Lubbock, << LUHB uhk, >> Texas (pop. 257,141; met. area pop. 351,268), is a leading manufacturer of cottonseed products. The city is a major United States cotton market and an industrial center of Texas. It is a trade and transportation center of the High Plains, a thriving farm region of northwest Texas.
Description.
Lubbock, the county seat of Lubbock County, covers 136 square miles (352 square kilometers). The Lubbock metropolitan area occupies 5,276 square miles (13,664 square kilometers).
Cotton markets in Lubbock handle hundreds of millions of pounds or kilograms of cotton annually. The city has large cottonseed oil mills and many other manufacturing plants. Other industries include meat packing, winemaking, and the manufacture of farm equipment and other nonelectrical machinery. Lubbock is an important cattle-feeding center. Railroad freight lines and major highways serve the city. Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport lies outside Lubbock.
Lubbock is the home of Lubbock Christian University and Texas Tech University. The Museum of Texas Tech University in the city has exhibits on science and culture. It also features a planetarium and research laboratory. Texas Tech is also home to the National Ranching Heritage Center, which features an exhibit of historic ranch buildings. The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra performs in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.
History.
Comanche Indians lived in what is now the Lubbock area when whites first arrived there. During the 1880’s, settlers established cattle ranches in the area. In 1890, land developers founded two villages near what is now Lubbock. The next year, the developers moved the buildings of both villages to a single site where two small rivers meet. They named the resulting town Lubbock in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas S. Lubbock of the Confederate Army. It was incorporated in 1909.
In the 1920’s, landowners in the area converted many ranches to cotton farms. As a result, Lubbock became a center of cotton marketing. After Texas Tech University opened in 1925, the city became an educational center. The 1950’s brought rapid industrial growth to the area.
In 1970, a tornado struck Lubbock. A ruined area of downtown Lubbock became the site of an urban renewal project called the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. The center, completed in 1977, includes a theater and facilities for conventions and exhibitions. Lubbock has a council-manager form of government.
