May be relocating to Lubbock (Dallas, Fort Worth: to rent, to buy, schools)

[PkrDlr81]

Hello,
I am interested on information on what it is really like to live in Lubbock. We currently live in Louisiana and my husband is considering a job that would require him to relocate to Lubbock, TX. I have never been that far west in TX before and am curious as to what it is really like. Any information would be great as we talk and research this job opportunity.

Thank you!!

[FTWRunner]

I went to school out there about 10 years ago. It is a college town, but has grown quite a bit. It has about 250,000 people, so you get the aminities you do with a town of that size, good mall, lots of resturants and it's shopping has improved.

The town used to be dry but that changed last year. Overall it is a nice place to live, affordable, friendly,can be conservative but it has it's funky niches, decent weather (besides the wind). The the biggest drawback it that Lubbock is at least 6 hours to anywhere and it is basically flat plains, little tress etc, though around town there are trees.

There are way worse places to live in Texas, Lubbock has little traffice, except during rush housr (5-5:30 ) some really nice parks, museums, some night life, and it's close to the mountains of west Texas, and Denver is only 9 hours away.

Good luck!

[losttechnician]

I have lived in the vicinity of Lubbock since the early 80's. Close enough to make day trips even when I did not live in town. Have two grown daughters that currently live there, and the in-laws live just south of town. I still visit there frequently.

SW and South Lubbock are the hottest areas to buy housing, if you are looking to rent, look in the same places, as well as West side. If you are college bound, the area just east of the campus is all newly rebuilt, and quite nice now. Since much new retail has gone up west of town, the traffic around Slide and South Loop has diminished. It is almost enjoyable driving that now, and Lubbock is about the easiest city you can imagine, to find your way around in. West of Ave A, you just really can't even get too turned around. East??? Still not too hard to find your way around.

It is a great thing to be able to buy alcohol in town now, it seems the city has finally given in to a few feelings of progress.

If you like live music there is a bit of a local scene, college sports are alive and well, decent shopping, some nice parks, and if church is your thing, there are plenty to choose from.

There are a few Lubbock haters on the forum here, but I sincerely like the city.

[Denda]

I love Lubbock.

[shoe01]

It has a lot less humidity than Louisiana, for sure, but it also has less greenery, though there might be more than one would expect for a semi-arid location. This year, as in most areas of Texas, the city has been in an exceptional drought. So, as you might expect, it looks worse than normal. Once the drought is broken (hopefully soon), it should start to look better.

Tech football games are a sight to see. Jones Stadium has been upgraded considerably in the last ten years, with more additions on the way. The basketball and baseball programs are also on the upswing.

As losttech said, it is very easy to get around Lubbock, and should only get better once the new Marsha Sharp Freeway is complete to I-27. That should happen next year (it's already finished from West Loop 289 to the edge of downtown).

Anyway, I'm sure others can add more. Good luck with your decision.

[augiedogie]

Lubbock would be quite a change from Louisiana. Not much hunting and fishing. Lots fewer trees, rain, rivers lakes, etc. Windier, colder, much drier, but schools in general should be better. Also if you like to travel to see other things, most things are quite a drive from Lubbock. However, the mountains are much closer, and the humidity is next to nothing in the summer. Really. We've had many days this summer where the humidity was less than 10%

[PkrDlr81]

Thank you all for your advice and thoughts. My husband has been out there for two weeks now and seems to like it well enough. We're excited to see a new part of Texas (I've only gone as far as Ft. Worth) and explore the area. I like that housing is less expensive over there and will definitely have to check out some football games. Thank you, again, for your help!

[doctorjef]

This is a comment strictly on physical appearance/aesthetics and nothing else, so please no one take it as meaning to be offensive! It is also my own subjective experience.

When I was 15 we moved from Monroe, Louisiana to Lubbock. Monroe is on the Ouchita River and is transected by bayous. It's very green. I had never been to Lubbock before, although I had spent a lot of time around both Fort Worth and Odessa (Kermit and Wink, more accurately) since those were the areas my two sets of grandparents lived. Anyway, when I first saw Lubbock I thought it looked totally artificial, like a toy city layed out on a flat board. It really is a visual shock coming from Louisiana or anywhere that is a great deal greener (we were up in DC and Northern VA for 7 years immediately before moving to Louisiana for a couple of years, so I'd been in green places for a long time at that point).

There are some pretty, green parks and tree-shaded streets in Lubbock but first impressions are likely to be pretty shocking.

Even in summer the early mornings in Lubbock can be wonderful -- cool, dry air, before the daytime heat sets in.

[WestPlanoDude]

I moved to Lubbock from Dallas to attend college there.

VERY easy to navigate as the city is set up on a grid pattern. The weather is obviously less humid (perfect.) I can actually take walks without being drenched in sweat. The city itself is pretty flat, but like the poster above said, there are trees and even lakes in the city. Good selection of restaurants (my favorite Mexican restaurant of all time is located in Lubbock). I've only lived her a couple weeks, but I'm really impressed with what Lubbock has to offer.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Almost thirty years ago I moved from New Orleans to Lubbock. It's the only place during my career that took me to several American cities where I cared to sport a bumper sticker that indicated my love for the place.

I might only add that, although my job took me away from Lubbock for a while, I am now retired in the area.