Lubbock, Texas

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For other uses, see Lubbock (disambiguation).
Downtown Lubbock
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Lubbock is the ninth-largest city in the state of Texas, located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 201,855, with a metropolitan population of 256,081. It is the county seat of Lubbock County.

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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.

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. There are several theories as to their source, but the Lubbock Lights have never been explained.

Lubbock Christian University was founded in 1957.

On May 11, 1970 an unusually severe tornado struck Lubbock killing 26 people and doing about $125 million damage (see Lubbock 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.

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Civics

Lubbock, like Dallas, Plano and other cities in Texas, has a council-manager government system.

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. Ironically, the Lubbock area boasts an award-winning wine industry.

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. (See Entry for Lubbock from the Handbook of Texas Online.)

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Economy

Lubbock, Texas is the economic hub (hence its nickname, the "Hub City") of a multi-county agricultural region 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. 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 or 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.

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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.

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. Many of the buildings were remodeled from the original Fort Worth & Denver South Plains Railway Depot which originally stood on the site.

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

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Education

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Culture

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.

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Sports

The Texas Tech University NCAA division I football 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, and the Chaparrals of Lubbock Christian University.

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Transportation

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Geography

Location of Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock is located at 33°33'53" North, 101°52'40" West (33.564735, -101.877793)1. 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 is water. The total area is 0.09% water.

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Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 201,855 people, 77,527 households, and 48,531 families residing in the city. The population density is 671.1/km² (1,738.2/mi²). There are 84,066 housing units at an average density of 282.7/km² (732.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 27.45% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 77,527 households out of which 30.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% are married couples living together, 12.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% are non-families. 28.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.47 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $31,844, and the median income for a family is $41,418. Males have a median income of $30,222 versus $21,708 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,511. 18.4% of the population and 12.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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