Odessa, Texas

Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Ector County in West Texas, with portions extending into Midland County. The population was 114,428 at the 2020 census, making it the 34th-most populous city in Texas. It is the principal city of the Odessa metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Ector County. The metropolitan area is also a component of the larger Midland–Odessa combined statistical area, which had 359,001 residents in 2020. The city is famous for being featured in the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, and the movie adaptation, Friday Night Lights. The University of Texas Permian Basin is located in the city and enrolls over 5,000 students. In 1948, Odessa was also the home of First Lady Barbara Bush, and the one-time home of former U.S. presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Former President George H. W. Bush has been quoted as saying, "At Odessa we became Texans and proud of it."

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