SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 233

WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting Austin on February 27, 2019, 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; 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 was impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of the city's residents and chose Lubbock for the college's location; and

WHEREAS, Today, the city with its surrounding area has a population of more than 300,000 people, and it 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; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock's three universities and one public community college annually draw more than 50,000 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; and

WHEREAS, Texas Tech's athletic programs have recently achieved historic successes; the men's basketball team reached its first Elite Eight last season; the baseball team has appeared three times in the College World Series in the past five years, and the track and field team has won indoor and outdoor Big 12 championships; in addition, Lubbock Christian University's women's basketball team won the national championship in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock's metropolitan area labor force numbers more than 165,000 and the cost of doing business in the area continues to rank as one of the lowest in the nation, due to the low costs for electric and natural gas utilities and affordable wage rates, land, and cost of living; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, and it has been named the number-one city for women professionals, ranked in the top 20 for young entrepreneurs to start a business, and named number seven in the Forbes list of top "Opportunity Cities" based on the city's low cost of living, its cultural offerings, and the strength of its business community; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock enjoys a diverse economy that draws its strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well as from educational and health care services, 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; the area is home to the world's largest contiguous cotton-growing region and is now also the home of several major award-winning wineries and vineyards, which produce over 80 percent of all the state's wine grapes; the region north of Lubbock has the highest density of cattle in the entire country; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock also 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; a new, state-of-the-art performing arts center is under construction and is to be named after local legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Holly; Lubbock County voters have also approved the construction of the new Lubbock County Expo Center to serve as a multipurpose event center for the region; and

WHEREAS, Through meticulously planned infrastructure, city leaders have created a low-traffic community with the number-one-ranked commute in Texas and more neighborhood parks per capita than any other city in Texas; 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 that traces 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, Many talented musicians have come from the Lubbock area; they 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 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 there, 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, and the area's outstanding transportation infrastructure, and it recently introduced an Association Health Plan for its small-business members in 34 West Texas counties and is the first chamber in Texas to launch such a plan; and

WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today are proud members of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce's 43rd 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 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 Senate of the State of Texas, 86th Legislature, hereby recognize February 27, 2019, 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 27, 2019.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate