Odessa () 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
Ector County with portions extending into
Midland County.
Odessa's population was 114,428 at the
2020 census, making it the
34th-largest city in
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 ...
; it is the principal city of the
Odessa metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Ector County. The metropolitan area is also a component of the larger
Midland–Odessa combined statistical area, which had a 2020 census population of 359,001.
The city is famous for being featured in the book ''
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream'', and the movie adaption, ''
Friday Night Lights.''
In 1948, Odessa was also the home of
First Lady Barbara Bush, and the onetime 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 ...
. Former President George H. W. Bush has been quoted as saying "At Odessa we became Texans and proud of it."
History
Odessa was founded in 1881 as a water stop and cattle-shipping point on the
Texas and Pacific Railway. 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).
Etymology
Odessa is said to have been named after
Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
, a coastal city in
Southern Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, (historically spelled ''Odessa'') because of the local
shortgrass prairie's resemblance to Ukraine's
steppe landscape.
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 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 a total area of ; are land and (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.
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 . There were 43,687 housing units at an average density of .
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
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
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
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 was $16,096. About 16.0% of families and 18.6% of the population were 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 ...
, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over. The 2020
American community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
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
The price of oil, or the oil price, generally refers to the spot price of a Oil barrel, barrel () of benchmark crude oil—a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent Crude, Dubai Crud ...
. 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
A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...
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
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...
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
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...
. 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
The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...
.
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 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
The Odessa Jackalopes are a Junior ice hockey#Tier II, Tier II junior ice hockey team playing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The team is based in Odessa, Texas and plays their home games at Ector County Coliseum.
History
The fra ...
, a Tier ll junior
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team plays its home games at
Ector County Coliseum, which was also home to the
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...
’s
Odessa/West Texas Roughnecks, and the
West Texas Wildcatters of the
Lone Star Football League and currently home to the
West Texas Desert Hawks indoor football team and member of the National Arena 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
The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the 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
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
, 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 tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
es, and
property tax
A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...
es, 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
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 three post offices in Odessa: Odessa, Northeast Odessa, and West Odessa.
Education
Universities and colleges
University of Texas Permian Basin
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.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
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.
Community colleges
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
A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...
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).
Infrastructure
Transportation
Air and space
Odessa is primarily served by
Midland International Air and Space Port (
IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...
: MAF,
ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...
: 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
The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...
: ODO,
ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...
: 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
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
categories the field as 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.
Midland International Air and Space Port is being served by
Southwest Airlines (25,131 passengers as of March 12, 2024),
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
(14,780),
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
(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
*
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
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
*
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 Myrick, country music singer
*
Bill Noël, oil industrialist and philanthropist
*
Roy Orbison, singer-songwriter
*
Robert Rummel-Hudson, author
*
Kelly Schmedes, professional soccer player
*
Wally Scott, famed glider pilot
*
Kim Smith, model and actress
*
Toby Stevenson Toby Stevenson may refer to:
* Toby Stevenson (pole vaulter)
* Toby Stevenson (footballer)
{{hndis, Stevenson, Toby ...
, Olympic pole vaulter
*
Stephnie Weir, actress and comedian
*
Elizabeth Wetmore, novelist
*
Roy Williams, professional football player
*
Alfred Mac Wilson,
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient
*
Barbara Payton, actress
*
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
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
''
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
Hooters is the registered trademark used by two American restaurant chains: Hooters, Inc., based in Clearwater, Florida, and Hooters of America, Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by the private investment firm Nord Bay Capital (with Tr ...
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
''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written, directed, produced and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin ...
" 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.
See also
*
Odessa Flight Strip
*
Midland–Odessa shootings
References
External links
*
Odessa Convention and Visitors Bureau
{{authority control
Cities in Texas
Cities in Ector County, Texas
Cities in Midland County, Texas
County seats in Texas
1881 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1881
Cities in Midland–Odessa