Amarillo, Texas Ranks High for Picking Up Hitchhikers

Amarillo, Texas, is a place that has, at times, found pride in being a friendly city. When people talk about traveling to Amarillo, they always mention how friendly people are.

With this reputation that Amarillo has had of being a friendly place, there is one question I think that needs to be answered. How far does that "friendly" go?

Amarillo has a history of trying to present itself as a very friendly city. If you look back to the 1930s, we even shoehorned it into being part of our official moniker.

A Look Back at Amarillo’s “Friendly City” Days

"The Friendly City" was used in Amarillo until the late 60s. Despite dropping the phrase from how we referred to ourselves, the belief that Amarillo is a friendly place still persists.

In a recent survey done by CashForCars, they found that Amarillo ranks in the top 20 cities in the nation for performing one friendly act. That act is picking up hitchhikers.

Survey Shows Amarillo Still Willing to Lend a Hand

Amarillo ranked 19th in the nation for picking up hitchhikers, which is honestly a little mind-blowing. We constantly hear about how dangerous hitchhiking and picking up hitchhikers can be.

I can count on two fingers the number of times I gave a stranger a ride somewhere. It's not that I don't want to help, I just don't want to get robbed. I'm a little guy.

I also don't think I've seen many people trying to hitch a ride. It's been a long time since I've seen someone on the side of the highway with their thumb out.

Intentions vs. Actions: The Truth Behind the Survey

Perhaps this study points more to the desire to be friendly of people who answered they would pick up a hitchhiker, versus the number of people who have said they have. I could understand people not wanting to be seen as mean or uncaring.

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Just how friendly is Amarillo? It depends on where you're at and what you're doing. I think this study shows that, at the very least, Amarillo wants to be friendly. That's better than nothing.

Google Answers the Top 10 Questions About Amarillo

I love Google. It can literally answer ANYTHING you need it to answer. Whether it's right or wrong is a totally different question.

Recently, I found myself wondering about something and went to Google. And that's when I started noticing the "people also asked..." section and BOY...Some of them made perfect sense, some of them were interesting, and one of them was downright baffling...and it was a top 10 question which is even more absurd.

So let's see what we've got. Here's the top 10 questions as asked to Google about Amarillo.

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark

Say You're From Amarillo Without Saying You're From Amarillo

Amarillo is a pretty quirky place. We've got the Big Texan, the weird signs, and (obviously) the famed Cadillac Ranch. But more than that, there's a distinct culture of close-knit community, eccentrics, a thriving arts scene, and much more.

The point is, living in Amarillo is a unique experience. Because of that, it's really pretty easy to tell who's a native or a long-time resident. And I can prove it.

Here's a couple of ways you can say you're from Amarillo.....without saying you're from Amarillo.

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark

Filed Under: amarillo