Profile for Odessa, Texas, TX

Odessa is in the Permian Basin.

Odessa developed as a stop on the Texas and Pacific Railroad.

Oil was discovered here in 1926.

Site of the "World's Largest Jackrabbit," a 10-foot statue

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 588. The number of murders and homicides was 3. The violent crime rate was 6.4 per 1,000 people.

Filming location for:
· 2004 movie, "Friday Night Lights"

Well-known residents have included:
· Larry Gatlin, country singer and songwriter

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Starbucks

Local festivals include:

• Permian Basin Fair & Exposition - Sept. 7-15, 2007
• Fiesta West Texas - May 4-6, 2007
• Permian Basin Intertribal Powwow - Sept. 22-23, 2007
• Southwest Shakespeare Festival - Aug. 30-Sept. 9; Sept. 13-15, 2007
• Hot Diggity Hog Fest - Oct. 20, 2007
• Shrimpfest - Feb. 26, 2007

Nearby parks & recreation: Monahans Sandhills State Park

Odessa attractions: K-Bar Ranch, Water Wonderland

Sports teams: Roughnecks (Intense Football League), Jackalopes (CHL)

Historic sites and museums: Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Basin, Parker House Museum, Presidential Museum

Colleges and universities: Odessa College, University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was below the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 70

Quotes:
Of all the legends of Odessa, that of high school football was the most enduring. It had a deep and abiding sense of place and history, so unlike the town, where not even the origin of the name itself could be vouched for with any confidence.
-- Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
H.G. Bissinger

Listed places near Odessa

Archives (1)

Cemeteries (1)

Colleges (2)

Hotels (2)

Libraries (1)

Museums (1)

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• Odessa population
• Ancestry of people in Odessa
• Housing in Odessa
• Income in Odessa
• Marital status of adults in Odessa
• Place of birth of people in Odessa
• Residence in 1995, of people in Odessa
• School enrollment & education levels in Odessa
• Transportation & commute times in Odessa
• Ector County data
• Fastest-growing counties in Texas
• State data - Texas
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Odessa demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Ector County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Odessa-Midland area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 79761 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Odessa city government
• Ector County government
• Odessa Chamber of Commerce

8% of Odessa residents report German ancestry, and 7% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Odessa ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Odessa
• Cemeteries in Ector County
• Libraries in or near Odessa

Post a query on a message board:

• Ector County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - TX data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

• Odessa area attractions
• Odessa museums
• Odessa historic sites
• Odessa area parks
• Wineries near Odessa

• Friday Night Lights

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Odessa area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Ector County
• Cemetery record compendium
• Texas cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Odessa
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Ector County

• Odessa business guide
• Odessa Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses
• Corporate records search

• Courts in Texas
• Local ordinances in Texas (Partial selection)

• Crime in Ector County
• Arrests in Ector County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in Texas
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Odessa was $16,096, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Ector County economic census
• Ector County economic summary
• Ector County employment growth
• Ector County unemployment rate
• Texas economic data

15% of Odessa residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Odessa
• Colleges in Texas
• Learning Disabilities Association in Texas
• Schools in or near Odessa
• School districts in or near Odessa
• School report cards
• Yearbooks (old) of Texas high schools

• Movies & TV shows filmed in Odessa
• Movies playing in or near Odessa
• YouTube videos about Odessa

• Air pollution in Ector County
• Diesel soot in Ector County
• Land contamination in Ector County
• Nature Conservancy projects in Texas
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Toxic chemical releases in Ector County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in Texas

Odessa festival dates:

• Permian Basin Fair & Exposition - Sept. 7-15, 2007
• Fiesta West Texas - May 4-6, 2007
• Permian Basin Intertribal Powwow - Sept. 22-23, 2007
• Southwest Shakespeare Festival - Aug. 30-Sept. 9; Sept. 13-15, 2007
• Hot Diggity Hog Fest - Oct. 20, 2007
• Shrimpfest - Feb. 26, 2007

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

Odessa festival web sites:

• Permian Basin Fair & Exposition

• ePodunk festival listings
• Texas county fairs
• Texas festivals (Texas tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Odessa

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Odessa
• Geocaches in Texas

• Odessa items now on sale

• Odessa local government Web site
• Ector County government
• Texas state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Odessa medical services & health statistics

• State historical society

• Historic sites in or near Odessa
• Historic sites in Texas
• Museums in or near Odessa
• Museums in Texas
• Texas state archives
• Texas state encyclopedia
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Ector County genealogy forum

Median rent in Odessa, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $327.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $726.

• Research Odessa Apartments
• Find Foreclosure in Odessa
• Homes for sale in Odessa
• Find a Odessa Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check Texas mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Odessa area
• Job services in Texas
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Odessa include Ector County Library ... View libraries

• Texas library

• Get directions from Odessa
• Get directions to Odessa
• Census map of Odessa area
• Historic maps of TX cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of Texas
• Topographic map of Odessa

Newspapers in Odessa include Lubbock-Midland-Odessa El Editor, Odessa American

TV stations in Odessa include KMLM, KOCV, KOSA, KPEJ, KPXK, KWES.

National Public Radio programming is carried locally by KOCV.

• Daily newspapers in or near Odessa
• AM radio stations in or near Odessa
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Odessa
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Odessa
• TV stations in or near Odessa
• Media ownership in the Odessa area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in Texas

• Military bases in Texas
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Odessa
• Search obituaries in Texas
• Recent death notices - selected TX newspapers

• Odessa Chamber of Commerce
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in Texas
• Lions clubs in Texas
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Odessa
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Odessa

• Parks near Odessa
• National forests in Texas
• State parks in Texas

• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Odessa

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Odessa
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of Texas communities
• Photos of Texas places
• Post cards of Texas communities

Ector County supported George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Odessa political report.

• Texas Democratic party
• Texas Republican party
• Texas elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Odessa
• Total membership by faith, in Ector County

• Chowhound message boards for TX

The average commute time for Odessa workers is 17 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 23 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Odessa between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 2.5 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.

• Odessa travel guide
• Airports near Odessa
• Hotels near Odessa
• Texas tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• Texas coastal water temperatures
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in Texas
• Wildlife refuges in Texas

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