Driving to Amarillo from any direction is a lesson in the coexistence of old and new. Rusty oil wells dot the flat plains to the north and east while pristine wind turbines stand at elegant attention all around. Lovingly referred to as Bomb City for its proximity to Pantex (a leading manufacturer of, well, bombs), the town has survived the Dust Bowl, biblical floods, and devastating tornadoes, forcing it to take stock of what it was and ponder what it ought to become. The resulting city honors its history while embracing its artistic side.
“It’s rich with heritage, with history that encourages a lot of the work that’s come out of there,” says Terry Allen, a renowned visual artist and singer-songwriter who credits Amarillo as inspiration. “Whether it’s music or art or film-making or writing, there’s just that presence of the history of the place.”
Amarillo can thank the unusually wet spring of 1889 for its ultimate location. Though developer J.I. Berry founded his original townsite in what we now think of as Old Town—a mile west of downtown—settlers sought drier ground at the townsite of businessman and rancher Henry Sanborn. “I’m sure Berry was not happy, but Sanborn was a pretty good promoter,” says Wes Reeves, the
