Home of the South Plains College campus, Levelland, the seat of Hockley County, is on US 385, Hwy 114, Farm Road 330, and the Santa Fe Railroad, west of Lubbock. It was designated the county seat upon the county's organization in 1921. Originally the site was named Hockley City.
The county oil boom of the 1950s contributed a refinery and gas plant to existing businesses, which included cotton compresses, warehouses, gins, and grain elevators. Machine shops and other industries serving the oilfields also developed. The population increased from 8,265 in 1950 to 13,809 in 1980, and it remained the commercial center of the county. Industries included petroleum processing, oilfield-equipment manufacturing, and agribusiness.
In 1990 the population was 13,986.