[9] The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world[10][11] and is heavily dependent on water from the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation.

At one time, Lubbock was home to Reese Air Force Base, located 6 mi (10 km) west of the city.

The National Ranching Heritage Center, also part of the Museum of Texas Tech University, houses historic ranch-related structures from the region.

[17] During the late 1970s to mid-1980s, Texas Instruments was a major Lubbock employer, manufacturing consumer electronics – including early calculators, digital watches, and TI-99 series home computers.

On August 12, 2008, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce announced they would lead the effort to get enough signatures to have a vote on allowing county-wide packaged alcohol sales.

Inside the city limits, the situation was reversed, with restaurants and bars able to serve alcohol, but liquor stores forbidden.

[29] Lubbock is considered to be the center of the Llano Estacado portion of the South Plains, with Midland on the southern edge, and Amarillo denoting the northern boundary.

[54] Eastern faiths including Buddhism and Hinduism were collectively the third largest groups in Lubbock, and Judaism was practiced by an estimated 0.1% of the population.

The Lubbock area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world and is heavily dependent on federal government agricultural subsidies and on irrigation water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer.

Some progress has been made toward water conservation, and new technologies such as low-energy precision application irrigation were originally developed in the Lubbock area.

[60] Local KCBD News undertook several investigations into the barrel recycling company's waste-handling practices, and when the business closed in 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency was called in to begin cleaning up the site, which they described as "a threat to public health, welfare, and the environment".

Local residents were informed, "hazardous substances have overflowed the vats and flowed off the site into nearby Blackwater Draw and subsequently through Mackenzie recreational park.

The day's activities usually include a morning parade, a street fair along Broadway Avenue with food stalls and live bands, the Early Settlers' Luncheon, and an evening concert/fireworks program.

The South Plains Fair is also hosted annually, and features a wide variety of entertainment, including live music, theme-park rides, and various food items sold in a carnival-like setting.

Lubbock continues to play host to rising and established alt-country acts at venues such as the Cactus Theater and The Blue Light Live, both on Buddy Holly Avenue.

[67] Holly's legacy is also remembered through the work of deejays, such as Jerry "Bo" Coleman, Bud Andrews, and Virgil Johnson on radio station KDAV.

Thus far, the private group, the Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association, has raised or received pledges in the amount of $93 million.

A subsequent solo career in the 1970s produced hits, such as "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me", making him a well-known name in popular music.

Located on North I-27, Silent Wings features photographs and artifacts from World War II-era glider pilots.

Men's varsity sports at Texas Tech are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field.

Women's varsity sports are basketball, cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

In 2006, the polo team, composed of Will Tankard, Ross Haislip, Peter Blake, and Tanner Kneese, won the collegiate national championship.

Led by Sheryl Swoopes and head coach Marsha Sharp, the Lady Raiders won the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 1993.

[83] In March 1877, during the Buffalo Hunters' War, the Battle of Yellow House Canyon took place at what is now the site of Mackenzie Park.

Often small in size, the lakes serve as reservoirs for stormwater and irrigation runoff, and are an important part of the West Texas High Plains ecosystem.

[88] Playa lakes generally drain from one to another over land during a rainfall event, but many were connected as part of an underground drainage project in the early 2000s to avoid flooding.

Lubbock has a council-manager government system, with all governmental powers resting in a legislative body called a city council.

According to a study released by the nonpartisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research in 2005, Lubbock is the second-most conservative city in the United States among municipalities greater than 100,000 in population.

According to the 2016 American Community Survey, 80.9% of working Lubbock (city) residents commuted by driving alone, 12.9% carpooled, 1% used public transportation, and 1.5% walked.

Marc McDougal, then the mayor of Lubbock, described the project as a well calculated risk that subsequently greatly benefited the city.