I talk a lot of crap about Lubbock. Like. A lot. I complain about things here as if they personally wronged me. I roll my eyes when I have to drive across town. I’ve said “there’s nothing to do here” at last once a week for most of my adult life. And yet, here I am.

Still here. Still defending this place when someone else talks badly…

The thing about Lubbock is that you don’t realize just how much it gets under your skin until you try to explain it to someone who has never lived here.

You can’t explain to an outsider how small the world feels here. Sometimes in a good way. Sometimes in a bad way. You run into people you know everywhere you go. The gas station. The grocery store. Somewhere you swore you wouldn’t see a soul, and there they are, and you know what?  You don’t hate it as much as you think you should.

Lubbock has a really weird way of being both comforting and frustrating at the same time. It’s not flashy, and it’s not trying to impress anyone. It’s just here. Just doing its thing. Just existing in its own little bubble where people talk in line for too long, still remember you from 5 years ago, and everyone waves at you when you drive by.

We live in the kind of place where life may not look very exciting from the outside, but it still feels real when you’re in the middle of it. We complain here, but it’s just part of the culture, really. If you live here and aren’t complaining, people might get suspicious.

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The truth is, most of us don’t actually want to leave. And, if we do, we always know in the back of our mind that we can come back when it doesn’t go as planned. The cost of living, the people, the pace, and the way the sky stretches out forever, along with the sunsets that hit so much harder than they should, all make Lubbock look pretty good when things aren’t going as planned.

Lubbock is nowhere close to perfect, but it’s honest, and for some reason, that’s enough to keep a whole lot of us here, whether or not we complain the entire time.

Keep scrolling for more Lubbock-based stories in the galleries below…

41 Breathtaking Photos From The Tallest Building in Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock looks amazing from the tallest building in town.

Gallery Credit: Chrissy

The Best Soups in Lubbock, Texas According to Locals

These are the best places in town to get your soup on!

Gallery Credit: Chrissy