Introduction/Overview - Life in the Permian Basin
Odessa-Midland offers a pleasing combination of small-town pace and big-city amenities. Throw in a mild climate and genuinely friendly people and you have a lifestyle that's hard to match.
Overview
The cities of Odessa and Midland are part of the Odessa-Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area, and they have a combined population of about 240,000, evenly split between the two. Odessa is the county seat for Ector County and Midland is the county seat for Midland County.
Location
Odessa and Midland are located in the southwestern portion of Texas, about 15 miles apart from each other (see locator map at right). Both cities are located in the Central Time Zone (GMT-6) and observe Daylight Savings Time.
Transportation and Culture
The region is served by the newly renovated Midland International Airport (MAF). Commercial airlines serving MAF include Southwest, Continental and American Eagle.
Odessa-Midland has a wide variety of activities and attractions, ranging from museums to community theaters, from professional baseball and hockey to some of the best high school football in the nation. See below for more information.
Climate
Odessa's elevation about 2,850 feet above sea level. The climate is mild and semi-arid. The average low temperature ranges from 28° F in January to 68° F in July, and the average high temperature ranges from 56° F in January to 95° F in July. The humidity level is generally very low, often dropping to 5-15% by mid-afternoon. Average annual rainfall is less than 15 inches and average snowfall is 1.5 inches. Most of the rainfall occurs between April and October. On average, the area has precipitation in less than 50 days each year.
Recreation
Odessa-Midland offers numerous venues for recreation and sports. The two cities offer over 200 holes of golf in 10 public and private courses. The area hosts the only Texas stop on the Buy.com golf tour, the Permian Basin Open. Likewise, the tennis enthusiast will find many courts at his or her disposal. Both cities have strong and well-organized childrens and youth soccer, softball, baseball and in-line and ice hockey programs. The recently completed $40 million dollar Scharbauer Sports Complex provides state-of-the-art spectator facilities in the form of a 5,000 seat baseball stadium (hosting the Midland Rockhounds professional baseball team, the Double A league affiliate of the Oakland Athletics) and a 15,000 seat football/soccer stadium. In Odessa, Ratliff Stadium has long been one of the premier high school football stadiums in Texas. Odessa is also home to a hockey team, the Jackalopes, which competes in the Western Professional Hockey League.
Odessa's Ector County Coliseum is home to one of the largest indoor rodeos in the country, the Sand Hills Rodeo. The biannual Permian Basin International Oil Show is the largest of its kind in the world and attracts thousands of visitors each year as more than 600 companies exhibit their products and services. Another major annual attraction is the Commemorative Air Force's AirSho each October at Midland International Airport, bringing hundreds of vintage airplanes and tens of thousands of visitors from around the world.
Higher Education
Odessa is home to the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB), offering 25 undergraduate and 17 master's degrees. Enrollment is about 2,500 students.
Odessa and Midland each have strong community colleges as well. Odessa College was founded in 1946. Approximately 5,000 students are enrolled in university-parallel and occupational/technical credit courses. During a year, almost 11,000 individuals also enroll in one or more Adult Basic Education, Continuing Education or Community Recreation courses. Midland College is a two-year community college established in 1972. In 2001, student enrollment was about 5,000, with another 13,000 taking various Continuing Education courses.
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