Temporary housing in Lubbock,TX?

Aliakey · Mar 25, 2012

Two weeks... while there's a LOT of apartments in Lubbock, I don't know of any that offer such a short term rent except for one or two real sleazeholes I wouldn't recommend to anyone unless you want to expand a personal bug, bullet casing, and baggie collection from the east side :uhoh21:, lol!

Now, Lubbock does have several well-maintained extended stay hotels, and they may be your best bet for such a short time to stay there. The ones I'm familiar with hover around $160 to $190 a week or thereabouts, and are in good shape (seemed all of them popped up within the last 5 years as some sort of trend or something, so are not hanging on by a few decades-old screws).

Some links are below. I don't have any affiliation with these places, but have been inside the rooms and such to pick up patients in my area (EMS):

Extended Stay Lubbock, TX - South, Value Place - extended stay hotels and apartments.

(I actually stayed in this one before (South) after pulling a 24-hr shift and with the roads heavily iced over, did not want to drive home 15 miles away and come back in 10 hours, lol! It was nice, quiet, clean, and staff were pleasant)

Extended Stay Lubbock, TX - West, Value Place - extended stay hotels and apartments.

Studio 6 Lubbock, Tx*Lubbock,*TX*Extended Stay Hotel

There's others out there, but I haven't stepped inside of them. Gives you a start though. As for apartments, there's a huge variety of them ranging from the roach motels to ones that cater to those with lots of disposable incomes (not me, hehe). Tech Tech University is here, so lots of apartments cater to students as well... just depends on what you're looking for. You'll have your hands full looking at what you want to fill your longer-term needs.

I used to work at Covenant as an ED Tech and loved it! While they may not have all of the bells-n'-whistles of UMC just a mile away, the staff made me feel like family. Congratulations on your employment there!

fafine · Mar 28, 2012

Thank you so much Aliakey, I really appreciate your thorough response...wow is there apartments that are that bad in the area? thats kinda scarry..i have a phobia to bugs and snakes..yikes just thinking about it makes my skin crawl!!!! Can you share with me which apartments to avoid in that area? im looking for something between $600-800monthly for a 1 bdrm?

Im glad you had a good experience at Covenant Medical Center and I have heard some good comments about UMC but not really sure what goes on there, are you currently working at UMC? The people I met with during my interview were really nice and welcoming..im really looking forward to this career transition :)

I called Extended Stay Value Place(South) since its closer to the hospitals and they gave me a qoute of $203/week, plus 100 for deposit which and i think ill go with this offer..

thanks again for your help

lovelubbock · Mar 28, 2012

TownePlace Suites by Marriott has full kitchens in their rooms, I LOVED staying there during my time in Lubbock. The hotel is really close to the medical area, but it's far enough away that there is a break and you feel like you're away from work at the end of the day. 806-799-6226 Ask for Bryce, he's really nice and he has a medical rate available just for nurses! Welcome to Lubbock!

Aliakey · Mar 29, 2012

Another novel here, lol!

As soon as you get to Lubbock, head over to a 7-11 or other minimart and look for a wire stand by the door that has the free Apartment Guides (or whatever they're called). That publication will list a lot of the apartments available, and quite a few of the rates are listed as well. Be sure to visit the complexes in person and the apartment when you narrow down your choices... some of the photographs are not truly representative of the apartment complexes, lol!

But, at the budget you're setting aside, you should have no problem finding what you need in a very nice complex. I don't know where you're from, but Lubbock's cost of living was a bit below the national average with the last time I looked a few years ago. I live outside of Lubbock (can't stand cities, lol!), but I know that rising water and electric rates are a big thorn in many residents' sides right now. Keep that in mind when planning your expenses out.

As far as locations to avoid... since there are so MANY apartment complexes out here, it's hard to give a list of good or lousy places specifically without learning what the word-limit rule is on these forums (grin). In general (and please bear in mind this is my opinion and only a general rule of thumb so I don't get flamed, lol!), I would simply avoid any apartment complexes sitting on Avenue Q and east of it. Now, Texas Tech is close to that "border" on University Avenue, but there are some nice, newer student-style apartments in that area if you prefer that kind of lifestyle. Head west for more family-like apartment settings, although there are complexes and pockets of apartment complexes that are not too hot there as well. This is where visiting them personally becomes an important task.

Bugs and snakes. Snakes aren’t bad at all here… definitely not a city problem except for an occasional harmless garter snake. Bugs in the city include the usual cockroaches, pillbugs, silvertails, sun spiders (they come and go), moths (some really huge ones at times), black widow spiders, wasps, mosquitos, crickets, and fleas. If you venture out of the city limits, you have rattlesnakes, bullsnakes, garter snakes, and some extra bugs. The bug population is not bad at all compared to more humid cities in Texas.

Speaking of weather… it is very dry out here and WINDY many days of the year. Snow does fall in the winter (usually not bad at all) and thunderstorms occur in the summer. You’ll get occasional tornado warnings. But otherwise the weather is very nice if you don’t mind wind.

Hospitals: Lubbock is a medical hub for west Texas and parts of New Mexico. Both UMC and Covenant are great places to work in my opinion. UMC is the level 1 trauma center/burn center/county hospital about a mile away from Covenant, and is my current employer since EMS is based out of their hospital. Covenant Medical Center (CMC) is a level 2 trauma center, and is a “sister” to Covenant Women’s and Children’s hospital, which has a great pediatric emphasis. Both UMC and CMC are stroke centers and have other “big city” capabilities. Even though both Covenant facilities are faith-based, I was never pressured into their belief system or ostracized. They simply want good folks with a kind heart. UMC is a teaching hospital with plenty of Texas Tech medical students on the floors; CMC also accommodates medical and nursing students as well.

Anyway, hope it helps! Feel free to drop me a PM if you have some specific apartment questions or ???

RedRaiderBSN13 · Mar 30, 2012

Aliakey pretty much nailed it. As a nursing student at Texas Tech, I only been at Covenant hospital and I enjoyed every single time I clinical at that hospital. Most of the people are great to work with. I'm not really familiar with temporary housing. I HIGHLY recommend not living in or near a college apartment environment. I must say its very hectic with typical college scene with the loud noises and partying. From my personal opinion, stay away from the west say(depo district) and the north side part of town. I don't know whats the correct term for the location but I feel unsafe living in those areas. West side of town is pretty nice but still developing in the places I been. South side has a more upbeat feeling which kinda reminds me of suburbs in houston or dallas. What's great is that the commute to Covenant is effortless and traffic isn't bad at all. I live more north of town and I can get to Covenant in like 5-10 mins.

fafine · Mar 31, 2012

Thanks so much everyone for your contribution and help fullness, Ill try not to get too intimidated by the possibility of running into bugs or other crawling creatures...im from the Seattle,WA area, im use to rainy seasons and mild weather, but love being in hot places..use to live in San Diego, CA for six years and loved it there! for now i think i have settled on living close to the hospitals until i can get my transportation situation figured out.. geez i did not know the process of transporting my car could be so expensive and tedious...

what do you guys think of the bus transportion service in lubbock, tx?

i have not needed to use the public bus service in a long time.. oh well looks like im gonna have to use it again until i can get my car to lubbock...

thanks again everyone:)

Aliakey · Apr 1, 2012

Ya like hot? Well, we did top out at 111 degrees last summer, but that's not typical for Lubbock, lol! But as they say, "it's a dry heat". I don't care for humidity one bit myself.

The public bus system in Lubbock is CitiBus (Citibus | Lubbock Transit Authority). There is a route (19) that goes right along the Covenant Hospitals and also hits a sizeable collection of nice apartment complexes over by the southwest portion of the route (along Chicago and 50-ish street) if you don't foresee transporting your car for a long while. Disadvantage? Hours of operation. Need to look at when CitiBus runs and how it works with your shift.