The other border

New Mexico Business Journal, July, 1996 by Sue Bohannan Mann

The mirror cities have seen an unprecedented influx of national chains being built. Over the past five years: Sam's, Walmart Super Center, Best Buy, Target, Builders Square and others have opened for business, and more ground-breakings are scheduled.

Cultural Magnets Attract Tourists

The Depot District, built around Lubbock's first historical landmark, the Fort Worth & Denver South Plains Railway, covers a five-block square. Diners rather than railway passengers now frequent The Depot, originally built in 1928. The prominent dining establishment has spearheaded other renovations. The Cactus Theater, located in a vintage movie house, celebrates the past and savors the present as Lubbock's foremost performing arts center. The 19th Street Warehouse now features concerts and comedy, the finest in local, regional and national acts. Lubbock's first micro-brewery, Hub City Brewery, serves up hand-crafted brews as well as gourmet pizzas from a wood-burning oven.

Where a 1970 tornado cut a one-mile swath through downtown Lubbock, the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center emerged as a memorial to the 26 killed in the disaster. The National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration is held there annually during the second weekend of September.

The Lubbock Lake Landmark State Historical Park, located at Clovis Road and the loop, contains deposits related to cultures existing on the Southern Plains over the last 12,000 years. The Science Spectrum, a playground for the mind and senses, features the latest domed screen, Omnimax, allowing audiences to experience the world from new perspectives.

Amarillo's push for tourism permeates the traditional Texas theme. Tours from Germany and other parts of Europe enjoy staying at a dude ranch with chuck wagon breakfasts and hayrides.

The annual pageant, Texas, in the outdoor amphitheater of the Palo Duro Canyon, 20 miles south of Amarillo, draws 100,000 attendees each summer, generating $15 to $20 million. The 1996 season lasts from June 12 to August 24. Visitors go early to see outstanding sunsets that gave the young Georgia O'Keeffe inspiration.

The Confederate Air Force Museum, next to the Midland International Airport, hosts the world's foremost collection of World War II aircraft in flying condition. More than 40,000 people attended the CAF AIRSHO in October 1995, commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II's end.

Agriculture, Ranching and New Markets

The Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute contributes to the success of the premier grape-growing industry and wine harvesting around Lubbock. The sandy soil and low humidity combined with cool nights are ideal conditions for growing premium grapes. Three wineries- Llano Estacada, Cap*rock and Pheasant Ridge offer tours and tastings of award winning wines. King Cotton still reigns as the backbone crop. In 1994-95, West Texas produced 60 percent of the Texas cotton crop. This amounts to 15 percent of the cotton produced in the United States. "A big hail storm does more damage to us than a drop in oil prices," says Michael Reeves, communications manager of Lubbock chamber.