Panhandle, town in Texas, United States
Panhandle is a small town in Carson County, Texas, located at the crossroads of US 60 and Highway 207. Downtown features red brick buildings from earlier periods, including the old 1928 train station that now serves as City Hall, and the 1950 courthouse with simple functional design.
The town began in the 1880s as Carson City when settlers arrived for farming and ranching, with the railroad reaching the area in 1887. In 1888, Carson County was established and the town became the county seat, taking the name Panhandle to match the region's nickname.
The name Panhandle comes from the shape of this Texas region and was officially chosen in 1888. The town keeps this identity alive through local buildings and the way people maintain stories of the settlers who built farms and communities here.
Panhandle is located roughly 29 miles northeast of Amarillo and is easily reached by highway. Most important sites lie in or near downtown and are walkable, or visitors can drive to see additional spots like the memorial sign along the highway outside town.
A man named Thomas Cree planted the town's first tree, a bois d'arc, in 1888, and it survived many droughts and storms. This modest event became a local story, and a new tree was planted in the 1990s as a memorial to this earliest planting.
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