Tulia-Swisher County

County Offices
119 S Maxwell Avenue
Tulia 806-995-3504
http://www.co.swisher.tx.us/

Municipal Offices
127 Southwest 2nd Street
Tulia 806-995-3547
http://www.tuliatexas.org/

Chamber of Commerce
127 Southwest 2nd Street
Tulia 806-995-2296
http://www.tuliatexas.org

Straddling the transition between the South Plains and the Panhandle of West Texas, Swisher County is 30 minutes from Plainview, less than an hour from Amarillo, and approximately 70 miles north of Lubbock. Covering 896 square miles, the county’s topography is level plain lands broken only by Tule Creek and its branch tributaries. The area’s rich soil has long supported diverse agricultural activity from crops to livestock along with related industries. Other major employers include those in healthcare, government, education, retail, and manufacturing.

Major thoroughfares that ensure quick and easy commutes within and around the region include Interstate 27, U.S. Highway 87, and Texas State Highway 86. While the county seat of Tulia serves as the hub city, several very small communities dot the landscape including Kress, Claytonville, Virgo Park, and Happy. The closest commercial airline service is available in Amarillo at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.

Services

Outstanding educational opportunities begin close to home in Swisher County with quality local school districts that excel in personalized attention and low teacher/student ratios. Two-year degrees, certificates, and career training are available 30 minutes from home at the Plainview Center for South Plains College or within an hour’s drive to Amarillo College in Amarillo. Plainview is also home to the flagship campus for the private college of Wayland Baptist University. Consistently rising to meet the future with investments in innovation, Amarillo College has most recently added a 12,000-square-foot STEM Research Center and greenhouse. Serving a student enrollment of 10,000, this premier two-year institution maintains four campus centers in metropolitan Amarillo. Texas Tech University (TTU) maintains its architecturally stunning flagship campus in Lubbock but located its Health Sciences Center in Amarillo. Encompassed within the center are TTU’s schools for pharmacy, medicine, nursing, health professions, and biomedical sciences. Although West Texas A&M University offers a campus center in Amarillo, the flagship campus is located nearby in the city of Canyon. Proud of its consistent reputation as one of the “Best of the West,” West Texas A&M University offers several nationally ranked programs along with a new state-of-the-art research facility for meat science and innovation.

 

Access to first-rate healthcare is available locally at Swisher Memorial Healthcare System in Tulia. Anchored by Swisher Memorial Hospital, the system provides general inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical care that includes 24/hour emergency, cardiology, skilled nursing, radiology, and laboratory services. Should the need for advanced care arise, residents can choose from several outstanding regional resources. Covenant Health Plainview in the city of Plainview delivers comprehensive care and a full continuum of specialties. Northwest Texas Healthcare in Amarillo is a Top Performer in surgical care and care for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. Maintaining a Level III Trauma Center, 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. BSA Health System in Amarillo, 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. Other specialized hospitals in Amarillo include Vibra Hospital Amarillo for long-term care and Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The largest healthcare hub for West Texas is located in Lubbock, home to University Medical Center Health System and the flagship facilities and specialty centers of Covenant Health.

Lifestyle

The GO TEXAN designation of Tulia as a Certified Retirement Community underlines the appeal to Swisher County, where the altitude modifies summer temperatures, the nights are cool and clear, and sunshine is abundant. It also recognizes the area’s blend of affordable rural and small-town living within easy access to the best that West Texas has to offer. Local treasures include Swisher County Museum, where eclectic displays and exhibits combine with photographs and written, oral, and video histories for a fascinating journey into the past. The nearby campus of Wayland Baptist University in Plainview fills the calendar with performances and events at Harral Memorial Auditorium. The elegantly restored 1920s venue of Fair Theatre in downtown Plainview hosts plays, musicals, films, and special events including Plainview Symphony Orchestra concerts. Amarillo adds another layer of cultural enrichment with Amarillo Little Theatre, Amarillo Symphony, Amarillo Opera, and the Amarillo Museum of Art on the Amarillo College campus. One of the most famous regional cultural attractions is held at the Pioneer Amphitheater in nearby Palo Duro Canyon State Park, where the outdoor musical drama Texas plays nightly all summer. For premier arts and entertainment, Lubbock serves as a cultural mecca for all of West Texas.

Both the city of Plainview and metropolitan Amarillo are popular destinations for Swisher County residents who are looking for expanded shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Colorful and lively attractions in the Amarillo area include Historic Route 66, Cadillac Ranch, Texas Air & Space Museum, Amarillo Botanical Gardens, the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, and the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University. The entire family will enjoy interactive exhibits at Don Harrington Discovery Center and Space Theater, dedicated to making science exciting and engaging for all ages. The expansive Thompson Memorial Park offers Wonderland Amusement Park, a frisbee golf course, and the 15-acre Amarillo Zoo. Large-scale regional events in the Amarillo area include 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 hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding in a spectacular natural setting, Palo Duro Canyon State Park and Caprock Canyons State Park are an easy drive from home. Water-sport lovers will want to explore Lake Mackenzie, where facilities support camping, boating, fishing, hiking, and riding ATV trails. Another jewel of the Texas Panhandle region is Lake Meredith National Recreation Area for swimming, fishing, boating, camping, and picnicking. For the best of country living surrounded by a world of amenities and attractions, discover all that rural Swisher County has to offer.