Biohazard Cleanup Near Beacon Odessa, TX

Odessa is the county seat of Ector County in West Texas, though parts of the city extend into neighboring Midland County.

Odessa traces its founding to July 1881, when the Texas and Pacific Railway reached the area.

The Odessa townsite was platted in 1886 and named after Odessa, Ukraine, because the West Texas plains reminded settlers of the Ukrainian steppe.

Odessa became the county seat when Ector County was organized in January 1891.

Odessa was incorporated in 1927, just as oil was discovered nearby, transforming it into a petroleum center of the Permian Basin.

Odessa had a population of 114,428 in the 2020 census, living in about 46,660 households.

Odessa is famous worldwide as the setting of the book and film Friday Night Lights, about the city's devotion to high school football.

Permian High School won Texas state football championships in 1965, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991, while Odessa High School won its title in 1946.

The University of Texas Permian Basin began holding classes in Odessa in 1973 and now enrolls over 5,000 students.

Odessa College, founded in 1946, is the city's community college.