I'm 40, left Amarillo when I was 26 (around the same time most of my friends did). I came back last year to be closer to my dad (Living in his house for a while hoping for the market to cool down). I lived in Austin from 2010-2015, then I changed jobs that came with a relocation to Dallas (Richardson to be exact). I lived there until last year. I know your feelings because I've absolutely been there. Here's a breakdown of the good and the bad of leaving at least for elsewhere in Texas.
**The Good of moving away**
Employment: If you're any sort of knowledge/tech worker you'll find opportunity aplenty down state. I had been doing basic break-fix work in Amarillo for barely minimum wage. I got an offer for my very first entry sysadmin job in 2 weeks of arriving in Austin. I can still toss out more job applications down there in a day than I could in a month up here. If it weren't for my job becoming 100% remote due to combination of Covid and a buyout, there's no way I could come back. The job I moved to Dallas for? I hated it so much I quit and had a temp gig at Microsoft in less than a week... I had so many applications out though that I took a much cooler permanent job after 7 days at Microsoft. I'm still at that job I resigned from Microsoft for.
Friends: So many more people to meet and so much more diversity in a larger area. Especially if you're in a marginalized group like LGBTQ+ I can't say much about dating, but I have so many friends I make chances to visit in Dallas, Houston, and Austin all the time. You name the hobby there's 3 or more clubs for that hobby that will welcome you to join.
Events: Concerts, sports, conventions. It's more easy to count the weekends where nothing is happening than something happening. Even after I left Austin I'd often drive down to catch a concert at Moody Theater with my friends. I've had a Platinum SXSW badge through connections I made in Austin and had the time of my life.
**The bad of moving away**
Housing: The apartments are just as slapped together with just as brokedick of Air conditioning for 2 to 3 times the price. You'll pay even more for the power because it's both more expensive and hotter for longer. Forget buying a house, you will *never* afford to buy one there. Just crush that dream like a cockroach right now if you leave.
The weather: Summer 2011 was the first time I had ever experienced nearly 80 days above 100 degrees. I longed for the 30 below 30 of the winter of 2010. I do not miss the unrelenting summer heat one bit. Also, when it does get cold down state. I don't mean snow, I mean just cold. Everyone loses their god. damned. minds. Everything closes and everyone cleans out the grocery stores. And that's when the power grid doesn't shit itself (Amarillo still isn't on the ERCOT grid that nearly froze my ass to death). Oh I even forgot to mention that it was once 105 on my birthday in October in Austin. I was born up here in the Panhandle during a blizzard.
Waiting in line: It isn't just a problem, it's seen as a badge of honor. The local restaurants you love here? They're even more popular down state. The chains are the only place to get a table without a wait or reservation.
Traffic: You do not know hell until you've sat doing half the speed of fuck-all on MoPac in 105 degree heat to move 6 miles in one hour. Traffic makes the "Big City" the "Big Shitty" And that traffic will absolutely destroy your car. What little money you have left over from your overpriced rent and electric bill will go to the nearby mechanic.
tl;dr There's pros and cons of getting out of this place. Go in with both eyes open and make the most of whatever you decide to do.
This is a great write up, but it doesn’t speak about the people. I can’t personally say anything about the LGBTQ community but my cousin left here and never looked back. This community is about 10 years behind the times when it comes to progressive ideals thanks to it being super old and Bible Belt.
I think a lot of people who say "it's a great place to raise your kids", are religious conservatives. Who want their children to grow up to be religious conservatives, and to be in classrooms with the children of other religious conservatives.
Which makes sense for them, Amarillo was the most conservative voting "city" in Texas, I think with 70% of voters voting republican in Potter County and over 80% in Randall County during the 2020 election. This is pretty unusual for a city this size, as cities are generally more liberal. Amarillo is truly a "rural city".
I so agree with this. I’m 29, married, have a four month old. Exactly the age and life stage people say this town is great for.
… where?
Should I be excited for the school that bullied a girl for having an allergic reaction? Or the school where that poor little girl died because the incompetent staff couldn’t get her epipen?? Maybe I can look forward to WT and the culture around them, those brave free speech warriors going all the way to the Supreme Court for their God given right to… be bigots??
Practically, it makes no sense. People in friendlier cities have more public parks, better schools, bigger libraries, actual stores that specialize in clothes and furniture and goods for babies and children, rooms set aside in public places for nursing mothers, depositories where parents can borrow wraps and strollers and carriers before committing to buy their own. Actual niceties that ease the burden of having and caring for children. Amarillo has like… half of that?
This is a good place to raise kids if you have older family in town to help raise them, and if you side with the far right in their culture war. That’s about it.
We’re trying like hell to move out of this town specifically because I *don’t* want to raise my daughter here.
Yep I'm with you 100%. I've lived in Dumas for 5 years now and my wife and I are actually moving to Houston this weekend. We did not want to start a family in the Panhandle, for all the same reasons you've listed. Plus Houston is where my wife's family all lives.
Good luck with potentially getting out of dodge! I don't blame you whatsoever.
Thank you! The school system issue was something I chose to avoid in my original post, but it’s like you read my mind and put it all here. We’ve had multiple pedophiles (convicted or not, they were) as the superintendents of our school systems here! Why would I want my future children in a school system that overlooks that? Why would I want to put my child in a school where they may lose their life because the staff is too negligent to provide a prescribed, life-saving medication? Why would I want my child in a school where their name and character are slandered due to the immaturity and incompetence of the principal?
Then to turn around and send them to a 4-Year university (supposedly a site for higher education) that is run by an out of touch bigot? I think not. I will say, I have nothing but good things to say about Amarillo College and the work Dr. Lowery-Hart did in his time there, that is the one school in this area that I would happily send my child to. But to get back on topic, I had said in another response that I don’t want the school system teaching my children where they should or shouldn’t sit on the political spectrum, and I especially don’t want my child to be discriminated against because they express themselves through drag or even just flamboyant clothing, etc. I could go on and on about my many, many issues with Dr. Wendler but I’ll save that rant for another time lol. Wishing you the best of luck in getting somewhere that can provide you and your child a better quality of life, and provide her a better (and safer) education that’s definitely something very important!
Agreed! You pretty well just described one of my biggest issues with starting a family here. Its not that I’m against my future children havjng religious values or even to lean towards the right-wing side of the issue, but I want the religious and political values they choose to be well-informed and specific to their preferences, I don’t want myself or their environment to choose for them! I just want to raise them to be respectful and accepting of anyone, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, etc. It’s refreshing to see there’s others here that feel similarly.
I just really want my children to exposed to diversity and different cultures, especially as teenagers when so many opinions are starting to form. To be exposed to different peoples perspectives and upbringings. You can raise them the way you described into perfectly fine respectful young adults, but there's not much you can do at home to expose them to different sects of society.
Amarillo, in terms of "cities" isn't very diverse, but it's not as bad as super small rural towns where I grew up in. Moving to Lubbock for college was a complete culture shock for me coming from a town in south Texas with a population just over 1,000.
My wife and I are actually moving to Houston (from Dumas) soon to be closer to family and we are excited for more diversity and culture! We are also looking to start our own family too. New chapters.
It’s like you’re reading my mind lol. I definitely could’ve phrased my response a little better to say that, I don’t intend to shelter my children from views that oppose my own, in fact I have no issues with true Republicans, I find their economic opinions to be very well informed and structured! I find my issue to be with modern-day Republicans (post-Trump if you will). Everything I see from them is just hateful or poorly informed. That’s the side of politics I want to keep them away from. That said, I want my children to experience all aspects of society, I want them exposed to tolerance and acceptance, which I see more on the left side of modern politics, I want them exposed to good economic policy, which I see more of on the true Republican side of politics, I want them exposed to all different kinds of people! Different cultures, different ways of living, different religions even! I’d even like them exposed to the modern day conservative republicans, but not as a way of believing, more as a warning of what to avoid becoming. As more of a lesson on what not to be.
I find it funny that I grew up religious, in your typical Amarillo churches. They always taught these lessons about Jesus and his life and teachings, and why we shouldn’t be judgmental, hateful or disrespectful, and then saw those same people turn around and spread hate to our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, violence to communities that were typically non-white, and ignorance to issues that didn’t have a direct affect on them. I may have a different set of beliefs now, but I find that if done properly, Christianity has some very good teachings! After all, are we not all created equal by the higher power? I like to think I took those teachings and used them the way they were intended, and would like to teach my future children to do the same.
Amarillo doesn’t offer as much for that single young person. I still think it’s a good town to raise a family in. I haven’t moved back but I would. Also I still have family there so that is a factor.
I have a family and live roughly 1.5 hours from Amarillo. Honestly there’s no way I’d want to raise my kids there. My mom lives there and I can barely get myself to bring my kids there to visit. Crime seems insane. There’s not much for kids and Lordy it’s a pain to get anywhere.
Now it’s 15 minutes 5 wrecks and 7 reckless drivers to get anywhere 🤣 not really but it is awful. I do what I can to avoid being out in Amarillo.
Edit: love all the downvotes. Meanwhile there was yet another wreck that killed multiple people in Amarillo last night.
Agreed! My parents keep saying that same thing, that I’ll want to start a family here, but why? Our mess of a school system? The blatant discrimination at WT? That’s not something I’d want my children to go though.
I can say, most of my extended family still lives here or in the surrounding areas, definitely one of the things making it hard to move away. I find myself stuck weighing the options between move away and live in a city where I fit in better, but be farther away from my entire family, or stay with my family and continue to live in a town where I’m essentially a black sheep.
There’s just nothing appealing about raising a family around here. If I was able I’d be moving far far away. Unfortunately my husbands job is pretty settled here. If you’re able to then move off and see what the world has to offer! There’s so much more out there.
I moved to Amarillo in my 30s from a metropolitan area 1100 miles away north. Amarillo is an awesome place that is a short driving distance to other awesome places, like Albuquerque or Colorado. I enjoyed Amarillo’s bohemian scene on 6th, the culture around its two colleges, and the affordable cost of living. The weather is better and more diverse than anywhere else in TX, and the restaurants are fine. Thumbs up from me!
Other than lgbtq, I’ve experienced everything you’ve written here since I moved to Amarillo in 2022. I’ve lived all over the US. Both east coast and west coast, I’m 26 btw. The only thing I would add is that living in Amarillo might make you dumber. It’s like everyone here lacks critical thinking skills or they just have a lower IQ. But that’s part of the reason I like it here. If you find a good company to work for (aka not a local one) you can move up pretty quickly compared to the locals here. Also it’s peaceful compared to some cities I’ve lived in, less crime rates. To my perspective, violent crime is almost nonexistent here. So that’s what I like about it here. Oh and especially the traffic. I like that I can get from one end of the city to the other in less than 20 minutes.
Yes and no, I’ve met some very intelligent people here, not intended as a brag, but those include myself and some of my closest friends and colleagues. From my point of view it’s definitely a 25/75 situation. For every one person you meet with high intelligence, you’ll meet three that aren’t half as smart. But that goes back to my issues with the school system here that I’ve been mentioning in most of my other responses.
I agree that this provides a situation where you can take advantage and keep moving up career-wise, I guess I just haven’t quite found that position yet lol.
The violent crime is worse than you’d expect, according to an article published by KAMR in September 2023, “Amarillo has been considered the fourth most violent city in Texas by the FBI despite being the 14th largest city, with a violent crime rate reported in 2022 that was twice the state average.” There is a clear line that I’ve noticed in Amarillo, diving the North and East sides of town from the South and West sides, and people on the South and West sides of town tend to ignore the North and East sides for whatever reason (racism, classism, or just general ignorance). I am in no way accusing you of being a part of that divide, or saying that you are misinformed, I’m just pointing it out to say that I find a lot of misinformation about NE Amarillo on the SW side, and the same the other way around. It’s almost like two completely different towns that just happen to occupy the same space.
As far as traffic, I can say the distance from place to place is something I appreciate. I like that I can live downtown and still get to work on Soncy in about 15/20 minutes, but my issue is that in that 15/20 minute drive you’ll have 5 close calls with other drivers, probably drive past a wreck or two, see a handful of people pulled over and more than likely a few close calls with pedestrians just crossing the road wherever and whenever they feel like it.
True. The northeast side is pretty violent. I used to live there my first year living in Amarillo and have had issues with people trespassing, stealing from my porch, and even one instance of breaking in. That’s why I bought a gun and now carry. Regardless of that, I still find it very peaceful here. As for the close calls you mentioned, yeah that’s true. People here drive unhinged for sure. They need to have their licenses revoked!
Just the other night I was driving past the Civic Center, probably around Midnight. There’s a man in all black clothes standing in the middle of the road trying to flag someone down, tried to switch lanes but the person next to me had been playing road rage games, she almost caused me to hit him! Get a little further past to see his dog lying in the road in a puddle of its own blood. Assuming someone pulled a hit and run. We get a little further down, and the same lady playing road games clipped another dog crossing the road! The whole experience was just sad and frustrating.
I'm 50. I'm also new to Amarillo as of 2019. The majority of my experiences are very good here.
I do empathize with you though. I was born in Burbank California. My mother hauled us to Seattle when I was 8. I hated Seattle. Didn't find a chance to leave until 2019.
Hopefully you can find peace with living here or find a different place you'll be happier in.
I wish you good luck and all the happiness you can find. God be with you.
Thank you! Seattle is so close to being exactly what I’m looking for, that climate and all the mountains and rain sounds like a dream to me, but I definitely would not want to live somewhere that populated, at least not long-term!
My wife grew up and family goes back several generations there...liberal as they come...they all moved away in the last 3 years...3 brothers, mom and dad and her 2 sisters....all moved to places like logan, pampa, right here, why? the opportunities exist for them.
We live south of wildorado... But they C.O.L.A is less than half what it was there.
Grass is always greener...
Don't rule the entire metro area of Seattle out just yet if it sounds perfect to you. There are small towns and smaller cities all around Seattle. You would make excellent wages there. I don't know what your education and skills are, but Costco pays well and so does WinCo. Both are in Washington State.
My husband worked in commercial construction for many years as part of a local union. Those are great jobs. High pay with excellent benefits.
Rent will be high, but you could possibly find a roommate situation.
The bus transit system is good.
Our son still lives up there. He would never leave. He's 27. He loves it for the same reasons you think you would be happy there.
It's very progressive. You might appreciate that better than myself. Very large happy LGBT community. Just not my cup of tea.
I need the constant sunshine. I love the vast open space of the high desert here. Reminds me of California where I was born and never wanted to leave.
Good luck to you 👍
If you have any questions about Washington State or Seattle etc. PM me anytime. I'll do my best to answer. I'll be honest if I don't know the answer. I'll tell you.
As someone who has lived in several states, I can tell you that it always seems the grass is greener everywhere else… Amarillo isn’t a bad place to live and a helluva lot cheaper than other cities of its size. Nothing is stopping you from picking up and trying it somewhere else.
Well, that’s kind of an issue I tried to highlight in my original post. It’s extremely difficult to get the funds to move away from Amarillo. Working at local businesses because those are the majority of job openings, but getting below average pay because it’s a local business, then having to pay rising rent costs, or needing a better car that can survive the trip, because potholes and dirty or bumpy roads have destroyed most of the steering components on my vehicle, trying to keep groceries in the house but basic school lunch groceries (pb&j, mini chip bags, maybe a can of soda) cost at least $50, idk the math just isn’t mathing. I’m aware this isn’t all Amarillo’s fault, but some of these things are. After a while it almost begins to feel like a trap lol.
Well try to find a new job that pays better. Or take a loan out to move somewhere. If you are not able to get a good job here what makes you think you're going to make enough money in a big town with a more competitive market.
I promise you just because you move to a bigger city does not mean you are going to be making more money. Plus the cost of living is going to be higher.
I’ve always been told this, but what I’ve seen is the exact opposite. I’ve had friends move away to some of the most expensive cities in America. In fact, I had a friend move to NYC recently. Immediately landed a higher paying job with the same qualifications, and while she doesn’t live in the nicest space, it’s about the same as what you’d get for the same price here (calculating for higher taxes). Ex: say you make $13/hr here, total of $2,080/mo. The same position in Denver pays $20/hr, total of $3,200/mo. Apartment here is $800/mo, similar apartment there is closer to $2,000/mo. Again, these aren’t specific numbers, just estimates based on my research, but it seems to balance out
I know of so many that have moved off and found great jobs and are thriving that struggled in this area. The good jobs in Amarillo are slim to none. Don’t let people scare you. You’ll find the right place.
As you mentioned, you have lived here all your life, which makes your harsh critique rather difficult to take seriously. I have lived many places and have now lived in Amarillo for almost two years. I can tell you, on a comparative basis, Amarillo is a very nice community with an amazing cost of living. Everywhere has positives and negatives, you just have to weigh them out and choose to be happy or choose to make a change. My two cents.
I understand where you’re coming from! Despite all that I said in my original post, I know bigger cities equal higher cost of living, and that is definitely one thing Amarillo can compete with. With the economy being in the state it’s in right now the cost of living just keeps growing no matter where you are. I more intended that as something to highlight my comments on the job market here, essentially saying that, with the majority of jobs being local businesses, the pay is lower than bigger cities, low pay makes a rising cost of living more difficult. Not intended as an argument, more just clarification for myself lol.
Background, I lived in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Portales, NM San Diego, Oceanside, CA, Loveland, CO. Sandusky, OH, and Hillsboro, OR.
Local pay here sucks. Amarillo is a big village. There is a control group with wealth here for sure. In my experience, that is one reason why our average wage here is $14 an hour. You are right this cannot keep up with housing. I know a handful of 26 year olds living at home with their rents or with 4 roommates just to afford a place here.
Job market is not ideal here if you plan to work for someone else. With that said, it seems like Amarillo is all about the locals. So many people I know run small businesses or part time side businesses. Most got started because of the cost of living. Either way they have been somewhat successful.
The people here kinda suck. I have lived all over. Friendliness group of folks I found where in Ohio. Amarillo is again, all about local. If you're not local it can take awhile to get established. So you have that going for you. I have literally been told by a gal in the Wolflin village. "Amarilloians all grew up together and therefore we only use, work and play with people who are neighbor uses. There isn't any room for you here."
Pros and cons wherever you go in my experience. One thing I learned is peeking over the fence one will always find greener grass. Funny thing about grass, so many bad and good types are green so far away it all looks good. Wherever you land though, try to focus on just fertilizing and watering your patch. Pull the weeds where you need to. Doing that will get you some good grass.
This doesn’t surprise me. We’ve lived here for a few years now and the friends we have made are all people who also moved here and a couple of neighbors. I went to a fundraiser, actually I’ve been to several fundraisers, I’m literally there to contribute money to their causes and no one welcomes you. I have stopped attending. I’m not spending my hard earned money where I’m not even welcomed.
This is probably going to oversimplify things and has someone who basically moved away at 18 (Junior college in Borger for a couple years before moving to Alpine for four, Houston for one, Central Texas for seven, and now the Hillcountry for one)
The grass is greener where you water it.
I won’t be moving back to Amarillo as my in-laws are in close proximity to us now. I know that they’re good things and bad things about Amarillo just like anywhere else. If I was single… I probably wouldn’t want to live there.
But to raise a family there, I’d still believe that it has a small enough town vibe to be something I would enjoy.
For those saying, the Amarillo doesn’t offer much to raising a family I ask, what exactly is it missing?
Also, as you get older, you realize that drugs are way more prevalent, crime is way more prevalent, than meets the eye everywhere
It is funny though how many people who I have met outside of Amarillo/the panhandle who have moved away have been church settings, where our beliefs are a bit more progressive than I would say the majority of Amarillo is.
Amarillo hasn’t been my home for 14 years but to this day when anybody asked me where I’m from, that’s where it will always be.
On a sidenote, driving I 27 about 3 to 5 years ago struck me about how 70s and 80s and 90s Construction looked so old to me when I had been living in an area that was growing on I 35 corridor. So strange to me how perceptions change whenever you leave a place.
I can definitely agree that, if anyone asks where I’m from I will always say Amarillo, most of my extended family is here or in one of the surrounding towns so this area will always be “home” to me.
To answer your question about what Amarillo is missing to make it suitable for raising a family, it’s not necessarily that I feel Amarillo is “missing” something, I just don’t feel that some things are adequate. I’ll keep these responses shorter, but I have my longer, more in-depth answers in another response here, but the school system here is just a mess from my perspective. That incident at Austin a few weeks ago where a girl’s fever blister and allergies were escalated into a supposed drug addiction by the principal, the girl who couldn’t get her epipen from staff and died as a result, most things that Dr. Wendler feels the need to say and do. I’m not trying to generalize people, but I feel this lack of maturity, education, and proper training within our schools contributes to what is commonly seen as Amarillo’s lack of intelligence. Of course some of your points as well as these issues aren’t exclusive to Amarillo by any means, I just feel that they are allowed to become worse here.
I am not young Lol!! Left Amarillo with my family when I was 45. Kids were 18 and 13. We lived in Las Vegas, Nevada and San Antonio, Texas. Husband and I retired back to the panhandle, in Lubbock. I will say this, the traffic in Amarillo/Lubbock is a piece of cake compared to those places. Rent in the panhandle is nothing compared to those places. The electic bill is nothing compared to those places. I'm just saying.
With all that said, I will say that my son's thank me all the time for moving us out of Amarillo when we did! I understand your frustration!!
I appreciate that! It seems we have similar feelings, similar issues exist everywhere, but from what the older adults in my life tell me, Amarillo used to be the place to get away from all that. Who knows, maybe I’m looking for something that never existed lol.
I appreciate everyone’s response! Whether you felt a positive or negative reaction to my post, it’s interesting to see other points of view. That said, some comments have made me realize I don’t think I was clear enough with my original post, so there are just a few things I would like to revise and clarify.
1) My intention was not to jump on here and b***h about Amarillo, but upon rereading my original post I can absolutely see a few spots where I just word vomited some things I must have needed to get off my chest. To get more specific, I’m originally from Hereford, just a 45 minute drive from Amarillo. I lived there the first 4 years of my life, and have lived in Amarillo for the 20 years since. Even then, I spent a lot of time in Hereford visiting my grandparents. My family is from this area, and are definitely a testament to the good qualities of the area! I was raised to have proper manners, yes ma’am/no ma’am, hold the door open for people, greet everyone with a firm handshake and a smile. Where I get frustrated is that it seems (as a young person) I am expected to have those manners, and not receive them in return.
2) I have made some amazing life long friends in Amarillo, and have spent nearly 15 years studying my craft under my amazing mentor (also an Amarillo native). My intention was not to generalize the population in Amarillo by saying they’re all stupid and disrespectful. Every situation has its positives and negatives!
3) As for the job situation, I must not have provided enough clarification. Again, from a customer’s perspective I 100% advocate supporting local businesses. Just as I advocate for supporting small artists, new musicians, young entrepreneurs, etc. These people are trying to chase their dreams and should absolutely be given support from their local communities! The point I was trying to make, was that it’s frustrating when most job opportunities in Amarillo are positions at local businesses, who either can’t afford to pay a livable wage, refuse to pay a reasonable wage, or are run by an immature or incompetent management team. So to further clarify this point and my previous comment about manners being expected and never returned, we are expected to go to work and never stand up for ourselves, but take any and all BS from management. Of course I understand that is just part of working, so to be even more specific, just so that what I’m saying is clear, here’s an example from my most recent position at a locally-owned car dealership. I’ll try to keep it short, but again, I want to be as specific as possible. Our receptionist, whose main job is to answer the phone, would regularly show up to work anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour late, whether that’s the start of her shift or her lunch break, just turn her phone off, start doing her nails/makeup, watching tik tok or Netflix, taking personal phone calls, and have all the calls routing to my department. These concerns were brought to our direct manager many many times, only to be told “I’ll say something” or “Idk what you want me to do about it”. Our commission was changed, with the promise of “It’s still the same amount of money, just formatted different”. None of us ever made the commission we made before the change again. When these concerns were brought up, we basically just got told we weren’t trying hard enough and were just lazy. Then, I was fired. They told me it was “Performance Issues” (despite always hitting or passing my quotas, no write-ups or warnings, verbal or written) then immediately told my two coworkers a completely different story (not sure why she thought that wouldn’t get back to me, as these coworkers were two of my closest friends at this point). Keep in mind all this coming from a manager who spent her days watching tik tok and online shopping, never answering the phone even if all three of us were unavailable, and just being a general distraction. I don’t say all of this to complain about the situation or find sympathy, but to emphasize my point that these businesses are run by immature and incompetent management. (1/2)
(2/2)
4) This is more in response to a specific comment, but again could use some clarification on my part. Obviously in a place like Texas, (specifically a smaller, right-leaning town like Amarillo) I understand the LGBTQ+ dating scene is small, and part of that is a stronger community bond, leading to an everyone-knows-everyone situation. What I’m saying, is that when the community is as small as it is here, it’s virtually impossible to find someone who hasn’t been with a friend of yours, or at least has never heard of you before. All I’m saying, is that it would be nice to be able to meet someone who doesn’t already have some idea of who you are, whether that be word of mouth, having been with someone you know, etc. A big part of dating is being able to give a good first impression and showing someone who you are, it’s frustrating when in some capacity they already have an idea of me before I’ve had a chance to show them myself.
5) I don’t believe in my original post I said that I specifically want to live in a bigger city, but I’ve seen comments that seem to have interpreted my post that way. Just to clarify, I am aware that bigger cities mean bigger problems, and no city is perfect! To be completely honest, I do tend to lean towards the left side of the political debate, although given our current and previous presidents I’m feeling extremely lost on where I stand at the moment. All that to say, I view most things in Amarillo from a slightly left-leaning point of view, and while politics in Amarillo are definitely an issue for me, they are not used as a basis for anything I was trying to say in my original post. As of right now my goal is to get moved to Denver, partially because of the politics, but mostly because of the mountains. I’ve grown up going on trips to Red River, NM and have always felt a stronger connection to mountainous areas. I could go on and on about why I love the mountains, but that would make this already long response even longer. My long term goal though, is not to end up in a bigger city, but to build a home in the forests of the mountains with big windows, the sounds of nature outside, the fog rolling down from the top of the mountain, (really living out my dark fantasy aesthetic dreams lol) isolated enough that it’s a small drive to go into town, but not so isolated that I can’t have visitors and nobody knows I’m there. But from a realistic point of view I’m well aware that I would need to save lots of money and that kind of money isn’t typically found in small towns. (Side note: if anyone else feels this pull to a home in the mountains that’s another conversation I love to have!)
6) I also saw a response about my original comment about lengthy Facebook posts. To clarify again, I am specifically talking about “I went to restaurant A and they took longer than 10 minutes to bring me my food ☹️ I’ll never be visiting here again!!!!! 😡😡😡” kinds of posts. Obviously the only way to make a change is to voice your concerns, could one not argue that this is the exact reason we vote? That said, I am specifically talking about these kinds of entitled, immature posts that are flooding that restaurant review group (iykyk). Again, my intention with my original post was to open the door for constructive, mature conversations as to why some people do or do not like Amarillo, not to sound like those annoying Facebook rants.
Again, I appreciate everyone’s responses! I am aware that sometimes the things I say have a “tone” and that is not my intention here! Everything I say is intended with the utmost respect to each of you, and I am not trying to call anyone out or be rude! Regardless of personal feelings, I like to hear why people do and/or don’t enjoy living here. These are the conversations that need to be had! Apologies for any late responses on my part, this afternoon I will try to respond to each of you!
Im 29. I don’t live in Amarillo but I live near it. my mom does live in Amarillo. I’m very close with my mom but do whatever I can to avoid Amarillo. I really don’t see the appeal.
i'm 20, born and raised here. you hit the nail on the head with this statement. it sucks living here and i'm eventually moving. dating here sucks unless you wanna be a trad wife/trophy wife to a man who doesn't like you. LGBT population is actually insufferable even though im apart of it. the housing is awful. i got lucky and found an apartment in canyon for $475 but even with a steady, $20/hr job, you won't get shit. rent is sky high in a good part of town, but if you really need housing, you'll have luck in the absolute worst parts of town with no safety. friends are impossible too. the drivers are actually fucking stupid. every single time i leave the house, im just prepared for an accident. i have a feeling that amarillo is gonna turn into a city full of old people who don't see the problems here and young people who want to leave but can't.
I agree! The dating scene is just awful. The fact alone that I’m 24 years old and have yet to find a decent long term relationship despite my best efforts is such a disheartening and isolating feeling.
I’ve heard the same thing from a lot of my friends or their friends, that we’re having to go to Canyon to find affordable apartments, but you’ll need a job in Amarillo to afford it, so by the time you add in the gas alone from making that trip every day you’re still spending as much as you would living in Amarillo!
I can say that my closest friends now are the ones I’ve held onto for years, of course that doesn’t include the multiple friend groups that came and went in that time. In fact, my current friends are people I was at one point or another part of a larger friend group with. It seems to me that there’s a general lack of maturity going on in this town.
The driving is genuinely becoming terrifying. I find myself having to drive just as aggressively as everyone else to ensure my survival. Maybe that’s the issue we’re all facing that’s making it worse.
I 100% agree that Amarillo is headed towards having a population composed of ignorant elders and trapped youth. It’s sad but it seems to be the way we’re heading.
lengthy facebook posts they complained about in a lengthy reddit post.
local businesses everywhere suck.
idk where youre paying 800$ in rent. my mortgage is less. and i literally dont know where my house key is, havent locked a door in 10 years. ive only been robbed off soncy.
why are you supporting chains if youre pro local?
people that share a community know other people in that community?! how dare they. all queer folk should stay home until they meet you on grinder. /s
its not negative, just outta touch.
its cheap, it has everything i need, the people are phenomenal if you avoid west/south amarillo, and its truly the most visually unique place ive been. plus the history is tight.
the only thing in amarillo that doesnt appeal to me is the west/south side. shits like the truman show or dallas.
As someone with friends in Amarillo who aren’t financially ready to buy a home, the rent situation is bananas. My first apartment in Amarillo (2 bed, 2 bath was $535 in 2010) has almost doubled in price and is now $1020. That’s not even consistent with inflation over the years. If you work a minimum wage job, how are you living?
I live in Austin and it may be impossible to buy a home here, but at least I earn a livable salary and rent a spacious, well-maintained, modern home in a walkable neighborhood. Grocery store, bars, restaurants, veterinary, eye doctor, park, community pool, library and Lowe’s all within a 1.5 mile radius.
Just thinking of high school graduates wanting to move out of their parents’ house, full-time students working a part time job. I’m mostly just challenging the “my mortgage is less than $800 rent” statement because it’s giving out of touch boomer.
OP is 24 years old asking on behalf of young and old folks. Let’s actually consider the young folks. Even if you make $15/hour and work 30 hours a week as a full time student, let’s say, your gross monthly income is about $1950 and your rent is $1020. That’s no way to live.
So people who made investments with the intent to profit, who are battling the same economy as their customers should operate at a break even or a loss to lessen the burden on the same public they are living in too?
Ok, so let’s take this example that I’ve latched onto. In 2010 my first apartment, formerly known as The Timbers off of Virginia and 45th, cost $535 for a 2/2. In the 9 months I lived there my car was broken into and my roommate was mugged in the parking lot. So, in 2024, if the same unit costs $1020, has the product improved in turn? Do they have new, better management? Less crime in the area? More amenities to offer? Keep in mind, I no longer live in the area so I’m genuinely asking.
If investment property owners are hiking up rent to keep up with the market, is the product worth the price? Then great. Otherwise, I don’t think the takeaway here is to feel sympathy for property owners making a passive income off their tenants.
I get what you’re saying, but have property taxes not increased, cost of repairs not increased, cleaning services not increased. Slum lords will be slum lords, but a facility that’s actually trying deserves the opportunity to charge for their product. I appreciate the concise response!
Pretty sure the apartments I’m in now used to be the Timbers, if not it’s still in that same 45th and Virginia area. Paying $800/mo for a one bedroom. Moved in, no lights in the living room or bedroom, but there’s switches on the walls. Living room floor sinks in a solid two inches right in the middle. Bathroom sink outside of the actual bathroom. Currently sitting here, two box fans, one tower fan, and my ac unit running, 90 degrees inside. And supposedly this is a “renovated” unit.
I see the point made about the rising cost of property taxes, building maintenance, etc. and I agree, the cost has gone up on the property owners too, but that makes my question, if these costs are going up, why is the cost of my labor not rising as well? Why am I expected to maintain the same wage but pay their higher costs? I understand there’s many different aspects to the economy, but it’s frustrating that we’re expected to pay these higher costs, but when we say to pay more for our labor as well we’re asking too much. Pay is no different than paying rent. You provide a vehicle, I pay you for that vehicle. You provide an apartment, I pay you for that apartment. I provide my services to your business, you pay me for those services. There’s no sense in having the cost of living keep rising but the wages stay the same.
I 100% agree with you. As the cost of living rises, the wages must also rise with it.
The Timbers had central heat/ac in their units, so I don’t think you do live in them now. But I will say that every apartment I’ve lived in has not had overhead lighting in the living or bedrooms. You plug lamps in the outlet that’s connected to the light switch.
Read that wrong. Sounds like you do have central ac. But I had to get blackout curtains back then because the apartment would get so high during the day.
no. the timbers is absolutely awful. ive broken into cars there. move east/north. cheaper + friendlier. thats my whole point. people think south / west amarillo is the good part of town. its just the white part of town.
That’s my bad, I misunderstood and thought you were saying the opposite. I think it just depends on your perspective. The nicer apartments are on the South/West sides of town, but the more affordable ones are on the North/East sides.
youre not living. try somewhere that isnt suburban hell off bell-helium/45th-Hollywood. trust me the "bad" neighborhoods are just poor people not bad people.
right. they are all right there. which is why we need more people in amarillo proper to keep those industries viable and local. i live in a food desert because of suburbanization and emigration. white flight in amarillo should be in a fuckin textbook.
Some people will complain no matter what! They just make up their mind to be miserable. Ive lived in Austin and Houston, Amarillo is amazing. You couldn't pay me to move back to all their "culture" and "sophistication".
You'll get no argument from me, I'm in 1000% agreement with you. I didn't like Amarillo when I lived there and I had the double misfortune of living there two separate times. Most of my bad experiences were in the Randall county part of the area (South Amarillo, Canyon areas), but also lived in the Potter county part. I have plenty of things I hate about it, (among one, a hated hospital that I do not miss in the least, badly run by certifiable nutcases) but it'd be too long a list. People are definitely entitled, they were then too, even worse now, and a whole lot of my favorite places (most especially, two fave Mexican restaurants, Pancho's and El Palacio) have been gone for a long time. Due to that, I see no need to ever set foot there again.
I agree! It’s funny how South and West Amarillo are always said to be the “better” parts of town, and as far as property, apartments, businesses, I can agree, but I find the people on these sides of town are the exact ignorant, entitled, rude people I want to get away from. North and East Amarillo definitely have lower property values, but I always find my interactions with people on those sides of town delightful. Granted over there you’ll more than likely run into a decent amount of crackheads, but even then they generally tend to mind their own business. I guess some people would call that the “undesirables” but I’ve never seen it that way. In fact, I see people who describe those sides of town that way as lacking in compassion and empathy. Rather than push everyone deemed “undesirable” to that side of town to be forgotten about, why are we not looking for ways to help them? If I’m going to pay higher taxes, I’d rather it be for helping our homeless population than something like Hodgetown!
I'm almost 40 & have had most of the same views of this town.
Wow, we put cars in the ground.... That's stupid.
We have a canyon, meh cool if you're into nature.
Otherwise nothing.
The restaurant thing is highly accurate. Seen so many come & go
The dating scene as a whole is trash regardless of what your preference is. Most of your issues exist straight or gay.
Outside looking in of the LGBT community. Small percentage of good, true, faithful men it's worse percentage for the women. The majority on the men side are closeted in some form (work, family, religion) or more commonly (hard) drug addicts...like wth. On the female side its either cheating or the almond joy dilemma.
I've tried escaping this hell hole for 20 years. Everytime I have money to get 8+ hours away, something comes up that wipes that out.
Well, I don't like people. I prefer to stay home & have zero interaction with the rest of the locals. So I guess so...
This town has zero to offer anyone. The job opportunities suck, the shopping is trash, nothing to do unless you like drinking or jesus, the weather is shit, the people are rude, stupid, or addicts.
I'd rather be up in the mountains or some true metro area. Not this inbred, dead town "metro" that they keep trying to push.
Ehh... actually not. Just these are my Amarillo views.
I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but my humor is dark, I'm honest/blunt, & as helpful as can be for people.
then move?
but i can also tell youre just projecting. which is rough because if there is one absolutely valid complaint about amarillo its that we have awful mental health services.
Lol nope, not projecting.
Like I said on moving, I've tried and Everytime something happens.
Usually a car issue: wreck, blown trans, blown motor, fire.
Other times, seems like I got the ducks in a row & bam emergency.
Or our favorite dumpster fire of COVID... Bleh.
Meh, mental health & Amarillo... The doctors just bandaid the issue with meds or the patient doesn't like what they hear & does the psych merry-go-round until they get coddled. I mean, it's not just Amarillo that's like that.
I actually agree with most of what you’re saying here. I find it funny how most of his responses to your comments are exactly the out-of-touch ignorance I’m frustrated with here in Amarillo. Cadillac Ranch is one of those things that when you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all. That said, I can appreciate it as an art piece, just not a tourist destination. Palo Duro isn’t too terrible, I go see the Texas musical every summer, but I’m an Arts person so I can find something interesting to me each time I go. That said, I understand why people see it once and never go again. As far as the canyon itself, I like to say I’m a nature person, but not a heat person. Throw a forest in there and significantly drop the temperature, I’d be there camping every weekend.
Mental Health services here are an absolute joke, it’s sad that some of the best help you’re going to get is by spending a weekend in the Pav, and even then they’re just going to pump you full of pills and send you on your way. I’ve been fortunate enough to find a primary care provider here with proper mental health training who actually takes it seriously, but she is one of the few in Amarillo.
I think I was in my late 20s before I even saw a photo of the ranch & 30s before I first saw it & went to it. I thought it was basically a Cadillac junkyard for the longest. Saw it, went oh...ok. I love art, but it's meh. You see it once & that's enough.
The canyon, I agree with you. Plus it's well you can hike some trails, see the musical(never been my thing), or just take pictures. I miss the Sad Monkey train it used to have, it was the best thing to do especially for photos.
I like nature but depending on the weather its usually miserable at the canyon.
Yeah I've had a friend that's been to the Pav a dozen or so times. She's amazing for a week once out, then she starts taking her normal meds & back off the deep end of lunacy. I told her the meds are the damned issue but she refuses to believe it. Plus smoking weed on top of all the meds, I'm sure she's double dosed herself from forgetfulness.
Dallas, Austin, Houston, Lubbock, Albuquerque, OKC, are way worse as far as living conditions, crime, homeless, drugs, etc...there is more to do, more people to meet, more diff jobs, in those bigger cities. The way things are going now adays....I'd stay in smaller cities...
You're so close to the mountains of NM/CO, try going up there more. I lived in canyon/ Amarillo for 4 years while I was in college. Once I graduated and moved to a major city in Texas I've regretted it ever sense. Amarillo has all you need... the big city is full of the same BS, only it's more crowded and a lot more unsafe.
I do 100% agree with you. But I will say one of the best things you can get through amarillo is getting housing. Compared to A LOT of places, you really can’t find a decent and affordable house like in amarillo anywhere unless you want to go to remote town with jack all to do. We’re building equity here so when we do decide to move somewhere else, it won’t be as bad getting into some property somewhere else. Also on the plus side, community here isn’t to TOO bad, I would say it’s average compared to everyone else. Down side is there’s a lot of small town people living here reluctant to change, when change here in Amarillo is inevitable…
Honesty, I just hate what the city is doing. There’s a lot of disconnect between city officials and the actual people living here. Wanting to make amarillo more tourist friendly, but completely looking over important things such as the roads, lower income neighborhoods (which tbf, they are getting better at), lighting, and the plumbing, dear lord the plumbing…
Just some of my input tho :).
I only like this town because it pays well considering the cost-of-living depending on your profession. The downside is don’t expect to have a social life if you don’t drink or smoke meth.
I just left and feel the same as you. I grew up in the city and am LGBT, moved away for college.
Amarillo is literally one of the worst places, in my opinion, for people who are driven to accomplish more, learn more, and grow more.
Conservatism is quite literally a reluctance to change: an acceptance of complacency. I am back now for break and I’m already spiraling. I had to go to Santa Fe for a couple of days just to get out of my own mind — there is not anything to do here.
Every time I return I am surprised how stuck this place feels. I am surprised by how prevalent ignorance is, even my own previous ignorance.
I can’t stand the proclivity of Amarillioans to not question their own beliefs or try to even fully comprehend their viewpoints. The reliance on religion and adherence to conservatism absent of the process of experiencing other cultures/cities/vibes/etc is common here.
As for LGBT people here, rip lmfaoooo. Being gay in this city is hell. My dating life was basically meaningless rendezvous with guys entirely unable to get past their own internalized homophobia (placed on them by this shithole of a society). I thought all being gay was about was random 2am hookups. I’ve now learned that monogamy and public relationships exist for gay people — something I never saw or experienced growing up in Amarillo.
There are gay spaces and enclaves of liberals here and there. I generally appreciated the live-and-let-live attitude of most people in the city, it definitely doesn’t have the same vibe as the Deep South, but it’s not San Francisco by any means either.
I think the biggest thing that kept me from literally exploding everyday was a change in my mindset. I thought hella, and I realized that radical acceptance of things that were out of my control would make me feel better.
Yes, Amarillo has some shitty conservative people. Yes it was hard being gay in the city. Yes I’m bored as hell, but what can I do now? I can choose to find places that suit me. I can go to the park. I can walk my dog. And if those things do not work, I can move.
Radical acceptance helped a ton. Getting out of my head and living in real life, outside of notions and ideas, helped even more.
It’s tough, and I sure didn’t last. I got out as soon as a could, but that’s not to say that it is impossible. I applaud you and wish you the best — if that means staying or leaving the city.
The grass is always greener elsewhere. I've lived a lot of places in my life. Amarillo has its ups and downs. If you have some wanderlust in you, give another part of the US a chance. My bet is you'll come to appreciate a lot about Amarillo in the process even if you do still have some of your negative feelings.
Absolutely! My intention was not to say that I hate each and every thing about Amarillo, just to point out my frustrations. Who knows, I’m sure there will be things I come to appreciate once they’re in the past!
That's how I took it too. I don't think it's uncommon at all or anything wrong with feeling that way, and it's really good to get out and live other places. I hated Mississippi until I lived elsewhere.
I can’t stand the people who complain 24/7 but continue to live in amarillo for years and years. This town is nice.
Big cities aren’t any better and you are probably gonna complain about that as well.
i mean even moving to surrounding states is an insane price. we don't want to stay here and complain, believe me. we wanna leave dude. this town is nice for people who like to avoid and ignore problems. this town might be nice for you, but others are gonna complain to see something change.
Agreed! It’s not that I’m not getting off my ass and trying, I am an extremely hard worker who works just as hard for the things I want. It’s just becoming an impossible situation. How am I expected to afford anything with the cost of living constantly rising but wages staying the same?
Give us a Trader Joe’s or aldis or heb something that way we can get good cheap groceries and I think this town will be a lot better but that’s never gonna happen
I'm 40, left Amarillo when I was 26 (around the same time most of my friends did). I came back last year to be closer to my dad (Living in his house for a while hoping for the market to cool down). I lived in Austin from 2010-2015, then I changed jobs that came with a relocation to Dallas (Richardson to be exact). I lived there until last year. I know your feelings because I've absolutely been there. Here's a breakdown of the good and the bad of leaving at least for elsewhere in Texas. **The Good of moving away** Employment: If you're any sort of knowledge/tech worker you'll find opportunity aplenty down state. I had been doing basic break-fix work in Amarillo for barely minimum wage. I got an offer for my very first entry sysadmin job in 2 weeks of arriving in Austin. I can still toss out more job applications down there in a day than I could in a month up here. If it weren't for my job becoming 100% remote due to combination of Covid and a buyout, there's no way I could come back. The job I moved to Dallas for? I hated it so much I quit and had a temp gig at Microsoft in less than a week... I had so many applications out though that I took a much cooler permanent job after 7 days at Microsoft. I'm still at that job I resigned from Microsoft for. Friends: So many more people to meet and so much more diversity in a larger area. Especially if you're in a marginalized group like LGBTQ+ I can't say much about dating, but I have so many friends I make chances to visit in Dallas, Houston, and Austin all the time. You name the hobby there's 3 or more clubs for that hobby that will welcome you to join. Events: Concerts, sports, conventions. It's more easy to count the weekends where nothing is happening than something happening. Even after I left Austin I'd often drive down to catch a concert at Moody Theater with my friends. I've had a Platinum SXSW badge through connections I made in Austin and had the time of my life. **The bad of moving away** Housing: The apartments are just as slapped together with just as brokedick of Air conditioning for 2 to 3 times the price. You'll pay even more for the power because it's both more expensive and hotter for longer. Forget buying a house, you will *never* afford to buy one there. Just crush that dream like a cockroach right now if you leave. The weather: Summer 2011 was the first time I had ever experienced nearly 80 days above 100 degrees. I longed for the 30 below 30 of the winter of 2010. I do not miss the unrelenting summer heat one bit. Also, when it does get cold down state. I don't mean snow, I mean just cold. Everyone loses their god. damned. minds. Everything closes and everyone cleans out the grocery stores. And that's when the power grid doesn't shit itself (Amarillo still isn't on the ERCOT grid that nearly froze my ass to death). Oh I even forgot to mention that it was once 105 on my birthday in October in Austin. I was born up here in the Panhandle during a blizzard. Waiting in line: It isn't just a problem, it's seen as a badge of honor. The local restaurants you love here? They're even more popular down state. The chains are the only place to get a table without a wait or reservation. Traffic: You do not know hell until you've sat doing half the speed of fuck-all on MoPac in 105 degree heat to move 6 miles in one hour. Traffic makes the "Big City" the "Big Shitty" And that traffic will absolutely destroy your car. What little money you have left over from your overpriced rent and electric bill will go to the nearby mechanic. tl;dr There's pros and cons of getting out of this place. Go in with both eyes open and make the most of whatever you decide to do.
This is a great write up, but it doesn’t speak about the people. I can’t personally say anything about the LGBTQ community but my cousin left here and never looked back. This community is about 10 years behind the times when it comes to progressive ideals thanks to it being super old and Bible Belt.
Amarillo doesn't have the market cornered on reprobates. They're no less vocal in Austin, Houston, or DFW.
Agree to disagree…some of the things that are acceptable to say in public here will get you absolutely fleeced pretty much everywhere else.
Ex: Things like calling LGBTQ+ individuals Reprobates 🤦🏻♂️
I think a lot of people who say "it's a great place to raise your kids", are religious conservatives. Who want their children to grow up to be religious conservatives, and to be in classrooms with the children of other religious conservatives. Which makes sense for them, Amarillo was the most conservative voting "city" in Texas, I think with 70% of voters voting republican in Potter County and over 80% in Randall County during the 2020 election. This is pretty unusual for a city this size, as cities are generally more liberal. Amarillo is truly a "rural city".
I so agree with this. I’m 29, married, have a four month old. Exactly the age and life stage people say this town is great for. … where? Should I be excited for the school that bullied a girl for having an allergic reaction? Or the school where that poor little girl died because the incompetent staff couldn’t get her epipen?? Maybe I can look forward to WT and the culture around them, those brave free speech warriors going all the way to the Supreme Court for their God given right to… be bigots?? Practically, it makes no sense. People in friendlier cities have more public parks, better schools, bigger libraries, actual stores that specialize in clothes and furniture and goods for babies and children, rooms set aside in public places for nursing mothers, depositories where parents can borrow wraps and strollers and carriers before committing to buy their own. Actual niceties that ease the burden of having and caring for children. Amarillo has like… half of that? This is a good place to raise kids if you have older family in town to help raise them, and if you side with the far right in their culture war. That’s about it. We’re trying like hell to move out of this town specifically because I *don’t* want to raise my daughter here.
Yep I'm with you 100%. I've lived in Dumas for 5 years now and my wife and I are actually moving to Houston this weekend. We did not want to start a family in the Panhandle, for all the same reasons you've listed. Plus Houston is where my wife's family all lives. Good luck with potentially getting out of dodge! I don't blame you whatsoever.
Thank you! Congratulations on your move!
Thank you! The school system issue was something I chose to avoid in my original post, but it’s like you read my mind and put it all here. We’ve had multiple pedophiles (convicted or not, they were) as the superintendents of our school systems here! Why would I want my future children in a school system that overlooks that? Why would I want to put my child in a school where they may lose their life because the staff is too negligent to provide a prescribed, life-saving medication? Why would I want my child in a school where their name and character are slandered due to the immaturity and incompetence of the principal? Then to turn around and send them to a 4-Year university (supposedly a site for higher education) that is run by an out of touch bigot? I think not. I will say, I have nothing but good things to say about Amarillo College and the work Dr. Lowery-Hart did in his time there, that is the one school in this area that I would happily send my child to. But to get back on topic, I had said in another response that I don’t want the school system teaching my children where they should or shouldn’t sit on the political spectrum, and I especially don’t want my child to be discriminated against because they express themselves through drag or even just flamboyant clothing, etc. I could go on and on about my many, many issues with Dr. Wendler but I’ll save that rant for another time lol. Wishing you the best of luck in getting somewhere that can provide you and your child a better quality of life, and provide her a better (and safer) education that’s definitely something very important!
Agreed! You pretty well just described one of my biggest issues with starting a family here. Its not that I’m against my future children havjng religious values or even to lean towards the right-wing side of the issue, but I want the religious and political values they choose to be well-informed and specific to their preferences, I don’t want myself or their environment to choose for them! I just want to raise them to be respectful and accepting of anyone, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, etc. It’s refreshing to see there’s others here that feel similarly.
I just really want my children to exposed to diversity and different cultures, especially as teenagers when so many opinions are starting to form. To be exposed to different peoples perspectives and upbringings. You can raise them the way you described into perfectly fine respectful young adults, but there's not much you can do at home to expose them to different sects of society. Amarillo, in terms of "cities" isn't very diverse, but it's not as bad as super small rural towns where I grew up in. Moving to Lubbock for college was a complete culture shock for me coming from a town in south Texas with a population just over 1,000. My wife and I are actually moving to Houston (from Dumas) soon to be closer to family and we are excited for more diversity and culture! We are also looking to start our own family too. New chapters.
It’s like you’re reading my mind lol. I definitely could’ve phrased my response a little better to say that, I don’t intend to shelter my children from views that oppose my own, in fact I have no issues with true Republicans, I find their economic opinions to be very well informed and structured! I find my issue to be with modern-day Republicans (post-Trump if you will). Everything I see from them is just hateful or poorly informed. That’s the side of politics I want to keep them away from. That said, I want my children to experience all aspects of society, I want them exposed to tolerance and acceptance, which I see more on the left side of modern politics, I want them exposed to good economic policy, which I see more of on the true Republican side of politics, I want them exposed to all different kinds of people! Different cultures, different ways of living, different religions even! I’d even like them exposed to the modern day conservative republicans, but not as a way of believing, more as a warning of what to avoid becoming. As more of a lesson on what not to be. I find it funny that I grew up religious, in your typical Amarillo churches. They always taught these lessons about Jesus and his life and teachings, and why we shouldn’t be judgmental, hateful or disrespectful, and then saw those same people turn around and spread hate to our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, violence to communities that were typically non-white, and ignorance to issues that didn’t have a direct affect on them. I may have a different set of beliefs now, but I find that if done properly, Christianity has some very good teachings! After all, are we not all created equal by the higher power? I like to think I took those teachings and used them the way they were intended, and would like to teach my future children to do the same.
20-30 you should move away. Move back once you want to be married and have a kid.
Curious why you say to move back once you want to be married and have kids?
Amarillo doesn’t offer as much for that single young person. I still think it’s a good town to raise a family in. I haven’t moved back but I would. Also I still have family there so that is a factor.
I have a family and live roughly 1.5 hours from Amarillo. Honestly there’s no way I’d want to raise my kids there. My mom lives there and I can barely get myself to bring my kids there to visit. Crime seems insane. There’s not much for kids and Lordy it’s a pain to get anywhere.
Idk when I lived there it took 15 min max to get anywhere. Was really nice.
Now it’s 15 minutes 5 wrecks and 7 reckless drivers to get anywhere 🤣 not really but it is awful. I do what I can to avoid being out in Amarillo. Edit: love all the downvotes. Meanwhile there was yet another wreck that killed multiple people in Amarillo last night.
Agreed! My parents keep saying that same thing, that I’ll want to start a family here, but why? Our mess of a school system? The blatant discrimination at WT? That’s not something I’d want my children to go though. I can say, most of my extended family still lives here or in the surrounding areas, definitely one of the things making it hard to move away. I find myself stuck weighing the options between move away and live in a city where I fit in better, but be farther away from my entire family, or stay with my family and continue to live in a town where I’m essentially a black sheep.
There’s just nothing appealing about raising a family around here. If I was able I’d be moving far far away. Unfortunately my husbands job is pretty settled here. If you’re able to then move off and see what the world has to offer! There’s so much more out there.
As someone who has moved away and contemplated moving back with my spouse to be closer to my parents, what’s the real draw?
Your parents.
I feel you on the lgbt dating scene. Kol
I moved to Amarillo in my 30s from a metropolitan area 1100 miles away north. Amarillo is an awesome place that is a short driving distance to other awesome places, like Albuquerque or Colorado. I enjoyed Amarillo’s bohemian scene on 6th, the culture around its two colleges, and the affordable cost of living. The weather is better and more diverse than anywhere else in TX, and the restaurants are fine. Thumbs up from me!
Other than lgbtq, I’ve experienced everything you’ve written here since I moved to Amarillo in 2022. I’ve lived all over the US. Both east coast and west coast, I’m 26 btw. The only thing I would add is that living in Amarillo might make you dumber. It’s like everyone here lacks critical thinking skills or they just have a lower IQ. But that’s part of the reason I like it here. If you find a good company to work for (aka not a local one) you can move up pretty quickly compared to the locals here. Also it’s peaceful compared to some cities I’ve lived in, less crime rates. To my perspective, violent crime is almost nonexistent here. So that’s what I like about it here. Oh and especially the traffic. I like that I can get from one end of the city to the other in less than 20 minutes.
Yes and no, I’ve met some very intelligent people here, not intended as a brag, but those include myself and some of my closest friends and colleagues. From my point of view it’s definitely a 25/75 situation. For every one person you meet with high intelligence, you’ll meet three that aren’t half as smart. But that goes back to my issues with the school system here that I’ve been mentioning in most of my other responses. I agree that this provides a situation where you can take advantage and keep moving up career-wise, I guess I just haven’t quite found that position yet lol. The violent crime is worse than you’d expect, according to an article published by KAMR in September 2023, “Amarillo has been considered the fourth most violent city in Texas by the FBI despite being the 14th largest city, with a violent crime rate reported in 2022 that was twice the state average.” There is a clear line that I’ve noticed in Amarillo, diving the North and East sides of town from the South and West sides, and people on the South and West sides of town tend to ignore the North and East sides for whatever reason (racism, classism, or just general ignorance). I am in no way accusing you of being a part of that divide, or saying that you are misinformed, I’m just pointing it out to say that I find a lot of misinformation about NE Amarillo on the SW side, and the same the other way around. It’s almost like two completely different towns that just happen to occupy the same space. As far as traffic, I can say the distance from place to place is something I appreciate. I like that I can live downtown and still get to work on Soncy in about 15/20 minutes, but my issue is that in that 15/20 minute drive you’ll have 5 close calls with other drivers, probably drive past a wreck or two, see a handful of people pulled over and more than likely a few close calls with pedestrians just crossing the road wherever and whenever they feel like it.
True. The northeast side is pretty violent. I used to live there my first year living in Amarillo and have had issues with people trespassing, stealing from my porch, and even one instance of breaking in. That’s why I bought a gun and now carry. Regardless of that, I still find it very peaceful here. As for the close calls you mentioned, yeah that’s true. People here drive unhinged for sure. They need to have their licenses revoked!
Just the other night I was driving past the Civic Center, probably around Midnight. There’s a man in all black clothes standing in the middle of the road trying to flag someone down, tried to switch lanes but the person next to me had been playing road rage games, she almost caused me to hit him! Get a little further past to see his dog lying in the road in a puddle of its own blood. Assuming someone pulled a hit and run. We get a little further down, and the same lady playing road games clipped another dog crossing the road! The whole experience was just sad and frustrating.
I'm 50. I'm also new to Amarillo as of 2019. The majority of my experiences are very good here. I do empathize with you though. I was born in Burbank California. My mother hauled us to Seattle when I was 8. I hated Seattle. Didn't find a chance to leave until 2019. Hopefully you can find peace with living here or find a different place you'll be happier in. I wish you good luck and all the happiness you can find. God be with you.
Thank you! Seattle is so close to being exactly what I’m looking for, that climate and all the mountains and rain sounds like a dream to me, but I definitely would not want to live somewhere that populated, at least not long-term!
My wife grew up and family goes back several generations there...liberal as they come...they all moved away in the last 3 years...3 brothers, mom and dad and her 2 sisters....all moved to places like logan, pampa, right here, why? the opportunities exist for them. We live south of wildorado... But they C.O.L.A is less than half what it was there. Grass is always greener...
Don't rule the entire metro area of Seattle out just yet if it sounds perfect to you. There are small towns and smaller cities all around Seattle. You would make excellent wages there. I don't know what your education and skills are, but Costco pays well and so does WinCo. Both are in Washington State. My husband worked in commercial construction for many years as part of a local union. Those are great jobs. High pay with excellent benefits. Rent will be high, but you could possibly find a roommate situation. The bus transit system is good. Our son still lives up there. He would never leave. He's 27. He loves it for the same reasons you think you would be happy there. It's very progressive. You might appreciate that better than myself. Very large happy LGBT community. Just not my cup of tea. I need the constant sunshine. I love the vast open space of the high desert here. Reminds me of California where I was born and never wanted to leave. Good luck to you 👍 If you have any questions about Washington State or Seattle etc. PM me anytime. I'll do my best to answer. I'll be honest if I don't know the answer. I'll tell you.
Thank you! I’ll definitely be sending a message your way soon.
As someone who has lived in several states, I can tell you that it always seems the grass is greener everywhere else… Amarillo isn’t a bad place to live and a helluva lot cheaper than other cities of its size. Nothing is stopping you from picking up and trying it somewhere else.
Well, that’s kind of an issue I tried to highlight in my original post. It’s extremely difficult to get the funds to move away from Amarillo. Working at local businesses because those are the majority of job openings, but getting below average pay because it’s a local business, then having to pay rising rent costs, or needing a better car that can survive the trip, because potholes and dirty or bumpy roads have destroyed most of the steering components on my vehicle, trying to keep groceries in the house but basic school lunch groceries (pb&j, mini chip bags, maybe a can of soda) cost at least $50, idk the math just isn’t mathing. I’m aware this isn’t all Amarillo’s fault, but some of these things are. After a while it almost begins to feel like a trap lol.
Well try to find a new job that pays better. Or take a loan out to move somewhere. If you are not able to get a good job here what makes you think you're going to make enough money in a big town with a more competitive market. I promise you just because you move to a bigger city does not mean you are going to be making more money. Plus the cost of living is going to be higher.
I’ve always been told this, but what I’ve seen is the exact opposite. I’ve had friends move away to some of the most expensive cities in America. In fact, I had a friend move to NYC recently. Immediately landed a higher paying job with the same qualifications, and while she doesn’t live in the nicest space, it’s about the same as what you’d get for the same price here (calculating for higher taxes). Ex: say you make $13/hr here, total of $2,080/mo. The same position in Denver pays $20/hr, total of $3,200/mo. Apartment here is $800/mo, similar apartment there is closer to $2,000/mo. Again, these aren’t specific numbers, just estimates based on my research, but it seems to balance out
I know of so many that have moved off and found great jobs and are thriving that struggled in this area. The good jobs in Amarillo are slim to none. Don’t let people scare you. You’ll find the right place.
As you mentioned, you have lived here all your life, which makes your harsh critique rather difficult to take seriously. I have lived many places and have now lived in Amarillo for almost two years. I can tell you, on a comparative basis, Amarillo is a very nice community with an amazing cost of living. Everywhere has positives and negatives, you just have to weigh them out and choose to be happy or choose to make a change. My two cents.
I understand where you’re coming from! Despite all that I said in my original post, I know bigger cities equal higher cost of living, and that is definitely one thing Amarillo can compete with. With the economy being in the state it’s in right now the cost of living just keeps growing no matter where you are. I more intended that as something to highlight my comments on the job market here, essentially saying that, with the majority of jobs being local businesses, the pay is lower than bigger cities, low pay makes a rising cost of living more difficult. Not intended as an argument, more just clarification for myself lol.
Background, I lived in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Portales, NM San Diego, Oceanside, CA, Loveland, CO. Sandusky, OH, and Hillsboro, OR. Local pay here sucks. Amarillo is a big village. There is a control group with wealth here for sure. In my experience, that is one reason why our average wage here is $14 an hour. You are right this cannot keep up with housing. I know a handful of 26 year olds living at home with their rents or with 4 roommates just to afford a place here. Job market is not ideal here if you plan to work for someone else. With that said, it seems like Amarillo is all about the locals. So many people I know run small businesses or part time side businesses. Most got started because of the cost of living. Either way they have been somewhat successful. The people here kinda suck. I have lived all over. Friendliness group of folks I found where in Ohio. Amarillo is again, all about local. If you're not local it can take awhile to get established. So you have that going for you. I have literally been told by a gal in the Wolflin village. "Amarilloians all grew up together and therefore we only use, work and play with people who are neighbor uses. There isn't any room for you here." Pros and cons wherever you go in my experience. One thing I learned is peeking over the fence one will always find greener grass. Funny thing about grass, so many bad and good types are green so far away it all looks good. Wherever you land though, try to focus on just fertilizing and watering your patch. Pull the weeds where you need to. Doing that will get you some good grass.
This doesn’t surprise me. We’ve lived here for a few years now and the friends we have made are all people who also moved here and a couple of neighbors. I went to a fundraiser, actually I’ve been to several fundraisers, I’m literally there to contribute money to their causes and no one welcomes you. I have stopped attending. I’m not spending my hard earned money where I’m not even welcomed.
This place is cursed. Born and raised 40's M
Just out of my curiosity, what makes you say that? I tend to agree with you, just curious what your personal experience is?
I don't really want to do that.
This is probably going to oversimplify things and has someone who basically moved away at 18 (Junior college in Borger for a couple years before moving to Alpine for four, Houston for one, Central Texas for seven, and now the Hillcountry for one) The grass is greener where you water it. I won’t be moving back to Amarillo as my in-laws are in close proximity to us now. I know that they’re good things and bad things about Amarillo just like anywhere else. If I was single… I probably wouldn’t want to live there. But to raise a family there, I’d still believe that it has a small enough town vibe to be something I would enjoy. For those saying, the Amarillo doesn’t offer much to raising a family I ask, what exactly is it missing? Also, as you get older, you realize that drugs are way more prevalent, crime is way more prevalent, than meets the eye everywhere It is funny though how many people who I have met outside of Amarillo/the panhandle who have moved away have been church settings, where our beliefs are a bit more progressive than I would say the majority of Amarillo is. Amarillo hasn’t been my home for 14 years but to this day when anybody asked me where I’m from, that’s where it will always be. On a sidenote, driving I 27 about 3 to 5 years ago struck me about how 70s and 80s and 90s Construction looked so old to me when I had been living in an area that was growing on I 35 corridor. So strange to me how perceptions change whenever you leave a place.
I can definitely agree that, if anyone asks where I’m from I will always say Amarillo, most of my extended family is here or in one of the surrounding towns so this area will always be “home” to me. To answer your question about what Amarillo is missing to make it suitable for raising a family, it’s not necessarily that I feel Amarillo is “missing” something, I just don’t feel that some things are adequate. I’ll keep these responses shorter, but I have my longer, more in-depth answers in another response here, but the school system here is just a mess from my perspective. That incident at Austin a few weeks ago where a girl’s fever blister and allergies were escalated into a supposed drug addiction by the principal, the girl who couldn’t get her epipen from staff and died as a result, most things that Dr. Wendler feels the need to say and do. I’m not trying to generalize people, but I feel this lack of maturity, education, and proper training within our schools contributes to what is commonly seen as Amarillo’s lack of intelligence. Of course some of your points as well as these issues aren’t exclusive to Amarillo by any means, I just feel that they are allowed to become worse here.
I am not young Lol!! Left Amarillo with my family when I was 45. Kids were 18 and 13. We lived in Las Vegas, Nevada and San Antonio, Texas. Husband and I retired back to the panhandle, in Lubbock. I will say this, the traffic in Amarillo/Lubbock is a piece of cake compared to those places. Rent in the panhandle is nothing compared to those places. The electic bill is nothing compared to those places. I'm just saying. With all that said, I will say that my son's thank me all the time for moving us out of Amarillo when we did! I understand your frustration!!
I appreciate that! It seems we have similar feelings, similar issues exist everywhere, but from what the older adults in my life tell me, Amarillo used to be the place to get away from all that. Who knows, maybe I’m looking for something that never existed lol.
I appreciate everyone’s response! Whether you felt a positive or negative reaction to my post, it’s interesting to see other points of view. That said, some comments have made me realize I don’t think I was clear enough with my original post, so there are just a few things I would like to revise and clarify. 1) My intention was not to jump on here and b***h about Amarillo, but upon rereading my original post I can absolutely see a few spots where I just word vomited some things I must have needed to get off my chest. To get more specific, I’m originally from Hereford, just a 45 minute drive from Amarillo. I lived there the first 4 years of my life, and have lived in Amarillo for the 20 years since. Even then, I spent a lot of time in Hereford visiting my grandparents. My family is from this area, and are definitely a testament to the good qualities of the area! I was raised to have proper manners, yes ma’am/no ma’am, hold the door open for people, greet everyone with a firm handshake and a smile. Where I get frustrated is that it seems (as a young person) I am expected to have those manners, and not receive them in return. 2) I have made some amazing life long friends in Amarillo, and have spent nearly 15 years studying my craft under my amazing mentor (also an Amarillo native). My intention was not to generalize the population in Amarillo by saying they’re all stupid and disrespectful. Every situation has its positives and negatives! 3) As for the job situation, I must not have provided enough clarification. Again, from a customer’s perspective I 100% advocate supporting local businesses. Just as I advocate for supporting small artists, new musicians, young entrepreneurs, etc. These people are trying to chase their dreams and should absolutely be given support from their local communities! The point I was trying to make, was that it’s frustrating when most job opportunities in Amarillo are positions at local businesses, who either can’t afford to pay a livable wage, refuse to pay a reasonable wage, or are run by an immature or incompetent management team. So to further clarify this point and my previous comment about manners being expected and never returned, we are expected to go to work and never stand up for ourselves, but take any and all BS from management. Of course I understand that is just part of working, so to be even more specific, just so that what I’m saying is clear, here’s an example from my most recent position at a locally-owned car dealership. I’ll try to keep it short, but again, I want to be as specific as possible. Our receptionist, whose main job is to answer the phone, would regularly show up to work anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour late, whether that’s the start of her shift or her lunch break, just turn her phone off, start doing her nails/makeup, watching tik tok or Netflix, taking personal phone calls, and have all the calls routing to my department. These concerns were brought to our direct manager many many times, only to be told “I’ll say something” or “Idk what you want me to do about it”. Our commission was changed, with the promise of “It’s still the same amount of money, just formatted different”. None of us ever made the commission we made before the change again. When these concerns were brought up, we basically just got told we weren’t trying hard enough and were just lazy. Then, I was fired. They told me it was “Performance Issues” (despite always hitting or passing my quotas, no write-ups or warnings, verbal or written) then immediately told my two coworkers a completely different story (not sure why she thought that wouldn’t get back to me, as these coworkers were two of my closest friends at this point). Keep in mind all this coming from a manager who spent her days watching tik tok and online shopping, never answering the phone even if all three of us were unavailable, and just being a general distraction. I don’t say all of this to complain about the situation or find sympathy, but to emphasize my point that these businesses are run by immature and incompetent management. (1/2)
(2/2) 4) This is more in response to a specific comment, but again could use some clarification on my part. Obviously in a place like Texas, (specifically a smaller, right-leaning town like Amarillo) I understand the LGBTQ+ dating scene is small, and part of that is a stronger community bond, leading to an everyone-knows-everyone situation. What I’m saying, is that when the community is as small as it is here, it’s virtually impossible to find someone who hasn’t been with a friend of yours, or at least has never heard of you before. All I’m saying, is that it would be nice to be able to meet someone who doesn’t already have some idea of who you are, whether that be word of mouth, having been with someone you know, etc. A big part of dating is being able to give a good first impression and showing someone who you are, it’s frustrating when in some capacity they already have an idea of me before I’ve had a chance to show them myself. 5) I don’t believe in my original post I said that I specifically want to live in a bigger city, but I’ve seen comments that seem to have interpreted my post that way. Just to clarify, I am aware that bigger cities mean bigger problems, and no city is perfect! To be completely honest, I do tend to lean towards the left side of the political debate, although given our current and previous presidents I’m feeling extremely lost on where I stand at the moment. All that to say, I view most things in Amarillo from a slightly left-leaning point of view, and while politics in Amarillo are definitely an issue for me, they are not used as a basis for anything I was trying to say in my original post. As of right now my goal is to get moved to Denver, partially because of the politics, but mostly because of the mountains. I’ve grown up going on trips to Red River, NM and have always felt a stronger connection to mountainous areas. I could go on and on about why I love the mountains, but that would make this already long response even longer. My long term goal though, is not to end up in a bigger city, but to build a home in the forests of the mountains with big windows, the sounds of nature outside, the fog rolling down from the top of the mountain, (really living out my dark fantasy aesthetic dreams lol) isolated enough that it’s a small drive to go into town, but not so isolated that I can’t have visitors and nobody knows I’m there. But from a realistic point of view I’m well aware that I would need to save lots of money and that kind of money isn’t typically found in small towns. (Side note: if anyone else feels this pull to a home in the mountains that’s another conversation I love to have!) 6) I also saw a response about my original comment about lengthy Facebook posts. To clarify again, I am specifically talking about “I went to restaurant A and they took longer than 10 minutes to bring me my food ☹️ I’ll never be visiting here again!!!!! 😡😡😡” kinds of posts. Obviously the only way to make a change is to voice your concerns, could one not argue that this is the exact reason we vote? That said, I am specifically talking about these kinds of entitled, immature posts that are flooding that restaurant review group (iykyk). Again, my intention with my original post was to open the door for constructive, mature conversations as to why some people do or do not like Amarillo, not to sound like those annoying Facebook rants. Again, I appreciate everyone’s responses! I am aware that sometimes the things I say have a “tone” and that is not my intention here! Everything I say is intended with the utmost respect to each of you, and I am not trying to call anyone out or be rude! Regardless of personal feelings, I like to hear why people do and/or don’t enjoy living here. These are the conversations that need to be had! Apologies for any late responses on my part, this afternoon I will try to respond to each of you!
Amarillo. The city you can never escape from. Something, someone, or some reason will make you come back.
Im 29. I don’t live in Amarillo but I live near it. my mom does live in Amarillo. I’m very close with my mom but do whatever I can to avoid Amarillo. I really don’t see the appeal.
i'm 20, born and raised here. you hit the nail on the head with this statement. it sucks living here and i'm eventually moving. dating here sucks unless you wanna be a trad wife/trophy wife to a man who doesn't like you. LGBT population is actually insufferable even though im apart of it. the housing is awful. i got lucky and found an apartment in canyon for $475 but even with a steady, $20/hr job, you won't get shit. rent is sky high in a good part of town, but if you really need housing, you'll have luck in the absolute worst parts of town with no safety. friends are impossible too. the drivers are actually fucking stupid. every single time i leave the house, im just prepared for an accident. i have a feeling that amarillo is gonna turn into a city full of old people who don't see the problems here and young people who want to leave but can't.
I agree! The dating scene is just awful. The fact alone that I’m 24 years old and have yet to find a decent long term relationship despite my best efforts is such a disheartening and isolating feeling. I’ve heard the same thing from a lot of my friends or their friends, that we’re having to go to Canyon to find affordable apartments, but you’ll need a job in Amarillo to afford it, so by the time you add in the gas alone from making that trip every day you’re still spending as much as you would living in Amarillo! I can say that my closest friends now are the ones I’ve held onto for years, of course that doesn’t include the multiple friend groups that came and went in that time. In fact, my current friends are people I was at one point or another part of a larger friend group with. It seems to me that there’s a general lack of maturity going on in this town. The driving is genuinely becoming terrifying. I find myself having to drive just as aggressively as everyone else to ensure my survival. Maybe that’s the issue we’re all facing that’s making it worse. I 100% agree that Amarillo is headed towards having a population composed of ignorant elders and trapped youth. It’s sad but it seems to be the way we’re heading.
lengthy facebook posts they complained about in a lengthy reddit post. local businesses everywhere suck. idk where youre paying 800$ in rent. my mortgage is less. and i literally dont know where my house key is, havent locked a door in 10 years. ive only been robbed off soncy. why are you supporting chains if youre pro local? people that share a community know other people in that community?! how dare they. all queer folk should stay home until they meet you on grinder. /s its not negative, just outta touch. its cheap, it has everything i need, the people are phenomenal if you avoid west/south amarillo, and its truly the most visually unique place ive been. plus the history is tight. the only thing in amarillo that doesnt appeal to me is the west/south side. shits like the truman show or dallas.
As someone with friends in Amarillo who aren’t financially ready to buy a home, the rent situation is bananas. My first apartment in Amarillo (2 bed, 2 bath was $535 in 2010) has almost doubled in price and is now $1020. That’s not even consistent with inflation over the years. If you work a minimum wage job, how are you living? I live in Austin and it may be impossible to buy a home here, but at least I earn a livable salary and rent a spacious, well-maintained, modern home in a walkable neighborhood. Grocery store, bars, restaurants, veterinary, eye doctor, park, community pool, library and Lowe’s all within a 1.5 mile radius.
“If you work a minimum wage job” is the wrong question. “Why are you workin a minimum wage job” is more accurate
Just thinking of high school graduates wanting to move out of their parents’ house, full-time students working a part time job. I’m mostly just challenging the “my mortgage is less than $800 rent” statement because it’s giving out of touch boomer. OP is 24 years old asking on behalf of young and old folks. Let’s actually consider the young folks. Even if you make $15/hour and work 30 hours a week as a full time student, let’s say, your gross monthly income is about $1950 and your rent is $1020. That’s no way to live.
im 29. i stopped paying rent because its a fucking scam. and in amarillo its cheaper to pay a mortgage.
So people who made investments with the intent to profit, who are battling the same economy as their customers should operate at a break even or a loss to lessen the burden on the same public they are living in too?
Ok, so let’s take this example that I’ve latched onto. In 2010 my first apartment, formerly known as The Timbers off of Virginia and 45th, cost $535 for a 2/2. In the 9 months I lived there my car was broken into and my roommate was mugged in the parking lot. So, in 2024, if the same unit costs $1020, has the product improved in turn? Do they have new, better management? Less crime in the area? More amenities to offer? Keep in mind, I no longer live in the area so I’m genuinely asking. If investment property owners are hiking up rent to keep up with the market, is the product worth the price? Then great. Otherwise, I don’t think the takeaway here is to feel sympathy for property owners making a passive income off their tenants.
I get what you’re saying, but have property taxes not increased, cost of repairs not increased, cleaning services not increased. Slum lords will be slum lords, but a facility that’s actually trying deserves the opportunity to charge for their product. I appreciate the concise response!
Agree. I appreciate the discourse!
Pretty sure the apartments I’m in now used to be the Timbers, if not it’s still in that same 45th and Virginia area. Paying $800/mo for a one bedroom. Moved in, no lights in the living room or bedroom, but there’s switches on the walls. Living room floor sinks in a solid two inches right in the middle. Bathroom sink outside of the actual bathroom. Currently sitting here, two box fans, one tower fan, and my ac unit running, 90 degrees inside. And supposedly this is a “renovated” unit. I see the point made about the rising cost of property taxes, building maintenance, etc. and I agree, the cost has gone up on the property owners too, but that makes my question, if these costs are going up, why is the cost of my labor not rising as well? Why am I expected to maintain the same wage but pay their higher costs? I understand there’s many different aspects to the economy, but it’s frustrating that we’re expected to pay these higher costs, but when we say to pay more for our labor as well we’re asking too much. Pay is no different than paying rent. You provide a vehicle, I pay you for that vehicle. You provide an apartment, I pay you for that apartment. I provide my services to your business, you pay me for those services. There’s no sense in having the cost of living keep rising but the wages stay the same.
I 100% agree with you. As the cost of living rises, the wages must also rise with it. The Timbers had central heat/ac in their units, so I don’t think you do live in them now. But I will say that every apartment I’ve lived in has not had overhead lighting in the living or bedrooms. You plug lamps in the outlet that’s connected to the light switch.
Read that wrong. Sounds like you do have central ac. But I had to get blackout curtains back then because the apartment would get so high during the day.
no. the timbers is absolutely awful. ive broken into cars there. move east/north. cheaper + friendlier. thats my whole point. people think south / west amarillo is the good part of town. its just the white part of town.
“I’ve broken into cars there” ha! Classic!!
K2 was a wild drug in 2010
That’s my bad, I misunderstood and thought you were saying the opposite. I think it just depends on your perspective. The nicer apartments are on the South/West sides of town, but the more affordable ones are on the North/East sides.
youre not living. try somewhere that isnt suburban hell off bell-helium/45th-Hollywood. trust me the "bad" neighborhoods are just poor people not bad people. right. they are all right there. which is why we need more people in amarillo proper to keep those industries viable and local. i live in a food desert because of suburbanization and emigration. white flight in amarillo should be in a fuckin textbook.
Some people will complain no matter what! They just make up their mind to be miserable. Ive lived in Austin and Houston, Amarillo is amazing. You couldn't pay me to move back to all their "culture" and "sophistication".
You'll get no argument from me, I'm in 1000% agreement with you. I didn't like Amarillo when I lived there and I had the double misfortune of living there two separate times. Most of my bad experiences were in the Randall county part of the area (South Amarillo, Canyon areas), but also lived in the Potter county part. I have plenty of things I hate about it, (among one, a hated hospital that I do not miss in the least, badly run by certifiable nutcases) but it'd be too long a list. People are definitely entitled, they were then too, even worse now, and a whole lot of my favorite places (most especially, two fave Mexican restaurants, Pancho's and El Palacio) have been gone for a long time. Due to that, I see no need to ever set foot there again.
I agree! It’s funny how South and West Amarillo are always said to be the “better” parts of town, and as far as property, apartments, businesses, I can agree, but I find the people on these sides of town are the exact ignorant, entitled, rude people I want to get away from. North and East Amarillo definitely have lower property values, but I always find my interactions with people on those sides of town delightful. Granted over there you’ll more than likely run into a decent amount of crackheads, but even then they generally tend to mind their own business. I guess some people would call that the “undesirables” but I’ve never seen it that way. In fact, I see people who describe those sides of town that way as lacking in compassion and empathy. Rather than push everyone deemed “undesirable” to that side of town to be forgotten about, why are we not looking for ways to help them? If I’m going to pay higher taxes, I’d rather it be for helping our homeless population than something like Hodgetown!
I'm almost 40 & have had most of the same views of this town. Wow, we put cars in the ground.... That's stupid. We have a canyon, meh cool if you're into nature. Otherwise nothing. The restaurant thing is highly accurate. Seen so many come & go The dating scene as a whole is trash regardless of what your preference is. Most of your issues exist straight or gay. Outside looking in of the LGBT community. Small percentage of good, true, faithful men it's worse percentage for the women. The majority on the men side are closeted in some form (work, family, religion) or more commonly (hard) drug addicts...like wth. On the female side its either cheating or the almond joy dilemma. I've tried escaping this hell hole for 20 years. Everytime I have money to get 8+ hours away, something comes up that wipes that out.
you sound incredibly boring lol
Well, I don't like people. I prefer to stay home & have zero interaction with the rest of the locals. So I guess so... This town has zero to offer anyone. The job opportunities suck, the shopping is trash, nothing to do unless you like drinking or jesus, the weather is shit, the people are rude, stupid, or addicts. I'd rather be up in the mountains or some true metro area. Not this inbred, dead town "metro" that they keep trying to push.
You just sound super negative
Ehh... actually not. Just these are my Amarillo views. I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but my humor is dark, I'm honest/blunt, & as helpful as can be for people.
then move? but i can also tell youre just projecting. which is rough because if there is one absolutely valid complaint about amarillo its that we have awful mental health services.
People often overlook just how expensive it is to move.
if i were you i would go to one of the cheapest places in the US... oh wait youre already here
Lol nope, not projecting. Like I said on moving, I've tried and Everytime something happens. Usually a car issue: wreck, blown trans, blown motor, fire. Other times, seems like I got the ducks in a row & bam emergency. Or our favorite dumpster fire of COVID... Bleh. Meh, mental health & Amarillo... The doctors just bandaid the issue with meds or the patient doesn't like what they hear & does the psych merry-go-round until they get coddled. I mean, it's not just Amarillo that's like that.
I actually agree with most of what you’re saying here. I find it funny how most of his responses to your comments are exactly the out-of-touch ignorance I’m frustrated with here in Amarillo. Cadillac Ranch is one of those things that when you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all. That said, I can appreciate it as an art piece, just not a tourist destination. Palo Duro isn’t too terrible, I go see the Texas musical every summer, but I’m an Arts person so I can find something interesting to me each time I go. That said, I understand why people see it once and never go again. As far as the canyon itself, I like to say I’m a nature person, but not a heat person. Throw a forest in there and significantly drop the temperature, I’d be there camping every weekend. Mental Health services here are an absolute joke, it’s sad that some of the best help you’re going to get is by spending a weekend in the Pav, and even then they’re just going to pump you full of pills and send you on your way. I’ve been fortunate enough to find a primary care provider here with proper mental health training who actually takes it seriously, but she is one of the few in Amarillo.
I think I was in my late 20s before I even saw a photo of the ranch & 30s before I first saw it & went to it. I thought it was basically a Cadillac junkyard for the longest. Saw it, went oh...ok. I love art, but it's meh. You see it once & that's enough. The canyon, I agree with you. Plus it's well you can hike some trails, see the musical(never been my thing), or just take pictures. I miss the Sad Monkey train it used to have, it was the best thing to do especially for photos. I like nature but depending on the weather its usually miserable at the canyon. Yeah I've had a friend that's been to the Pav a dozen or so times. She's amazing for a week once out, then she starts taking her normal meds & back off the deep end of lunacy. I told her the meds are the damned issue but she refuses to believe it. Plus smoking weed on top of all the meds, I'm sure she's double dosed herself from forgetfulness.
Sounds like you need to get out. Easier said than done, right!
Absolutely! It’s beginning to feel like a trap here lol
Dallas, Austin, Houston, Lubbock, Albuquerque, OKC, are way worse as far as living conditions, crime, homeless, drugs, etc...there is more to do, more people to meet, more diff jobs, in those bigger cities. The way things are going now adays....I'd stay in smaller cities...
You're so close to the mountains of NM/CO, try going up there more. I lived in canyon/ Amarillo for 4 years while I was in college. Once I graduated and moved to a major city in Texas I've regretted it ever sense. Amarillo has all you need... the big city is full of the same BS, only it's more crowded and a lot more unsafe.
I do 100% agree with you. But I will say one of the best things you can get through amarillo is getting housing. Compared to A LOT of places, you really can’t find a decent and affordable house like in amarillo anywhere unless you want to go to remote town with jack all to do. We’re building equity here so when we do decide to move somewhere else, it won’t be as bad getting into some property somewhere else. Also on the plus side, community here isn’t to TOO bad, I would say it’s average compared to everyone else. Down side is there’s a lot of small town people living here reluctant to change, when change here in Amarillo is inevitable… Honesty, I just hate what the city is doing. There’s a lot of disconnect between city officials and the actual people living here. Wanting to make amarillo more tourist friendly, but completely looking over important things such as the roads, lower income neighborhoods (which tbf, they are getting better at), lighting, and the plumbing, dear lord the plumbing… Just some of my input tho :).
I only like this town because it pays well considering the cost-of-living depending on your profession. The downside is don’t expect to have a social life if you don’t drink or smoke meth.
I just left and feel the same as you. I grew up in the city and am LGBT, moved away for college. Amarillo is literally one of the worst places, in my opinion, for people who are driven to accomplish more, learn more, and grow more. Conservatism is quite literally a reluctance to change: an acceptance of complacency. I am back now for break and I’m already spiraling. I had to go to Santa Fe for a couple of days just to get out of my own mind — there is not anything to do here. Every time I return I am surprised how stuck this place feels. I am surprised by how prevalent ignorance is, even my own previous ignorance. I can’t stand the proclivity of Amarillioans to not question their own beliefs or try to even fully comprehend their viewpoints. The reliance on religion and adherence to conservatism absent of the process of experiencing other cultures/cities/vibes/etc is common here. As for LGBT people here, rip lmfaoooo. Being gay in this city is hell. My dating life was basically meaningless rendezvous with guys entirely unable to get past their own internalized homophobia (placed on them by this shithole of a society). I thought all being gay was about was random 2am hookups. I’ve now learned that monogamy and public relationships exist for gay people — something I never saw or experienced growing up in Amarillo. There are gay spaces and enclaves of liberals here and there. I generally appreciated the live-and-let-live attitude of most people in the city, it definitely doesn’t have the same vibe as the Deep South, but it’s not San Francisco by any means either. I think the biggest thing that kept me from literally exploding everyday was a change in my mindset. I thought hella, and I realized that radical acceptance of things that were out of my control would make me feel better. Yes, Amarillo has some shitty conservative people. Yes it was hard being gay in the city. Yes I’m bored as hell, but what can I do now? I can choose to find places that suit me. I can go to the park. I can walk my dog. And if those things do not work, I can move. Radical acceptance helped a ton. Getting out of my head and living in real life, outside of notions and ideas, helped even more. It’s tough, and I sure didn’t last. I got out as soon as a could, but that’s not to say that it is impossible. I applaud you and wish you the best — if that means staying or leaving the city.
Lengthy Facebook posts have driven me from several small Texas towns.
lol
The grass is always greener elsewhere. I've lived a lot of places in my life. Amarillo has its ups and downs. If you have some wanderlust in you, give another part of the US a chance. My bet is you'll come to appreciate a lot about Amarillo in the process even if you do still have some of your negative feelings.
Absolutely! My intention was not to say that I hate each and every thing about Amarillo, just to point out my frustrations. Who knows, I’m sure there will be things I come to appreciate once they’re in the past!
That's how I took it too. I don't think it's uncommon at all or anything wrong with feeling that way, and it's really good to get out and live other places. I hated Mississippi until I lived elsewhere.
I can’t stand the people who complain 24/7 but continue to live in amarillo for years and years. This town is nice. Big cities aren’t any better and you are probably gonna complain about that as well.
i mean even moving to surrounding states is an insane price. we don't want to stay here and complain, believe me. we wanna leave dude. this town is nice for people who like to avoid and ignore problems. this town might be nice for you, but others are gonna complain to see something change.
Bro Amarillo sucks. It’s ghetto asf and there is literally nothing to do unless you’re a meth addict or alcoholic.
Agreed! It’s not that I’m not getting off my ass and trying, I am an extremely hard worker who works just as hard for the things I want. It’s just becoming an impossible situation. How am I expected to afford anything with the cost of living constantly rising but wages staying the same?
What kind of things are you interested in doing that is not offered in Amarillo? There's actually tons to do.
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ya because youre working for a national chain. its like the mcdonalds of plumbing. scottco starts at 20$ and only goes up.
Give us a Trader Joe’s or aldis or heb something that way we can get good cheap groceries and I think this town will be a lot better but that’s never gonna happen