Cheeseburger Capital of Texas (Friona nickname)

Friona in West Texas was declared the “Cheeseburger Capital of Texas” by the legislature in 2007. Tiny Friona had been home to a Cheeseburger Cook-Off and Festival since only 2006 when it received the official capital designation just a year later. The same Texas legislature declared Athens (in East Texas) to be “Home of the Hamburger.” 
 
The origin of the cheeseburger is in dispute, but it almost certainly did not originate in this Cheeseburger Capital.     
   
   
Wikipedia: Friona, Texas
Friona is a city in Parmer County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,854 at the 2000 census.
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Miscellaneous
The local high school mascot is the Chieftain. Its colors are Red and White.
Name means “Cold One” (from Spanish word for cold, Frio)
(...)
Friona is the Biggest Small town in Texas
 
Grits for Breakfast
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Designating Friona as the “Cheeseburger Capital of Texas”?
 
Another off topic post, though I promise not to make it a habit:
 
You can go to the capitol website and click on almost any legislator’s name to find something this silly, but I happened to check Pampa Rep. Warren Chisum’s bills and couldn’t help but notice HCR 25, the purpose of which is described in the title of this blog post.
 
Does anybody really believe that Friona is the Cheeseburger Capital of Texas? This is quite a meat-loving state, and I’d imagine bestowing that moniker might be a matter of some controversy among a certain grill-happy subset of the population.
 
Anybody got other nominees for “Best Cheeseburger” outside Friona? Let me know in the comments.
 
Playing No Limit Poker 
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Cheeseburger in West Texas
 
If appears that Friona, Texas is trying to lay claim to the cheeseburger capital of Texas.
 
It’s some little town between Amarillo and Lubbock. I’ll be driving through Amarillo tomorow about lunch time, and that area of Texas spawned a lot of my kin, so I think I’ll take a drive through there for lunch Friday.
 
The claim is based on a Cheesburger Festival they have every summer, not on any particular cafe in town. But you’d think somebody will have a good cheeseburger. 
 
The Ruminations of OLDnFEEBLE
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Cheesburger, Cheeseburger, Cheesburger
 
How well do you know Texas?

Quick, where is the CHEESEBURGER CAPITAL OF TEXAS?
 
No, it’s not Athens. (You get half-credit for a good guess, though.)
 
According to the 80th Legislature, The Cheesburger Capital of Texas is Friona!
 
“it is fitting that the cheeseburger’s symbolic value for Friona be appropriately recognized; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate Friona as the official Cheeseburger Capital of Texas.”
 
“the cheeseburger’s symbolic value”….that could take the remainder of the day to ponder.
 
Wait…..make that quarter-ponder!   
 
Official Capital Designations - Texas State Library
Cheeseburger Capital of Texas Friona
House Concurrent Resolution No. 25, 80th Legislature, Regular Session (2007)
 
Texas Legislature
By: Chisum H.C.R. No. 25
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
       
WHEREAS, Situated in Parmer County, on the high plains of the Llano Estacado, the town of Friona has thrived as an agricultural center since its founding a century ago; and
       
WHEREAS, To celebrate the community’s notable ranching and farming heritage, civic leaders have inaugurated a highly successful annual event that showcases three of the area’s primary agricultural products; sponsored by the Friona Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the Texas Cooperative Extension of Parmer County, Friona’s Cheeseburger Cook-Off and Festival brings together an appreciative throng to enjoy one of America’s most popular meals, a hearty sandwich that reflects the area’s bountiful harvests of wheat and its robust beef and dairy industries; and
       
WHEREAS, Among the pillars that have supported the Parmer County economy, cattle raising was the first to be established; ranching was introduced within a decade of the county’s creation in 1876, shortly after the Panhandle was opened for settlement; in 1882, the still-unpopulated county formed part of the 3 million acres of public land that was acquired by a group of private investors, the Capitol Syndicate, in exchange for financing construction of the new state capitol; until it could sell the land to settlers, the syndicate operated its vast holdings as a cattle ranch, the legendary XIT; and
       
WHEREAS, By the late 1890s, steps were being taken to foster permanent settlement in the county; in 1898, the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway Company was chartered to connect Amarillo and the Texas-New Mexico state line, and several switches and town sites were developed along the route of the new railroad; Friona, now the largest town in the county, originated as a shipping station and was subsequently platted in 1906; and
       
WHEREAS, During the first three decades of the 20th century, Friona saw a growing influx of farmers and the conversion of much former rangeland into cultivated fields; contributing to the success of ranchers and farmers alike was the ready availability of flat, affordable land, a surface soil of sandy loam, and a favorable climate; those who have made their living from that land have relied on both irrigation, which increased dramatically during the 1950s, and dry-land farming techniques; and
       
WHEREAS, Since the 1980s, Parmer County has ranked as one of the leading agricultural counties in Texas, and its prominence has rested in fair measure on the contributions of dedicated, forward-looking farmers and cattlemen around Friona; in addition to well-established, mixed-crop production, this area enjoys a rapidly expanding dairy industry, with some seven dairies in operation and six more under construction as of June 2006; and
       
WHEREAS, Area cattle- and farm-related businesses include one of the largest plants in the meat-packing industry and substantial feed-manufacturing and grain-storage facilities, as well as cold-storage plants, farm-equipment companies, and a newly opened cheese factory; and
       
WHEREAS, With such a history and economic foundation, citizens of Friona knew they had every ingredient they needed to host a classically American jamboree; when the town’s Cheeseburger Cook-Off and Festival debuted at Friona City Park on July 15, 2006, during the community’s centennial year, 16 teams took to their grills in a spirited contest for culinary laurels; in a show of broad-based support for the event, Cargill Meat Solutions donated beef for 1,000 patties, Mrs. Baird’s donated the buns, the cheese factory donated the cheese, Spring Lake Farms donated potatoes for the fries, and members of the Lions Club cooked the fries; and
       
WHEREAS, If the Cheeseburger Cook-Off and Festival serves as a cheerful salute to Friona’s deep agricultural roots and thriving modern-day enterprises, it also typifies, in its character as a great, convivial backyard barbecue, the warm, neighborly spirit of this close-knit community, and it is fitting that the cheeseburger’s symbolic value for Friona be appropriately recognized; now, therefore, be it
       
RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate Friona as the official Cheeseburger Capital of Texas.