SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 214

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to welcome the members of the delegation from Lubbock on the occasion of their visit to Austin on March 31, 2021, 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; 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 passed in 1923, the site selection committee was impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of its citizens and chose Lubbock for the college's location; and

WHEREAS, Today, the city and its surrounding area have 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 University Health Sciences Center attracts students from around the world, and in 2016, it was named the number one health university in the nation by the SR Education Group and is ranked among programs at top universities, including Harvard University, Stanford University, and Yale University; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock's three universities and one public community college annually draw more than 50,000 students to the area, and around 10,000 new graduates each year refresh the local economy and create a community where 30 percent of residents over the age of 25 hold a college degree or higher; and

WHEREAS, Texas Tech's athletic programs have achieved historic successes; the men's basketball team reached its first Elite Eight in 2018, followed by a Final Four appearance in 2019, and the baseball team has appeared four times in the College World Series in the past seven years; the track and field team has earned an outdoor national championship, and Lubbock Christian University's women's basketball team won a national championship in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock's metropolitan area labor force numbers more than 160,000, and the cost of doing business continues to rank among the lowest in the nation due to the low rates for electric and natural gas utilities and the affordable land, wage rates, 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 in professional industries and is ranked among the top 20 locations for young entrepreneurs to start a business; the city has been named seventh on 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 it 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-growing region; it is the home of several major award-winning wineries and vineyards that produce over 80 percent of all the state's wine grapes, and the region north of Lubbock has the highest density of cattle in the country; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock also offers a wealth of cultural and recreational opportunities, including the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Museum and Planetarium of Texas Tech University, the Silent Wings Museum, and many other cultural offerings at Texas Tech University, as well as a new, state-of-the-art performing arts center named after local legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Buddy Holly; in addition, Lubbock County voters 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 the state and more neighborhood parks per capita than any other city in Texas; and

WHEREAS, Lubbock was nicknamed the "Hub City" because it is serviced by five major highways, and the city aims to continue that legacy through 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 FiberMax Center for Discovery; and

WHEREAS, The many talented musicians who have come from the Lubbock area include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines family, Mac Davis, 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 the area 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 also instrumental in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Reese Air Force Base, and the area's outstanding transportation infrastructure; it was the first chamber in Texas to introduce an Association Health Plan, which it offered in 34 West Texas counties and which became a model nationwide; 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, 87th Legislature, hereby recognize March 31, 2021, 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 March 31, 2021.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate