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 199,564, with a metropolitan population of 256,081. It is the county seat of Lubbock County.
Lubbock is located at 33°33'53" North, 101°52'40" West (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 is water. The total area is 0.09% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 199,564 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.
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.
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. 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 an unusually severe tornado struck Lubbock 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 (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.
Source:
LubbockUSA.com
HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS