Odessa, Texas

History

Odessa was founded in 1881 as a water stop and cattle-shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway. Odessa is said to have been named after Odessa in the Russian Empire (present-day Odesa, Ukraine). The settlement was named by Russian workers building the railway in 1881, because the terrain reminded them of their homeland; the local shortgrass prairies resembled the steppes of the Russian Empire.

The first post office opened in 1885. Odessa became the county seat of Ector County in 1891 when the county was first organized. It was incorporated as a city in 1927, after oil was discovered in Ector County on the Connell Ranch southwest of Odessa.

With the opening of the Penn Field in 1929 and the Cowden Field in 1930, oil became a major draw for new residents. In 1925, the population was just 750; by 1929, it had risen to 5,000. For the rest of the 20th century, the city's population and economy grew rapidly during each of a succession of oil booms (roughly in the 1930s–1950s, 1970s, and 2010s), often with accompanying contractions during the succeeding busts (particularly in the 1960s and 1980s).

Geography

Odessa is located along the southwestern edge of the Llano Estacado in West Texas. It is situated above the Permian Basin, a large sedimentary deposit that contains significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.0 sqmi; 43.9 sqmi are land and 0.1 sqmi (0.05%) is covered by water.

Climate

Odessa has a hot semiarid climate typical of West Texas. Summers are hot and sunny, while winters are cool and dry. Most rainfall occurs in late spring and summer; snowfall is rare. The area exhibits a large diurnal temperature range and frequent high winds.

|Jan record high F = 83 |Feb record high F = 89 |Mar record high F = 99 |Apr record high F = 101 |May record high F = 113 |Jun record high F = 112 |Jul record high F = 110 |Aug record high F = 109 |Sep record high F = 110 |Oct record high F = 102 |Nov record high F = 88 |Dec record high F = 85

|Jan avg record high F = 76.0 |Feb avg record high F = 80.4 |Mar avg record high F = 87.1 |Apr avg record high F = 93.6 |May avg record high F = 100.1 |Jun avg record high F = 104.0 |Jul avg record high F = 101.6 |Aug avg record high F = 101.5 |Sep avg record high F = 97.3 |Oct avg record high F = 91.4 |Nov avg record high F = 81.6 |Dec avg record high F = 74.8 |year avg record high F = 105.6

|Jan avg record low F = 19.1 |Feb avg record low F = 22.0 |Mar avg record low F = 29.4 |Apr avg record low F = 37.1 |May avg record low F = 46.1 |Jun avg record low F = 61.4 |Jul avg record low F = 63.8 |Aug avg record low F = 63.6 |Sep avg record low F = 52.9 |Oct avg record low F = 37.6 |Nov avg record low F = 25.8 |Dec avg record low F = 20.7 |year avg record low F = 14.0

|Jan record low F = 2 |Feb record low F = -5 |Mar record low F = 16 |Apr record low F = 22 |May record low F = 31 |Jun record low F = 50 |Jul record low F = 55 |Aug record low F = 53 |Sep record low F = 43 |Oct record low F = 15 |Nov record low F = 11 |Dec record low F = 5

|Jan snow depth inch = |Feb snow depth inch = |Mar snow depth inch = |Apr snow depth inch = |May snow depth inch = |Jun snow depth inch = |Jul snow depth inch = |Aug snow depth inch = |Sep snow depth inch = |Oct snow depth inch = |Nov snow depth inch = |Dec snow depth inch = |year snow depth inch =

|access-date = August 29, 2024 |access-date = August 29, 2024

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 114,428 people, 41,942 households, and 28,218 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 census, 99,940 people, 35,216 households, and 27,412 families resided in the city. The population density was 2,276.5 PD/sqmi. There were 43,687 housing units at an average density of 995.1 /sqmi.

In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 75.4% White, 5.7% Black, 1.1% Asian, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 14.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race was 50.6%. By 2020, the racial and ethnic makeup was 32.68% non-Hispanic white, 6.12% African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.14% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 0.31% some other race, 2.01% multiracial, and 56.14% Hispanic or Latino of any race, reflecting state and nationwide trends of greater diversification.

Of the 35,216 households in 2010, 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were not families. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65, and the average family size was 3.21. The population was distributed as 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $31,209, and the median income for a family was $36,869. Males had a median income of $31,115 versus $21,743 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,096. About 16.0% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over. The 2020 American community Survey estimated the median household income increased to $63,829 with a mean income of $82,699.

Economy

Historically, the Odessa economy has been primarily driven by the area's oil industry, booming and busting in response to rises and falls in the crude oil price. Many of the city's largest employers are oilfield supply companies and petrochemical processing companies. In recent decades, city leaders have begun trying to decrease the city's reliance on the energy industry to moderate the boom-bust cycle and develop greater economic sustainability.

Odessa has also taken steps to diversify the energy it produces. In 2009, a wind farm has been constructed in northern Ector County. Around the same time, a coal pollution mitigation plant had been announced for a site previously entered in the Futuregen bidding. The plant will be run by Summit Power and will be located near Penwell. This plant was supposed to lead to the creation of 8,000 jobs in the area. Plans were also in place for a small nuclear reactor called the High-Temperature Teaching and Test Reactor to be run as a test and teaching facility in conjunction with the nuclear engineering department at University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Odessa's main enclosed shopping mall, Music City Mall, used to include an indoor ice skating rink.

Largest employers

As in many municipalities, some of the largest employers are in the education, government, and healthcare industries. Outside of those areas, the city's major employers are concentrated in the oil industry. According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:

Arts and culture

Performing arts

The Midland–Odessa Symphony and Chorale (MOSC) was founded in 1962, and is the region's largest orchestral organization, presenting both pops and masterworks concerts. The MOSC has three resident chamber ensembles: the Lone Star Brass, Permian Basin String Quartet, and West Texas Winds.

The Globe of the Great Southwest, located on the campus of Odessa College, features a replica of William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It hosts plays, and features an annual Shakespeare festival. Other theaters include the Ector Theater, built in 1951, and the Permian Playhouse.

Tourism

Odessa's Presidential Museum and Leadership Library, on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, is dedicated to the office of the Presidency. It also has displays about the presidents of the Republic of Texas.

Texon Santa Fe Depot honors the old west and its railroads.

The Parker House Museum features the lifestyle of a prominent ranching family in from the early 1900s.

Odessa Meteor Crater, an impact crater 550 ft in diameter, is located southwest of the city.

Odessa has 31 jackrabbits statues, as part of an art project launched in 2004.

Libraries

• Ector County Library
• Murry H. Fly Learning Resource Center
• The J. Conrad Dunagan Library

Sports

The Odessa Jackalopes, a Tier ll junior ice hockey team plays its home games at Ector County Coliseum, which was also home to the Indoor Football League’s Odessa/West Texas Roughnecks, the West Texas Wildcatters of the Lone Star Football League and the West Texas Desert Hawks indoor football team and member of the 2024 version of the Arena Football League. High-school football is held at Ratliff Stadium, which was featured in the movie Friday Night Lights. It is home to the Odessa Bronchos and the Permian Panthers. It is one of the largest high-school stadiums in the state, listed as seventh in capacity within Texas.

Government

Local government

Odessa has a council–manager government, with a city council of five councillors (elected from geographic districts) and a mayor (elected at-large). The council appoints and directs other city officials, including the city manager, and sets the city's budget, taxes, and other policies.

In the 2014 fiscal year, the Odessa government had $179.1 million in revenues, $146.3 million in expenditures, $454 million in total assets, and $203 million in total liabilities. The city's major sources of public revenues were fees for services (such as public utilities), sales taxes, and property taxes, and its major expenses were for public safety and for water and sewer service.

On December 14, 2022, the Odessa City Council voted to make Odessa a "sanctuary city for the unborn." In a 6–1 vote, Mayor Javier Joven and council members Denise Swanner, Mark Matta, Gilbert Vasquez, Chris Hanie, and Greg Connell established Odessa as the 62nd city to "outlaw" abortion. The new city ordinance makes a person civilly liable if any person aids, abets, or assists anybody in an abortion operation.

In October 2024, the city gained national attention after voting 5–2 to implement a transgender bathroom ban, in which any transgender person found using a publicly owned bathroom not matching their assigned gender at birth could be charged with trespassing. The ban was particularly notable for creating a private right to sue, under which any cisgender individual may seek damages from the transgender person of at minimum $10,000 in addition to attorney and court fees. A month later, they expanded the law to cover all restrooms public or private, and allow anyone to sue regardless of if they're an Odessa or even Texas resident.

State and federal facilities

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Odessa District Parole Office in Odessa.

The United States Postal Service operates three post offices in Odessa: Odessa, Northeast Odessa, and West Odessa.

Education

Colleges and universities

The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) began in 1973. UTPB was an upper level and graduate university until the Texas Legislature passed a bill in spring 1991 to allow the university to accept freshmen and sophomores. As of 2006, the university was holding discussions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the construction of a new High-Temperature Teaching and Test Reactor, which if successful, would finish licensing and construction around 2012. It would be the first university-based research reactor to be built in the US in roughly a decade, and be one of the few HTGR-type reactors in the world. In January 2006, UTPB's School of Business was awarded accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, which is generally regarded as the premier accreditation agency for the world's business schools. According to the university, only 30% of business schools in the United States, and 15% of world business schools, have received AACSB accreditation.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Permian Basin Campus opened as a school of medicine in 1979, beginning in the basement of Medical Center Hospital. Since 1994, TTUHSC Permian Basin has included a school of allied health, offering a master's degree in physical therapy. Also, on the campus of Midland College, it offers a physician-assistant program. Additionally, TTUHSC Permian Basin includes a school of nursing focusing on primary care and rural health. In June 1999, the Texas Tech Health Center opened as a clinic, providing increased access to primary and specialized health care for the Permian Basin. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Permian Basin also operates 21 WIC clinics located in nearby small communities.

Odessa College is a public, two-year college based in Odessa, serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 6,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its basic education, continuing education, and community recreation courses. Odessa College serves most of Midland, as in the parts in Ector County. Parts in Midland County are assigned to Midland College.

Primary and secondary schools

The Ector County Independent School District serves portions of Odessa in Ector County (the vast majority of the city). ECISD was established in 1921, in a consolidation of seven area schools. The district now contains 38 campuses. It administers these high schools: Permian High School, Odessa High School, George H. W. Bush New Tech Odessa, OC Techs at Odessa College and Odessa Collegiate Academy, also at Odessa College.

The portion of Odessa in Midland County is zoned to the Midland Independent School District.

Odessa's private schools include Montessori Mastery School of Odessa, Latter Rain Christian School, Odessa Christian School, Permian Basin Christian School, Faith Community Christian Academy, St. John's Episcopal School, St. Mary's Central Catholic School (of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo), Rainey School of Montessori, Sherwood Christian Academy, and Zion Christian Academy. Odessa is also home to five charter schools: Compass Academy Charter School, UTPB STEM Academy, Harmony Science Academy-Odessa, Embassy Academy, and Richard Milburn Academy-Odessa.

Media

The city's main daily broadsheet newspaper is the Odessa American. A total of 124 listed radio stations broadcast in West Texas, which includes Midland/Odessa, Abilene, San Angelo and Alpine. Most notable broadcasts in Odessa are KFZX Classic Rock (102.1 FM), KMRK My Country (96.1 FM) and KXWT Marfa Public Radio (91.3 FM).

Transportation

Odessa is primarily served by Midland International Air and Space Port (IATA: MAF, ICAO: KMAF) which served 47,088 passengers in February 2023. It is located in Midland County, within the city limits of the City of Midland but halfway between Downtown Midland and Downtown Odessa. An alternative airport is Odessa-Schlemeyer Field (IATA: ODO, ICAO: KODO), which is located within the city limits of Odessa, being only 5 miles northeast and 10 miles west from MAF. The Federal Aviation Administration categories the field as a general aviation airport.

Midland International Air and Space Port is being served by Southwest Airlines (25,131 passengers as of March 12, 2024), United Airlines (14,780), American Airlines (13,886); inclusive of their subsidiaries, such as American Eagle. Midland Spaceport is currently not being served by any commercial space companies, although the Texas Chapter of the Space Force Association is believed to start operations in the future.

Roads

Notable people

• George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States
• George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States
• Tommy Allsup, musician
• Karan Ashley, actress
• Raymond Benson, author
• Bonner Bolton, bull rider, model
• Jim J. Bullock, actor
• Lucius Desha Bunton III, United States federal judge
• Marcus Cannon, professional football player
• Chuck Dicus, player in College Football Hall of Fame
• Hayden Fry, college football coach
• Dave Gibson, country music singer-songwriter, frontman of award-winning group Gibson/Miller Band.
• Ronald D. Godard, ambassador
• Britt Harley Hager, professional football player
• Daniel Ray Herrera, professional baseball pitcher
• Mike Holloway, winner of Survivor: Worlds Apart
• Daryl Hunt, professional football player
• Virgil Johnson, founder of The Velvets singing group
• Chris Kyle, former U.S. Navy SEAL
• Brooks Landgraf, attorney and member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 81
• Blair Late, singer and actor
• Trey Lunsford, former catcher for the San Francisco Giants
• Bradley Marquez, former NFL wide receiver
• Nolan McCarty, Chair Department of Politics, Princeton University
• Bryan Mealer, journalist and author
• Chris McGaha, NHRA Pro Stock racer
• Gene Mayfield, college and high-school football coach
• Bill Noël, oil industrialist and philanthropist
• Roy Orbison, singer-songwriter
• Barbara Payton, actress
• Robert Rummel-Hudson, author
• Kelly Schmedes, professional soccer player
• Wally Scott, famed glider pilot
• Kim Smith, model and actress
• Toby Stevenson, Olympic pole vaulter
• Connor Storrie, actor
• Stephnie Weir, actress and comedian
• Elizabeth Wetmore, novelist
• Roy Williams, professional football player
• Alfred Mac Wilson, United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
• Marvin Rex Young, U.S. Army Medal of Honor recipient

In popular culture

• The book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, by author H. G. Bissinger, and the subsequent movie (Friday Night Lights), are based on the 1988 football season of Permian High School, one of the two high school football teams in Odessa.
• Making News: Texas Style, a reality series on the TV Guide Channel, followed the reporters of the local CBS affiliate, KOSA-TV.
• A portion of the Tommy Lee Jones film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was filmed in Odessa.
• The truTV reality show Black Gold is based on three oil wells outside of Odessa, as well as some locations in Odessa, such as the local Hooters restaurant.
• The final episode of the third season of Twin Peaks included scenes which take place in Odessa.
• Author Raymond Benson set portions of his novels The Black Stiletto and The Black Stiletto: Endings & Beginnings in Odessa. Several of his other novels and short stories use Odessa as a location but it is fictionalized as a town called "Limite, Texas."
• Episodes of the sixth and seventh seasons of Legends of Tomorrow took place in Odessa.
• The novel (and motion picture) "No Country for Old Men" mentions Odessa. Protagonist, Moss, tells his wife, Carla Jean, that she has to go to her mother's house in Odessa and stay there until his call.

References

References

1. "Texas Cities Nickname". [[KLAQ]].
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. (2007-10-25). "US Board on Geographic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
4. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
6. (January 3, 2024). "2020 Population and Housing State Data". [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division.
7. "Institutional Research, Planning & Effectiveness".
8. "Odessa home to former presidents, first lady".
9. (22 October 2020). "Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Place Names". Oxford University Press.
10. "Ector County, Texas History".
11. (15 June 2010). "ODESSA, TX". [[Texas State Historical Association]].
12. "Midland Texas Climate Narrative".
13. "Odessa city, Texas - QuickFacts".
14. (22 November 2010). "Odessa". [[Texas State Historical Association]].
15. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Odessa city, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Odessa city, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
17. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Odessa city, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. "Explore Census Data".
19. (2021-08-12). "Census Shows Sharply Growing Numbers of Hispanic, Asian and Multiracial Americans". The New York Times.
20. (2021-08-12). "People of color make up 95% of Texas' population growth, and cities and suburbs are booming, 2020 census shows".
21. "Explore Census Data".
22. (20 October 2009). "Extension agents look forward". [[Odessa American]].
23. "Clean coal project could be game-changer for Texas". Texas Clean Energy Project.
24. (24 December 2009). "Summit impact". [[Odessa American]].
25. Lobsenz, George. (23 February 2006). "Advanced reactor plan gets off the ground in Texas". The Energy Daily.
26. (January 6, 2009). "HT3R :: The University of Texas of the Permian Basin".
27. "City of Odessa 2021 CAFR".
28. "MOSC History".
29. (February 7, 2016). "Odessa's Jackrabbit Jamboree".
30. "Stadiums with Capacity Greater Than 16,500".
31. "CITY COUNCIL".
32. "Popular Annual Financial Report For Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2014".
33. "Incorporated Cities".
34. "Council votes to raise first responder pay". Odessa American.
35. (2024-10-24). "West Texas city bans transgender people from using restrooms that don’t match sex assigned at birth".
36. Ramos, Carlos Nogueras. (2024-10-23). "Odessa bans transgender people from using restrooms that don’t match sex assigned at birth".
37. "City that placed $10,000 bounty on trans people who use public restrooms makes law even worse". LGBTQ Nation.
38. "[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/parole/parole-directory/paroledir-rgnldisparoff5.htm DIRECTORY - REGIONAL AND DISTRICT PAROLE OFFICES REGION V] {{webarchive. link. (September 26, 2011 ." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved on July 28, 2010.)
39. "[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/odessa-200-n-texas-ave-odessa-tx-1375905 Post Office Location - ODESSA] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-06-21 ." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on July 28, 2010.)
40. "[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/northeast-odessa-4551-e-52nd-st-odessa-tx-1375507 Post Office Location - NORTHEAST ODESSA] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-06-19 ." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on July 28, 2010.)
41. "[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/west-odessa-5200-w-university-blvd-odessa-tx-1387124 Post Office Location - WEST ODESSA] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-11-17 ." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on July 28, 2010.)
42. "Odessa College - Community Home".
43. "EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 130. JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICTS".
44. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Ector County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
45. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Midland County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
46. "Texas Music Industry Directory - Radio Stations in West Texas {{!}} Texas Music Office {{!}} Office of the Texas Governor {{!}} Greg Abbott".
47. "City: Passenger count at airport tops 53,000 in February".
48. "Zoning Map". City of Midland.
49. "Airport Data and Information Portal".
50. (2024-03-04). "Midland spaceport development continues to rise with addition of space force partner".
51. (September 1997). "Law, Lucius D. Bunton III". Texas Monthly.
52. (23 October 2008). "Lonesome Onry and Mean: Roy Orbison and Odessa". Houston Press.com.
53. "Roy E. Williams". Pro-Football-Reference.Com.
54. "Marvin R. Young". thevirtualwall.org.
55. "The Reel Life". ESPN.com.
56. (11 June 2007). ""Making News: Texas Style" (2007)". IMDb.
57. "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) - Filming locations". IMDb.
58. "Black Gold: Going Deeper: Facts and Stats". trutv.com.
59. "No Country for Old Men". Sparknotes.com.