Lubbock info 2019? (West: for sale, rent, home builders)

[SMC22]

Hi all,

I'm looking at the Lubbock area, and figured out renting won't be a problem, Home builders are there, the stores I know are there, the electricity is dirt cheap, and although natural gas is through the roof, I don't think I'll use it much for heat anyway. I'm used to -25 being the low this time of year in Montana, but I'm moving because of the wicked amount of pollution and the inversions.

How is the pollution? I assume nobody ever uses a wood stove there, but I'm just checking... We are inundated with Wildfire smoke as well, which combined keeps me inside 10 months a year. Literally.

Have you ever heard of a movie? They are shows about 2 hours long? Seen them all.

I'll probably rent in Lubbock while looking around the West outside of the city, I would prefer half an acre, or big enough for a shop and house.

Thanks for any info!

[Westerner92]

Lubbock doesn’t get inversion layers, but it does have enough windy and dusty days that it keeps you inside about three months out of the year in addition to any rainy and/or cold days. I’m not sure how smoke here on the Front Range compares to that in Montana, but if it’s similar, the dust and cotton ginning seasons might not be much better for you.

You can get a good comparison by looking at the histories of air quality here:
https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-qual...year-tile-plot

The PM2.5 is the pollutant you’d probably be most interested in. Using that tool, it seems like Lubbock has generally better air quality than the Montana towns at the foot of the mountains, but way better than Missoula.

[SMC22]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

Lubbock doesn’t get inversion layers, but it does have enough windy and dusty days that it keeps you inside about three months out of the year in addition to any rainy and/or cold days. I’m not sure how smoke here on the Front Range compares to that in Montana, but if it’s similar, the dust and cotton ginning seasons might not be much better for you.

You can get a good comparison by looking at the histories of air quality here:
https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-qual...year-tile-plot

The PM2.5 is the pollutant you’d probably be most interested in. Using that tool, it seems like Lubbock has generally better air quality than the Montana towns at the foot of the mountains, but way better than Missoula.

Thanks for info and the Epa site, Westerner92. I have only seen the local DEQ site here in Helena, which is inaccurate quite a bit, as the smoke can be thick enough that I can't see the mountains, yet it claims it's Green. I'm 2 miles straight line distance from the monitoring station. Looking on the Epa tool, it appears they upload data from the local stations, as they have the same station name.

I can hope Lubbock's monitoring station is accurate, as I'll take that all day long. I have never heard of the cotton season, so I'll have to research that.

Wind here can hit 60, with 20 being normal, but in paved subdivisions it isn't a problem. I can watch dust storms a couple miles North where they haven't paved, and yes, that is never fun.

I lived West of Seattle most of my life, so Rain is welcomed. The temp. with wind now is -27 by their calculations, so if it ever got that cold in TX, I would be used to it. All you can do is stay inside.

I'm not allergic to cotton, or the finished product that is, so unless it's windy 24/7, I don't see any problems with your reply. As with everything, there's one way to find out... Thanks again.

[augiedogie]

Very few wildfires, but there is still stuff in the air, sometimes you can smell a feedlot a little. Some have problems from cotton dust in the fall.My wife had allergy problems from blowing dust, which is occasional, but not frequent. Lots of people do have allergy problems all over Texas. My experience is rent first if you have concerns about air quality.

We retired a few years ago and are full time RVers. The goal was to find an area or areas to live with clean air. SE arizona is the best we found. N. Wisconsin is second.

[SMC22]

Originally Posted by augiedogie

Very few wildfires, but there is still stuff in the air, sometimes you can smell a feedlot a little. Some have problems from cotton dust in the fall.My wife had allergy problems from blowing dust, which is occasional, but not frequent. Lots of people do have allergy problems all over Texas. My experience is rent first if you have concerns about air quality.

We retired a few years ago and are full time RVers. The goal was to find an area or areas to live with clean air. SE arizona is the best we found. N. Wisconsin is second.

Thanks, augiedogie.

WI is warmer than MT right now, but I would assume there is a lot of wood stove smoke this time of year. I'll look at SE AZ as well, I guess the biggest adjustment would be being Hot almost the whole year.

As long as the air isn't constantly filled with cow poop smell, (Ellensburg WA), I'm good. That's just annoying though, Fire smoke is a different animal. I'm renting no matter what before buying, as I am paying for not doing that now...

I don't know if I'm sensitive to Cotton dust or not, but I will make sure to be there at that time to find out. I'm even thinking of just visiting for a weekend, as I'll know immediately if the air is an issue.

As far as finding places with clean air, have you tried West of Seattle? The rain isn't for everybody, but the air is real clean. I never had any problems with air, 28 years or so living in that area. The only problem is they are killing people with taxes now, or I would be back there.

[augiedogie]

No, N. WI fits our needs. Its very safe, lots to do year round, forests, wildlife, friendly people, and the air is clean, much better than the US average, and the cost of living is below the national average. Wages arent great, but were retired and we live a minimalist lifestyle.

Our biggest challenge will be readjusting to cold winters. We grew up there, so Im sure we can readjust. Its more mental than physical. You have to buy proper clothes and get outside on the warmer days, otherwise cabin fever can do you in.

[FKomarek]

There is really no pollution in Lubbock, other than the occasional dust storm. You hardly notice most of them, when you are inside the Loop.

I don't think there are many wood stoves here, but there are lots of fireplaces. Due to the topography, there is no worry about inversions or smog.

[SMC22]

Originally Posted by augiedogie

No, N. WI fits our needs. Its very safe, lots to do year round, forests, wildlife, friendly people, and the air is clean, much better than the US average, and the cost of living is below the national average. Wages arent great, but were retired and we live a minimalist lifestyle.

Our biggest challenge will be readjusting to cold winters. We grew up there, so Im sure we can readjust. Its more mental than physical. You have to buy proper clothes and get outside on the warmer days, otherwise cabin fever can do you in.

I looked at houses in N. WI, and a lot are from the early 1900's. It's usually easy to tell if they have 1 bathroom. I'm not done looking, but I didn't see any land for sale in my search.

As far as cold, it's mental when it's -8 with no wind. That's no big deal, walking into and out of the store or shoveling the walk quickly. It becomes physical when the Flag is horizontal and whipping. The feel like temp now is -28, and I'm not even going to the mailbox. And yes, Cabin fever is horrible, there's only so much cleaning one can do.

[SMC22]

Originally Posted by FKomarek

There is really no pollution in Lubbock, other than the occasional dust storm. You hardly notice most of them, when you are inside the Loop.

I don't think there are many wood stoves here, but there are lots of fireplaces. Due to the topography, there is no worry about inversions or smog.

Ok, Thanks. I see the elevation is much higher to the West, and much lower to the East, so no valley trap... There is Mountains on all sides here, so the air just sits.

[LubbockAllergen]

Check out costochondritis - it's thought to be caused by the pesticides they spray on the cotton, though few physicians in Lubbock will admit that. It can be severe enough that someone suffering it can mistake it for a heart attack. If you're susceptible, a windy day or two will be enough to set it off.