2023S0017-1 01/12/23
By: Perry S.R. No. 195
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting
Austin on February 22, 2023, 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 the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a national historic
and state archeological preserve; and
WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated on March 16,
1909; railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade center,
and residents also wanted the benefits of an institution of
higher learning; when legislation creating Texas Technological
College was passed in 1923, the site selection committee,
impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of its citizens,
chose Lubbock for its location; and
WHEREAS, Today a city and surrounding area of more than
300,000 people, Lubbock is home to the Texas Tech University
System and its flagship institution, Texas Tech University, a
school well-deserving of its 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 programs at such other
notable institutions as Harvard University, Stanford University,
and Yale University; and
WHEREAS, Three universities, including Texas Tech and one
public community college, annually draw more than 50,000
students to the area and refresh the local economy with
approximately 10,000 new graduates each year, creating a
community where more than 30 percent of residents over the age of
25 hold a college degree or higher; and
WHEREAS, Texas Tech's athletic programs have recently
achieved historic successes; the men's basketball team has
recently reached the Final Four, the baseball team has appeared
four times in the College World Series in the past decade, and the
men's outdoor track and field team has earned national
championships, while Lubbock Christian University's women's
basketball team won national championships in 2016, 2019, and
2021; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's metropolitan-area labor force
comprises 165,000 workers, and the cost of doing business ranks
as one of the lowest in the nation, with some of the lowest costs
for electric and natural gas utilities, wage rates, affordable
land, and cost of living; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national
organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, including
being named the number one city for women professionals; it is
ranked in the top 20 cities for young entrepreneurs starting a
business and was named seventh in the Forbes list of top
"Opportunity Cities," based on its low cost of living, its
cultural resources, and the strength of its business
community; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock has a diverse economy that draws its
strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce as
well as from educational and health care services, boasting
the largest medical infrastructure between Dallas and Phoenix;
with the growth of the cotton industry on the High Plains,
Lubbock has become one of the world's primary centers for the
processing of cottonseed and hybrid-grain sorghum seed; the
region north of Lubbock has the highest density of cattle in
the entire country; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock is now the home of several major
award-winning wineries and vineyards that produce more than 80
percent of the state's wine grapes; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock offers a wealth of cultural and
recreational opportunities, including the Lubbock Symphony
Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Silent Wings Museum, the
Museum and Planetarium of Texas Tech University and many other
cultural offerings at Texas Tech University, and a new,
state-of-the-art performing arts center named after local legend
and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Holly; and
WHEREAS, The city's meticulously planned infrastructure
has resulted in a low-traffic community and more neighborhood
parks per capita than any other city in Texas; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock was nicknamed the "Hub City" because it
is at the intersection of five major highways; it aims to
continue that renown through the eventual expansion of
Interstate 27, which will help to relieve the traffic congestion
of other major Texas highways; and
WHEREAS, Those wanting a glimpse of frontier history 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, Butch Hancock, Pat Green, and Josh
Abbott; 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 expands and guards
the prosperity of the Lubbock area; and
WHEREAS, Early major achievements propelled by the chamber
of commerce during more than a century of service include
recruiting farmers from out of state to produce crops on the
fertile soils of the Llano Estacado, working to bring the
railroad to Lubbock, establishing the South Plains Fair, and
drafting and delivering to the Texas Capitol the application that
would result in establishing Texas Technological College, which
today is the heart of the Texas Tech University System; and
WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was instrumental
in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport,
Reese Air Force Base, and outstanding transportation
infrastructure and was the first chamber of commerce in Texas to
introduce an Association Health Plan for 34 West Texas counties,
which became a model nationwide; and
WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today
are members of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce's 47th Leadership
Lubbock Class who represent the 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 hospitality and warmth as well as 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 the
surrounding regions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
Legislature, hereby recognize February 22, 2023, 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.