I’m from Wichita Falls, Texas, and it is difficult to look objectively at your hometown. I have often said, however, that it has to be the people you meet here that keeps people coming back.
Wichita Falls is a small city of 100, 000 people. It resides along the northern border of the state, to the right of the panhandle portion, which is how we commonly refer to the part of the state in the top left hand corner. Wichita Falls is near the Red River, roughly midway between the right bottom portion of this panhandle and the far upper right hand corner of the state. The falls of Wichita Falls disappeared long ago. The name comes from the Wichita Indians, who lived here before we came along and fought with them to take the land.
We are a hardy people, and our city exists 12 miles south of a little community called Burkburnett. Burkburnett in the early 1900’s was so loaded with oil wells you could literally walk from one end of the community to the other from derrick to derrick, never touching the ground. I have seen the old black and white pictures, and can see where this was very likely true. In fact, Burkburnett, Texas’ nickname is ’Boomtown, USA’, as it was home to the first really huge oil boom. They were shallow wells, for the most part, usually drilled under 100 foot. Of course, that is no longer the case. But much of Wichita Falls population came from those who worked on those wells or grew wealthy from owning the mineral rights.
Wichita Falls economy is much more diversified now, but oil and cattle are still major forces. PPG has built the world’s largest plate glass plant here, and we have numerous other plants from internationally recognized corporations such as Vetrotec/Certainteed fiberglass manufacturing, A C Spark Plug, and a whole lot of mom and pop businesses. We have 2 shopping malls, and we have the worlds smallest skyscraper. We have rebuilt our waterfall to suit us, making a manmade 3 tier waterfall which is prominently displayed as you come into town on Interstate 44 from the north.
The people here are can-do people. In my lifetime, there was a horrible tornado in 1979, February 10th to be exact, which was a Category 5 (I believe that is how they rate them) - the worst category - and stripped most everything in its path clear to the concrete foundations. I was on the north side of town when this tornado hit. I had my wife in a cast iron bath tub, with a mattress on top of her. I went out on the porch of the rented home we were in at the time and listened for the sound of a train. That is what people say tornados sound like. I did not hear it, but that was because it raged through the southern portion of town. It left a swath 1 1/2 miles wide and 8 miles long. I could go on and on about this tornado because it was so devastating to this city, but what I want to highlight is that because of the experiences this city went through and what we learned, whenever there is a major tornado event that causes huge casualties and property damage, one of our citizens is usually there within hours to try and help the people manage the recovery.
We have 4 high schools, and our elementary schools have been nationally acclaimed for their approach. The entire school system starts out with this foundation where numerous of the elementary campuses are oriented to focus on a specialty. One school might be the engineering magnet (or center). One might focus on mathematics. There is a liberal arts magnet, and a language magnet. These schools still maintain the normal classes, but for those who sign up for the focused item of that school, no matter where they live in the city, a bus will take them to their ’magnet’. Of course, they have to maintain a grade that justifies such an expense, but it provides opportunity for those who take advantage of the available educational environment. Certainly, there is a computer science magnet.
There are many other things about the city which, because I live here and see these things every day, fail to come to my mind. But it truly is the people that make our city great. Someday, perhaps, you will have the opportunity to meet one of us. We are literally all over the world.