SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 201
WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting
Austin on February 22, 2017, to pay tribute to their city's rich
heritage and to celebrate Lubbock Day at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Lubbock area
is one of the oldest inhabited places in Texas; archeologists
have discovered evidence of some 12,000 years of continuous
habitation at Lubbock Lake Landmark, a national historic and
state archeological preserve; and
WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated on March 16,
1909; the railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade
center, but residents also wanted the benefits of an institution
of higher learning; when legislation creating Texas Technological
College was finally passed in 1923, the site selection committee,
impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of Lubbock's citizens,
chose the City of Lubbock for the college's location; and
WHEREAS, Today, Lubbock is a city of close to 250,000
people and is home to the Texas Tech University System and its
flagship institution, Texas Tech University, a school well
deserving of its recently acquired tier-one status; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center attracts
nearly 5,000 students from around the world and is currently
ranked as the number-one health university in the nation by the
SR Education Group, ranking higher than even programs at other
notable institutions, such as Harvard University, Stanford
University, and Yale University; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's three universities and its public
community college annually draw more than 53,000 students to the
area and refresh the local economy with around 10,000 new graduates
each year, thus creating a community where 30 percent of
residents over the age of 25 hold a college degree or higher; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's regional labor force numbers more than
207,000, and the cost of doing business in the area continues to
rank as one of the lowest in the nation; the region has one of the
lowest costs for electric and natural gas utilities, affordable
land, a low cost of living, and low property taxes; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national
organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere; it has been
named the number-one city for women professionals, has been ranked
in the top 20 for young entrepreneurs to start a business, and has
been named number seven in the Forbes list of top "Opportunity
Cities" based on the city's low cost-of-living, cultural offerings,
and the strength of the business community; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock enjoys a diverse economy that draws its
strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well
as from educational and medical facilities, and the city boasts
the largest medical infrastructure between Dallas and Phoenix;
with the growth of cotton culture on the High Plains, Lubbock has
become one of the world's primary centers for the processing of
cottonseed and hybrid grain sorghum seed; and
WHEREAS, The Lubbock economy is deeply rooted in cotton
farming and remains home of the world's largest contiguous cotton
fields; it is now the home of several major award-winning wineries
and vineyards that produce more than 70 percent of all the state's
wine grapes; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock also offers a wealth of cultural and
recreational venues, including the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra,
the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Silent Wings Museum, and the Museum
and Planetarium of Texas Tech University; there are plans for a
new state-of-the-art performing arts center well underway, and
it will be named after local legend and rock-and-roll hall-of-famer
Buddy Holly; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's meticulously planned infrastructure by
city leaders has created a low-traffic community with more
neighborhood parks per capita than any other city in Texas; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock is nicknamed the "Hub City" because it is
surrounded by five major highways, and the nickname will remain
intact with the eventual expansion of Interstate 27, which will
assist in relieving the traffic congestion of other major Texas
highways; and
WHEREAS, Those wanting a glimpse of the frontier can find
it in the restored structures at the Ranching Heritage Center, a
15-acre site tracing the evolution of ranch architecture and the
history of the cattle industry; the region's history is also
celebrated at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture; and
WHEREAS, The talented musicians who have come from the
Lubbock area include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines family,
Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker,
Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Pat Green, and Butch Hancock; their
rich and diverse contributions have earned Lubbock recognition
as "The Music Crossroads of Texas"; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's thriving business community is represented
by the largest business federation on the Texas South Plains, the
Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, which grows and guards the prosperity
of the Lubbock area; and
WHEREAS, Early major achievements propelled by the chamber
during more than a century of service include recruiting farmers
from out of state to populate and make productive the fertile
soils of the Llano Estacado, working to bring the railroad to
Lubbock, establishing the South Plains Fair, and drafting and
delivering the application to the Texas Capitol that would result
in establishing Texas Technological College, which today thrives
as the heart of the Texas Tech University System; and
WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was instrumental
in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport and
Reese Air Force Base and is noted for its revolutionary market-driven
Chamber Employer Health Plan that is a model nationwide; and
WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce is the nation's
first and only chamber to be twice 5-Star Accredited and twice named
Chamber of the Year; and
WHEREAS, In addition, the chamber created Imagine Lubbock
Together, a private-public partnership formed to revitalize the
Lubbock community and once again bring a culturally sound, vibrant
downtown to Lubbock; and
WHEREAS, Among those in the visiting delegation at the
Capitol today are the proud members of the Lubbock Chamber of
Commerce's 42nd Leadership Lubbock Class, who represent the
future business and community leaders of Lubbock; and
WHEREAS, The citizens of Lubbock have truly kept faith with
the founders of their West Texas community; renowned for their
friendliness and warmth, as well as for their hardiness and
determination, they have helped to build a vital urban center
that serves not only a large part of West Texas but also eastern
New Mexico; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
Legislature, hereby recognize February 22, 2017, as Lubbock Day
at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting
delegation and all their fellow citizens sincere appreciation
for the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State.
Perry
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 22, 2017.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate