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Lubbock, TX
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Lubbock is an American 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 2006, the city population was 212,169, making it the 90th largest city in the United States and the 12th largest in Texas. The Lubbock metropolitan area has a population of 261,411.
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. The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world and is heavily dependent on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer.
HistoryThe county of Lubbock was founded in 1876, named after Thomas Saltus Lubbock, a Confederate colonel and founder of the Texas Rangers. As early as 1884, a federal post office named Lubbock existed in Yellowhouse 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.
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. The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world and is heavily dependent on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer.
HistoryThe county of Lubbock was founded in 1876, named after Thomas Saltus Lubbock, a Confederate colonel and founder of the Texas Rangers. As early as 1884, a federal post office named Lubbock existed in Yellowhouse 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. (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 (now Texas Tech University) was founded in 1923. 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. 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 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. 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.
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.
Work at the Lubbock Lake Landmark, an archaeological and natural history preserve at the northern edge of the city, provides evidence of almost twelve thousand years of human occupation in the region.
Geography and climateLubbock is located at (33.564735, -101.877793). The official elevation is 3256 feet above sea level, but stated figures range from 3195 to 3281.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 114.9 square miles (297.6 km²), of which, 114.8 square miles (297.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.09%) is water.
Lubbock has a mild, windy, semi-arid climate and dust storms are not uncommon during dry spells. On average, Lubbock receives 18.7 inches (475 mm) of rain per year, with most of the precipitation coming in summer in the form of thunderstorms.
Summers in Lubbock are hot, typically with low relative humidity, although often winds will bring humidity in from the Gulf of Mexico. Average high temperatures are at or above 90°F (32°C) in June, July, and August. Temperatures above 100°F (38°C) are common, and the highest recorded temperature was 114°F in 1994. Winter days in Lubbock are typically sunny and relatively mild, but nights are cold, and temperatures below freezing are not uncommon; winter winds can also make cold weather a great deal more uncomfortable. The average annual snowfall is about 10 inches (250 mm).
Law and governmentLubbock has a council-manager government system, with all governmental powers resting in a legislative body called a city council. The current mayor of Lubbock, elected May 13, 2006, is David Miller.
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. 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, called "the strip", is located on U.S. Route 87. Though within city limits, "the strip" is exempt from the city's liquor laws.
On November 21, 2006, the Lubbock City Council voted 5-1 to annex the strip, making package alcohol sales legal within the city limits. There exist, however, significant barriers to entry for stores outside "the strip" area to sell packaged alcohol. The new annexation will contribute a sales tax of 1.5%, or 10 cents for every 7 dollars, to the city. Due to state law, liquor sales will be limited to the newly annexed area.
People and cultureLubbock is the birthplace of rock and roll legend Buddy Holly and features a cultural center named for him. The city previous 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.
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, Dixie Chicks singer, Natalie Maines, Texas Tech graduate Pat Green, and Coronado High School graduate Richie McDonald (lead singer of Lonestar until 2007). Pete Orta from the Christian rock group Petra and basketball players Craig Ehlo and Daniel Santiago have also called Lubbock home.
The National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration, an annual event celebrating the prototypical Old West cowboy, takes place in Lubbock. 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. Additionally, the College Baseball Foundation holds events relating to its College Baseball Hall of Fame during the 4th on Broadway event.
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.
According to a study released by the non-partisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research, Lubbock is the second most conservative city in the United States with a population over 100,000.
AttractionsThe 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. There is also an extensive collection of weapons on display.
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, 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.
Mackenzie ParkMackenzie 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. The Brazos river winds through Mackenzie Park. It is collectively part of the rather extensive Lubbock Park system.
In March 1877, Mackenzie Park was the site of the Battle of Yellow House Canyon, which occurred during the Buffalo Hunters' War.
SportsThe Texas Tech Red Raiders field 15 teams in ten sports. The football program has been competing since October 3, 1925. The Red Raiders have won eleven conference titles and been to 31 bowl games, winning five of the last six (as of January 1, 2008).
The men's basketball program, started in 1925 and presently coached by Pat Knight, son of hall-of-famer and former Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, has been to the NCAA Tournament 14 times—advancing to the Sweet 16 three times.
Of the varsity sports, Texas Tech has had its greatest success in women's basketball. Led by its star player Sheryl Swoopes and head coach Marsha Sharp, the Lady Raiders won the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 1993. 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.
Other sports at Tech include cross country, baseball, golf, tennis, track, ice hockey, soccer, softball, and volleyball.
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.
In 2007, the Lubbock Western All-Stars Little League Baseball team made it to the final four of the Little League World Series.
National Register of Historic PlacesCactus TheaterCanyon Lakes Archeological DistrictCarlock BuildingFort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway DepotFred and Annie Snyder HouseHolden Properties Historic DistrictKress BuildingLubbock High SchoolLubbock Lake LandmarkLubbock Post Office and Federal BuildingSouth Overton Residential Historic DistrictTexas Technological College Dairy BarnTexas Technological College Historic DistrictTubbs-Carlisle HouseWarren and Myrta Bacon HouseWilliam Curry Holden and Olive Price Holden House
EducationPublic SchoolsMost 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.
Private SchoolsAll Saints Episcopal SchoolChrist The King High SchoolLubbock Christian High SchoolTrinity Christian High School
Colleges and UniversitiesTexas Tech UniversityLubbock Christian UniversitySouth Plains CollegeWayland Baptist UniversitySunset International Bible InstituteExternal linksCity of Lubbock Official SiteLubbock Area ParksLubbock Chamber of CommerceLubbock Economic Development AllianceLubbock Hispanic Chamber of CommerceLubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper
Buddy Holly Walk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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By Jeanh2
3 days
This weekend family outing to Amarillo and Lubbock takes you to some water sports/parks in each city. Leave a couple of hours driving time in the morning to get from Amarillo to Lubbock.
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