Lubbock County apartments for rent

Lubbock County’s history is as diverse and interesting as its people. In 1540 the Spanish explorer, Captain Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, came across the plains in search of the much fantasized Golden City of Quivira. Historians have found evidence that these Spanish expeditions camped in the famous “Lubbock Lake Site,” which is considered one of the archeological wonders of the United States, and sits just north of Lubbock.

Later, the Comanche tribe roamed this area hunting their basic livelihood, the buffalo. The Comanche tribe had free reign of the area until the 1870s, when the lure of vast open and cheap land, and what looked like unlimited natural resources, brought many white settlers to this part of the country. The buffalo were slaughtered almost to extinction by this group, eventually causing the demise of the Comanche civilizations on the South Plains.

Lubbock County was created in 1876 and was named after Tom Lubbock, a former Texas Ranger, Confederate Officer and brother of Francis Lubbock, a former Texas governor. Lubbock County’s first courthouse, a large two-story frame building, had to be made from materials hauled from Amarillo and Colorado City, since the Lubbock area did not have an abundance of trees. The courthouse became the heart of this high plains settlement, whose population numbered 300 at the turn of the 20th century.

Today that population has grown to nearly 250,000 residents within this county of 901 square miles. Lubbock County is bordered by Hale, Crosby, Lynn and Hockley counties. Its county seat is the city of Lubbock, which is also the capital city.

Today the city is the 11th most-populous city in Texas, and the economic center of the Lubbock metro area. The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world, and is heavily dependent on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer.

Lubbock was ranked the 12th “best place to start a small business” by CNNMoney.com based on the community’s traditional business atmosphere, affordable commercial space, central location and assistance from city government. Lubbock High School has been recognized for three consecutive years by Newsweek as one of the top high schools in the United States.

Lubbock County is also home to Texas Tech University, a major comprehensive research university with an enrollment of more than 30,000 students.