Forbes decided to crush Lubbock’s civic pride by ranking us the sixth most dangerous city in the U.S. Out of all metro areas with more than 200,000 people, Lubbock managed to climb the charts with a violent crime rate of 808 per 100,000 residents.
Detroit and Memphis topped the list (of course they did), but somehow Lubbock found itself rubbing elbows with the big boys of American crime despite being mostly known for Buddy Holly, dust storms, and an alarming number of chain restaurants.
The FBI stats were clear: murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault were alive and well on the South Plains. Forget “Hub City”—try “Thug City.”
Who needs a tourism campaign when Forbes is out here branding us as the sixth circle of crime? Maybe the city slogan should just be: “Lubbock: Come for the football, stay because you’re too scared to leave after dark.”
