Midland–Odessa metropolitan area
Encyclopedia
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
located in West
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It has two component areas – the Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area
Midland metropolitan area
The Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of one county – Midland – in West Texas, anchored by the city of Midland...
(Midland County) and Odessa Metropolitan Statistical Area
Odessa metropolitan area
The Odessa Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of one county – Ector – in West Texas, anchored by the city of Odessa...
(Ector County). As of the 2009 U.S. Census estimate, the CSA has a population of 266,941.
In the past, the cities of Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
and Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
experienced a rivalry of bitter competition and political intrigue. Since the early 1990s, the nature of the rivalry has changed into one of friendly competition and economic cooperation. The Midland–Odessa area today is marketed as "Two Cities, no Limits."
Unincorporated places
- GreenwoodGreenwood, Midland County, TexasGreenwood is an unincorporated community in Midland County, Texas, United States. It is a small suburb of Midland and is part of the Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area.The Greenwood Independent School District serves area students....
- NotreesNotrees, TexasNotrees is an unincorporated community in west central Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located on State Highway 302, approximately twenty miles northwest of Odessa. The community is part of the Odessa Metropolitan Statistical Area....
- PenwellPenwell, TexasPenwell is an unincorporated community in Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located near Interstate 20, approximately sixteen miles southwest of Odessa. The community is part of the Odessa Metropolitan Statistical Area.-External links:...
Geography and climate
The Midland–Odessa combined statistical area, informally known as The Petroplex, is located in West Texas in a petroleumPetroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
rich area called the Permian Basin.
Midland–Odessa enjoys a climate typical of the resort cities of the Southwest United States. The terrain type is described as semi-arid mesquite
Mesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
-mixed grassland subtropical steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
. Winters are typically mild with a few seasonable cold spells. In the spring the wind is quite strong and the summer can bring extended heat waves with many consecutive days with highs of 100 degrees or more. The average rainfall of Midland-Odessa is 14.96 inches. Midland-Odessa is located in zone 8 according to the USDA 2003 Plant Hardiness Map. On average the area experiences 316 days of sunshine a year.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 237,132 people, 86,591 households, and 62,647 families residing within the CSA. The racial makeup of the CSA was 75.47% White, 5.77% African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 14.83% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.84% of the population.
The median income for a household in the CSA was $35,117, and the median income for a family was $41,819. Males had a median income of $33,778 versus $23,013 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CSA was $17,700.
Economy
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
and has experienced a series of booms and busts as the price of crude oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
has fluctuated. The Permian Basin is the source of the New York Mercantile Exchange
New York Mercantile Exchange
The New York Mercantile Exchange is the world's largest physical commodity futures exchange. It is located at One North End Avenue in the World Financial Center in the Battery Park City section of Manhattan, New York City...
's benchmark West Texas Intermediate Crude. Traditionally, the core cities of Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
and Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
have played very distinct roles in the petroleum industry. Midland is home to most of the corporate offices and has a predominantly white-collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
population. Odessa by contrast is home to mostly blue-collar workers and industrial facilities. In 2003 Family Dollar
Family Dollar
Family Dollar is a regional chain of variety stores in the United States. It opened in 1959 and operates approximately 6,617 stores in 44 states and the District of Columbia. It is headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina....
constructed its seventh distribution center
Distribution center
A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly to consumers. A distribution center is a principal part, the order...
, in its industrial complex, since then Telvista, an incoming call center, and Coca-Cola Enterprises
Coca-Cola Enterprises
Coca-Cola Enterprises is a marketer, producer, and distributor of Coca-Cola products. It is the anchor bottler for Western Europe, and was formerly the anchor bottler for most of North America....
have relocated to this complex located on Interstate 20. In even-numbered years, Odessa hosts the Permian Basin International Oil Show
Permian Basin International Oil Show
The Permian Basin International Oil Show is a trade show exposition which is hosted in the city of Odessa, Texas at the Ector County Coliseum on every even numbered year. It showcases the latest technology in the petroleum industry and also honors the industry’s past. It is one of the largest...
—the world's largest inland petroleum exposition—at the Ector County Coliseum
Ector County Coliseum
The Ector County Coliseum is a 5,131 seat multi-purpose arena in Odessa, Texas.It is home to the Odessa Roughnecks , the Odessa Jackalopes , the Sand Hills Rodeo, and the biennial Permian Basin International Oil Show.The Coliseum was built in 1954 and was previously the home of the original...
. In recent years, both cities have made efforts to diversify into additional industries to reduce their dependence on the petroleum industry. Midland-Odessa is well positioned to become an energy
Energy industry
The energy industry is the totality of all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution...
nexus for the region and for the United States as a whole. The metropolitan area is home to two major natural gas powerplants and in July 2006 it was announced that Odessa was one of four possible sites for a FutureGen
FutureGen
FutureGen is a US government project announced by President George W. Bush in 2003; its initial plan involved the construction of a near zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant to produce hydrogen and electricity while using carbon capture and storage....
zero-emissions coal-fired powerplant (which eventually was awarded to Mattoon, Illinois
Mattoon, Illinois
Mattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,555 as of the 2010 census. It is a principal city of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s....
). The Permian Basin is also home to several windfarm
WindFarm
WindFarm is wind energy software used to analyse, design, optimise and visualise wind farms. It calculates and optimises the energy yield subject to natural, planning and engineering constraints. WindFarm has the wind modelling software MS-Micro integrated. MS-Micro is based on the same...
s and the city of Andrews
Andrews, Texas
Andrews is a city in and the county seat of Andrews County in the U.S. state of Texas within the West Texas region. The population was 10,448 in 2009. Along with Midland and Odessa, these cities form the Midland-Odessa Combined Statistical Area with a population of 241,316 in four counties...
is a candidate site for an experimental high temperature nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
. This focus on new sources of alternative energy in addition to petroleum has led some to refer to the Permian Basin as the Energy Basin. The recent high price of crude oil has led to a significant economic boom in the area.
Transportation
Midland–Odessa is served by Midland International AirportMidland International Airport
-Top Destinations:-See also:* Texas World War II Army Airfields-References:* Shaw, Frederick J. , Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004....
(MAF), located between the core cities in Terminal and has since been annexed into Midland proper. This airport serves as a regional hub for cities and towns throughout the Permian Basin and as a gateway to Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
. Odessa Schlemeyer Airport and Midland Air Park also serve as an option for smaller jets.
The spirit of cooperation can be seen in the Midland Odessa Transportation Alliance (MOTRAN) and its centerpiece project "La Entrada al Pacifico
La Entrada al Pacífico
The La Entrada al Pacífico trade corridor was designated as "Trade Corridor 56" by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. The corridor is an international project between Mexico and the United States as a route from the Pacific Ocean port of Topolobampo in the Mexican state of...
" or "Entrance to the Pacific". La Entrada al Pacifico
La Entrada al Pacífico
The La Entrada al Pacífico trade corridor was designated as "Trade Corridor 56" by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. The corridor is an international project between Mexico and the United States as a route from the Pacific Ocean port of Topolobampo in the Mexican state of...
is an official trade corridor that connects the Mexican port city of Topolobampo
Topolobampo
Topolobampo is a port on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest town in the municipality of Ahome , reporting a 2005 census population of 6,032 inhabitants....
on the west coast of Mexico with major markets in the Eastern and North Eastern United States and includes an inland port facility to be located in Midland–Odessa.
Universities and colleges
Midland-Odessa is home to the University of Texas of the Permian BasinUniversity of Texas of the Permian Basin
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973...
, which has its primary campus in Odessa proper. Other University facilities include The Center for Energy and Economic Diversification (CEED) and the planned Fine Arts Performing Center centrally located in Midland County near Midland International Airport.
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center offers programs in Allied Health Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. TTUHSC's main campus is in Lubbock, but campuses are also located in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, El Paso and the Permian Basin...
at the Permian Basin has a main campus located in downtown Odessa and the Physician Assistant Program located on the campus of Midland College
Midland College
Midland College was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Midland, Texas, United States - a county seat of over 100,000 people in the Permian Basin region of west Texas...
.
Local colleges of Midland–Odessa include Midland College
Midland College
Midland College was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Midland, Texas, United States - a county seat of over 100,000 people in the Permian Basin region of west Texas...
and Odessa College
Odessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
.
Public schools
There are three public school districts in the metropolitan area.- Ector County Independent School DistrictEctor County Independent School DistrictEctor County Independent School District is a public school district based in Odessa, Texas .In addition to Odessa, the district also serves the communities of West Odessa, Gardendale, and Goldsmith as well as rural areas in Ector County....
- Midland Independent School DistrictMidland Independent School DistrictMidland Independent School District is a public school district in Midland, Texas . Midland ISD contains 35 campuses, two 5A high schools, 24 elementary schools, and two early education centers....
- Greenwood Independent School DistrictGreenwood Independent School DistrictGreenwood Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Greenwood, Texas . The district's mascot is the ranger.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.-Schools:...
External links
- Official website of the City of Odessa, Texas
- Official website of the Odessa Police Department
- Official website of Midland, Texas
- Odessa's Tourist Website
- Midland's Tourist Website
- Odessa-Midland Area Radio Stations
- Odessa's Chamber of Commerce Website
- Midland/Odessa International Airport(MAF) Website
- Odessa Development Corporation
- Midland Development Corporation
- Midland Reporter Telegram
- Odessa American
- Odessa's Permian Basin International Oil Show
- http://www.ez-rider.org/ Midland-Odessa Urban Transit District EZ RIDER Transit