It may seem hard to believe, but a town that once was said to have a population of 500 humans and 50,000 head of cattle would eventually come to make radio broadcast history. In fact, a well kept secret is that radio broadcasting has deep roots in the Texas panhandle. The "Boom" Looking back through a quick snapshot of the history of Amarillo, there was a period of time that I suppose one could call a "boom." Natural gas was discovered. Oil was discovered. West Texas A&M had been founded. Get our free mobile app During this stretch is when we became the "center of the helium industry." That happened the same year that the airport opened up. It was Amarillo International Airport.