A statewide organization called the Texas Hunger Initiative helps pinpoint problem areas like Chatman Hill. “So in Lubbock County, 21.1 percent of the county according to the Center of Public Policy Priorities is a food desert,” regional director Grace Norman said.
Is Lubbock in the desert?
Lubbock is located in the South Plains region, which is predominantly flat but with numerous dry stream valleys. The climate is semiarid and transitional between desert conditions to the west and humid climates to the east.
Are there food deserts in Texas?
Impact Statement. Of Texas’ 258 counties, 58 counties are considered Food Deserts according to the USDA definition and criteria. The criteria include lack of availability of fresh produce and limited or no presence of large grocery stores (stores with four or more employees).
What qualifies somewhere as a food desert?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) define a food desert as an area that has either a poverty rate greater than or equal to 20% or a median family income not exceeding 80% of the median family income in urban areas, or 80% of the statewide median family income in nonurban areas.
Where are most food deserts located?
The bleakest food deserts are the actual deserts of the American West, in Nevada and Wyoming. City dwellers, particularly those in the biggest, most dense cities tend to live closest to supermarkets and have the best food access.
What parts of Texas are desert?
The Trans-Pecos lies within the Chihuahuan Desert, and is the most arid portion of the state. Another part of West Texas is the Llano Estacado, a vast region of high, level plains extending into Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle.
| West Texas | |
|---|---|
| Region | |
| West of Notrees | |
| Map of Texas | |
| Country | United States |
Is Lubbock a dry county?
Lubbock County.
This partially dry county is home to Texas Tech University. A strip of liquor stores, on a stretch of Tahoka Highway (US Highway 87) and located outside the City of Lubbock, is frequented by many college students.
Is Dallas a food desert?
According to the city of Dallas, approximately 450,000 people live in so-called Dallas ‘food deserts,’ where grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers are often miles away. Some residents resort to corner stores for their needs, while others venture to other neighborhoods and cities for food.
Which communities are most impacted by food deserts?
The other defining characteristic of food deserts is socio-economic: that is, they are most commonly found in black and brown communities and low-income areas (where many people don’t have cars).
How many food deserts are in Houston?
Other times, that number has been closer to 1,000. “Food deserts are a big problem here in Houston and considering the size of our city and diversity everyone talks about, it’s actually very sad (that) many communities don’t have a single grocery store they can go to,” added Goodall.
What is the difference between a food desert and a food swamp?
In food deserts, interventions aim to increase access to healthy foods, whereas in food swamps, the goal is to reduce the availability of or exposure to less healthy foods.
How do you fight a food desert?
Community-based solutions to improve access to affordable, healthy foods in food deserts include local markets, community gardens, surplus food sharing programs, federal food assistance programs, and food pantries.
How many food deserts are there in the United States?
The Locator identifies about 10 percent of the approximately 65,000 census tracts in the United States as food deserts. About 13.5 million people in these census tracts have low access to sources of healthful food.
Which city in US has the higher percentage of food deserts?
Memphis is America’s hungriest city
The issue is actually state-wide: according to the Tennessee Food Trust, almost 13 percent of the state’s census tracts are considered food deserts.
Are there food deserts in USA?
Twenty percent of rural areas in the U.S. are classified as food deserts. There are small areas within each state in the U.S. that are classified as rural food deserts, but they occur most prominently in the Midwest. Within these counties, approximately 2.4 million individuals have low access to a large supermarket.
Why do highly populated cities have food deserts?
Generally speaking, food deserts are more common in areas with: smaller populations; higher rates of abandoned or vacant homes; and. residents who have lower levels of education, lower incomes, and higher rates of unemployment.
Is West Texas considered desert?
The northern part of the largest North American desert, the Chihuahuan Desert, spills into the western part of Texas, west of the Pecos River, known as the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. While not truly arid, this semi-arid region certainly looks very desert-like.
Is Lubbock considered North Texas?
West Texas
Its eastern boundary has been defined as far west as the Pecos River and as far east as the Brazos River. Our concept of west Texas is based on the five principal metropolitan areas it contains: El Paso, Lubbock, Abilene, Midland/Odessa, and San Angelo.
What region of Texas is Lubbock in?
Lubbock’s nickname, “Hub City”, derives from it being the economic, educational, and health-care hub of the multicounty region, north of the Permian Basin and south of the Texas Panhandle, commonly called the South Plains.
| Lubbock, Texas | |
|---|---|
| • City | 258,871 |
| • Density | 1,900/sq mi (740/km2) |
| • Metro | 314,840 |
| • CSA | 340,119 |
When did Lubbock TX become wet?
The week of May 6th marks 10 years since Lubbock first became wet, and allowed the sale of packaged alcohol within city limits. For those who weren’t in the City of Lubbock 10 years ago, it’s hard to imagine that in 2009, Lubbock was known as the largest dry city in the country.
What is Lubbock best known for?
Lubbock is best known as the friendly hometown of Texas Tech University, legions of popular musicians, and High Plains wineries. We stopped by to experience all of that, as well as the Hub City’s cultural, culinary, and kid-friendly sights and activities.
