With a population of , in , [ 3 ] Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. Lubbock's nickname, "Hub City", derives from it being the economic, educational, and health-care hub of the multicounty region, north of the Permian Basin and south of the Texas Panhandle , commonly called the South Plains.
Lubbock is home to Texas Tech University , the sixth-largest college by enrollment in the state. In , the land that would become Lubbock was the heart of Comancheria , the shifting domain controlled by the Comanche. Lubbock County was founded in A small town, known as Old Lubbock, Lubbock, or North Town, was established about three miles to the east.
In , the original Lubbock merged with Monterey, another small town south of the canyon. The new town adopted the Lubbock name. The merger included moving the original Lubbock's Nicolett Hotel across the canyon on rollers to the new townsite. Lubbock became the county seat in , [ 15 ] and was incorporated on March 16, In the same year, the first railroad train arrived.
Both universities are now overseen by the Texas Tech University System , after it was established in and based in Lubbock. Lubbock Christian University , founded in , affiliated with the Churches of Christ , has its main campus in the city. Army as Lubbock Army Airfield. It served the old U. Army Air Forces , and later the U. The USAF base's primary mission throughout its existence was pilot training. The base was closed 30 September , after being selected for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in , and is now a research and business park called Reese Technology Center.
The landmark is an archaeological and natural-history preserve at the northern edge of the city. It shows evidence of almost 12, years of human occupation in the region. The town served as a stand-in for the British for Cork, Ireland, which was the same distance from London, England, as Lubbock is from Terrell. In August , a V-shaped formation of lights was seen over the city. The " Lubbock Lights " series of sightings received national publicity and is regarded as one of the first great " UFO " cases.
