Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in West Texas and the seat of government of Ector County. It has a population of 99,940, according to the 2010 U.S. census. It is often associated with nearby Midland as the Midland-Odessa metropolitan area.
Odessa was founded in 1881 as a cattle-shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway. It was incorporated in 1927, after petroleum was found on a nearby ranch. It remains an oil-producing center of the Permian Basin.
It is the location of Odessa Community College, which hosts a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, which has a replica of Stonehenge on the campus. There is also a Presidential Leadership Museum in Odessa. It is also the home of Permian High School, one of the legendary high-school football programs in the state (featured in the book Friday Night Lights and the basis for the TV series of the same name).
Former Mayor Jim Reese, a pioneer in the development of the Republican Party in Texas, operated an industrial business in Odessa in his later years.
On December 13, 2022, Odessa became the 62nd city to pass an ordinance (by 6-1 city council vote) declaring itself a Sanctuary city for the unborn.