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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting Austin |
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on February 22, 2023, to pay tribute to their city's rich heritage |
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and to celebrate Lubbock Day at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Lubbock area is |
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one of the oldest inhabited places in Texas; archaeologists have |
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discovered evidence of some 12,000 years of continuous habitation |
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at the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a national historic and state |
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archaeological preserve; and |
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WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated on March 16, |
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1909; the railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade center, |
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but residents also wanted the benefits of an institution of higher |
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learning; when legislation creating Texas Technological College |
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was finally passed in 1923, the site selection committee, impressed |
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by the enthusiasm and hospitality of local citizens, chose Lubbock |
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for its location; and |
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WHEREAS, Today a city of more than 300,000 people, Lubbock is |
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home to the Texas Tech University System and its flagship |
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institution, Texas Tech University, a school well deserving of its |
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Tier One status; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center attracts |
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approximately 5,000 students from around the world, and it was |
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named the number one graduate school in the nation by the SR |
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Education Group in 2016; it is also consistently ranked among the |
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top universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report; and |
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WHEREAS, Three universities, including Texas Tech |
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University, and one public community college annually draw more |
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than 53,000 students to the area and refresh the local economy with |
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around 10,000 new graduates each year, creating a community where |
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32 percent of residents over the age of 25 hold a college degree or |
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higher; and |
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WHEREAS, The athletic programs at Texas Tech University have |
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achieved a number of historic successes; the men's basketball team |
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has recently reached the Final Four, the baseball team has appeared |
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four times in the College World Series in the past decade, and the |
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men's outdoor track and field team has won a national championship |
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title; moreover, the women's basketball team at Lubbock Christian |
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University won national championships in 2016, 2019, and 2021; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock's regional labor force numbers more than |
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165,000, and the cost of doing business continues to rank as one of |
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the lowest in the nation, with one of the lowest costs for electric |
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and natural gas utilities, as well as affordable land, wage rates, |
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cost of living, and property taxes; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national |
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organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, including |
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being named the number one city for professional women, ranked in |
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the top 20 for young entrepreneurs to start a business, and named |
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seventh in the 2014 Forbes list of "Opportunity Cities" based on low |
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cost of living, cultural offerings, and the strength of the |
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business community; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock enjoys a diverse economy that draws its |
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strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well as |
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from educational and medical facilities, boasting the largest |
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medical infrastructure to be found between Dallas and Phoenix; with |
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the growth of cotton culture on the High Plains, Lubbock has become |
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one of the world's primary centers for the processing of cottonseed |
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and hybrid grain sorghum seed; and |
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WHEREAS, The Lubbock economy is deeply rooted in cotton |
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farming, and the city remains home to the world's largest |
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contiguous cotton patch; the area also features several major, |
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award-winning wineries and vineyards, which produce more than 80 |
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percent of all the state's wine grapes; the region north of Lubbock |
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has the highest density of cattle in the entire country; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock also offers a wealth of cultural |
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institutions and recreational opportunities, among them the |
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Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Museum |
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and Planetarium and other offerings at Texas Tech University, the |
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Silent Wings Museum, and a new, state-of-the-art performing arts |
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center named after local legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Buddy |
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Holly; and |
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WHEREAS, City leaders meticulously planned infrastructure to |
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create a low-traffic community with more neighborhood parks per |
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capita than any other city in Texas; Lubbock is nicknamed the "Hub |
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City" because it is surrounded by five major highways, and it aims |
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to continue that legacy through the eventual expansion of |
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Interstate 27 that will assist in relieving congestion on other |
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major Texas highways; and |
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WHEREAS, Those wanting a glimpse of the frontier can find it |
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in the restored structures at the Ranching Heritage Center, a |
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15-acre site tracing the evolution of ranch architecture and the |
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history of the cattle industry; the region's history is also |
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celebrated at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture; and |
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WHEREAS, The talented musicians who have come from the |
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Lubbock area include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines family, |
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Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Joe |
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Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Pat Green, and Butch Hancock; their rich |
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and diverse contributions have earned Lubbock and West Texas |
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recognition as the official "Music Crossroads of Texas"; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock's thriving business community is |
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represented by the largest business federation on the Texas South |
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Plains, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, which grows and guards the |
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prosperity of the Lubbock area; early major achievements by the |
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chamber during more than a century of service include recruiting |
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out-of-state farmers to populate the area and make productive the |
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fertile soils of the Llano Estacado, securing railroad service, |
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founding the South Plains Fair, and drafting and delivering the |
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application to the Texas Capitol that would result in establishing |
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Texas Technological College, which today thrives as the heart of |
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the Texas Tech University System; and |
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WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was also |
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instrumental in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International |
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Airport, Reese Air Force Base, outstanding transportation |
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infrastructure, and a revolutionary market-driven Chamber Employer |
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Health Plan that is a model nationwide; committed to revitalizing |
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the community and creating a culturally sound, vibrant downtown, |
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the chamber oversees the efforts of Imagine Lubbock Together, a |
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private-public partnership; moreover, it is the nation's first and |
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only chamber to be twice 5-Star Accredited and twice named Chamber |
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of the Year; and |
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WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today are |
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proud members of the chamber's 47th Leadership Lubbock class, who |
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represent the future business and community leaders of Lubbock; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Lubbock have truly kept faith with |
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the founders of their West Texas community; renowned for their |
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friendliness and warmth as well as their hardiness and |
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determination, they have helped to build a vital urban center that |
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serves not only a large part of West Texas but also eastern New |
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Mexico; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 22, 2023, as Lubbock Day at |
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the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting |
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delegation and all their fellow citizens sincere appreciation for |
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the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State. |