Possibly coming to Lubbock in a month. (Houston, Dallas: apartment complexes, condos)

[green_mariner]

I am single, in my 20s, there is a good chance I will be in Lubbock in a month, mainly for work. I plan on enjoying myself when I come. A few things I am researching are restaurants, churches, apartments, and things to do while in Lubbock. One concern of mine is finding an apartment in a place where I can be safe. According to the information on city-data, the murder rate is rather low. I'm more concerned about other crimes. I just need to know which places to go to and which places to avoid as far as where to live. I would also like to get into some things while I'm in Lubbock. Some of those things I will talk about later.

[green_mariner]

I'm not too fussy about rent. It's just me, so a one bedroom will do. I also want to get an apartment inside of the city.

[Westerner92]

Other than the new Overton Park neighborhood (which is all college kids if that matters), you want to avoid everything east of University Avenue. Lubbock does have higher than average property crime like any college town, but in my family's 25+ years of living there, they've never been a victim. Avoid the clubs not in the Depot District and don't get involved with the drug trade, and your safety will not be a concern. The closer to campus, the more college kids obviously, and the many apartments in the northwest part of town are popular with then as well. Other than that, the apartment inventory west of University will run the gamut from super cheap, fairly run down 60's complexes to brand new luxury condos. The northwest part of town in general is farther away from amenities than the central and southwest parts.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

Other than the new Overton Park neighborhood (which is all college kids if that matters), you want to avoid everything east of University Avenue. Lubbock does have higher than average property crime like any college town, but in my family's 25+ years of living there, they've never been a victim. Avoid the clubs not in the Depot District and don't get involved with the drug trade, and your safety will not be a concern. The closer to campus, the more college kids obviously, and the many apartments in the northwest part of town are popular with then as well. Other than that, the apartment inventory west of University will run the gambit from super cheap, fairly run down 60's complexes to brand new luxury condos. The northwest part of town in general is farther away from amenities than the central and southwest parts.

I'm checking the map of Lubbock and looking at University Avenue. Everything east of University Avenue is a large part of town.

I'm not involved with drugs or anything like that. I'm just someone who doesn't know Lubbock at all. I've never been to Lubbock. My main concern is apartment break-ins.

What is the Depot District?

[green_mariner]

At the moment I'm looking at a map and wondering about the apartment complexes around U.S. 82

[green_mariner]

So far, these are some of the areas I am thinking about.

-York Avenue
-Avenue Y
-16th Street
-17th Street
-Brownfield Dr.
I've looking for other places as well. I just want to make sure I don't get an apartment on the edge of town.

Other things I'm considering are the proximity to churches, restaurants, and places for coffee.

[High_Plains_Retired]

I'm afraid I can't help on housing, churches or entertainment in Lubbock. The town has changed too much since I lived there in the 1980s. And too, I was married and was buying a home at that time so nighttime entertainment did not figure into my life too much. When we first moved to Lubbock, we rented a small frame house on west 19th outside the Loop then shortly we bought a small house near 96th and Slide which was then the end of town.

About the best I can say is that most of the newer parts of Lubbock are in the SW part of the City outside the Loop. As far as coffee, I've never had any problem finding a place to drink coffee with friends but then I'm not too picky. And as to churches, Lubbock has a lot of churches scattered throughout town. If I had to guess, I would say Baptist Churches are in the majority but most definitely protestant churches are.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I'm afraid I can't help on housing, churches or entertainment in Lubbock. The town has changed too much since I lived there in the 1980s. And too, I was married and was buying a home at that time so nighttime entertainment did not figure into my life too much. When we first moved to Lubbock, we rented a small frame house on west 19th outside the Loop then shortly we bought a small house near 96th and Slide which was then the end of town.

About the best I can say is that most of the newer parts of Lubbock are in the SW part of the City outside the Loop. As far as coffee, I've never had any problem finding a place to drink coffee with friends but then I'm not too picky. And as to churches, Lubbock has a lot of churches scattered throughout town. If I had to guess, I would say Baptist Churches are in the majority but most definitely protestant churches are.

I'm guessing that is why the thread hasn't had many answers. I guess the best I can do is give it a go. My goal was to find a decent place to live inside of the loop.

Finding a Starbucks shouldn't be too hard for me.

As for churches, well, I'm Catholic. Finding a church isn't the hard part. However, it is dependent mainly on where I choose to live.

My reason for needing to find out where to live is because where I live can dictate other things I would do, such as where I would sit and have a cup of coffee, where I would go to church, and some of my other activities. For me, it is kind of bewildering because I know nothing of Lubbock other than Buddy Holly is from there and Texas Tech is there. I'm basically coming to Lubbock knowing very little about the place(and doing some research about it) and I basically don't know anyone. It would be different if I was going to Dallas, Houston, or Chicago. I know where all of the bad parts of those cities are, so I know what to do if I go there. Lubbock is less known to me. I just want to come, work hard, and enjoy my life as long as I'm coming.

[High_Plains_Retired]

If you were to ask me where the Catholic Churches were in many of the small towns around Lubbock I could tell you a few but Lubbock, I just don't know. My wife is from a Catholic family but from a small town northwest of Lubbock.

I worked in the downtown area of Lubbock (Texas Ave.) for about four years and never had problems such as theft or vandalism on me or my parked car but, for what it's worth, the older parts of Lubbock are east of Avenue Q which includes the downtown area. Buddy Holly grew up at 1911 6th Street but I think they have moved the old house in the last few years. Somewhere I have a pic of the house on its original location.

I've never been in a Starbucks (that I recall) so I can't help you there. I seem to always end up in a McDonalds or an IHOP.

I sincerely wish that I could help you find a good place to live but I just do not know any landlords in Lubbock. The City itself is extremely easy to navigate because the streets all run north and south and east and west. The streets running east and west are numbered and the streets running north and south are lettered.

Lubbock is like most places. It will have mean people and it will have good people. However, for the short time I lived in Lubbock, and for the many times I now go over there, I can safely say the number of good ones far outweigh the ones who would seek to harm you.

Just be safe and I wish you the best of luck in your move.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

I'm checking the map of Lubbock and looking at University Avenue. Everything east of University Avenue is a large part of town.

I'm not involved with drugs or anything like that. I'm just someone who doesn't know Lubbock at all. I've never been to Lubbock. My main concern is apartment break-ins.

What is the Depot District?

Well east of University is a rule of thumb, but realistically the areas between University and Q are nice enough transition areas. When you consider that the east side is the least populated part of town with the least amenities, you're really not missing out on anything other than run down neighborhoods. I'd be surprised if east of Q comprised more than 15% of the city's population.

The Depot District is a small nightlife area based around the Buddy Holly Center (an old train depot). Those businesses are nice, but the nightlife outside of that district is known for club fights that turn fatal.

Originally Posted by green_mariner

So far, these are some of the areas I am thinking about.

-York Avenue
-Avenue Y
-16th Street
-17th Street
-Brownfield Dr.
I've looking for other places as well. I just want to make sure I don't get an apartment on the edge of town.

Other things I'm considering are the proximity to churches, restaurants, and places for coffee.

York Avenue - This street runs the length of the entire town, so I'm not sure where you're looking, but everything just off Slide Road will be safe and convenient.

Avenue Y - I bet you're looking at Honeycomb (or something like that). Not the nicest, but cheap and full of nice foreign students from what I hear. Very college-y but central.

16th and 17th Streets - I'm betting South Overton. The neighborhood is a typical quasi-run-down college neighborhood, not bad overall. The occasional sketchy person and drafty, historic homes. Lubbock High is right there, so police generally keep an eye out for the safety of the students and neighborhood as a whole.

Brownfield Dr. - Easy access to almost everything in town. The apartments on that street are a tad run-down I suppose, but you're right down the street from one of my favorite spots in town, Gatsby's Coffeehouse at Brownfield Dr. and Salem.

If you're coming with a car, you don't have to worry about proximity to anything. The entire city is strung with 6-laned roads with turning lanes, and it's only 10x10 miles give or take. You'll never drive more than 15 minutes to anything. That said, I throw out my recommendations for Gatsby's and J&B at 26th and Boston as the best coffee places in town. Good restaurants are scattered all over, and you're never far from a church, Catholic or Protestant.

Originally Posted by green_mariner

I'm guessing that is why the thread hasn't had many answers. I guess the best I can do is give it a go. My goal was to find a decent place to live inside of the loop.

Finding a Starbucks shouldn't be too hard for me.

As for churches, well, I'm Catholic. Finding a church isn't the hard part. However, it is dependent mainly on where I choose to live.

My reason for needing to find out where to live is because where I live can dictate other things I would do, such as where I would sit and have a cup of coffee, where I would go to church, and some of my other activities. For me, it is kind of bewildering because I know nothing of Lubbock other than Buddy Holly is from there and Texas Tech is there. I'm basically coming to Lubbock knowing very little about the place(and doing some research about it) and I basically don't know anyone. It would be different if I was going to Dallas, Houston, or Chicago. I know where all of the bad parts of those cities are, so I know what to do if I go there. Lubbock is less known to me. I just want to come, work hard, and enjoy my life as long as I'm coming.

If you extend your search to places outside the Loop, you get significantly newer apartment stock. Most of the best restaurants, coffee shops, shopping, etc. are either in central Lubbock or southwest of the Loop.