Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and is home to three universities: Lubbock Christian University, Texas Tech University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. At the 2010 census, Lubbock had a population of 229,573, making it the 87th most populous city in the United States and the 11th most populous city in Texas. The city is the economic center of the Lubbock metropolitan area, which had an estimated 2009 population of 276,659.