Vega, TX

Vega is Oldham County's seat, a Panhandle city at the junction of Interstate 40 and US 385 about 30 miles west of Amarillo. The town grew along the railroad after N.J. Whitfield opened land for a townsite in the early 1900s, then won the county-seat vote in 1915 as Tascosa declined. Route 66 arrived in 1926, putting Vega on the Chicago-to-Los Angeles road map and bringing gas stations, cafes, and tourist courts to the square. I-40 later moved the through traffic, but the older road story remains visible.

The Oldham County Courthouse still gives downtown its civic center, while the restored Magnolia service station and the Oldham County Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum keep the roadside and ranching chapters close. Vega ISD serves roughly 250-300 students from a single campus, and the town's library, grocery store, restaurants, motels, and RV parks support both residents and Route 66 travelers. Amarillo is the nearest larger city, but Vega's own rhythm is county-seat work, school events, ranch-country errands, and travelers slowing down to see what the interstate bypassed.