Reviews & Comments
Lubbock, TX
If you're a right-winger, you'll love Lubbock. -
11/30/2009I was raised in southwest Lubbock and escaped to CA when I was 21. Living in Lubbock for me as a liberal minded individual--was hell. The city as a whole is EXTREMELY religious, extremely close minded and it's been ranked as one of the most conservative cities in the nation. If you do not go to church you WILL be shunned and you WILL be looked at with intense suspicion, especially if you're not a native to the city or state.
The downtown core of the city is lifeless and vacant. There have been no attempts to revitalize it or even entice business there, it is generally just left abandoned with the exception of a few offices. Wal-Mart is top priority in this city. City recycling services is pretty much non-existent ... recycling is a foreign concept to many Lubbock residents. Do not move to Lubbock if you are openly gay as already noted, Lubbock is one of the most conservative cities in the nation and the Evangelical/Born Again/Right-wing population does not take well to LGBT issues. When I was a senior in high school my friend's parents found out that she was a lesbian and she was forced to move into a group home. The local newspaper is extremely biased and is nothing but a shoe in for the Republican Party. A perfect example of the theocratic Taliban style nature of this town is the man who was arrested for selling dildos (illegal in TX, generally not enforced - except for Lubbock). He's now considered to be a public sex offender.
Now, the pros to Lubbock: None... unless you're a right-wing bible thumping Evangelical. If you are such a person, you will be very happy in my hometown. If you're anything but right-wing, avoid this place like the plague. Every city has liberals and conservatives, religious folks and non religious folks, but some cities are more tilted to one side than the other. Lubbock is a conservative Texan city to the core. Anyone not associated with the right-wing cultish lifestyle is not accepted in Lubbock, and the majority of Lubbock residents aren't afraid to tell you that. I didn't want to put up with it, so like many others in my situation, I left and don't ever plan on going back except for visiting family members.
All of the above also applies to Midland/Odessa and to a lesser extent, Amarillo.