Lorenzo

Lorenzo is on U.S. Highway 82 twenty miles east of Lubbock in Crosby County. It was named for Lorenzo Dow, an employee of the C. B. Livestock Company, who secured title to the townsite on April 2, 1910. In July 1910 the Crosbyton-South Plains Townsite Company acquired the title from him, and during the next year the company employed H. E. Smith to survey the town and begin the sale of lots. The first train passed through town in 1911, over track laid by the Crosbyton-South Plains Railroad, and in September of that year Viola Ellison conducted the first school classes in a store built by the C. B. Livestock Company. Also in 1911 the post office was established and Alice McGuire became postmistress, a position she held until 1920. In 1914 W. E. McLaughlin established the community's first bank, and Clay Dunlap built its first garage. Lorenzo was incorporated on April 2, 1924. In 1930 it had a population of 739. Though many residents left during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, in 1940 the population was 616. In 1950 Lorenzo had 935 residents and fifty-seven businesses. Between 1940 and 1962 the school districts of Pleasant Hill, Estacado, Robertson, and Farmer were consolidated with that of Lorenzo, increasing the land area of Lorenzo Consolidated School District to 226 square miles. The community's population was 1,188 in 1960 and 1,206 in 1970. In 1980 the town had a population of 1,394 and thirty-four businesses. In 1990 its population was 1,208. The population grew to 1,372 by 2000. The local economy is supported by cotton farming.