BORGER

city, Hutchinson county, northwestern Texas, U.S., in the Texas Panhandle, near the Canadian River Dam, 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Amarillo. Part of a tri-city industrial complex (BorgerPhillipsBunavista) in an area producing oil and gas, Borger was founded in 1926 and incorporated the same year with the completion of the first oil well. Overnight it became a boomtown of tents and shacks; it was named for A.P. Borger, a land investor. Major industrial products include (in addition to petroleum and natural gas) carbon black, printer's ink, and synthetic rubber. With increased irrigation, diversified farming and cattle ranching have become economic assets. Nearby are Lake Meredith (formed by Sanford Dam) and Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument (1,333 acres [539 hectares]), commemorating prehistoric Indian quarries. Frank Phillips College (1946) is in the city. Pop. (1990) 15,675.