jtp01 covered the high points and I can't disagree with any of them. Bushland was a town of 300 with an elementary school when I worked at the Ag Exp Station 30 years ago. The kids went to Tascosa or other Amarillo high schools. Eventually, housing developments started working that way, and the school population exploded. So it's an up and coming high school.
Canyon ISD has had a great reputation for decades. About 20-30 years ago, booming population in south Amarillo lead to Canyon opening a second high school, Randall High, in the Amarillo city limits.. It and Amarillo High divide a lot of the affluent population of south Amarillo, with Bushland getting the west areas.
Canyon High (in Canyon) draws students from the south end of the county, and to about halfway between Amarillo and Canyon. That's where my kids attended, it's a good school.
Tascosa is probably the next level down, followed by Caprock, Palo Duro and River Road. Highland Park is an anomaly, poor (financially) students, and a nice tax base, so good facilities.
As far as neighborhoods, there are lots of developments outside the city limits if you like that. Not only old farm communities like Bushland, but places down in the Palo Duro Canyon, like Timbercreek and many others. Staying south of I-40 and west of I-27 is good advice for Amarillo. In Canyon, avoid along the RR tracks and extreme SE part of town. Anyplace else is good/has it's + and -. An exception in Amarillo is that there are some really nice neighborhoods along Tascosa Road to the NW. I know little about them.
Weather: Whatever you like, we have it. Four seasons, often extreme. But huge swatches of the year when the weather is really, really, nice. We're 3000+ feet higher here than in B-CS. We're a lot drier, a lot windier, and often cooler. When we hit 100, it's not as oppressive as 90 in B-Cs, because we have a lot less humidity, and a little wind. And then, when the sun goes down, the weather cools off.
For example, College Station average high in July is 95, and it only cools to 75 at night. But in Amarillo, the high is 91, and the low at night is 65. It makes a huge difference on comfort levels and outdoor activity.
Things to do, the old joke is that we're in the middle of the best fishing in the USA. Just drive 500 miles any direction. Seriously, while there are some limits nearby, it is wonderful to be close to the pretty parts of New Mexico and southern Colorado. In under 5 hours, you can be at: Red River, Colorado Springs, Santa Fe, Ruiodoso, etc. etc. Lesser traveled areas, some even closer: Johnson Mesa, Lake Altus, OK, Capulin, Clayton Lake, Ute Lake.
Really close by: Alibates Flint Quarry, Lake Meredith, Palo Duro Canyon, Buffalo Lake NWR, Muleshoe NWR, Caprock Canyons, Caprock Canyons Trailway. Lake McKenzie, Panhandle-Plains Historic Museum, Panhandle Square House Museum, TTech Museum's Ranching Heritage Center, Hale County Farm and Ranch Museum, Windmill Museum Lubbock. If you are here in the summer, catching the outdoor drama
Texas! in Palo Duro is a must-see.
Got to go try to be productive now, so I'll shut up and wait for questions. I'm like jtp01, I really enjoy the friendly people here. The climate and openness of the plains, I love as well. The latter is a matter of taste, I know. Some people can't stand it, and can't wait to escape. Some, like jtp01, embrace it and love it. Give it six months to a year, I suspect you'll love it, too.
While you contemplate, check out the photo thread on this board. I just added a few new pics to ttt it.
http://texags.com/forums/39/topics/2075608
