Lubbock Ranked #1 Best Place To Live In U.S. For This Group Of People

As a Lubbock native, I can make several compelling arguments for why Lubbock is a wonderful place to live.

Lubbock is family-oriented and friendly, with a low cost of living and nearly no traffic. It's big enough to have awesome events like the First Friday Art Trail and awesome amenities like Buddy Holly Hall. We also have a beautiful college campus that's the heart of our town. Texas Tech University brings in a constant stream of new folks to the area.

When those folks graduate many of them either return to their hometowns or start a new adventure somewhere else, however, they may want to consider putting down roots right here, because Lubbock recently ranked #1 as the best place for recent college graduates. 

I've already explained why I think Lubbock is great, but why is it particularly good for recent grads? According to the Smart Asset website, it's the combination of opportunities and amenities that make Lubbock such a great choice.

Lubbock scores consistently across Jobs (25th), Affordability (27th) and Fun (26th), giving it overall the best combination of traits for college graduates.

Additionally, the average amount a college grad makes in Lubbock far outpaces the cost of living, and the unemployment rate of college grads in Lubbock is a minuscule 1.7%.

Whereas jobs and affordability can be ranked by hard numbers, how does one rate fun? For this analysis, "fun" was measured by population aged 20-29, restaurants per capita (I know we nailed that one), bars per capita, and entertainment venues per capita.

Honestly, the best things about Lubbock can neatly meet a metric. You can't put a number on a friendly neighbor, a job you love, or a great time at the game. But those are all things that make life in Lubbock oh-so-wonderful, regardless if you are freshly graduated or not.