Making the transition to Lubbock can be made much easier with tips from a long-time resident. Rather than just general ideas, you will get an exact understanding of what to expect.
As a long-term resident of the city, I’ve done my best to provide tips below for moving to Lubbock that address some of the most common questions and concerns people have.
At Lubbock Lease Homes, we look forward to working with new residents to settle in and find the perfect home. Contact us today to see how we can help you find the ideal rental home in the city from one of our many available properties.
11 Tips That Will Make Moving Lubbock and Settling In Easier
While there are some things you will only discover once you move, the following eleven tips will go a long way toward helping you transition to life in West Texas much easier.
1. Choose The Right Neighborhood To Live In
Despite what things may look like from Google Earth, there is quite a bit of difference between the neighborhoods in Lubbock, both culturally and landscape-wise.
Being a college town, Lubbock has areas wholly dominated by various universities. However, over the past few decades, the city has grown so much that it can’t be called just a college town anymore.
Think about the types of people you want to be around. There are upper and lower-class neighborhoods and middle-class enclaves. You’ll find areas full of retirees and, on the other end, young college students.
Knowing what you want from your home will make choosing the right neighborhood in Lubbock much easier. So, take the time to list what’s important to you and narrow down neighborhoods based on this list.
2. Prepare For The Climate
Preparation in this regard means having the proper clothing for a diverse range of weather. Mostly, the city is warm and dry in the spring and summer months and cooler to cold and dry during the winters.
However, you can expect almost every weather phenomenon imaginable in the city. There are hail storms, dust storms, major winter storms, flash flooding, sub-zero temperatures, and heavy wind storms.
Thankfully, these extreme weather events are the minority and not the norm. Most days in the city, you can expect things to be warm and sunny. Even during the fall and winter months, the temperature is relatively stable.
However, you want to be well prepared for these extreme weather days. Ensure you have the proper clothing, from snow boots to winter clothing and rain slickers. Having suitable clothing beforehand can make severe weather in the city much more pleasant.
3. Know How To Drive In Rain and Snow
As an add-on to the above tip about the weather, be prepared to drive in that weather. Lubbock is a driving city with very little in the way of public transportation. While there is a city bus system, most people will find having a car is necessary.
While the number of times you will need to drive in snow or heavy rain each year is minimal, you need to be prepared for it. The last thing you want is to have zero experience or understanding of driving on snow or ice and then get stuck the day of a snowstorm, having to drive to work.
Take the time to look at safe driving tips for snow, ice, and rain. Ensure you are prepared for what to do if you hydroplane or lose control of your car. There are plenty of accidents in the city during these extreme weather events, and many could be prevented simply by understanding safe driving.
4. Be Prepared For Dust Storms and Haboobs
Lubbock is a semi-arid region known for dust storms, some of which can become extreme, called Haboobs.
If you’ve never heard of a Haboob, picture a giant wall of dirt and dust slowly engulfing a city in darkness. Everything around you is brown, and visibility is almost nothing.
While these storms are rare, you can expect one or two each year. Milder dust storms are more common and are much less dangerous.
There is little you can do to prepare for these types of storms; in most cases, they pass quickly. However, you should know that they happen to avoid being freaked out the first time you experience one.
If caught in a Haboob or other extreme dust storm, the best thing to do is pull over and wait. As I mentioned, most of these storms will pass quite quickly. The most extreme storms, which usually happen only once every few years, may last an hour or a bit longer.
However, there is nothing inherently dangerous about these storms outside of people who have asthma or similar conditions.
5. Have a Job Before Moving (If you don’t already)
While Lubbock has a stable economy, it is still a medium-sized city with fewer job prospects than larger cities such as Dallas or Austin.
Having a job before you get here, even as a college or university student, can make life much easier. Plenty of jobs are available, but getting hired may take some time.
Another important consideration is that the population of the city is growing at a steady pace. This, combined with the increasing number of college students in the city, means that more people are applying for available jobs.
If you know you are moving to Lubbock, start applying early. For university students, take advantage of your school’s employment resources, which can help you find stable employment.
6. Don’t Fret About The Crime Statistics
This may sound a bit worrying and counterintuitive, but much of what you will hear about crime in Lubbock is misleading.
The City of Lubbock, in a commitment to transparency, has a policy of reporting all crimes and calls that are made to the Lubbock police. This is regardless of the severity of the crime or whether arrests were made.
What that means is a call to the police from a single mom with an unruly teen gets put in the same crime statistics as a rare violent home invasion, or a stolen bike gets lumped in with a burglary spree.
For this reason, the city’s crime stats are artificially inflated compared to many other cities with different reporting metrics or which only report calls that lead to arrests or may not even report minor calls.
The reality on the ground is that Lubbock is an incredibly safe city. There is crime in certain neighborhoods that’s worse than others. Like any city, there is always the chance of random crime happening.
However, if you take the same basic precautions you’d take anywhere else, you will find that Lubbock is a very safe place to live.
7. Get Creative With The Entertainment
One of the main complaints you will often hear from young people who have grown up in the city is that there isn’t anything to do.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. In my experience, this is usually uttered by people who would be equally bored in any other city.
Lubbock is a vibrant city with much to offer if you go out and find it. There are regular live sporting events at the university, several reasonable public and private golf courses, tons of live music, regular Broadway performances, diverse museums, and plenty more.
This is along with any hobbies you might have, which, with over 300 thousand people living in the metro, you can surely find others to engage with.
If you are looking for outdoor activities, a reasonably sized lake, Buffalo Springs Lake, to the east, is big enough for boating. About an hour east, a much larger lake, Lake Allen Henry, offers camping and boating.
You can also easily get anywhere in the country from the Lubbock International Airport, albeit with a layover in Dallas or Houston.
In other words, your level of enjoyment in Lubbock will be directly proportionate to the level of effort you put into finding things to do, cultivating hobbies, and getting out there.
8. Be Ready For Allergy Season
As a side note from the weather-related tips above, you should be prepared to sneeze a lot during the spring months.
Always remember that Lubbock resides in the middle of a significant agricultural region. This means that certain times of the year lend themselves to harvesting and, therefore, problems with allergies.
During the spring months, you can also expect the normal pollens and emerging plant life to wreak havoc on your allergies. If you are a person who regularly suffers from bad allergies, then make it a point to stock up on Claritin.
9. Get Used To Long Drives or Layovers If You Travel A Lot
One drawback of the Hub City is that it is pretty isolated. This means driving to any of the closest major cities or other destinations of interest can be a hassle.
Many road trips from Lubbock will see you driving for five hours or more at a minimum to get to places like Dallas or mountainous regions in New Mexico.
Flying isn’t much better, either. While there are some direct flights from Lubbock to desired destinations, they are few and far between.
Virtually every flight from Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport will require you to make a layover in a larger city such as Dallas, Houston, Denver, or sometimes Austin.
While this can be annoying, it isn’t a massive issue in the long run. The drive from Lubbock can be quite relaxing, and flying from here to Dallas takes only an hour, and then you are on your way to your final destination.
10. Take Care of Your Skin As This Is a Dry Climate
This is another weather-related tip, but it’s essential if you want to avoid looking like a prune when you hit your later years. Lubbock is extremely dry, even compared to some other parts of Texas.
Take care of your skin. This means wearing your sunscreen and any other moisturizing routines you have.
Also, drink plenty of water as you will find yourself dehydrating quite quickly. This holds especially true during summer when temperatures can routinely hit the high 90s and even 100s.
11. Be Prepared For a Big City With a Small Town Mentality
Lastly, make sure to relax. While Lubbock is a growing city, you will find that there is still a small town at heart.
This can come as quite a surprise to those from much larger cities who are used to the hustle and bustle of life. However, you can get almost anywhere in the city in under 20 minutes, people regularly hold the door open, and there is still a strong emphasis on old-fashioned manners.
People in Lubbock can be cliquey, but they are quite friendly. You will often find that the relationships you make in the city go much deeper than those in busier places. The friends you make here will often be friends for life.
So, don’t let the small-town vibes be a turn-off. The city has pros and cons, but if you’re open and willing to get out there, Lubbock can be a great place to call home, even just for a few college years.
Finding Your New Home In Lubbock
Overall, the city is a great place to live for many people. Whether you are a university student, a young family, or a retiree, the city has plenty to offer. The key is getting out and exploring.
However, the best way to ensure you have an enjoyable time in the city is to have a great place to call home. If you’re looking for a home in Lubbock, check out our available properties.Here at Lubbock Lease Homes, we take great pride in welcoming new residents to the city and look forward to helping you in any way we can. So, if you have any questions, contact us today.
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