Bushland is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in southwestern Potter County, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. According to the Handbook of Texas

Handbook of Texas

The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...

, the community had an estimated population of 130 in 2000. The community is part of the Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...

 Metropolitan Statistical Area

Amarillo metropolitan area

The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Texas Panhandle that covers four counties - Armstrong, Carson, Potter, and Randall...

.

Geography

Bushland is located at 35°11′31"N 102°03′53"W (35.1919978, -102.0646392). The community is situated along Interstate 40

Interstate 40

Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...

, approximately 14 miles west of Amarillo in southwestern Potter County.
Bushland, Texas is the halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles, 1,062 miles from either city.

History

Established as a station on the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway, Bushland was named for William Henry Bush, a Chicago native. In 1898, land owner Joseph Glidden

Joseph Glidden

Joseph Farwell Glidden was an American farmer who patented barbed wire, a product that forever altered the development of the American West.- Biography :...

 transferred the Frying Pan Ranch to Mr. Bush, who was his son-in-law. The total cost was $68,000. Thereafter, Bush donated land for a town site and a railroad right-of-way. On July 3, 1908, the town was formally dedicated by Bush and his associate S.H. Smiser.

Farmers soon settled in and around Bushland. A public school district was established, followed by the opening of a post office in January 1909. The community's population remained small, hovering near 20 during the 1910s and 1920s. By 1940, that figure had risen to 175 with four businesses operating in the community. Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, Bushland's population has remained steady at around 130.

Education

Public education in the community of Bushland is provided by the Bushland Independent School District

Bushland Independent School District

Bushland Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Bushland, Texas .In addition to Bushland, the district also serves the town of Bishop Hills, as well as portions of Amarillo west of Loop 335 and north of Interstate 40...

. The district operates three campuses – Bushland Elementary School (grades PK-4), Bushland Middle School (grades 5-8), and Bushland High School

Bushland High School

Bushland High School is a 2A high school located in Bushland, Texas . It is part of the Bushland Independent School District located in southwestern Potter County...

(grades 9-12). In 2011, Bushland residents voted in favor of a bond issue to build additions to the High School, build a cafeteria for the Middle School and purchase new buses for the district.