Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock is the 11th-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in the northwestern part of the state—a region known historically as the Llano Estacado—it is the county seat of Lubbock County. According to an estimate by the U.S. Census in 2005, the city population was 209,737. The Lubbock metropolitan area, however, has a population of 257,663.

Lubbock's nickname is the "Hub City" which derives from being the economy, education, and health care hub of a multi-county region commonly called the South Plains.Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. "Media Resources." Accessed on August 8, 2006.The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world and is heavily dependent on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer.

History

The county of Lubbock was founded in 1876, named after Thomas Saltus Lubbock, a Confederate colonel and Texas Ranger, but 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. (Monterey would later become the name of one of Lubbock's high schools.)

In 1891 Lubbock became the county seat and in 1909 was reincorporated as a city.

Texas Technological College was founded in 1923, later renamed Texas Tech University. Its medical school, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, was added in 1970.

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. Project Blue Book, the US Air Force's official study of the UFO mystery, did an extensive investigation of the Lubbock Lights. They concluded that 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. However, other researchers have disputed these explanations, and for many the "Lubbock Lights" remain a mystery.

Lubbock Christian University was founded in 1957.

On May 11, 1970 the Lubbock Tornado struck the city killing 26 people and doing about $125 million damage. Downtown's NTS Tower, then known as the Great Plains Life Building, is, at 271 feet in height, believed to be the tallest building ever to survive a direct hit from an F-5 tornado.

Ongoing work at the Lubbock Lake Landmark, an archaeological and natural history preserve located at the northern edge of the city, has resulted in documented evidence of almost twelve thousand years of human occupation in the region.

The current flag replaced the previous one at an unknown date.

Geography and climate

Lubbock is located at (33.564735, -101.877793). The average elevation is 3,256 feet above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 297.6 km² (114.9 mi²). 297.4 km² (114.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.09%) is water.

Lubbock has a mild, semi-arid climate. [1] On average, Lubbock receives 18.7 inches (475 mm) of rain per year, with most of the precipitation coming in spring and summer in the form of thunderstorms.

Summers in Lubbock are hot with low relative humidity. Average high temperatures are at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) in June, July, and August. Temperatures above 100°F (38°C) are not uncommon, and the highest recorded temperature was 114°F in 1994. [2] Winter in Lubbock is relatively mild, but temperatures below freezing are not uncommon, especially at night, and the average annual snowfall is 9.6 inches (244 mm).

Law and government

Lubbock has a council-manager government system, with all governmental powers resting in a legislative body called a commission.

Lubbock County and the City of Lubbock have an unusual legal situation regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages. The county allows package sales but not "by the drink" sales except at private institutions such as country clubs. Inside the Lubbock city limits, the situation is reversed with restaurants and bars able to serve alcohol but liquor stores forbidden, thus making Lubbock the largest "dry" city in the United States.

The city has had only one saloon, and that only very briefly soon after the town was founded. Lubbock remained legally dry until an election on April 9, 1972, made liquor by the drink, but not package sales, legal, and Lubbock abandoned its distinction as the largest dry city in the country. A privately owned conglomeration of liquor stores (the "strip") is located just outside of the city limit on U.S. Highway 87.

Economy

Lubbock's area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world and is heavily dependent on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer. Unfortunately, the water is being depleted at a rate which is not sustainable for 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 ten largest employers in terms of the number of employees are: Texas Tech University, Covenant Health Systems, Lubbock Independent School District, University Medical Center, United Supermarkets, City of Lubbock, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Cingular, Convergys, and Lubbock County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 199,564 people, 77,527 households, and 48,531 families residing in the city. The population density was 671.1/km² (1,738.2/mi²). There were 84,066 housing units at an average density of 282.7/km² (732.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.87% White, 8.66% African American, 0.56% Native American, 1.54% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.32% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.45% of the population.

There are 77,527 households, of which 30.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 77,527 households, 3,249 are unmarried partner households: 2,802 heterosexual, 196 same-sex male, and 251 same-sex female households. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 17.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,844, and the median income for a family was $41,418. Males had a median income of $30,222 versus $21,708 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,511. About 12.0% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

People and culture

Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock

Lubbock is the birthplace of Rock and Roll legend Buddy Holly, and the city hosts both a cultural center and annual music festival named for him.

The city has also been the birthplace or home of several country musicians including Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, and Joe Ely (collectively known as The Flatlanders), Mac Davis, Terry Allen, Lloyd Maines and his daughter, Natalie Maines (singer for the Dixie Chicks).

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

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, estimates a 2004 attendance of over 175,000 people.

Lubbock's main newspaper is the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which is owned by Morris Communications. Texas Tech University publishes a student-run daily newspaper called, The Daily Toreador.

Attractions

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.

The Southwest Collection, an archive of the history of the region and its surroundings, is located on the campus of Texas Tech University, as are the Moody Planetarium and the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Joyland Amusement Park

The Depot District, an area of the city dedicated to music and nightlife, is located in the old railroad depot area and 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 brewery, 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.

Lubbock is also home to the Silent Wings Museum. Located on North I-27, Silent Wings features photographs and artifacts from the 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.

The American Wind Power Center and Windmill Museum houses over 100 historic windmills on 28 acres. Official Site

Lubbock is also home to Joyland Amusement Park, which is located in Mackenzie Park. Mackenzie Park also boasts one of the largest prairie dog colonies in the United States.

Sports

The Texas Tech University NCAA division I football (which has been a member of the Big 12 Conference since 1996) team and the men's and women's basketball teams are immensely popular. High school athletics (all sports) also feature prominently in the local culture. In addition, Lubbock is the home of the Cotton Kings, a hockey team in the Southwest Division of the Central Hockey League, the Lubbock Gunslingers, with plans on rejoining the National Indoor Football League in 2007, and the Chaparrals of Lubbock Christian University.

Non-college sports such as bicycling (WTCA), disc golf, and in-line skating are popular.

Transportation

*Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
*Citibus, the city-wide public bus system
*The city is the southern terminus of Interstate 27, which links it to Amarillo and Interstate 40, a transcontinental route.

Education

Public Schools

Most of Lubbock is served by the Lubbock Independent School District. Small portions of Lubbock extend into the neighboring districts of Frenship, Lubbock-Cooper, and Roosevelt.