Lubbock, Texas

Not to be confused with Lubok.

"Lubbock" redirects here. For other uses, see Lubbock (disambiguation).

Lubbock, Texas
City
City of Lubbock
Downtown Lubbock in August 2009
Flag Seal
Nickname:  "Hub City"
Motto:  "The Giant Side of Texas"
Location in the state of Texas
Country	United States of America
State	Texas
County	Lubbock
Settled	1890
Incorporated	March 16, 1909
Government
• Type	Council-manager
• Mayor	Glen Robertson
• City Council	Victor Hernandez (D) Floyd Price (D) Todd R. Klein (L) Jim Gerlt Karen Gibson (R) Latrelle Joy (R)
• City manager	James Loomis
Area
• City	123.6 sq mi (320.0 km2)
• Land	122.41 sq mi (317.04 km2)
• Water	1.14 sq mi (2.96 km2)
Elevation	3,256 ft (992.4 m)
Population  (2013)
• City	239,538 (84th)
• Metro	301,038
• Demonym	Lubbockite
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	79401-79416, 79423, 79424, 79430, 79452, 79453, 79457, 79464, 79490, 79491, 79493, 79499
Area code	806
FIPS code	48-45000
GNIS feature ID	1374760
Website	www.ci.lubbock.tx.us

Lubbock /ˈlʌbək/ is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically and geographically as the Llano Estacado and ecologically is part of the southern end of the Western High Plains. The city is home to three universities: Lubbock Christian University, Texas Tech University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. According to a 2013 Census estimate, Lubbock had a population of 239,538, making it the 84th most populous city in the United States of America and the 11th most populous city in the state of Texas. The city is the economic center of the Lubbock metropolitan area, which had an estimated 2013 population of 301,038.

Lubbock's nickname is the "Hub City", which derives from it being the economic, education, and health care hub of a multicounty region, north of the Permian Basin and south of the Texas Panhandle, commonly called the South Plains. The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world and is heavily dependent on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer. Lubbock was selected as the 12th best place to start a small business by CNNMoney.com. CNN mentioned the city's traditional business atmosphere, low rent for commercial space, its central location and cooperative city government. Lubbock High School has been recognized for three consecutive years by Newsweek as one of the top high schools in the United States. Lubbock High School is home to the only international baccalaureate (IB) program in the region. The IB program is one of the criteria examined by Newsweek in formulating their list of top high schools.

History

The county of Lubbock was founded in 1876, named after Thomas Saltus Lubbock, former Texas Ranger and brother of Francis R. Lubbock, governor of Texas during the Civil War. As early as 1884, a federal post office named Lubbock existed in Yellow House Canyon. However, the town of Lubbock was not founded until 1890, when it was formed from a unique merger arrangement between two smaller towns, "Old Lubbock" and Monterey. The terms of the compromise included keeping the Lubbock name, but the Monterey townsite, so the previous Old Lubbock residents relocated south to the Monterey location, including putting Old Lubbock's Nicolette Hotel on rollers and pulling it across a canyon to its new home. In 1891, Lubbock became the county seat and on March 16, 1909, Lubbock was incorporated.

Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) was founded in Lubbock in 1923. A separate university, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, opened as Texas Tech University School of Medicine in 1969. Both universities are now overseen by the Texas Tech University System, after it was established in 1996 and based in Lubbock. Lubbock Christian University, founded in 1957, and Sunset International Bible Institute, both affiliated with the Churches of Christ, have their main campuses in the city. South Plains College and Wayland Baptist University operate branch campuses in Lubbock.

The city is home to the Lubbock Lake Landmark, part of the Museum of Texas Tech University. The landmark is an archaeological and natural history preserve at the northern edge of the city. It shows evidence of almost 12,000 years of human occupation in the region. Another part of the museum, the National Ranching Heritage Center, houses historic ranch-related structures from the area.

In August 1951, a V-shaped formation of lights was seen over the city. The "Lubbock Lights" series of sightings received national publicity and is regarded as one of the first great UFO cases. The sightings were considered credible because they were witnessed by several respected science professors at Texas Technological College and were photographed by a Texas Tech student. The photographs were reprinted nationwide in newspapers and in Life magazine. Project Blue Book, the US Air Force's official study of the UFO mystery, did an extensive investigation of the Lubbock Lights. They concluded the photographs were not a hoax and showed genuine objects. However, they did dismiss the UFOs themselves as being either "night-flying moths" or a type of bird called a plover. The Air Force argued that the underside of the plovers or moths was reflected in the glow of Lubbock's new street lights at night. However, other researchers have disputed these explanations, and for many, the "Lubbock Lights" remain a mystery.

In 1960, the Census Bureau reported Lubbock's population as 128,691 and 75.0 square miles.

On May 11, 1970, the Lubbock Tornado struck the city. Twenty-six people died, and damage was estimated at $125 million. The Metro Tower (NTS Building), then known as the Great Plains Life Building, at 274 ft (84 m) in height, is believed to have been the tallest building ever to survive a direct hit from an F5 tornado. Then Mayor Jim Granberry and the Lubbock City Council, which included Granberry's successor as mayor, Morris W. Turner, were charged with directing the task of rebuilding the downtown in the aftermath of the storm.

In 2009, Lubbock celebrated its centennial. The historians Paul H. Carlson, Donald R. Abbe, and David J. Murrah, co-authored Lubbock and the South Plains.

Events since 2009

Until May 9, 2009, Lubbock County allowed "package" sales of alcohol (= sales of bottled liquor from liquor stores), but not "by the drink sales", except at private institutions, such as country clubs. Inside the Lubbock city limits, the situation was reversed, with restaurants and bars able to serve alcohol, but liquor stores forbidden.

On August 12, 2008, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce announced they would lead the effort to get enough signatures to have a vote on allowing county-wide packaged alcohol sales. The petition effort was successful and the question was put to the voters.

On May 9, 2009, Proposition 1, which expanded the sale of packaged alcohol in Lubbock County, passed by nearly a margin of two to one, with 64.5% in favor. Proposition 2, which legalized the sale of mixed-drinks in restaurants county-wide, passed with 69.5% in favor. On September 23, 2009, The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued permits to more than 80 stores in Lubbock.

Geography

Lubbock is located at 33.566, −101.887. The official elevation is 3,256 ft (992 m) above sea level, but stated figures range from 3,195 to 3,281 ft (974 to 1,000 m). Lubbock is considered to be the center of the South Plains, and is situated north of the Permian Basin and south of the Texas Panhandle. According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2010, the city has a total area of 123.55 sq mi (319.99 km²), of which, 122.41 sq mi (317.04 km²) of it (99.07%) is land and 1.14 sq mi (2.95 km²) of it (0.92%) is covered by water.

Skyline

The Wells Fargo Building is the second-tallest building in Lubbock.

The tallest buildings in Lubbock are listed below.

Rank	Name	Height ft / m	Floors (Stories)	Year Completed
1	Metro Tower	274 / 84	20	1955
2	Wells Fargo Building	209 / 64	15	1968
3	TTU Media and Communication	208 / 63	12	1969
4	Overton Hotel	165 / 50	15	2009
5	TTU Architecture Building	158 / 48	10	1971
6	Omni Office Centre	153 / 46.5	11	1963
7	Park Tower	150 / 46	15	1968
–	Hilton Hotel (demolished)	144 / 44	12	1929
8	Bank of America Tower	143 / 44	12	1940
9	Pioneer Hotel	136 / 41.5	11	1926
10=	Chitwood Hall	134 / 41	12	1967
10=	Coleman Hall	134 / 41	12	1967
10=	Weymouth Hall	134 / 41	12	1967
13	Lubbock National Bank Building	134 / 41	10	1979
14	Covenant Medical Center	114 / 34.5	9	1994
15	Mahon Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse	107 / 33	8
16	Victory Tower	96 / 29	8	1999

Climate

Lubbock has a mild, semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk or BSh). On average, Lubbock receives 19.12 in (486 mm) of rain and 8.2 in (20.8 cm) of snow per year.

Summers in Lubbock are hot, with 78 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs and 7.4 days of 100 °F (38 °C)+ highs, although due to the aridity and elevation, temperatures remain above 70 °F (21 °C) only on a few nights. The highest recorded temperature was 114 °F (46 °C) on June 27, 1994.

Winter days in Lubbock are typically sunny and relatively mild, but nights are cold, with temperatures usually dipping below freezing, and, as the city is located in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7, lows reaching 10 °F (−12 °C) occur on 2.5 nights. The lowest recorded temperature was −17 °F (−27 °C) on February 8, 1933.

Climate data for Lubbock, Texas (1981–2010 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	87 (31)	89 (32)	95 (35)	104 (40)	109 (43)	114 (46)	109 (43)	107 (42)	105 (41)	100 (38)	90 (32)	83 (28)	114 (46)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	54.1 (12.3)	58.9 (14.9)	66.7 (19.3)	75.4 (24.1)	83.8 (28.8)	90.6 (32.6)	92.8 (33.8)	91.3 (32.9)	84.5 (29.2)	75.2 (24.0)	63.6 (17.6)	54.1 (12.3)	74.3 (23.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	26.4 (−3.1)	30.1 (−1.1)	37.0 (2.8)	45.7 (7.6)	55.9 (13.3)	64.2 (17.9)	67.7 (19.8)	66.6 (19.2)	58.8 (14.9)	47.9 (8.8)	35.9 (2.2)	27.1 (−2.7)	47.0 (8.3)
Record low °F (°C)	−16 (−27)	−17 (−27)	−2 (−19)	18 (−8)	27 (−3)	39 (4)	49 (9)	43 (6)	33 (1)	18 (−8)	−1 (−18)	−2 (−19)	−17 (−27)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.65 (17)	0.75 (19)	1.10 (28)	1.41 (36)	2.30 (58)	3.04 (77)	1.91 (49)	1.91 (49)	2.51 (64)	1.93 (49)	0.85 (22)	0.76 (19)	19.12 (487)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	2.4 (6.1)	1.7 (4.3)	0.6 (1.5)	0.2 (0.51)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.9 (2.3)	2.2 (5.6)	8.1 (21)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	3.7	4.5	5.0	4.8	7.3	8.2	6.2	6.9	5.8	5.7	3.8	4.4	66.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	1.9	1.5	0.8	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0.1	0.6	1.8	7.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours	210.8	201.6	266.6	285.0	310.0	327.0	337.9	319.3	261.0	257.3	216.0	201.5	3,194
Source: NOAA (extremes 1911–present), HKO (sun only, 1961–1990)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	1,938		—
1920	4,051		109.0%
1930	20,520		406.5%
1940	31,853		55.2%
1950	71,747		125.2%
1960	128,691		79.4%
1970	149,101		15.9%
1980	173,979		16.7%
1990	186,206		7.0%
2000	199,564		7.2%
2010	229,573		15.0%
2013 (est.)	239,538

As of the census of 2010, 229,573 people, 88,506 households, and 53,042 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,875.6 people per square mile (724.2/km²). There were 95,926 housing units at an average density of 783.7 per square mile (302.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.8% White, 8.6% African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.9% some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 32.1% of the population. Non-Hispanic Whites were 55.7% of the population in 2010, down from 77.2% in 1970.

At the 2010 census, of the 88,506 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were headed by married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1 were non-family households. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.09. At the 2000 census, of 77,527 households, 3,249 were unmarried partner households: 2,802 heterosexual, 196 same-sex male, and 251 same-sex female households.

In the city, at the 2010 census, the population was distributed with 23.5% under the age of 18, 18.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

In 2011 the estimated median income for a household in the city was $43,364, and for a family was $59,185. Male full-time workers had a median income of $40,445 versus $30,845 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,092. About 11.4% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Lubbock area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world and is heavily dependent on federal government agricultural subsidies and irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer. However, the aquifer is being depleted at an unsustainable rate in the long term. Much progress has been made in the area of water conservation, and new technologies, such as low-energy precision application (LEPA) irrigation were originally developed in the Lubbock area. The new pipeline from Lake Alan Henry is expected to supply up to 3.2 billion US gallons (12,000,000 m³) of water per year.

Cone grain elevator, north side of Lubbock

Adolph R. Hanslik, who died in 2007 at the age of 90, was called the "dean" of the Lubbock cotton industry, having worked for years to promote the export trade. Hanslik was also the largest contributor (through 2006) to the Texas Tech University Medical Center. He also endowed the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center's capital campaign for construction of a new library museum archives building in La Grange in Fayette County in his native southeastern Texas.

The 10 largest employers in terms of the number of employees are: Texas Tech University, Covenant Health System, Lubbock Independent School District, University Medical Center, United Supermarkets, City of Lubbock, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, AT&T, Convergys, and Lubbock County. A study conducted by a professor at the Rawls College of Business determined that Texas Tech students, faculty and staff generate about $1.5 billion, with about $297.5 million from student shopping alone.

Lubbock has one regional enclosed mall, South Plains Mall, which includes two Dillard's, JC Penney, Barnes & Noble, Sears, Bealls, Premiere Cinemas 16 & IMAX theatre and many other stores.

Lubbock also has numerous open-air shopping centers, most located in the booming southwestern area of Lubbock. The Village and Kingsgate Shopping Centers, both located at the intersection of 82nd Street and Quaker Avenue, offer a unique blend of local and national retailers. The Village is home to Starbucks Coffee, Drest by Scott Malouf, Subway, Ann Lilly Fine Shoes, RenDr Custom Framing and Red Mango, among others. Kingsgate Shopping Center includes numerous upscale shops and restaurants, such as Malouf's, Cake by Distinctive Details, Pei Wei Asian Diner, McAlister's Deli, Marble Slab Creamery, Banana Republic, Coldwater Creek, Woodhouse Day Spa, Chico's, Talbots and Ann Taylor. Lubbock is also home to high-end furniture retailers, such as Spears Furniture, which has been in Lubbock since 1950.

Lubbock's newest open-air shopping center, Canyon West, features a Target, DSW, Ulta, Burlington Coat Factory, World Market, Five Guys and LifeWay. Two more stages of development are planned. It is located at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Marsha Sharp Freeway.

Panhandle-South Plains Fairgrounds

Economic development

Originally founded as Market Lubbock in 1997, the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA) was established by the City to recruit new business and industry to Lubbock and to retain existing companies. LEDA's mission is to promote economic growth through the creation of high-quality jobs, attract new capital investment, retain and expand existing businesses, and improve the quality of life in Lubbock.

Environmental issues

The Scrub-A-Dubb Barrel Company, located in the north of the city, had been the cause of public complaints, and committed numerous environmental violations, since the 1970s. Local KCBD News undertook several investigations into the barrel recycling company's waste-handling practices, and when the business closed in 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency was called in to begin cleaning up the site, which they described as "a threat to public health, welfare, and the environment". Greg Fife, the EPA's on-site coordinator, said: "Out of the 60,000 [barrels] we have on site we think there are between 2,000 and 4,000 that have significant hazardous waste in them". Local residents were informed, "hazardous substances have overflowed the vats and flowed off the Site into nearby Blackwater Draw and subsequently through Mackenzie recreational park. The runoff is easily accessible to children at play in the park, golfers, and the park's wildlife." Remediation of the site was expected to take at least five months, at a cost of $3.5 million in federal dollars.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Every year on July 4, Lubbock hosts the 4th on Broadway event, an Independence Day festival. The event is entirely free to the public, and is considered the largest free festival in Texas. The day's activities usually include a morning parade, a street fair along Broadway Avenue with food stalls and live bands, the Early Settlers' Luncheon, and an evening concert/fireworks program. Broadway Festivals Inc., the non-profit corporation which organizes the event, estimated a 2004 attendance of over 175,000 people. Additionally, the College Baseball Foundation holds events relating to its College Baseball Hall of Fame during the 4th on Broadway event.

The National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration, an annual event celebrating the prototypical Old West cowboy, takes place in Lubbock. The event, held in September, features art, music, cowboy poetry, stories, and the presentation of scholarly papers on cowboy culture and the history of the American West. A chuckwagon cook-off and horse parade also take place during the event.

Tourism

File:Buddy Holly 07-02-2008 08;41;14PM.JPG

Buddy Holly statue on the Walk of Fame

Lubbock has a large number of churches, including the downtown First Baptist congregation.

Lubbock is the birthplace of rock and roll legend Buddy Holly and features a cultural center named for him. The city previously hosted an annual Buddy Holly Music Festival. However, the event was renamed Lubbock Music Festival after Holly's widow increased usage fees for his name. Similarly, the city renamed the Buddy Holly West Texas Walk of Fame to honor area musicians as the West Texas Hall of Fame. On January 26, 2009, the City of Lubbock agreed to pay Holly's widow $20,000 for the next 20 years to maintain the name of the Buddy Holly Center. Additionally, land near the center will be named the Buddy and Maria Holly Plaza. Holly's legacy is also remembered through the work of deejays, such as Jerry "Bo" Coleman, Bud Andrews, and Virgil Johnson on radio station KDAV.

Lubbock's Memorial Civic Center hosts many events. Former Mayor Morris Turner (1931–2008), who served from 1972–1974, has been called the father of the Civic Center. Other past mayors include Jim Granberry and Roy Bass.

The famous computer hacker and culture jamming collective the Cult of the Dead Cow was formed in Lubbock in 1984.

According to a study released by the nonpartisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research, Lubbock is the second-most conservative city in the United States among municipalities greater than 100,000 in population.

Lubbock's Silent Wings Museum at the former South Plains Army Airfield

Joyland Amusement Park

The National Ranching Heritage Center, a museum of ranching history, is located in Lubbock. It features a number of authentic early Texas ranch buildings, as well as a railroad depot and other historic buildings. An extensive collection of weapons is also on display. Jim Humphreys, late manager of the Pitchfork Ranch east of Lubbock, was a prominent board member of the center. The American Cowboy Culture Association, founded in 1989, is located in Lubbock; it co-hosts the annual National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration held annually from Thursday through Sunday after Labor Day.

The Southwest Collection, an archive of the history of the region and its surroundings which also works closely with the College Baseball Foundation, is located on the campus of Texas Tech University, as are the Moody Planetarium and the Museum of Texas Tech University.

The Depot District, an area of the city dedicated to music and nightlife located in the old railroad depot area, boasts a number of theatres, upscale restaurants, and cultural attractions. The Depot District is also home to several shops, pubs and nightclubs, a radio station, a magazine, a winery, a salon, and other establishments. Many of the buildings were remodeled from the original Fort Worth & Denver South Plains Railway Depot which originally stood on the site. The Buddy Holly Center, a museum highlighting the life and music of Buddy Holly, is also located in the Depot District, as is the restored community facility, the Cactus Theater.

Lubbock is also home to the Silent Wings Museum. Located on North I-27, Silent Wings features photographs and artifacts from World War II-era glider pilots.

The Science Spectrum is an interactive museum and IMAX Dome theatre with a special focus on children and youth.

National Register of Historic Places

Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building, constructed in 1932 and abandoned in 1998. Preservation Texas lists it as one of the most endangered historic sites in Texas. Lubbock's Commissioners Court recently sold the building for $425,000.

• Cactus Theater
• Canyon Lakes Archaeological District
• Carlock Building
• Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot
• Fred and Annie Snyder House
• Holden Properties Historic District
• Kress Building
• Lubbock High School
• Lubbock Lake Landmark
• Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building
• South Overton Residential Historic District
• Texas Technological College Dairy Barn
• Texas Technological College Historic District
• Tubbs-Carlisle House
• Warren and Myrta Bacon House
• William Curry Holden and Olive Price Holden House

A Texas Tech Red Raiders football game

Sports

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are in the Big 12 Conference, and field 17 teams in 11 different varsity sports. Men's varsity sports at Texas Tech are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field. Women's varsity sports are basketball, cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The university also offers 30 club sports, including cycling, equestrian, ice hockey, lacrosse, polo, rodeo, rugby, running, sky diving, swimming, water polo, and wrestling. In 2006, the polo team, composed of Will Tankard, Ross Haislip, Peter Blake, and Tanner Kneese, won the collegiate national championship.

The football program has been competing since October 3, 1925. The Red Raiders have won 11 conference titles and been to 31 bowl games, winning five of the last seven.

The men's basketball program, started in 1925, has been to the NCAA Tournament 14 times—advancing to the Sweet 16 three times. Bob Knight, hall-of-famer and second-winningest coach in men's college basketball history, coached the team from 2001–2008.

Of the varsity sports, Texas Tech has had its greatest success in women's basketball. Led by Sheryl Swoopes and head coach Marsha Sharp, the Lady Raiders won the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 1993. The Lady Raiders have also been to the NCAA Elite Eight three times and the NCAA Sweet 16 seven times. In early 2006, Lady Raiders coach Marsha Sharp resigned and was replaced on March 30, 2006 by Kristy Curry, who had been coaching at Purdue.

High school athletics also feature prominently in the local culture. In addition, Lubbock is the home of the Chaparrals of Lubbock Christian University. In 2007, the Lubbock Renegades began play as a member of the af2, a developmental league of the Arena Football League. The team discontinued operation in 2008.

In 2007, the Lubbock Western All-Stars Little League Baseball team made it to the final four of the Little League World Series.

In 2009, the Lubbock Christian University baseball team won their second NAIA National Championship.

Little League

Lubbock has several Little Leagues including the 3rd place, 2007 Little League World Series Western Little League.

• Lubbock Western Little League
• Lubbock Southwest Little League
• Lubbock Cooper Little League
• Lubbock Northwest Little League
• Lubbock Martin Luther King Little League
• Lubbock Dixie Little League

Parks and recreation

Entrance to Mackenzie Park

In March 1877, the Battle of Yellow House Canyon, which occurred during the Buffalo Hunters' War, took place at what is now the site of Mackenzie Park. Today, Mackenzie Park is home to Joyland Amusement Park, Prairie Dog Town, and both a disc golf and regular golf course. The park also holds the American Wind Power Center, which houses over 100 historic windmills on 28 acres (11 ha). Two tributaries of the Brazos River wind through Mackenzie Park, which is collectively part of the rather extensive Lubbock Park system. These two streams, (Yellow House Draw and Blackwater Draw), converge in the golf course, forming the head of Yellow House Canyon, which carries the waters of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River.

Government

Municipal government

City government (as of May 13, 2012):

Mayor	Glen Robertson (R)
District 1	Victor Hernandez (D)
District 2	Floyd Price (D)
District 3	Todd R. Klein (L)
District 4	Jim Gerlt (R)
District 5	Karen Gibson (Mayor Pro Tem) (R)
District 6	Latrelle Joy (R)

Lubbock has a council-manager government system, with all governmental powers resting in a legislative body called a city council. Voters elect six council members, one for each of Lubbock's six districts, and a mayor. The council members serve for a term of four years, and the mayor serves for two years. After the first meeting of the city council after newly elected council members are seated, the council elects a mayor pro tempore, who serves as mayor in absence of the elected mayor. The council also appoints a city manager to handle the ordinary business of the city. There are currently no term limits for either city council members or mayor.

The Lubbock Police Department was shaped by the long-term administration of Chief J. T. Alley (1923–2009), who served from 1957 to 1983, the third-longest tenure in state history. Under Chief Alley, the department acquired its first Juvenile Division, K-9 Corps, Rape Crisis Center, and Special Weapons and Tactics teams. He also presided over the desegregation of the department and coordinated efforts during the 1970 tornadoes.

Education

Schools

Lubbock High School

Schools in Lubbock are operated by several public school districts and independent organizations.

Public Schools:

• Lubbock Independent School District
• Frenship Independent School District
• Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District
• Roosevelt Independent School District

Private Schools:

• All Saints Episcopal School
• Christ the King Cathedral School
• Trinity Christian School
• Springboard Academics

Higher education

Main article: List of colleges and universities in Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University

Lubbock is home to Texas Tech University, which was established on February 10, 1923, as Texas Technological College. It is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the seventh-largest enrollment in the state of Texas. It is the only school in Texas to house an undergraduate institution, law school, and medical school at the same location. Altogether, the university has educated students from all 50 US states and over 100 foreign countries. Enrollment has continued to increase in recent years, and growth is on track with a plan to have 40,000 students by 2020.

Lubbock is also home to other college campuses in the city, including Lubbock Christian University, South Plains College, Wayland Baptist University, and Sunset International Bible Institute.

Covenant Health System, a health care provider serving West Texas and Eastern New Mexico, operates a school of nursing, school of radiography, and school of surgical technology.

Private and alternative education

The Lubbock area is also home to many private schools, such as Southcrest Christian School, Christ the King High School, Christ the King Junior High, Christ the King Elementary, Trinity Christian High School, Kingdom Preparatory Academy, Lubbock Christian High School, and All Saints Episcopal School.

Media

Lubbock's main newspaper is the daily Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which is owned by Morris Communications. The newspaper also publishes a full-color lifestyle magazine, Lubbock Magazine, eight times a year. Texas Tech University publishes a student-run daily newspaper called The Daily Toreador.

Local TV stations include KTTZ-TV-5 (PBS), KCBD-11 (NBC), KLBK-13 (CBS), KAMC-28 (ABC), and KJTV-TV-34 (Fox).

Texas Tech University Press, the book and journal publishing office of Texas Tech University, was founded in 1971 and as of 2012, has approximately 400 scholarly, regional, literary, and children's titles in print.

Infrastructure

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Lubbock District Parole Office in Lubbock.

The Texas Department of Transportation operates the West Regional Support Center and Lubbock District Office in Lubbock.

The United States Postal Service operates post offices in Lubbock.

Transportation

Highways

Downtown Lubbock seen from I-27

Lubbock is served by major highways. Interstate 27 (the former Avenue H) links the city to Amarillo and Interstate 40, a transcontinental route. I-27 was completed through the city in 1992 (it originally terminated just north of downtown). Other major highways include US 62 and US 82, which run concurrently (except for 4th Street (82) and 19th Street (62)) through the city east-west as the Marsha Sharp Freeway, 19th Street (62 only), 4th Street/Parkway Drive (82 only) and Idalou Highway. US 84 (Avenue Q/Slaton Highway/Clovis Road) is also another east-west route running NW/SE diagonally. US Highway 87 runs between San Angelo and Amarillo and follows I-27 concurrently. State Highway 114 runs east-west, following US 62/82 on the east before going its own way. Lubbock is circled by Loop 289, which suffers from traffic congestion despite being a potential bypass around the city, which is the reason behind I-27 and Brownfield Highway being built through the city to have freeway traffic flow effectively inside the loop.

The city is set up on a simple grid plan. In the heart of the city, numbered streets run east-west and lettered avenues run north-south – the grid begins at Avenue A in the east and First Street in the north. North of First Street, city planners chose to name streets alphabetically from the south to the north after colleges and universities. The north-south avenues run from A to Y. What would be Avenue Z is actually University Avenue, since it runs along the east side of Texas Tech. Beyond that, the A-to-Z convention resumes, using US cities found east of the Mississippi (e.g. Akron Avenue, Boston Avenue, Canton Avenue). Again, the Z name is not used, with Slide Road appearing in its place.

Rail service

Lubbock currently does not provide inter-city rail service, although various proposals have been presented over the years to remedy this. One, the Caprock Chief, would have seen daily service as part of a Fort Worth, Texas—Denver, Colorado service, but it failed to gain traction. Lubbock is serviced by the BNSF Railway company, Plainsman Switching Company (PSC), & West Texas & Lubbock Railway (WTLC). PSC interchanges with BNSF (also with UP through a UP-BNSF Haulage agreement) in Lubbock and has 19 miles of track with in city limits of Lubbock with 36 customers. There are options for transloading a variety of things on the line from wind turbine parts to steel shafts. PSC handles many commodities such as cottonseed, cottonseed oil, cottonseed meal, cottonseed hulls, milo, corn, wheat, pinto beans, sand, rock, lumber, non-perishable food items, chemical, paper products, brick, bagging matterial, and can also store cars. WTLC interchanges with BNSF (also with UP through a UP-BNSF Haulage agreement) in Lubbock. WTLC has a yard on the west side of Lubbock where they switch cars to go down their line to Levelland or to Brownfield. WTLC handles commodities of grains, chemicals, sands, peanuts, lumber, etc.

Airports

See also: Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport

Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport

The city's air services are provided by Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, which is named for the Lubbock businessman who became lieutenant governor and governor of Texas. It is located on the northeast side of the city. The airport is the eighth-busiest airport in Texas. Lubbock Preston Smith Airport also plays host as a major hub to Fedex's feeder planes that serve cities around Lubbock.

Intercity bus service

Greyhound Lines operates the Lubbock Station at 801 Broadway, just east of the Lubbock County Courthouse.

Public transportation

See also: Citibus (Lubbock)

Public transportation is provided by Citibus, a bus transit system running Monday through Saturday every week with a transit center hub in downtown. It runs bus routes throughout the city, with the main routes converging at the Downtown Transfer Plaza, which also houses the Greyhound bus terminal. Citibus has been in continual service since 1971, when the city of Lubbock took over public transit operations. The paratransit system is called Citiaccess.

Citibus' six diesel-electric hybrid buses have begun service on city routes. Managers hope the buses will use 60% of the fuel that their older, larger versions consume in moving customers across the city. The buses seat 23 passengers, can support full-sized wheelchairs and will run on all but two city-based routes.

Notable people

The city has been the birthplace or home of several musicians, including Buddy Holly, Delbert McClinton, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, and Joe Ely (collectively known as The Flatlanders), Mac Davis, Terry Allen, Lloyd Maines and his daughter, Dixie Chicks singer, Natalie Maines, Texas Tech alums Jay Boy Adams, Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Wade Bowen, Josh Abbott, and Coronado High School graduate Richie McDonald (lead singer of Lonestar until 2007). Pete Orta of the Christian rock group Petra, Christian artist Josh Wilson, Norman Carl Odam (aka The Legendary Stardust Cowboy), basketball players Craig Ehlo and Daniel Santiago, and football player Mason Crosby have also called Lubbock home. Boxers Ruben Castillo and Orlin Norris were born in Lubbock, as was basketball player and coach Micheal Ray Richardson.

The city is also the birthplace of actor Chace Crawford (The Covenant, Gossip Girl), singer Travis Garland of the band NLT, musician, writer, composer, singer, producer and LGBT activist Logan Lynn, artist Joshua Meyer and political activist William John Cox (Billy Jack Cox). Public speaker and televangelist Kenneth Copeland was born in Lubbock.

Lubbock is the home of the historians Alwyn Barr, Dan Flores, Allan J. Kuethe, and Ernest Wallace. Bidal Aguero, a civil rights activist in Lubbock, was the publisher of the longest-running Hispanic newspaper in Texas. Author Micah Wright was born in Lubbock.

Gabor B. Racz, professor of anesthesiology at Texas Tech University Health Science Center, is the inventor of the Racz Catheter.

Steven Berk, dean of medicine at the Texas Tech Health Science Center and a specialist in infectious diseases, wrote in 2011 Anatomy of a Kidnapping: A Doctor's Story, based on his four-hour kidnapping in 2005 while he was living in Amarillo.

Lawyer, lexicographer and teacher Bryan A. Garner was born in Lubbock. J. Michael Bailey, psychologist and professor at Northwestern University was born in Lubbock.

Recent state legislators from Lubbock include State Senators John T. Montford and Robert L. Duncan, former State Representatives Carl Isett, Isett's successor, John Frullo, Delwin Jones, and Jones' successor, Charles Perry. It is the hometown of the late U.S. Representative Mickey Leland of Houston. W. E. Shattuc, who raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 1925, 1926 and 1927, lived in Lubbock. Preston Earnest Smith, a long-time resident of Lubbock, was the 40th Governor of Texas from 1969 to 1973 and earlier served as the lieutenant governor from 1963 to 1969.

In television and movies

Lubbock was referenced in The Simpsons episode "Simpson Tide" [Homer is watching a television ad for the Naval Reserve] "TV Announcer: Daybreak, Jakarta. The proud men and women of the Navy are protecting America's interests overseas, but you're in Lubbock, Texas, hosing the stains off a monument. You're in the Naval Reserve. Once you complete basic training, you only work one weekend a month, and most of that time you're drunk off your ass. The Naval Reserve: America's 17th line of defense, between the Mississippi National Guard, and the League of Women Voters."

Lubbock was referenced in Django Unchained in the scene where Dr. King Schultz addresses the marshal following the fatal shooting of the sheriff.

One of the major plotlines of the 2002 miniseries Taken is set in Lubbock.

Texas Tech University is mentioned in Varsity Blues as recruiting a player.

Lubbock, Texas is referenced in La Bamba.

Lubbock, Texas is referenced in Chicago when Roxie says that she grew up in a chicken farm outside of Lubbock.

Sister cities

List of former and proposed sister cities of Lubbock, Texas.

Former sister cities

• City of León, Guanajuato, Mexico – relationship established 1985
• City of Musashino, Tokyo, Japan – relationship established 1983

Proposed sister cities

• City of Can Tho, Vietnam
• City of Ulsan, South Korea
• Ciudad Acuña, Mexico

References

https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab19.txt

Further reading

• Abbe, Donald R. and Carlson, Paul H. (2008). Historic Lubbock County: An Illustrated History. Historical Pub Network. ISBN 978-1-893619-90-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) An illustrated history of Lubbock
• Pfluger, Marsha (2004). Across Time and Territory: A Walk through the National Ranching Heritage Center. National Ranching Heritage Center. ISBN 978-0-9759360-0-9.
• Bogener, Stephen, and Tydeman, William, editors (2011). Llano Estacado: An Island in the Sky. Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 978-0-89672-682-6. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) The world's largest expanse of flat land, in words and images
• Neal, Bill (2009). Sex, Murder, and the Unwritten Law: Courting Judicial Mayhem, Texas Style. Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 978-0-89672-662-8.
• Cochran, Mike, and Lumpkin, John (1999). West Texas: A Portrait of Its People and Their Raw and Wondrous Land. Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 978-0-89672-426-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Anecdotes from the region
• Martin, Conny McDonald (2003). Art Lives in West Texas. Pecan Press. ISBN 978-0-9670928-1-2. The History of the Lubbock Art Association and of art activities in Lubbock and surrounding counties

External links

• Official website
• Lubbockintheloop
• Visit Lubbock
• Lubbock Area Parks
• Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
• Lubbock Economic Development Alliance
• Lubbock Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Lubbock
• Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper
• Lubbock Magazine
• Lubbock travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Buddy Holly Walk
• First Friday Art Trail
• The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts
• Charles Adams Gallery
• Colleen Rose O'Brien, Charles Adams Studio Project, Artist in Residence
• Historical photos by Winston Reeves at Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University
• Lubbock Heritage Society | Historic preservation
• Historical archive of Lubbock Centennial from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
• Photos of the Llano Estacado
• Lubbock Live Music Events and Venues
• City-Data.com