Anyone else just not like Lubbock ? (Houston, Austin: lease, lofts, condos)

[JBRJB2006]

I actually don’t mind living in Lubbock (I don’t love it but we do have family here) but my husband who was raised in a Tennessee has been here 4 years and wants to move our family East. His main complaints are he cannot connect with our kiddos due to not having anywhere to hunt, fish or “explore”. He grew up in the back woods of Tennessee on a farm working, hunting and fishing everyday so he’s having a hard time being in West Texas. He’s worried our kids will never learn how to “work” like he did by growing up on a farm. The wind and dirt is also a complaint. I’m considering moving our family but cannot decide what’s best. Any opinions welcome.

[As Above So Below...]

So I have never lived in Lubbock, but I have spent ample time there as well as Amarillo and Midland. I used to go to all three every other month for work and I have a very good friend in Lubbock and another in Amarillo.

I have an unpopular opinion: I prefer Amarillo to the other three. If I had to choose one, it would be that one.

Im not the worlds biggest fan of Lubbock mainly for the natural setting. I cant deal with all that dust. With Amarillo, at least there is grass most places. Of course Amarillo smells quite bad depending on wind direction. Amarillo is also more ethnically diverse because of the large refugee population. I do think Lubbock has better food overall, but Amarillo has surprisingly good Thai and Vietnamese food.

I prefer the development of Amarillo as well. Lubbock is growing like DFW where as sprawl isnt as bad in Amarillo. It just keeps going further and further Southwest as opposed to back into the city. My buddy that lives there currently lives off of Slide Road and 94th. But they are moving out further all the way down to New Home. Many of the people I talk to there are considering the same. Amarillo, in my opinion, has more unique neighborhoods that still seem desirable. The neighborhood just Southwest of Amarillo College is a really nice place close to the center of town with beautiful homes. Im unaware of a neighborhood that is like that in Lubbock but there are some nicer neighborhoods. Maybe Tech Terrace off of 22nd and Indiana is closest but it doesnt seem the same to me.

[Westerner92]

I grew up in Lubbock and moved as soon as I graduated high school. The landscape really is the worst part about the city, and I was determined to live somewhere with actual topography and nature. Getting dust in your crevices at least two months out of the year was just part of life.

I wasn’t able to discover my passion for nature and outdoors sports until I moved to Austin and took up climbing, where you can actually go to several natural limestone walls in city limits. I moved to Denver specifically so I could backpack and ski on weekends. People in Lubbock think hunting is “outdoorsy”, and even then, you have to drive at least an hour (or in my case four) to family land, a hunting lease, or impose on someone who has access to rural land off the caprock. Fishing is for people who have boats on Alan Henry and get satisfaction out of catching stocked bass, or it’s a once a year treat when you can get up to Colorado. With few outdoors options, the world revolves around church and team sports, neither of which is great for people who march to the beat of their own drum.

One thing that Lubbock might have better than Tennessee, depending on the area, is schools. Lubbock High, though it might not be the same as when I graduated, is a world class education for kids on the AP track. My classmates and I who went to UT were so much better prepared than even the kids from competitive suburban high schools in the Houston and DFW metros. And those who went to more prestigious schools generally felt the same.

It depends on what sort of track you see your kids taking, but manual labor for its own sake doesn’t necessarily instill the kind of discipline it takes to be successful in the entrepreneur or professional worlds. That said, having more room for your husband and kids to be able to do projects (from concept to planning to finishing touches) is applicable no matter what your kids want to pursue.

All that said, I have no resentment at all about growing up in Lubbock, and it does well for its size, setting, and isolation. But I always encouraged my dad to take jobs out-of-state when he was offered them. I’d say if you knew your kids would have good schools and get exposed to the outside world, Tennessee would be worth the move.

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

So I have never lived in Lubbock, but I have spent ample time there as well as Amarillo and Midland. I used to go to all three every other month for work and I have a very good friend in Lubbock and another in Amarillo.

I have an unpopular opinion: I prefer Amarillo to the other three. If I had to choose one, it would be that one.

Im not the worlds biggest fan of Lubbock mainly for the natural setting. I cant deal with all that dust. With Amarillo, at least there is grass most places. Of course Amarillo smells quite bad depending on wind direction. Amarillo is also more ethnically diverse because of the large refugee population. I do think Lubbock has better food overall, but Amarillo has surprisingly good Thai and Vietnamese food.

I prefer the development of Amarillo as well. Lubbock is growing like DFW where as sprawl isnt as bad in Amarillo. It just keeps going further and further Southwest as opposed to back into the city. My buddy that lives there currently lives off of Slide Road and 94th. But they are moving out further all the way down to New Home. Many of the people I talk to there are considering the same. Amarillo, in my opinion, has more unique neighborhoods that still seem desirable. The neighborhood just Southwest of Amarillo College is a really nice place close to the center of town with beautiful homes. Im unaware of a neighborhood that is like that in Lubbock but there are some nicer neighborhoods. Maybe Tech Terrace off of 22nd and Indiana is closest but it doesnt seem the same to me.

The NW quadrant of Tech Terrace is probably the closest in vibe to that neighborhood in Amarillo, but there are a couple nice 60s-70s era neighborhoods with mature trees and aesthetically pleasing houses in the Rush neighborhood (19th and Quaker area) and Melonie Park (66th and Memphis). That said, people in west Texas looove to spread out. Amarillo has the same kind of subdivisions with houses on 2-4 acre plots all the way out to Canyon and Bushland.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

The NW quadrant of Tech Terrace is probably the closest in vibe to that neighborhood in Amarillo, but there are a couple nice 60s-70s era neighborhoods with mature trees and aesthetically pleasing houses in the Rush neighborhood (19th and Quaker area) and Melonie Park (66th and Memphis). That said, people in west Texas looove to spread out. Amarillo has the same kind of subdivisions with houses on 2-4 acre plots all the way out to Canyon and Bushland.

I can get some of that in the area around 16th and Quaker. There are some home that are similar to that neighborhood in Amarillo. Its a pretty charming neighborhood overall. I dont really see the charm on at the area off 66th I guess. There are some nice mature trees there, but the houses seemed generic to me.

Youre not wrong about people in West Texas wanting to spread out, though I do find it to be more pronounced in Lubbock. Now that may very well be because Lubbock is more populated than Amarillo, but I do find that the suburbs in Lubbock to have more pull than they do in Amarillo. Canyon seems to be its own a vs. a place like Wolfforth to Lubbock. Bushland is building up but I dont find it on the same level. I get that 289 isnt as big as 335 but the sprawl goes out much further outside the loop in Lubbock than it does in Amarillo.

That said, this a knock on Lubbock. Lubbock has been much better at getting desirable outside establishments like Costco and Cabela's. Its bigger size and the presence of Tech probably makes it more desirable. Perhaps incorrectly, Ive always seen Lubbock as more white collar and Amarillo as more blue collar. Cotton vs. Cattle.

[shoe01]

To the original poster, since you mentioned exploring, both Caprock Canyons State Park and Palo Duro Canyon SP further up north get good reviews.

To the others, one thing that Lubbock lacks that may be coming soon is brand new dense housing in or close to downtown that isn’t geared toward one segment, like college students or seniors. (Examples of those types include the vast majority of North Overton and the Guadalupe Villas, and hopefully The Regents at 1212 construction has started or will soon.) There are places like the Pioneer Condos, the Courthouse Lofts, and the Metro/NTS Tower project, but those are renovations of existing structures.

[losttechnician]

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

Perhaps incorrectly, Ive always seen Lubbock as more white collar and Amarillo as more blue collar. Cotton vs. Cattle.

I cannot agree more. I have spent the last 35+ years living in in the area, living in Lubbock, Shallowater, and Canyon.

I have solid ties in both Lubbock and Amarillo.

I made this exact same point a while back here on CD and a couple of folks vociferously disagreed with me.

I still stand by it, and agree with you.

[High_Plains_Retired]

In terms of agricultural economies, Lubbock is supported by farming and Amarillo by ranching.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by JBRJB2006

I actually don’t mind living in Lubbock (I don’t love it but we do have family here) but my husband who was raised in a Tennessee has been here 4 years and wants to move our family East. His main complaints are he cannot connect with our kiddos due to not having anywhere to hunt, fish or “explore”. He grew up in the back woods of Tennessee on a farm working, hunting and fishing everyday so he’s having a hard time being in West Texas. He’s worried our kids will never learn how to “work” like he did by growing up on a farm. The wind and dirt is also a complaint. I’m considering moving our family but cannot decide what’s best. Any opinions welcome.

well i like Lubbock quite a bit.I dont lijke the wind and dirt and dust either,OP.

[augiedogie]

I lived in Lubbock for 11 years. My whole family wanted out ASAP. It has almost nothing to offer other than work, restaurants, and TexasTech. The landscape is the most boring in the whole USA. There are very few activities and the weather and wind and the dust are just nasty. There is very little to offer as far as outdoor family activities, bike trails, hunting, fishing, ATV. Where we live we have multiple clean lakes for swimming, and fishing in the summer. We are completely surrounded by all kinds of recreational activities. We got out as soon as we could and have never looked back.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by augiedogie

I lived in Lubbock for 11 years. My whole family wanted out ASAP. It has almost nothing to offer other than work, restaurants, and TexasTech. The landscape is the most boring in the whole USA. There are very few activities and the weather and wind and the dust are just nasty. There is very little to offer as far as outdoor family activities, bike trails, hunting, fishing, ATV. Where we live we have multiple clean lakes for swimming, and fishing in the summer. We are completely surrounded by all kinds of recreational activities. We got out as soon as we could and have never looked back.

Maybe you should listen to Mac Davis. He wrote a song for you (its on Youtube-but below are the lyrics):

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/macd...iewmirror.html