Bushland's Route 66 roots and wide-open Panhandle living
Bushland sits in the Texas Panhandle just west of Amarillo, offering a semi-rural atmosphere with homes on larger lots and wide-open views. The area got its start as a stop along the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway. Today, it sits along historic Route 66 at the geographical halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles. The surrounding Panhandle offers trails, canyons and natural areas that make outdoor recreation a regular part of life here.
New construction Craftsman homes on at least an acre
What was once undeveloped, vast prairie land surrounding Interstate 40 has slowly been growing with new homes and subdivisions. "Bushland is where people are moving to,” says Melanie Scott, a Realtor with Keller Williams Amarillo, who lives in the area. “All the builders are going out this way because there aren’t the same building code restrictions as in the Amarillo limits. Houses come on at least an acre of land, and it's only like 8 miles west of the city limits, so you aren’t even that far out in a rural area." Custom-built Craftsman-style houses range from 2,200 to almost 3,000 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. And you won't find homes under $300,000 or rental properties in Bushland, according to Scott. “A lot of the appeal is you can have a huge shop on the property, and homeowners can use that space as a party area, in-law suite or really anything they want as long as it's not a business or rental property.” Prices range from around $350,000 to $625,000.
Learning in the small, A-minus-rated Bushland ISD
Bushland has its own school district, the Bushland Independent School District, which gets an A-minus on Niche and has a little more than 1,500 students. “Many people move out here to get into the school district, which is outside of the Amarillo ISD,” says Bobby Tyler, a Realtor with Keller Williams Amarillo, who has sales experience in the area. The pipeline starts at Bushland Elementary School is for kindergarten through second grade, Bushland Intermediate School for third through fifth grade, Bushland Junior High School and Bushland High School. Because of the growth in the area and rising enrollment, the district is adding the intermediate school and opening a start-of-the-art high school campus for the 2024-25 school year. All the schools earn an A-minus on Niche except for the intermediate school, which is unranked. Each student in the district receives a school-issued Chromebook, while sixth through 12th graders can take theirs home.
About 10 miles to Medical Center Park
Since Bushland is a census-designated place, there are no city or county-operated parks. “People live out here because they want the acreage, so they don’t need a city park to get outside,” Tyler says. However, it's about a 10-mile drive to Medical Center Park, operated by Amarillo Parks and Recreation. At almost 70 acres, the park has walking trails that circle a manmade lake for a scenic walk. The park is home to the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, an all-abilities splash pad and the Don Harrington Discovery Center, a children’s museum.
Small businesses scattered throughout Bushland
Residents can find essentials along South Farm to Market Road at the Dollar General or Bushland Drug Store. This corridor has Mitch’s Texas Style Barbecue, a Texas chain with locations in Lubbock and Amarillo. Bushland Coffee Company opened for the community to have a nearby place to gather and enjoy coffee and snacks. From 6th Collective off Interstate 40 is a 15,000-square-foot retail facility that offers clothing to home décor from regional vendors. About everything else can be found in Amarillo. Bushland is less than 10 miles east to the Westgate Mall, Target, Sam’s Club and Home Depot.
Cadillac Ranch and community events in downtown Amarillo
On the drive into the city, commuters drive by Cadillac Ranch, one of Amarillo's claims to fame. Opened in 1974, it's a public art installation made of 10 Cadillacs placed nose-first into the ground and decorated in graffiti. People come to Bushland for the land, but will have to head back east toward Amarillo for most entertainment. There is plenty to do in the city, from minor league sports with the Amarillo Sod Poodles baseball team to the Amarillo Symphony, which plays at the Globe-News Center for Performing Arts. City Center Amarillo also hosts events downtown, such as the High Noon on the Square summer concert series and Electric Light Parade around the holidays.
Interstate 40 connects to Amarillo
Bushland is a rural area, but being on Interstate 40, formerly Route 66, connects commuters to Amarillo for work or entertainment. It is about 8 miles to the western edge of the city limits and only about 15 miles west of downtown. I-40 connects to Texas State Loop 335, which encircles the city, making traveling to the east side of Amarillo easier. Bushland is less than 10 miles from the Northwest Texas Healthcare System, a 500-bed teaching hospital, and 22 miles from the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.
