Lubbock, Texas is many things - the Hub City of the South Plains, home of Buddy Holly and countless nationally prominent musicians, cotton capital of Texas, a major health care system, and the center of a burgeoning wine industry. The cost of living is moderate, and opportunities for economic development are prevalent. Lubbock has been mentioned favorably by presidents, written into movie scripts, sung about in songs, and both bashed and acclaimed in the national media. Part of the sprawling and beautiful Llano Estacado, Lubbock is no Austin, Dallas, Houston, El Paso or San Antonio and doesn't strive to be. Lubbock is one of a kind.
Settled in the heart of West Texas, Lubbock is a thriving city of more than 190,000 people who take great pride in their surroundings. A lot can be told about a city through its people, and Lubbock certainly has some of the friendliest people anywhere.
Lubbock offers various charms - wide streets, oil wells on golf courses, a magnificent Ranching Heritage Center, no traffic jams and virtually no summer humidity.
Part of its character comes from West Texas itself. Describes AP's Mike Cochran: "West Texas is a blend of western fact and fiction, the Old West and the New West, a vast, diverse and wide open land, sometimes very private and almost always very personal."
A young community, Lubbock's development occurred in a short period of time. Two communities grew as a result of land promotion and the 1887 Texas Land Act. Located on opposite sides of Yellow House Canyon were Old Lubbock and Monterey, each with 250 residents. In 1890, the residents agreed to combine and form a new town on a one-square mile site that today is in downtown Lubbock.
Industrialization came to Lubbock in 1909 with the railroad, and people found land was cheap, cotton grew because there was no insect problem, and the arid climate and flat land made farming easier.
Today, Lubbock offers a fantastic array of activities, from nearby hunting and fishing to outings at one of 62 city parks (3,000 acres) or 275 restaurants. The elevation is 3,241 feet, providing for comfortable summers, fantastic falls and mild winters. The sun shines an average of 267 days a year, more than any other major city in Texas, making outdoor activities the rule rather than the exception. Evidence has been recently unearthed that proves man has felt comfortable in the Lubbock region for 11,500 years, which is as far back as evidence of humankind goes in North America. The 307-acre Lubbock Lake Landmark State Historical Site is internationally known for its complete cultural remains of the Clovis Man - man's earliest presence on the South Plains.
With seven hospitals, Lubbock is the medical center for the entire West Texas and Eastern New Mexico region, offering the most diversified health care services between Dallas and Phoenix. The health care sector is a vital component of Lubbock's economy. It employs approximately 9,000 people, whose payroll ($112 million) and related contributions provide more than $300 million to the Lubbock area.
The Lubbock area has been a major supplier to the entertainment field. Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Roy Orbison, Bobby Keys and Mac Davis are some of the more prominent products. John Denver is a former Texas Tech student. The city continues to offer excellent entertainers, along with live theater, professional symphony and ballet. The city's Depot District is a rising star among the state's up-and-coming entertainment areas.
One of the region's newest crazes is a rapidly growing wine industry. Llano Estacado, one of three local wineries, has gained international fame for its excellent, high-quality wines over the past decade. It's economic impact is in the annual range of $30 millon.
Lubbock's territory holds more than one-fourth of the nation's oil, a third of its natural gas, a fourth of its cotton, most of its sheep and goats and 27 percent of its marketed feed cattle. In recent years, the cotton crop annually has poured over a billion dollars into the South Plains region.
As a financial center, Lubbock's banks boast the largest resources between Dallas-Fort Worth (318 miles to the east) and El Paso (345 miles to the west-southwest), and between Austin (380 miles to the southeast) and Denver (500 miles to the northwest). Travel, though, is no problem due to the
Lubbock International Airport. With four airlines and more than 60 arrivals and departures each day, all major Texas cities are easily within reach. Major ski resorts are within easy driving distance and a number of area lakes offer fishing and water skiing opportunities. Lubbock's median age is remarkably young 28.4, compared to the state average of 30.8 and the national average of 32.9.
Lubbock - there's no place quite like it.