Plainview Texas: Sky Full of Blue

Plainview is a Texas town that does not shy away from its Western roots. This farming and ranching community nestled beneath blue skies celebrates its rich past while looking towards the future.

“Located 47 miles north of Lubbock on Interstate 27’s path to Amarillo, Plainview is where West Texas meets the Panhandle,” wrote Michael Corcoran for Texas Highways. “But this ranch-ringed town of roughly 20,000 is also where progress saddles up with tradition. Founded on a cattle trail in 1887, Plainview appreciates its history while maintaining a pioneer’s embrace of new things.”

Plainview’s working ranch role is highlighted each June when it hosts the Panhandle Parade of Breeds, one of the largest premier summer prospect cattle shows in Texas, and the Bar None Rodeo, which celebrated its 80^th year in 2024.

Plainview: The Hometown of Jimmy Dean

Local legend Jimmy Dean, born on the outskirts of town in 1928, embodies Plainview’s embrace of its past and present.

The country music singer, television host, actor, and successful breakfast sausage king (yes, that Jimmy Dean!) may be long gone from Texas, but Plainview celebrates this hometown hero with an annual Jimmy Dean Music Festival in the fall. You can also learn more about his life and career at the Jimmy Dean Museum located at the Mabee Regional Heritage Center on the campus of Wayland Baptist University.

Dean’s music lyrics have also inspired the Visit PVTX “Sky Full of Blue” tourism campaign. “Drawing inspiration from a song lyric by Jimmy Dean, a figure synonymous with authenticity, resilience, and warmth, this tagline directly connects to the cultural and historical fabric of Plainview, while not obviously invoking Jimmy Dean as a figurehead,” explains the City of Plainview website. “At the same time, it alludes to the majestic and expansive Texas skies, a hallmark of the region's distinct landscape.”

The Athens of West Texas: Plainview’s Past

While the greater Lubbock metro area has more than 350,000 residents today compared to 20,000 in Plainview, there was a time when Plainview was the larger town and was such a cultural center that it earned the nickname of “The Athens of West Texas.”

In 1910, Plainview had 3,000 residents, while Lubbock had less than 2,000, and was home to two esteemed educational institutions, the Central Plains College and Conservatory of Music (founded in 1907) and Wayland Baptist College (founded in 1909). It was also home to the Schick Opera House, which seated nearly 1,000.

Plainview achieved all this growth in just over two decades from its founding in 1887 by Z.T. Maxwell and Edwin Lowden.

The new town was almost named Runningwater or Hackberry Grove because of nearby Running Water Draw and the abundant Hackberry Groves, but the new post office was surrounded by a vast treeless plain, inspiring Lowden to choose Plainview as the town name.

Chartered on July 3, 1888, Plainview became the seat of Hale County the following month. Within a year, the town had a hotel, Methodist church, newspaper, and public school!

Plainview’s location on a cattle trail with plenty of water, available ranch land, and fertile soil sparked its growth, and by 1906 the Pecos and Northern Railway reached town.

The city was incorporated in 1907. While other areas, such as Lubbock and Amarillo, saw exponential growth, Plainview took 40 years to double in population to nearly 20,000 and has stayed steady at those numbers since.

Mabee Regional Heritage Center: 3 Museums on 1 Site

At the top of any visit to Plainview is a trip to Mabee Regional Heritage Center, located on the Wayland Baptist University campus and home to three separate museums: Jimmy Dean Museum, Flying Queens Museum, and Museum of the Llano Estacado.

Located at 1900 W. 8^th Street, Mabee Regional Heritage Center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays from March-November from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The three museums include:

• Jimmy Dean Museum: Opened in 2016, the museum is funded by the Jimmy Dean Foundation and Donna Dean Stevens. The museum chronicles the life of the late sausage entrepreneur and entertainer with memorabilia from childhood through his later years, sharing his life story and pursuit of the American Dream.
  
  
• The Museum of the Llano Estacado: This museum is dedicated to the regional history and prehistory of the Llano Estacado (also known as the Southern High Plains). It displays local minerals, rocks, and fossils, as well as Native American artifacts. The museum has reproduced the original settlement mercantile store, jailhouse, and doctor’s office. It recounts the history of regional railways with a tack room, blacksmith shop, water tank, and wooden windmill. Fully furnished Victorian-era rooms also hark back to Plainview’s “Athens of West Texas” days.
  
  
• Flying Queens Museum: Celebrate the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens basketball program with a visit to this museum, which opened in 2023 and highlights the school’s incredible 1953-1958 record run of 131 straight victories. The team earned its nickname, because in the early days, they traveled to away games in small four-seater planes! The program has more than 1,700 wins, 230 All-Americans, 9 individuals in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2019 the program from 1948 to 1982 was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Weekend Getaway in Plainview

There is plenty to do on a weekend getaway to Plainview including:

• Plainview Point Monument: Located near 300 Joliet Street, and along the Plainview Hike and Bike Trail, this national historic marker recognizes the place near the Runningwater Draw where distinctive spear points were discovered and associated with the remains of about 100 extinct bison. The spear points, discovered by local youths, including some members of a Boy Scout troop, in 1941, are estimated to have been 8,000 years old.
  
  
• Malouf Abraham Family Art Center: Located on the campus of Wayland Baptist University, this gallery was designed to increase cultural awareness and artistic heritage. The space was designed in collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Institute and seasonal exhibits include a variety of shows featuring a full range of media such as sculpture, metalwork, and acrylic and oil paintings.
  
  
• Contemporary Art Museum Plainview: Located at 219 E. 6^th Street, this museum produces three major exhibitions each year highlighting regional, national, and international artists as well as acting as a service organization to create dozens of community events, classes, and programs. Open every Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
  
  
• Drop into the Broadway Brew: Grab a cup of coffee or a sandwich in a historic building that used to host a popular local diner. Some of the original décor is still displayed today. Broadway Brew is also featured on the Texas Classics Film Trail as it was part of the movie Leap of Faith with Steve Martin.
  
  
• Spot the Cows and Murals: While walking and driving around town look for painted cow statues (there used to be 50 around town!) and more than a dozen murals in the downtown area that provide local color and great photo opportunities.
  
  
• Stunning Sunrise and Sunsets: Take advantage of Plainview’s location on the Llano Estacado to take in stunning sunrises and sunsets over the wide-open landscape.

Plainview may no longer be called “The Athens of West Texas,” but from museums to rodeos to enjoying the blue skies, there are plenty of reasons to visit this friendly, close-knit community.