Midland is a city in the
U.S. state of
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Midland County with small portions extending into
Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the
2020 census. Located in the
Permian Basin in
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...
, Midland is a major center for
American oil and natural gas production.
Midland is the principal city of the
Midland, Texas metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Midland County, the population of which was 169,983 in the 2020 U.S. Census. The metropolitan area is part of the larger
Midland–Odessa combined statistical area, which had a population of 340,391 in the 2020 census. Residents of Midland are referred to as 'Midlanders'.
Midland was founded as the midway point between
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
and
El Paso on the
Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1881. The city has many connections to the
Bush family; it was the one time home of former
Presidents George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
and
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and the hometown of former
First Lady Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...
. The
Bush Family Home State Historic Site is located in Midland.
History
Midland was established in June 1881 as Midway Station, on the
Texas and Pacific Railway. Its name came from its central location between Fort Worth and El Paso, but because there were already other towns in Texas named Midway, the city changed its name to Midland in January 1884 when it was granted its first post office.
Midland became the county seat of Midland County in March 1885, when that county was first organized and separated from
Tom Green County. By 1890, it had become one of the state's most important cattle shipping centers. The city was incorporated in 1906, and by 1910 established its first fire department, along with a new water system.
Midland was changed significantly by the discovery of
oil in the
Permian Basin in 1923 when the Santa Rita No. 1 well began producing in
Reagan County, followed shortly by the
Yates Oil Field in
Iraan. Midland became the West Texas oil fields' administrative center. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, it had the nation's largest bombardier training base. A second boom began after the war, with the discovery and development of the
Spraberry Trend, still the country's third-largest oil field by total reserves. Yet another boom period took place during the 1970s, with the high oil prices associated with the oil and energy crises. Today, the Permian Basin produces one fifth of the nation's total petroleum and
natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
output.
Midland's economy still relies heavily on petroleum, but the city has also become a regional telecommunications and distribution center. By August 2006, a busy period of crude oil production had caused a significant workforce deficit. According to the Midland Chamber of Commerce, at that time there were almost 2,000 more jobs available in the
Permian Basin than there were workers to fill them.
In 1959,
John Howard Griffin wrote a history of Midland, ''Land of the High Sky.''
''Avery v. Midland County''
In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case ''
Avery v. Midland County''. Midland mayor Hank Avery had sued Midland County, challenging the electoral-districting scheme in effect for elections to the County Commissioner's Court. The county districts geographically quartered the county, but Midland, in the northwestern quarter, had 97% of the county's population. A judge, elected on an at-large basis, provided a fifth vote, but the result was that the three rural commissioners, representing only 3% of the county's population, held a majority of the votes.
The Court held that the scheme violated the
Fourteenth Amendment's
Equal Protection clause
The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides "nor shall any State... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal pr ...
. A dissenting minority held that this example of the
Warren Court's policy of
incorporation at the local-government level exceeded its
constitutional authority.
Geography
Midland is in the
Permian Basin in the
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...
plains.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has an area of 71.5 square miles (185.2 km), of which 71.3 square miles (184.7 km) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km) (0.28%) is water.
Climate
Midland has a
hot semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSh'') bordering upon a
hot arid climate (''BWh'') and a
cool semi-arid climate (''BSk'') with hot to sweltering summers and cool to mild winters. It occasionally has cold waves during the winter, but rarely sees extended periods of below-freezing cold. It also sometimes sees very warm to hot conditions in winter due to
chinook winds deciding from the mountains.
Midland receives approximately of precipitation per year, much of which falls in the summer. Highs exceed on 115 afternoons per year and on 24 afternoons while lows fall to or below on 58 mornings.
;Notes:
Cityscape
Nicknamed "The Tall City", Midland has long been known for its downtown skyline. Most of downtown Midland's major office buildings were built during a time of major
Permian Basin oil and gas discoveries. The surge in energy prices in the mid-1980s sparked a building boom downtown. For many years, the 22-story
Wilco Building in downtown was the tallest building between
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
and
Phoenix. Today, the tallest is the 24-story
Bank of America Building, at . Four buildings over tall were planned in the 1980s, including one designed by architect
I.M. Pei.
The great oil bust of the mid-1980s killed any plans for future skyscrapers. A private development group was planning to build
Energy Tower at City Center, which was proposed to be 870 feet tall, with 59 floors (six floors underground and 53 above). If it had been built, it would have been Texas's sixth-tallest building.
File:Bank of America Building, Midland, Texas.jpg, Midland's tallest building, the Bank of America Building.
File:MIDLAND TOWER, MIDLAND, MIDLAND COUNTY, TX.jpg, Midland Tower is one of Midland's oldest high rise buildings.
File:Petroleum Bldg., Midland, TX DSCN1174.JPG, The historic Petroleum Building was built with a neo-gothic facade in 1928.
File:IPhone Pictures 201.jpg, A vew of Independence Plaza and The Summit Building. Independence Plaza is Midland's 4th tallest building.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 132,524 people, 47,682 households, and 32,632 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 47,562 housing units at an average density of . Of the 47,682 households, 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were opposite-sex married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were made up of same-sex relationships, non-family habitations, or other habitation arrangements. About 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city, the population was distributed as 29.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median household income in 2020 was $90,448, with a per capita income of $47,870. 10.5% of the population was below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $39,320, and for a family was $48,290. Males had a median income of $37,566 versus $24,794 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city in 2007 was $52,294. In 2000, about 10.1% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
In 2014, ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine ranked Midland the second fastest-growing small city in the United States.
Economy
In 2014, Midland had the lowest unemployment rate in the United States, 2.3%. According to the city's latest Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's top ten employers are:
Arts and culture
Galleries
Midland College is home to the McCormick Gallery, inside the Allison Fine Arts Building on the main campus. Throughout the year, exhibits at the McCormick feature works of MC students and faculty, visiting artists, and juried exhibits. The Arts Council of Midland serves as the promotional and public relations vehicle to promote the arts and stimulate community participation and support. The McCormick is also home to the Studio 3600 Series, established in 2006 to "spotlight selected art students and provide them the opportunity to exhibit key works that identify the style they have crafted over a period of time."
Performing arts
The Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale (MOSC) has performed in the Permian Basin for over 45 years, and is the region's largest orchestral organization, presenting both Pops and Masterworks concerts throughout the year. The MOSC also is home to three resident chamber ensembles, the Lone Star Brass, Permian Basin String Quartet and West Texas Winds. These ensembles are made up of principal musicians in the orchestra.

The Midland Community Theatre (MCT) originated in 1946 with musicals, comedies, dramas, mysteries, children's theatre and melodramas. MCT produces 15 shows each year in three performance spaces—Davis Theatre I and Mabee Theatre II, in the Cole Theatre, and the annual fundraiser
Summer Mummers in the Yucca Theatre. MCT is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre, and hosted the 2006 AACT International Theatrefest.
Twice each year, the Phyllis and Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series at Midland College presents free cultural and artistic performances. The series was endowed in 1999.
Libraries
*
Midland County Library
* Haley Memorial Library and History Center
* Murray L. Fasken Learning Resource Center at Midland College
Tourism
Sitting on the southern edge of the
Llano Estacado and near the center of the
Permian Basin oil fields, Midland's economy has long been focused on petroleum exploration and extraction. Providing more information about this industry is the
Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, on the outskirts of town near Interstate 20. The museum houses numerous displays on the history, science, and technology of oil and gas development. The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum houses a collection of race cars designed by
Jim Hall, a longtime Midland resident who pioneered the use of aerodynamic downforce in Formula One car design.
Midland is also home to The Museum of the Southwest. The museum features a collection of paintings by various members of the
Taos Society of Artists and
Karl Bodmer as well as engravings by John J. and John W. Audubon. Within the same museum complex are the Children's Museum and the Marian W. Blakemore Planetarium. The Museum of the Southwest is in the Turner Mansion, the historic 1934 home of Fred and Juliette Turner.
On display at the Midland County Historical Museum are reproductions of the "Midland Man", the skeleton of a
Clovis female found near the city in 1953. Analysis of the remains by Curtis R. McKinney using uranium-thorium analysis showed that the bones are 11,600 ± 800 years old. Presenting his findings at the annual meeting of the
Geological Society of America in 1992, McKinney said, "
e Midland Woman was related to the earliest ancestors of every Indian who lives today, and she is very likely the only representative of those who created the Clovis cultures."
Sports
Midland is home to the
Midland RockHounds, a
Texas League minor league baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
team. It is the AA affiliate of the
Athletics. The Rockhounds have played their home games in
Momentum Bank Ballpark since 2002.
West Texas United Sockers is an American soccer team founded in 2008. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference. The team plays its home games at the
Grande Communications Stadium.
Midland is home to the West Texas Drillers (Adult Tackle Football) of the Minor Professional Football League. They were established in 2009. They play their home games at Grande Communications Stadium.
Midland College is a member of the
Western Junior College Athletic Conference, and fields teams in baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's golf, softball and volleyball. Midland College has won 20 national championships in sports since 1975, as well as produced 192 All-Americans.
Plans have been made to develop a 35-court tennis facility named the Bush Tennis Center.
Midland is also home to the Midland Mad Dog Rugby Club, which competes in the Texas Rugby Union as a Division III team.
Government
Local government
According to its 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Midland's various funds had $57.3 million in revenues, $53.0 million in expenditures, $363.4 million in total assets, $133.9 million in total liabilities, and $75.0 million in cash and investments.
* 1907–1908, S.J. Issaacs
* 1908–1909, A.C. Parker
* 1909–1911, J.A. Haley
* 1911–1915, J.M. Cladwell
* 1915–1917, J.M. Gilmore
* 1917–1918, H.A. Leaverton
* 1918–1923, W.A. Dawson
* 1923–1925, Paul T. Barron
* 1925–1929, Frank Haag
* 1929–1934, Leon Goodman
* 1934–1943, M.C. Ulmer
* 1943–1946, A.N. Hendrickson
* 1946–1947, Fred Hogan
* 1947–1949, Russell H. Gifford
* 1949–1951, William B. Neely
* 1951–1953, Perry Pickett
* 1953–1954, J.W. McMillen
* 1955–1958, Ernest Sidwell
* 1958–1962, F.L. Thompson
* 1962–1968, H. C. Avery Jr.
* 1968–1972, Edwin H. Magruder Jr.
* 1972–1980, Ernest Angelo Jr.
* 1980–1986, G. Thane Akins
* 1986–1992, Carroll Thomas
* 1992–1994, J.D. Faircloth
* 1994–2001, Robt. E. Burns
* 2001–2008, Michael J. Canon
* 2008–2014, Wes Perry
* 2014–2019, Jerry Morales
* 2019-2023, Patrick Payton
State and federal representation
Midland is represented in the US Senate by
John Cornyn and
Ted Cruz
Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...
and in the US House of Representatives by
August Pfluger. Midland residents are represented in the
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas.
The Senate ...
by Republican
Kevin Sparks, District 31. Midland has been represented in the
Texas House of Representatives by Republican
Tom Craddick, the former
Speaker from District 82, since 1969. Craddick is the longest serving representative in the history of the Texas House and the longest serving incumbent state legislator in the United States.
The
Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the headquarters of Parole Division Region V in Midland; the Midland District Parole Office is in the Region V headquarters.
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates the Midland Main Post Office on the grounds of
Midland International Air and Space Port. The other four post offices are Claydesta, Downtown Midland, Graves, and Village.
Education
Colleges and universities
Midland is the home of
Midland College (MC), which offers over 50 programs of study for associate degrees and certificates to more than 6,000 students who enroll each semester. MC offers programs in health sciences, information technology, and aviation, including a professional pilot training program. MC is one of only three community colleges in Texas approved to offer a bachelor's degree in applied technology. Dr. Damon Kennedy is MC's president.
Midland is home to the
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Permian Basin Campus's physician assistant program, on the MC campus. The entry-level graduate program awards a Master of Physician Assistant Studies following 27 months of intensive academic and clinical training.
Visiting lectures
Twice each year, the Davidson Distinguished Lectures Series at
Midland College presents free public lectures by "nationally known speakers whose academic accomplishments, civic leadership, and/or public achievements interest, enrich, and enlighten Midland students and citizens." The series was endowed in 1996, and has brought a diverse selection of speakers to Midland, including
Ken Burns,
Richard Leakey,
Bill Moyers,
Mark Russell,
Sandra Day O'Connor,
Richard Rodriguez,
Shelby Foote,
Anna Deavere Smith,
Bill Nye,
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...
and
Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Primary and secondary schools
Midland Independent School District serves the portion in Midland County, as in the vast majority of Midland. Midland is home to three public high schools:
Midland High School,
Legacy High School and Early College High School (ECHS) at Midland College, all of which are part of MISD. Another school district just outside Midland,
Greenwood Independent School District, serves approximately 3,000 students and operates
Greenwood High School, James R. Brooks Middle School, Greenwood Intermediate, and Greenwood Elementary.
In July 2020 the Midland Independent School District voted to change the name of the former Robert E. Lee High School to Legacy High School in the wake of the
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
.
ECHS welcomed its first freshman class on August 24, 2009. It aims to award students their associate degrees from
Midland College by the time they receive their high school diplomas.
The portion in Martin County is in the
Stanton Independent School District.
Midland has many private schools, including Hillcrest School, Hillander, Midland Classical Academy, Midland Christian School, Midland Montessori, St. Ann's School, and Trinity School of Midland. It is also home to four charter schools: Richard Milburn Academy,
Premier High School, Texas Leadership Charter Academy, and Midland Academy Charter School.
Media
Newspapers
Midland is served by the ''
Midland Reporter-Telegram''.
Radio
Television
Midland is served by nine local television stations:
KMID, an
ABC affiliate;
KWES-TV
KWES-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Odessa, Texas, United States, serving the Permian Basin (North America), Permian Basin area as an affiliate of NBC. The station is owned by Tegna Inc. and maintains studios on West County ...
, an
NBC affiliate;
KOSA, a
CBS affiliate and a
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...
affiliate on their digital
cable TV
Cable television is a system of delivering television broadcast programming, programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This ...
station;
KPEJ-TV, a
Fox affiliate;
KPBT-TV, a
PBS affiliate;
KWWT, a
MeTV affiliate;
KUPB, a
Univision affiliate; and
KTLE-LD, a
Telemundo affiliate. It also has a religious television station:
KMLM-DT, an affiliate of
God's Learning Channel, a worldwide institution offering pro-Israel programming.
Midland is the location for
Taylor Sheridan's new series ''
Landman''.
Many major motion pictures have been filmed in and around Midland, including ''
Hangar 18'', ''
Waltz Across Texas'', ''
Fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
'', ''
Blood Simple'', ''
Hard Country'', ''
Friday Night Lights'', ''
The Rookie'', ''
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'', ''
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure'' (which featured, as extras, many participants in the actual rescue and its coverage), and others.
The Midland-Odessa area is a focal point for many of the TV series ''
Heroes''
's first-season episodes, serving as the Bennet family home and as the location of the Burnt Toast Diner.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Air
* Midland is served by
Midland International Air and Space Port (ICAO code: KMAF, IATA code: MAF), which is located between
Odessa
ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
and Midland.
* Midland Airpark (ICAO code: KMDD, IATA code: MDD) is a
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
airport located on Midland's northeast side.
Highways and Roads
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Rail
Midland was the site of the 2012
Midland train crash, in which a train collided with a parade float carrying wounded military veterans, killing four.
Midland also has citywide public bus services provided for the
Midland-Odessa Urban Transit District by Midland-Odessa Transit Management, otherwise known as E-Z Rider.
Notable people
Sister cities
Midland has four
sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there ar ...
around the world.
*
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua or Chihuahua City ( ; Lipan language, Lipan: ) is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. , the city of Chihuahua had a population of 925,762 inhabitants. while the metropolitan area had a popu ...
(Mexico)
*
Dongying,
Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
(China), located near
China's second-largest known oil field. A modest pagoda, located at the Beal Complex, was donated by Dongying officials. It has since been demolished.
*
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...
(Guyana)
*
Birkenhead
Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...
(United Kingdom)
References
Bibliography
External links
City of Midland, Texas*
{{Authority control
Cities in Texas
County seats in Texas
Populated places established in 1881
Cities in Midland County, Texas
Cities in Martin County, Texas
1881 establishments in Texas
Cities in Midland–Odessa