9,957. 1914 – Amarillo Police Department formed. 1915 – Panhandle Weekly newspaper begins publication. 1918 – "Natural gas discovered." 1921 – "Oil discovered." 1924 Amarillo Globe newspaper begins publication. Tri-State Fairgrounds open. 1926 Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo established. Amarillo Globe-News newspaper in publication. Herring Hotel built. 1929 Amarillo College established. English Field (airfield) begins operating. Temple B'nai Israel dedicated. 1930 Santa Fe Building (hi-rise) constructed. Population: 43,132. 1932 Potter County Courthouse built. Paramount Theatre in business. 1935 KGNC radio begins broadcasting."Newspaper Operates KGNC", Broadcasting, July 1, 1935, page 24. 1939 Amarillo US Post Office and Courthouse built. KFDA radio begins broadcasting. 1942 – U.S. military Amarillo Army Air Field activated near city. 1949 – Sunset Drive-In cinema in business. 1953 – KFDA-TV and KGNC-TV (now KAMR-TV) (television) begin broadcasting. 1954 – Texas State Highway Loop 279 in operation. 1957 – KVII-TV (television) begins broadcasting. 1960 – Population: 137,969. 1966 – Amarillo City Transit established. 1968 U.S. military Amarillo Air Force Base closes. Amarillo Civic Center (convention center) opens (approximate date). Fox Theatre (cinema) in business. 1971 – Chase Tower built. 1972 – Amarillo Art Center established. 1976 – Amarillo International Airport in operation. 1982 High Plains Food Bank organized. KJTV (now KCIT) (television) begin broadcasting. 1990 – Population: 157,571. 1998 – February 10: Oprah Winfrey wins mad cow disease-related lawsuit brought by local ranchers. 2000 – Amarillo National Center (arena) built.
21st century
2006 – Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts opens. 2010 – Population: 190,695. 2011 – Paul Harpole becomes mayor. 2017 – Xcel Energy opens a new building in downtown Amarillo, with a new downtown hotel that was built along with a parking garage. Ginger Nelson was elected the 2nd female mayor in Amarillo.
See also Amarillo history List of mayors of Amarillo, Texas National Register of Historic Places listings in Potter County, Texas Timelines of other cities in the West Texas area of Texas: Abilene, El Paso, Lubbock, Midland
References
Bibliography
+ chronology Della Tyler Key. In the Cattle Country: History of Potter County, 1887–1966 (Amarillo: Tyler-Berkley, 1961; 2d ed., Wichita Falls: Nortex, 1972). David L. Nail. One Short Sleep Past: A Profile of Amarillo in the Thirties (Canyon, Texas: Staked Plains, 1973).
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