Amarillo is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 173,627 (though a July 1, 2004 estimate placed the city's population at 180,791). The Amarillo metropolitan area, however, has an estimated population of 236,113 in four counties.

The city once self-proclaimed as the "Helium Capital of the World" for having one of the country's most productive helium fields. The city is also known as "The Yellow Rose of Texas" and most recently "Rotor City, USA" for its V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft assembly plant. Amarillo operates one of the largest meat packing areas in the United States. Pantex, the only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the country, is also a major employer. The attractions, Cadillac Ranch and Big Texan Steak Ranch, were located on old U.S. Route 66, which passes through the city.

Amarillo's name probably derives from the nearby Amarillo Lake and Amarillo Creek, named in turn for the yellow soil along their banks and shores (Amarillo is the Spanish word for the color yellow) or the yellow wildflowers that were plentiful during the spring and summer. Despite having a Spanish origin name, the City of Amarillo is pronounced in English as Am-ah-rillow not Ah-mah-ree-yoh.

Amarillo residents are known as Amarilloans. Notable Amarilloans include former Republican Texas state senator M. Teel Bivins (formerly the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden), astronaut Rick Husband, the Dory Funk wrestling family, famed gambler Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston, and local philanthropist and Cadillac Ranch sponsor Stanley Marsh 3.