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.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate