85R7428 KSM-F

By: Burrows H.R. No. 311

R E S O L U T I O N

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; archaeologists have discovered evidence of some 12,000 years of continuous habitation at the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a national historic and state archaeological 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 local citizens, chose Lubbock for its location; and

WHEREAS, Today a city of close to 250,000 people, Lubbock 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 it is currently ranked as the number one medical school in the nation by the SR Education Group, besting the programs at other notable institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and Yale; and

WHEREAS, Three universities, including Texas Tech, and one 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, 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 continues to rank as one of the lowest in the nation, due to one of the lowest costs for electric and natural gas utilities, as well as affordable land, wage rates, cost of living, and property taxes; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, including being named the number one city for professional women, ranked in the top 20 for young entrepreneurs to start a business, and named seventh in the 2014 Forbes list of "Opportunity Cities" based on 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, boasting the largest medical infrastructure to be found 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 the city remains home to the world's largest contiguous cotton patch; the area also features several major, award-winning wineries and vineyards, which produce more than 70 percent of all the state's wine grapes; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock also offers a wealth of cultural institutions and recreational opportunities, among them the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Museum and Planetarium and other offerings at Texas Tech University, and the Silent Wings Museum; moreover, plans are well under way for a new, state-of-the-art performing arts center to be named after local legend and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Holly; and

WHEREAS, City leaders meticulously planned infrastructure to create a low-traffic community with more neighborhood parks per capita than any other city in Texas; Lubbock is nicknamed the "Hub City" because it is surrounded by five major highways, and it aims to continue that legacy through the eventual expansion of Interstate 27 that will assist in relieving congestion on 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 and West Texas recognition as the official "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; early major achievements by the chamber during more than a century of service include recruiting out-of-state farmers to populate the area and make productive the fertile soils of the Llano Estacado, securing railroad service, founding 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 also instrumental in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Reese Air Force Base, outstanding transportation infrastructure, and a revolutionary market-driven Chamber Employer Health Plan that is a model nationwide; committed to revitalizing the community and creating a culturally sound, vibrant downtown, the chamber oversees the efforts of Imagine Lubbock Together, a private-public partnership; moreover, it is the nation's first and only chamber to be twice 5-Star Accredited and twice named Chamber of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today are proud members of the chamber'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 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 House of Representatives of the 85th Texas 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.