An agrarian Panhandle city with ongoing plans to revitalize
When the Jimmy Dean Sausage Company left Plainview in the early 1990s, the population of Hale County's government seat began to decline by approximately 3.7% year after year. Named for its vast, treeless expanses of prairie, Plainview has always been a hub for agribusiness roughly halfway between Amarillo and Lubbock. Many of its 19,400 residents still work locally at a variety of agricultural manufacturers like Azteca Milling or the Panhandle Popcorn Company. But other factors have also prompted local citizens and leaders to reimagine their small city's employment patterns, housing stock, schools and downtown area.
Plainview is known for its vast, treeless expanses of prairie.
A large portion of Plainview's population works locally at farms, schools, and other downtown locations.
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Low costs compared with Lubbock, but smaller inventory is prompting solutions
Plainview's median price for single-family homes of $175,000 is considerably lower than nearby cities like Amarillo or Lubbock. But leaders are looking to increase inventory in the city, as a large percentage of the workforce currently commutes from outside of Plainview. "We have hardly any new construction," says Realtor Kim Street of Street Real Estate. "We've got a lot of good, older, well built, larger homes." City council recently approved a housing market study to better understand obstacles for housing development in Plainview. Leaders hope the study's findings will help attract more developers, thus improving the accessibility of buying homes in the city.
Plainview's housing inventory is some of the most affordable in the geographic area.
Plainview is full of well-built, older homes that offer lots of curb appeal.
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New industries and commercial growth widens job opportunities
Plainview's highways move fast compared to those in other Texas cities, like Dallas-Fort Worth – traffic jams only tend to occur on Interstate 27 when there are accidents or ongoing construction. Longstanding agribusinesses and a Wal-Mart Distribution Center have sustained job opportunities for commuters across the city and surrounding county. A new chemical production facility and commercial developments are expected to build even more jobs. "Most of it is ag-based. Our school system, of course, employs a lot. We have a hospital here that employs a lot, and we have Wayland Baptist University," Street says. "We're also getting some new fast-food restaurants, which we're really excited about. We're getting a Chick-fil-A and Whataburger. So that's big news for Plainview."
New chemical plants and commercial production facilities have brought strong job growth to Plainview.
New development in Plainview is on the rise, bringing dining options like Whataburger and Starbucks.
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New welding program for Plainview ISD and public charter alternatives
Plainview Independent School District has a B Niche rating and oversees roughly 4,600 students across six schools. The district runs a career and technical education program that has been awarded numerous grants in the last few years, most recently receiving $10,000 to develop a welding program. Alternatively, some attend Plainview Classical Academy, a public charter school. "Plainview has a really good high school and elementary, but we also are a little unique in that we have a charter school. It was a Christian Academy, and they just turned it into a charter school two years ago, and it is growing by leaps and bounds," Street says. "They don't have to pay any tuition, whereas they did when it was a Christian school. And they almost doubled their enrollment from last year to this year." Wayland Baptist University, a private Christian university in Plainview, has approximately 2,100 students enrolled.
Wayland Baptist University, a private Christian university in Plainview, that offers a faith-centered education.
Plainveiw High School is fostering creativity and igniting curiosity in every student.
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Downtown's new boutiques and farm-to-table grocery stores
Plainview's downtown of wide, red brick streets has been gradually evolving with new businesses and community spaces thanks to its Downtown Main Street Program. Newer murals add a touch of color to the earthtone facades of western art deco buildings housing art galleries, cafes, haberdasheries and Mexican restaurants. "We've got some young women in our downtown area that have revitalized a lot of those buildings and brought in a little boutique for baby clothes, makeup, things like that. And that's been a really neat thing to see," Street says. Most commercial needs can be met along U.S. Highway 70, where chain restaurants, convenience stores, bank branches and animal feed stores continue west from the downtown area. Some locals get groceries from a Wal-Mart Supercenter west of I-27, while others prefer shopping locally at Frontier Market, which sources produce and beef from its 22-acre farm just east of Plainview.
Plainview's downtown of wide, red brick streets has been evolving with new development.
The Rusty Rose Boutique is one of several stores in the downtown Plainview area that are unique and lively.
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Second Saturdays for fourth-quarter fanatics
Plainview Second Saturdays are a monthly street fair put together by local businesses and civic organizations that helps raise funds and awareness for downtown revitalization projects. Other downtown events include an annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony and parade. Smaller scale activities range from church luncheons to child-friendly programs at the Contemporary Art Museum, to themed story times at the Unger Memorial Library. But one shared interest dominates this Panhandle community and there is no shortage of athletic facilities to accommodate it. "We're in West Texas, so sports are a huge thing," Street says. "There's a lot of really good football, basketball and baseball teams in our area. You know, we're a small town, so that's what you do – you go to sports games."
The Plainview Contemporary Art Museum showcases artistic expression in the heartland of Texas.
The Unger Memorial Library hosts themed story times for children throughout the week.
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Private-public golfing and swimming at Plainview Municipal Country Club
The city maintains 16 parks, spanning a total of 286 developed acres. These include large-scale athletic complexes like Broadway Park, downtown plazas like Millenium Park, an assortment of playgrounds and sports courts in residential areas. The city's municipal country club features an 18-hole golf course and pool complex, and dining memberships are also available. The Plainview YMCA and Hood Park's swimming pool and splashpad offer a place to escape the Texas heat.
The Plainview Country Club has an 18-hole golf course and pool complex that residents can enjoy.
Millennium Park is a colorful downtown plaza that is a beautiful spot for lunchtime in the sunshine.
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Crime rates falling in Tornado Alley
With its location in Tornado Alley, Plainview is subject to an occasional twister, which along with heavy thunderstorms create an additional risk of hailstorms. Most modern structures in the area are built with storm shelters.
According to FBI data, crime is trending downward. Plainview's rate of violent crime generally sits below state and national figures and is trending downward alongside rates of property crime, which are still marginally above state and national figures.
Written By
Tom Jakob
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Mitchell Hester
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