One of the best things about Lubbock is how big an influence a school like Texas Tech has on the energy and growth of the city. A big, healthy university drives population stability and growth, business stability and startup growth, an active social and cultural scene, and maybe more important than anything, a sense of local pride that is at least partly based on education. This educational spirit and quality extends beyond the university to an excellent elementary and high school. These combined factors make a college town like Lubbock kind of ideal for everyone from college kids to young families to retirees. So good for retirees, it was named the top retirement destination in the U.S. in 2019 by Where To Retire magazine. 

One other note about Lubbock. When you ask locals about the best part of the city, an awful lot of them say “the people.” That’s hard to quantify, but there seems to be an overwhelming vibe that people in Lubbock are nice, friendly, and welcoming. Some make the point that they have the college spirit, art scene, and growth economy of an Austin but without any of the attitude.

You should also know that Lubbock is rated among the cities with the worst weather in the U.S. Most of these cities achieve their rankings the old-fashioned way: terrible cold and snow, suffocating heat and humidity, or pounding rain and overcast. Lubbock stands alone as a city that is brutal for a combination of extreme temperature swings, tornadoes, dust storms, and fire storms. It’s just kind of an angry city in terms of weather (which is countered by nice residents). If you move here, there’s plenty to like, but the weather ain’t one of these things. 

 Texas Tech / Education

Best Part About Lubbock?

Downtown Lubbock and the areas surrounding Texas Tech have a slew of bars and restaurants, an arts district, and several parks with another downtown civic park on the way. If you’re looking for action you can find it downtown. For those who want to go out but also avoid the college kiddos that are available as you move away from the Red Raiders and closer to the center of downtown. 

Aside from the downtown social scene, there is also a pretty wide variety of interesting museums including the [**Buddy Holly Center**](https://ci.lubbock.tx.us/departments/buddy-holly-center), The [**National Ranching Heritage Center**](https://ranchingheritage.org/), the [**Caviel Museum of African American History**](https://www.lbkrootshistoricalartscouncil.com/), and the [**American Windmill Museum**](https://windmill.com/) (the largest on the planet!!!). 

Outside of the more “touristy” things to do in Lubbock, you can expect an interesting mix of a heavy art scene crossed with suburban energy running throughout the city. The arts side of Lubbock can trace its roots to being the birthplace of Buddy Holly, combined of course with the influence of a college town. 

The suburban vibe comes from the fact most people here own their homes and the great schools pull in young and established families. Tons of parks and great kids' sports drive a lot of the weekend and summer activities. 

Lubbock [**calendar of events**](https://visitlubbock.org/events/). 


Lifestyle 

They call Lubbock “Hub City” due to it being the economic center of a 26-county region serving not only Texas but also border states. Top industries include of course education, but also research, healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing. Big employees include: Texas Tech, United Supermarkets, X-FAB (silicon wafers) manufacturing, Reese Technology Center also houses plenty of specialized engineering, and technical companies including Wyle Aerospace, Zachry Group, and Vestas, a wind-turbine manufacturer. 


Worklife

If you’re looking for work this is a pretty good place to look. If you’ve got a job but want a nice, inexpensive place to set up roots and work remotely, this is a pretty good place to choose. If you have a young family and want to buy a home this is an affordable place with really good schools to send those beans to while you build the next egg. One side note on the move: Lubbock is rated the second most conservative city, over 100k people in the country. If that sounds good to you then come on down. If on the other hand that ain’t your scene then you know, don’t move here. At least if you aren’t coming here for the school or the arts part of the city scene. 

Things are good here

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**Harry_Gorilla**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

I just (2019) finished my graduate degree at Rutgers and have ended up in Lubbock. I did my undergrad here at TTU. People who have lived here their entire lives LOVE to complain about Lubbock, but it’s fantastic. All the massive 5 lane roads through town mean you almost never have to deal with traffic. For those of you reading this who are about to disagree, if you haven’t driven the NJ turnpike then you don’t know what you’re talking about.
I recently bought a 50+ year old home south of the loop. We decided on an older home because we have kids and targeted a specific elementary school.
A lot of comments are talking about the quality of the construction being a factor in choosing a home, but honestly that’s bs. In 10 years no one will care who built a given home. It’s value will be determined by the square footage and the exterior materials. The name of the builder will make zero difference. Betenbough & DR both build to meet the legal requirements for homes, and have good warranty programs to fix their mistakes. And yes: every home they make will have mistakes and need some repairs in the first year. Just expect that.
Most of the growth right now is pushing south and west. (Source: am land surveyor and that’s where most of our new home surveys are.) So that’s where you stand to gain the most value on a new home. There are exceptions. We work with one builder who is going around the areas near highway 82 & I-27 filling in all the vacant lots.

For more reviews of what living in Lubbock is like from locals check out: [The Reviews](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/lubbock/reviews)

The Weather

Reviews of Lubbock from Locals

All of the neighborhoods surrounding Texas Tech have apartment opportunities for college kids. They also have home rentals for those looking for stand-alone living options. Expect inexpensive, short walks to campus but also a good free bus line scooting kids around the large campus and the closest neighborhoods. 
- South/North Overton
- Arnett Benson
- Tech Terrace


College Students

South/North Overton

Downtown has several neighborhoods that pull young professionals. The Overton neighborhood has a mix of college and young professionals. If you’re out of school but still want the social life this could be your spot. The Depot and Arts District and surrounding blocks also pull in the youngsters looking for a slightly groovier vibe. Downtown in general is the place to be if you want a good walkscore and easy access to nightlife.
- Arts District
- Depot District
- North/South Overton


Young Professionals

Arts District

Depending on your point of view on housing costs there are lots of different neighborhoods in Lubbock for that first home. Housing is inexpensive in Lubbock by many national standards but there certainly are neighborhoods in the $400k range that young families coming from California, New York or Austin would find very reasonable but others would find a big leap. We’ve pushed those neighborhoods into the established families category. 
- Ave Q/19th Street
- Hatton Place 
- Iola Avenue/66th Street


Young Families

Ave Q/19th Street

If you’re looking for big homes, a variety of architectural styles, country clubs and a path to a great high school then Lubbock has you covered. Growth is driving a lot of building in many of these neighborhoods, so if you want a home designed from scratch that’s probably available. Alternately there are historical districts with beautiful old homes, including downtown spots near Lubbock High School. 
- The Reserves at Ravenwood 
- Lakeridge
- The Trails at Regal Park 
- Ave Q/Broadway Street


Established Families

The Reserves at Ravenwood, Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock

**Anonymous**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

I moved here from Central CA in December 2022 and although it's only been two months my wife and I absolutely love it. First off as a homebody who spends most of his time at home and also works from home, having 5 gig fiber as an internet option is a dream scenario. I pay for the 2 gig for $110/mo through AT&T and having internet this fast is a godsend. I used to live in an area that never gets snow so going through that snowstorm we just had last week was really enjoyable, although from what I understand it was a rare event (I hope it snows again, it was gorgeous.)

Anyway, I did a ton of research over a period of about 2 years and looked all over the country before I finally made the move and honestly my research leads me to believe I couldn't have picked a better city when you factor everything in. Housing is extremely affordable, blazing fast fiber internet, great place to raise a family, no state income tax, and dry summer heat like what I'm used to in California. I'm a bit of a diva when it comes to summer and I just couldn't bring myself to move to a humid area. Also, SO much of this city is brand new it's insane, they are building like crazy. We signed a 1 year lease for a 2 bed 2 bath 1300sq foot Duplex over the internet, packed all our stuff up and made a one-way drive. We're in an area called North by Northwest, and it's extremely quiet and peaceful here. Neighbors are respectful and mind their business as do we, which I appreciate. Our duplex was built in 2020 and feels brand new, and every other unit within several blocks of us is also brand new. We plan on renting for a year or two and then purchasing a home. I mean honestly, where else in the country can you get a brand new home for $225 to $250k? Not many. Sure, property tax is really high, but that's easily offset by having no state income tax.

**Harry_Gorilla**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

I just (2019) finished my graduate degree at Rutgers and have ended up in Lubbock. I did my undergrad here at TTU. People who have lived here their entire lives LOVE to complain about Lubbock, but it’s fantastic. All the massive 5 lane roads through town mean you almost never have to deal with traffic. For those of you reading this who are about to disagree, if you haven’t driven the NJ turnpike then you don’t know what you’re talking about.
I recently bought a 50+ year old home south of the loop. We decided on an older home because we have kids and targeted a specific elementary school.
A lot of comments are talking about the quality of the construction being a factor in choosing a home, but honestly that’s bs. In 10 years no one will care who built a given home. It’s value will be determined by the square footage and the exterior materials. The name of the builder will make zero difference. Betenbough & DR both build to meet the legal requirements for homes, and have good warranty programs to fix their mistakes. And yes: every home they make will have mistakes and need some repairs in the first year. Just expect that.
Most of the growth right now is pushing south and west. (Source: am land surveyor and that’s where most of our new home surveys are.) So that’s where you stand to gain the most value on a new home. There are exceptions. We work with one builder who is going around the areas near highway 82 & I-27 filling in all the vacant lots.

**TheOldOso**
8mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

Just moved back after about 20 years away. There's good and bad. It's not the big city, but it's also not a small city by any means. It's dirty and dusty. Your money goes further, and the schools are good though a little run down in some areas. There's very little traffic but what traffic there is can be made worse by the fact no one here can drive. There's some crime, but having lived in other parts of the country, it honestly isn't any worse than you'd find anyway. Your favorite band will probably never come to town, but you were probably not going to actually go see them anyway. Youth sports here are almost non-existent compared to larger metropolitan areas, which was a bummer for my kids. But if watching sports is your thing, you've got a ton of sports a Tech to consume and it's a lot easier to get into those games than it is trying to pack into Jerryworld. The weather is nice-I know it's a real 'dad' thing to say, but the (lack of) humidity makes a difference you can feel even when it's over 100. And once the sun goes down it's perfect. It's not a foodie town unfortunately. There are some nice unique local places struggling, but it seems the locals prefer chains. The water is hard. You're close to mountains if that's your thing. The people are nice.

**No-Coffee6990**
8mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

I’m originally from Indiana. My wife and I met in Dallas and wanted to move home (Lubbock). Been here about a year. If you want to fly back to the Midwest I recommend American. I’ve loved it here. I recommend living in South Lubbock 70th and higher. Lubbock is on a grid system so it’s easy to get anywhere. People are friendly. The cost of living is what makes Lubbock so great you can pay rent/go out/invest and still have money left over. The job market here is kinda about who you know but that’s any city. Lubbock is a tight knit community.