“Hub City” Attracts Senior Visitors

Lubbock (pop 230,000) is the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas. The city is about half way between Amarillo and Midland in West Texas. Historically, Lubbock began as two smaller towns until 1890 when “Old Lubbock” and “Monterey” joined together, on a new site, to establish a town consisting of 50 people. Lubbock was founded as a part of the movement westward onto the High Plains of Texas by ranchers and farmers.

 Senior visitors will find three famed universities: Texas Tech, Lubbock Christian and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.  Lubbock’s nickname is the “Hub City“, which derives from it being the economic, education, and health care hub of a multi-county region commonly called the South Plains.

Some locals prefer to call Lubbock simply LUBB. The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world.  Irrigation is crucial, taken from the famed Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world’s largest aquifers. A host of local wineries feature tours and tastings and the area is the second largest recognized grape growing region in Texas.

 Seniors Remember Buddy Holly

Archeology and natural history coexist here in preservation. For almost 12,000 years, this area was occupied by ancient peoples and they have left traces that scientists still actively excavate.

A trip to Lubbock would not be complete without a stop at the Buddy Holly Center. The center features a permanent exhibit dedicated to the life and music of Buddy Holly, a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll. Unique memorabilia ranging from his famous glasses to his guitar are on display.

Holly was one of the most memorable voices of the 1950s and his death sent ripples throughout the nation. Buddy Holly Plaza commemorates the man who is arguably Lubbock’s most famous citizen with a larger-than-life monument of the performer rocking out on his guitar in a dapper suit.

Nearby, the Walk of Fame displays the names of other notable Lubbock-area residents of the past and present, including Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Dean and Roy Orbison.

Senior travelers can visit the National Ranching Heritage Center. One hundred and fifty years of ranching from 1780 to 1930 are preserved and celebrated in this 30-acre historical park. Forty-eight authentic  ranch buildings have been moved to this site, all fully explorable and all re-furnished.

Be sure to visit Mackenzie Park and view some of Lubbock’s most beloved critters at Prairie Dog Town, a living, active prairie dog community at which senior visitors are invited to watch and learn about these little critters.

Enjoy good West Texas hospitality in Lubbock.  jeb