Most corrupt city I have ever lived in (Houston, Lubbock: city hall, property tax)

[High_Plains_Retired]

People who hate an area and leave it for what they believe to be "greener pastures" are usually the ones who make an area a much better place to live and the places in which they settle much worse.

[rr2005]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

I would say most college towns use the university as an asset....Better food, nightlight and culture vs other similarly sized towns.

So in most cases city managers invest in the city as a result of the university, because usually, it is their biggest asset, even if most of the kids don't stay after college.

I know alot of people who lived in Lubbock for School and a couple who are natives. They all say the city sucks, but I for one would still pick it over most of West Texas/ panhandle.

I do a lot of interviewing and hiring for my job. I’m seeing more and more applicants who came to Lubbock for school and tell me they are looking for work because they like Lubbock and want to stay here after graduation.

[TXGenerations]

To sharply buffer one comment made above: " Actually, given the evangelical base here, my sense is that the city is far less corrupt than many other cities. "

1. It is, rather, the overblown Christian demographic of Lubbock that is indeed the cause for our corruption.
2. Having lived all over the U.S., Lubbock is the most corrupt city (for its comparable size, roughly a quarter of a million people) that I have been lucky to call my place of residence. No sarcasm, here. There are things I enjoy such as the genuine everyday folks and the ideal, rhythmic pace.

I could go into the various reasons, observations, perceived evidence and assessments I have for this overwhelming corruption - and the Evangelical root of it (i.e, demographic splits, insularly-bubbled communities, the indifference between subdivided communities, etc), but having typing it all out once, before realizing my initial attempt to reply to this thread was wiped clean due to being 'timed-out' lol, I am feeling less diligent on this secondary draft. Haha. Happy to share further assessments if it is of any interest to anyone reading.

In short (yes, this is that version, lol): A city with this many problems - though I'll have to disagree with our thread's creator on the roads - one of the few marvels of Lubbock in terms of broad infrastructure - is only so because of thorough corruption in our law enforcement (racketeering), city council, district attorneys, judges, etc*. But the cultural culprit to blame for our corrupt is the excess of Evangelical, so-called 'Christian' orgs.

**e.g., private mortgage lenders in very recent history in cahoots with city planners to racially segregate districts

Your Fellow 5th-Generation Texas

[DreamPittsburgh]

You clearly never lived in Pennsylvania then.

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by LubbockAllergen

Everywhere else I've ever lived, "Excellence is our motto" was the standard.

I saw this and got a chuckle. I've lived all over the US. Indeed, governments everywhere say this. Living up to it is another matter.

There's no place that's perfect for everyone. If where you're at is making you unhappy, move someplace else. But be honest about your reasons for being unhappy. If it isn't really the place that's the problem, you'll just bring your unhappiness with you wherever you go.

[Bamaman1]

I was only in Lubbock once for work. My only impression is that it sure is out in the middle of nowhere. But that's often a Texas thing--because the state's so large. I like towns closer to other cities.

But the city sure has produced some great singers and songwriters. But they no longer live in the Lubbock area. They remain in Nashville where the quality of life is better and other singers/songwriters live.

[shoe01]

Originally Posted by Bamaman1

I was only in Lubbock once for work. My only impression is that it sure is out in the middle of nowhere. But that's often a Texas thing--because the state's so large. I like towns closer to other cities.

But the city sure has produced some great singers and songwriters. But they no longer live in the Lubbock area. They remain in Nashville where the quality of life is better and other singers/songwriters live.

Do they live there because they want to, or because they have to?

https://twitter.com/joshabbottband/s...096276992?s=20

Not exactly sure where Abbott lives these days, but he and his band have hosted JAB Fest for years now in downtown Lubbock.

[Westerner92]

Small, relatively isolated places tend to be that way. Leadership and money are a good ol' boys club of people who have been there for generations. Coming from a fourth generation West Texan, as in at least two sets of my great-grandparents came over in covered wagons, it's not often people get out. When it's 5-8 hours to the nearest population centers that are larger than 250K, relatively few people move to/from the area, so there's no real competitive markets for anything. Friendship, business, government, and church are all the same clique, and the idea of wealth and holiness being the same thing is pervasive among the evangelical population.

As for the rising cost of housing, that is literally everywhere. It's partly a problem of exponential population growth spiraling out of control, partly a problem of investors putting a ton of money into real estate during the 2008 recession and creating false scarcity, and partly a result of rock bottom interest rates raising offer prices.

[mattb717]

I go back and forth on Lubbock. Yes, it's corrupt. Especially LP&L. But, it's tolerable. Mostly, I detest how Lubbock tries to be a small town in spite of being a quickly growing college city. We can't get a zoo, but we continually get new ways to get fatter. New fast food chains and new bars. Staying shape here here is nearly impossible as it is. I do like that I can talk to women without being a rapey creep, and I can interact with children without being called a pederast. One night stands and walks of shame still happen without rape charges like more liberal cities. Although, they exist on the local subreddit. And being a 38 year old that doesn't want kids makes my dating pool virtually nonexistent.

[Slowpoke_TX]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

Where else have you lived?

Obviously not anywhere near the border.