city, seat (1888) of Hale county, northwestern Texas, U.S. It lies on the Llano Estacado, a portion of the High Plains between Amarillo and Lubbock (40 miles 【65 km】 south). The site was surveyed in 1887 by Z.T. Maxwell and E.L. Lowe, who named it Plainview because of the unbroken view to the horizon. The settlement remained a trading post for cattlemen until the railroad arrived in 1907, when it was incorporated as a city.

Lying along Running Water Draw, the city is now a service centre for extensive farmlands that are irrigated by thousands of wells; the chief crops are wheat, cotton, castor beans, grain sorghums, and vegetables. Plainview's industries are farm-based and include meat packing and the manufacture of irrigation equipment. It is the seat of Wayland Baptist University (1906); the Llano Estacado Museum, which houses exhibits on the region's history, culture, and economy, is located on its campus. Annual events include a rodeo (June) and a cotton festival (October). Pop. (1990) 21,698; (2000) 22,336.