Odessa/Midland area? Comments Please! (Houston, San Antonio: house, employment, buyers)

[Cathy4017]

I've lived in Midland for nearly 30 years.

We have small-town atmosphere with big-city ammenities, but it is largely a very conservative, Republican-dominated town, which suits me just fine.

We have all of the large chains....Walmart SuperCenter, Target, Best Buy, great sports facilities, good libraries, etc....but we don't have the traffic that larger places do. Housing has increased quite a bit over the last couple of years, and we are in a housing and job boom right now. It IS a seller's market here right now. But generally speaking, the cost of living here is cheaper than Austin, Dallas, Houston, et al. Football is king (yawn).

We have some crime just like any other small city does, but we also have wonderful caring people who live here.

Yes, we are still heavily dependent on oil/gas, and the fortunes here ebb and flow with that, but we are gradually diversifying somewhat.

It's a good place to raise a family compared to some other places.

I'm looking to move because I am deathly sick of the hot weather in Texas.

[fish2026]

Ive lived there and its friendly but not very attractive and quite desolate. THere are more women than men in those towns- and UTPB is a good college but otherwise --------- no.

[conanS]

Check out Andrews Texas if you want to move to a small town. It has an excellent school system and typically fields a very competitive football team. The principal at the high school now was my cross country coach and is a hard-nosed no BS kinda guy, which has really helped the school prosper!!
Just a side note if you are worried about him not getting recognition in football or any other sport. Andrews is the home to Chad Campbell -PGA tour pro, and Shaud Williams - back up RB for the Buffalo Bills!!

[RobBob]

I live in Midland. Moved here two years ago. Bought a 2000 sq ft house in a very nice area for 107,000. It is now worth approx 140-150,000. Midland/Odessa has the lowest unemployment rate in the state. Move here and you will find work, like it or not; we will put you to work.

Odessa has two WM SuperCenters, and Midland has 2 WM SuperCenters- 1 Brand new. Odessa and Midland each have a Sam's Club and both have Target and HEB stores, plus other small chains. Midland is set to open several new businesses and we are growing tremendously.

That being said, we do have a small crime rate, what city doesn't. We also have what I consider to be a good school system, and amenities of large town life without all the traffic. Midland is not a beautiful city, but we have all the things you mentioned wanting in your post. AND high school football is king here. We not only have Midland Lee Rebels, Odessa Permian Panthers, but several Christian schools with very good football teams as well.

I don't think you would find living in Austin as friendly as here, and I wouldn't trust my teenage kids running around in a city like that. That's just me though!

[aggiemom]

Hi....I grew up my whole life in Odessa and I loved it while I was there. It was a booming town back then..... and I had a nice life there. Then I went away to college...and found out that there was a much prettier part of Texas than the flat and desolate Odessa/Midland area. Now, when I go back there to visit, Odessa seems dusty and dirty and not full of the same type people who were there when I grew up there. The football was great back then....but your son can do football in other communities that are prettier and have other activities for him. I know a local teacher (in my present hill country community in Texas) who went out to Odessa to work a few years ago. She had two teen sons in soccer and football in the Odessa area. She hated the town. She said there was NOTHING for her sons to do in their off times.....nothing to keep them busy to keep them out of trouble. She moved from there after only two years. My sis did substitute teaching in Odessa several years back and said that the schools were not at all like they used to be...and that the students she sub-taught were just looking forward to the next party and that she was shocked at how prevalent drug use was among the students. Of course, maybe that's true in every community....I don't know. But, I know that I would never move my children to that community.... not after living in a prettier, cleaner section of Texas with a more family-oriented atmosphere. Growing up in Odessa, I thought Odessa had natural trees.....but later found out that Odessa has mesquite bushes, that are not that big.......NOT TREES. Of course, some yards have trees, but they have to be watered extensively to stay alive, and I can tell you that the trees in my childhood home died and were replaced several times....and my family watered often (thus running the bill$$$$ up.) I grew up in a BIG home in Odessa....and my family sold it a few years ago for barely anything......practically gave it away, which was shocking to me. So, you might get a home for not much $$$.....which I know would seem nice if you have been paying California prices....but take into consideration that you might not be able to get much money back if you decide to sell the home some day. I'm just saying that, due to seeing our big family home selling for so little $$$. You might want to contact some of the Odessa school counselors....and inquire more about life in Odessa for your son.....and get another view from someone who deals with students of that age in that community. ....................just a thought................Good luck!

[aggiemom]

Ooops...forgot to mention this very important fact..........The Odessa hard water does tend to have a bad taste....although I got used to it with time. But, I know for a fact that it causes fluorosis (white spots and pitting) on children's teeth in that town. All the kids in my family have very yellow teeth....with lots of permanent white spots on them.....and even though our teeth may be hard, they look permanently discolored and it's due to the Odessa city water. There is so much NATURAL fluoride in the water out there, that they pull fluoride OUT of the city water, but it is still high enough to discolor forming teeth. The well water in the surrounding areas was VERY high in natural fluoride, so most people who grew up on well water had VERY, BADLY stained teeth.....which was a shame. I saw alot of their discolored teeth and their embarrassment over it through the years there. So, if you move there, you might consider drinking/cooking with bottled water that doesn't have so much fluoride..... IF you still have young children who do not have all of their permanent teeth erupted yet. I hope that helps.

[etexbill]

Midland is the oil headquarters and upper class city. Odessa is the oil workers city. Odessa was once the high school champion of the state almost every year. Both places are terrible. In the middle of nowhere. Check on Tyler in East Texas, Robert E. Lee High is the 2005 football champion of the state, (if that matters). I wouldn't live anywhere else. If you have ever seen an oil town when the oil is running out, Midland/Odessa is the place to be. If Wal-Mart Supercenters mean anything to you I have 8 within a 20 mile radius, plus The U of Texas at Tyler, 1 other university, one of the top Junior Colleges in the nation, medical center with 3 large hospitals, symphony, art museum, planetarium, State Park, lakes, fishing, rolling hills, pine trees, wildflowers, and the largest municipal rose garden in the nation. Population is now 100,000 with a county population of 180,000. 80 minutes to Dallas or Shreveport. Whew!

[Haley]

We were seriously considering moving to Midland. Thanks for all the candid posts about the city. We like that it is a strongly Republican town, but we dislike everything else that was said about it. As native Texans, we are eager to move back to the state and have been researching which place to go as we do not want to move back to Dallas. No where on earth could be hotter. Austin is way too populated for us as its having a huge influx of Californians (and other states too) moving there, driving up the house values and causing horrible traffic. However, the outskirts of Austin (Georgetown, Taylor, etc.) are good because we'd have the conveniences of the bit city nearby but we wouldn't have to deal with the conjestion every day (at least not now.) Have also considered Tyler and Waco and Abilene and Temple. Really we wanted a higher elevation which is why we were considering Midland--it's 2800 above sea level. Thought that would make it cooler than the rest of Texas? As far as flat, that's fine with me. Love the big sky. We've been living in the mountain region of Virginia for the past 6 years and are getting claustrophobic here and we're basically sick of it and the people here. We miss our Texas and want so much to be back there. Is there any place good to live (city conveniences, Target super centers, parks, etc.) in a higher elevation than say, Austin? And not Midland if it's so miserable there.
Thanks!

[etexbill]

Despite the altitude, Midland is just as hot as most of Texas. Their temps run in the high 90's or up in the summer.

Seriously, take a look at Tyler or Longview in East Texas. Republican?? You can't get much more conservative than both.

[etexbill]

If higher altitude and a little cooler is your requirement, take a look at Alpine, Marfa, or any of the towns in the Big Bend area.