Growing up in Lubbock often means living in that perfect in-between space of being not quite country but also not exactly city. Most of us can two-step AND order at Starbucks like a New Yorker. We’ve been to rodeos and rock shows on the same weekend. We’re like little hybrids. Ford tough with Spotify Premium, if you will.
A lot of us spent time hauling hay and riding around in our daddy’s trucks, but still panic when asked to touch a cow that isn’t on the other side of a fence. Nearly everyone owns at least one pair of boots, but 9/10, they are more for a night out at The Blue Light than branding season or real cowboy work.
We Like a Little Fancy With Our Grit
Chicken-fried steak on Friday night and sushi on Saturday. I rode around with a friend the other day whose playlist jumped from George Strait to Ozzy, somehow seamlessly, but that’s probably because I’m from around here, too. It is what it is. We can also spot a fake cowby OR a poser goth kid from miles away, and we have zero respect for either one. Funny how that works.
We spent a lot of time riding our bikes on bumpy caliche roads, but then rushed to our computers to check our Myspace directly after. My friends and I may have learned to drive in empty fields, but we also learn the art of sarcasm in the aisles of Target. We are just as comfortable in a fancy joint as we are in a pasture, and I think that’s kind of special.
In Lubbock, we grow up saying “yes ma’am” but also “bro.” We hold doors open for one another, but also have opinions on the best places to get a good bowl of lobster bisque. We are polite, but certainly not pushovers. Humble, but also a little feral…
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There’s a balance here unlike anywhere else. I’ve got friends who wake up early to work on their farms and then spend the evenings writing songs for their ska bands. We live right in the middle, and we make it look good, or at least we think we do. I’m on our side.
Being half city and half country isn’t confusing to us. It’s just evolution. It’s the bridge between dusty boots and city lights, new age dreams and old school values, mom’s cornbread and dad’s fancy bourbon. If this doesn’t hit home with you, then we didn’t grow up in the same place, and you certainly aren’t from Lubbock.
Keep scrolling for more Lubbock-based nostalgia in the galleries below…
Why Lubbock’s 34th Street Is A Culinary Trip Around the WorldWant to dine around the world without leaving Lubbock? Try 34th Street, which is full of delicious, high-quality options from across the globe. Gallery Credit: Renee Raven 
