Discovering a Texas Treasure: Livin' in Levelland

 Jennifer Conlee, co-news editor

Levelland has been deemed one of the best places to live in the United States. 

With low crime rates, low property taxes, and a great school system, Levelland is a great place to live or raise a family, according to a national website that rated cities across the nation.  Called “The Mosaic City” because of the mosaics that decorate buildings all over town, including the South Plains College campus and the Chamber of Commerce, it is also one of the prettiest.

At  www.cityrating.com, a site that gives statistics for cities, Levelland has been placed on the list of the best places to live.

Nearly 13,000 people call Levelland home, and this does not include almost 400 dorm residents at South Plains College and approximately 9,600 students who commute to the school every day.  Citizens of surrounding communities view Levelland as a small college town, and do not look past the two-year school to see what else lies in store for newcomers.

In his welcome to visitors on the Levelland website, Mayor Hugh L. Bradley says, “Our city provides the high quality of life expected in a smaller community, with many of the benefits of a larger city.”

Levelland became the county seat of Hockley County in 1921, and was developed by cereal maker C. W. Post.  According to the “Community Relocation Guide to Levelland, Texas,” the town was named for its topography. The city is located on U.S. Highway 385, State Highway 114, and Farm Road 330.  In 1925, the Santa Fe Railroad began its service. 

Businesses, especially those in the oil industry, began to boom in the small town.  By 1980, Levelland had reached a population of more than 13,000, and was the commercial center of the county.   Levelland’s industries include petroleum processing, oil field equipment manufacturing, and agribusiness.

Brett Paxton, the owner of Paxton Real Estate, said, “The name of this friendly city does not contradict the area’s natural geography, but the people who live here like it that way, because nothing stands in the way of some of nature’s most spectacular landscapes.”

The residents of this small town are lacking no convenience.  There are 39 churches that represent every major denomination.  These host special activities throughout the year, which contribute to the quality of life in Levelland, according to the guide. 

The city’s school district was deemed a Recognized district by the Texas Education Agency, and educates nearly 3,000 students from pre-school to high school on seven campuses. There is also a local Christian school, which provides a high quality faith-based education.  Students at these schools have a high quality of education, and easy access to the local community college and three major universities that are located in nearby Lubbock.

Health care for the city is provided at Covenant Hospital, which is a 78-bed acute care medical center.  The hospital specializes in intensive care, outpatient surgery, pacemaker implantation, and obstetrical services, and has a 24-hour emergency room, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and nutritional care services.  Levelland also offers 13 doctors, five dentists, and two nursing home facilities.  There are three mobile intensive care vehicles that are available on a 24-hour basis.

The climate in Levelland is moderate, with an average temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  Gray clouds do not often obstruct some of the most beautiful sunsets in Texas, and rain is not the prevalent for the area. 

Some students living at SPC claim that there is nothing to do in Levelland, but according to the city guide, “there are many things to see and experience in Levelland.”

Local coffee shops such as The RhinoBear Smoke and Coffee Shop and The Awakening offer places where students can gather to study, hang with friends, or enjoy specialty drinks.  The Awakening and Mean Woman Grill provide places for local musicians to perform, and students can go watch them.

SPC offers many free activities for students throughout the year, such as the Halloween Carnival, concerts, exhibits, intramural sports, and basketball games at the Texan Dome.

If bored with Levelland, you can travel 25 miles to Lubbock, which has art exhibits, several movie theaters including the Omnimax Theater, community theatres, museums, and activities such as miniature golf and bowling.

Levelland also has many places to shop, including Bealls, Cato, Wal-Mart, and United Supermarket, as well as a Merle Norman, and The Scented Room. The Scented Room offers tanning, jewelry, candles, and purses.

There are nine parks and two pools, including an indoor one at SPC, which has free access to all students.

There are 34 restaurants, ranging from franchises such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen, to local favorites such as La Familia, Mamma Mia’s, Mean Woman Grill, and Charley’s Place.  Those looking for a bite to eat can satisfy any craving, from good old American hamburgers, to Asian and Mexican.

Crime rates in Levelland are low, making the community a safe one in which to live. 

There were only 58 violent crimes in 2004, which included no murders, only two rapes, two robberies, and 54 aggravated assaults, according to areaConnect at http://levelland.areaconnect.com/crime.htp. The national rate per 100,000 people was about six murders, 32 rapes, 137 robberies, and 291 aggravated assaults.  The only one that was above the national rate per 100,000 was aggravated assaults.

Property crime rates for 2004 included 118 burglaries, 324 larcenies and thefts, and seven motor vehicle thefts, according to areaConnect.  The burglaries were above the national rates per 100,000, which were 730 and 2,366, respectfully, but the vehicle thefts were very low compared to the national rate per 100,000, which was 421 .

According to the annual crimes report on the Levelland city website, the crime rates were different but still relatively low.  There were no homicides, but one attempted homicide, eight sexual assaults, seven sex crimes, three robberies, 102 assaults, and 139 instances of domestic violence.

As for crimes against properties, there were 99 habitation burglaries, 44 building burglaries, 97 motor vehicle burglaries, 269 thefts, and 180 criminal mischief charges.

There were 46 people who were driving while intoxicated, four weapon offenses, and 60 drug possessions.   For the year 2004, there were 832 arrests, and 3,433 tickets written.  Per capita, this is a low number.

Levelland is indeed “A Texas Treasure,” and is a great place to live, offering a little something to all of its citizens and visitors.