Odessa, the largest town and county seat of Ector County, is the chief shipping point for the surrounding livestock area as well as a center for the oil and gas industry. Located at 31°51' north latitude and 102°22' west longitude in the heart of the vast oil-rich area known as the Permian Basin, it is 321 miles west of Fort Worth and 280 miles east of El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railway. U.S. highways 80 and 385 and Interstate Highway 20 are the major transportation links.
Oil Patch bunny rabbit Jack Been Bunny or The World's Largest Jackrabbit. The 10ft jackrabbit at the corner of 8th Street and Sam Houston in the downtown area.
Odessa has 30 parks, 4 volleyball courts, 15 cement tennis courts, 3 basketball courts 16 baseball fields, 13 softball fields, 4 swimming pools, and several walking trails. 4 community centers with performance stage with varied seating capacities of 100 to 150. Nine outdoor pavilions with picnic tables.
Approximately 280 million years ago, the Permian Basin, in which Odessa now rests, was an ocean teeming with aquatic life. As the ocean slowly evaporated, the decaying plants and animals helped to form the enormous deposit of oil and natural gas that are still being tapped today.
Medical care in the city is provided by Medical Center Hospital, a general hospital with teaching facility for Texas Tech Regional Academic Health Center's residency programs
Odessa is home to the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to the office of the presidency (dedicated in 1965) and to an authentic replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the Globe of the Great Southwest, located on the Odessa College campus.
The Ector County school system's two high schools and all but one of its 35 lower division schools
are located in Odessa; there is one combination elementary-junior high school in Goldsmith, the only other city in the county. Odessa and Permian high schools are known for their football prowess. Odessa College, a two-year community college
Housing Cost
In Odessa, the average home price is $74,000, while prices range from $20,000 to $2,000,000.
Demographics
Estimated population in July 2005: 93,546. Odessa covers 36.8 square miles. It sits at an elevation of 2,900 feet above sea level. Area code: 432
Climate
Odessa, TX climate is hot during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 80's and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 95.60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 33.10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 24 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at Odessa is 14.45 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is September with an average rainfall of 2.68 Inches.
Information provided by idcide.com and city data.com
