Briscoe County

County Offices
415 Main Street
Silverton 806-823-2131
https://www.co.oldham.tx.us/

Municipal Offices
409 Broadway Street
Silverton 806-823-2125
https://www.facebook.com/CityofSilverton/

Chamber of Commerce
1906 West 5th Street
Plainview 806-296-7431
https://www.plainviewtexaschamber.com

Briscoe County covers 902 square miles on the edge of the High Plains along the eastern Caprock Escarpment separating the Llano Estacado from the rolling plains. Crossing the northern and eastern portions of the county, Tule Creek and other tributaries of the Red River have carved canyons and breaks. The small town of Silverton serves as the seat of government just five miles southwest of the center of the county. In the southeastern section of the county, the small community of Quitaque serves as a gateway to Caprock Canyons State Park. The strength of the county’s economy is dominated by ranching and farming operations for cotton, wheat, grain sorghums, peanuts, and hay.

Major thoroughfares serving this rural area include Texas State Highway 86 that connects the communities of Silverton and Quitaque but also leads 27 miles west to Tulia near Interstate 27. Texas State Highway 207 runs south from Silverton 35 miles to Floydada and north 52 miles to Claude and on to Amarillo. The city of Plainview is a 45-minute drive via Highway 86 and FM 400 North. The closest commercial airline service is available at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in metropolitan Amarillo.

Services

In spite of its rural nature and sparse population, Briscoe County offers easy access to a world of first-rate healthcare. The closest hospital is available in Tulia under the Swisher Memorial Healthcare System. Swisher Memorial Hospital anchors comprehensive services from general medical and surgical care to 24/hour emergency, cardiology, skilled nursing, radiology, and laboratory. Covenant Health Plainview in the city of Plainview delivers a full continuum of specialties including orthopedics, women’s health, cardiology, and primary care clinics. Should a need for advanced or specialized care arise, Amarillo offers a wealth of resources under two highly respected regional healthcare systems. Northwest Texas Healthcare is a Top Performer in surgical care and care for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. Northwest Texas Hospital provides a full range of leading-edge services and has been designated as a Certified Primary Stroke Center and Center of Excellence for Women’s Health and Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care. Maintaining a Level III Trauma Center, the hospital’s emergency room treats more than 50,000 patients each year. BSA Health System, which includes Baptist St. Anthony’s Hospital and Harrington Cancer Center, is consistently recognized as having one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals for clinical excellence and exemplary customer service. With a medical staff of more than 450 physicians and 3,400 employees, BSA Health provides a full spectrum of acute-care services from state-of-the-art diagnostics to advanced hyperbaric wound care. Long-term acute care is the specialty of Vibra Hospital of Amarillo, dedicated to patients with critical or chronic illnesses. Another vital regional healthcare resource is the Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the flagship hospital for the Amarillo VA Health System.

Newcomers to Briscoe County will be pleased to discover easy access to quality educational resources from kindergarten through professional degrees. Local school districts excel in personalized attention through small classes and dedicated instructors. Support for school activities, initiatives, and competitive sports are a community-wide passion. Options for higher education are abundant within an hour’s drive from home, beginning with associate degree programs and career training at the Plainview Center for South Plains College or approximately 60 minutes away at Amarillo College in Amarillo. Serving an enrollment of 10,000, Amarillo College offers a first-class two-year institution that constantly rises to meet the future with investments in innovation like the new STEM Research Center and greenhouse. Plainview is also home to the flagship campus for the private college of Wayland Baptist University. Located in Canyon, West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) consistently earns accolades like “Best of the West” in Princeton Review. Recognized for global leadership in wind energy research, WTAMU is expanding its leading role in agriculture and veterinary sciences with new centers of excellence. With its flagship campus in Lubbock, Texas Tech University Texas (TTU) maintains a strong presence in Amarillo, where its Health Sciences Center houses the TTU schools of pharmacy, medicine, nursing, health professions, and biomedical sciences. Amarillo also offers a campus center for West Texas A&M University.

Lifestyle

Those who are looking for a peaceful country lifestyle in the company of hard-working people with hearts as big as the West Texas sky may find the perfect home in Briscoe County. This region draws newcomers to quiet morning birdsongs, star-studded dark skies, farm-fresh produce, and a sense of community that feels like family. As removed as it is from urban bustle, the good life in Briscoe County includes easy access to expanded amenities in nearby Plainview or the world of attractions in metropolitan Amarillo. At the same time, local residents often play host to visitors who arrive to enjoy the stunning beauty and recreational activities at Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway. The small town of Quitaque, just three miles from the park’s $1.8 million visitor’s center, is one of several communities along the 64-mile Trailway through some of the most scenic landscapes in Texas. Home to the official Texas bison herd, Caprock Canyons State Park showcases colorful cliffs and canyon floors teaming with wildlife including more than 175 species of birds. Visitors enjoy hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, camping, photography, birding and nature study, picnicking, and guided tours along with fishing, swimming, and no-wake boating at Lake Theo. Water-sport lovers will want to explore the 896-acre Lake Mackenzie northwest of Silverton, where facilities support camping, boating, fishing, hiking, and riding ATV trails. Also north of Silverton, State Highway 207 offers breathtaking views as it crosses Palo Duro and Tule canyons. East of Silverton is another regional destination, the Haynes Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps acquired in 1941 that still offer true wilderness experiences to today’s youth.

Expanded dining, shopping, entertainment, recreation, and cultural attractions are as close as Plainview or Amarillo. Historic highlights within Briscoe County include the Comanchero Canyons Museum in Quitaque, filled with exhibits and artifacts that interpret the area’s storied and often tragic past. Silverton preserves the 1892 Old County Jail on the grounds of the county courthouse, complete with sheriff’s living quarters and original jail cells. The Amarillo area offers world-class museums that include Texas Air & Space Museum, the Amarillo Museum of Art on the Amarillo College campus, the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, and the renowned Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on the West Texas A&M University campus. Performing arts are as close as Harral Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Wayland Baptist University in Plainview. The city is also home to the elegantly restored 1920s venue of Fair Theatre that hosts plays, musicals, films, and special events including Plainview Symphony Orchestra concerts. Amarillo adds another layer of big-name shows and cultural enrichment with Amarillo Little Theatre, Amarillo Symphony, Amarillo Opera, and Lone Star Ballet. Colorful and lively family attractions in Amarillo include Historic Route 66, Cadillac Ranch, Wonderland Amusement Park, Amarillo Botanical Gardens, Don Harrington Discovery Center and Space Theater, and the 15-acre Amarillo Zoo. Regional annual events fill the calendar with red letter days for extravaganzas like Will Rogers Range Riders Rodeo, Yellow City Sounds Music Festival, Good Times Celebration® Barbecue Cook-Off, Amarillo Farm & Ranch Show, and the Tri-State Rodeo & Fair. For the best of quiet country living in close proximity to some of the finest resources and attractions in West Texas, few places can rival Briscoe County.