Out on the flat High Plains of West Texas, Lubbock is a college town with a big-sky, wind-and-dust personality. Texas Tech shapes much of the calendar, from football Saturdays to the student energy around Tech Terrace. About 270,000 people live here, and it is the main city for a long way in any direction: Amarillo is about 120 miles off and Albuquerque about 320.
Buddy Holly was born here, so the Buddy Holly Center and his statue are the classic stops. The National Ranching Heritage Center, the Silent Wings Museum and the wineries on the High Plains wine trail are also worth your time, and the First Friday Art Trail in the Depot District is the local night out. Living costs are low, with rent and homes below the national average. The tradeoffs are weather and safety. Spring brings hail, tornadoes and dust storms, summers are hot, winters get icy, and violent crime is about double the US median, mostly aggravated assault, higher in parts of east Lubbock.
