If you have lived in Midland/Odessa all of your life, or even most of your life, here are 5 things you definitely know, but if you are new to town here is what you need to know about our area.

  1. We are 300 miles away from everything - the only place that is not that far away would be Lubbock. Otherwise, DFW, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso are all 300 miles away which makes for a great road trip.
  2. Winter only lasts 2 months - If that long, we do have the occasional winter storm like last year but those only happen once every 10 years. Usually, any snow events last a couple of days and once the sun comes out, it's gone in a couple of hours.
  3. Summer lasts for about 8 months - Spring is a month and Fall is the other month and the 2 months of winter make up the year. We have over 300 days of sunshine a year which is great unless you love winter and if so then you better get yourself a transfer to Alaska. But if you love heat and no humidity, the desert of West Texas is for you!
  4. We have an International Air and Space Port but for now, you cannot travel to either - Yes we have the Midland International Air and Space Port but don't plan a trip to London, Paris, or Mars anytime soon. The only way you can get an international fight is if you are sending cargo overseas. As for a trip to space, that may be a reality sometime in the future but not in the next couple of months or years.
  5. Midland and Odessa have been at odds with each other for decades - It probably started with the saying that I have heard all my life "You raise a family in Midland and raise hell in Odessa," which has not set well with Odessans for many years. It stems from when the oilfield was getting started, the oil companies put all their corporate offices in Midland, built all the high-rise office buildings for their oil companies and all the suits bought houses in Midland. That made it to where all the oilfield workers found it cheaper to live in Odessa so they chose to set up their lives there.

So if you are new to Midland/Odessa, there are 5 things for you to know about the area that all of us natives have known for years.

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