Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a major center for American oil and natural gas production.

Midland was founded as the midway point between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1881.

[8] Midland was changed significantly by the discovery of oil in the Permian Basin in 1923 when the Santa Rita No.

A second boom began after the war, with the discovery and development of the Spraberry Trend, still the country's third-largest oil field by total reserves.

Today, the Permian Basin produces one fifth of the nation's total petroleum and natural gas output.

Midland's economy still relies heavily on petroleum, but the city has also become a regional telecommunications and distribution center.

By August 2006, a busy period of crude oil production had caused a significant workforce deficit.

The Court held that the scheme violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection clause.

A dissenting minority held that this example of the Warren Court's policy of incorporation at the local-government level exceeded its constitutional authority.

Midland has a desert climate (Köppen BSh or BSk) with hot summers and cool to mild winters.

In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Midland the second fastest-growing small city in the United States.

The McCormick is also home to the Studio 3600 Series,[27] established in 2006 to "spotlight selected art students and provide them the opportunity to exhibit key works that identify the style they have crafted over a period of time."

The MOSC also is home to three resident chamber ensembles, the Lone Star Brass, Permian Basin String Quartet and West Texas Winds.

MCT is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre, and hosted the 2006 AACT International Theatrefest.

Sitting on the southern edge of the Llano Estacado and near the center of the Permian Basin oil fields, Midland's economy has long been focused on petroleum exploration and extraction.

Providing more information about this industry is the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, on the outskirts of town near Interstate 20.

The museum houses numerous displays on the history, science, and technology of oil and gas development.

Presenting his findings at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in 1992, McKinney said, "[T]he Midland Woman was related to the earliest ancestors of every Indian who lives today, and she is very likely the only representative of those who created the Clovis cultures."

Midland residents are represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Kevin Sparks, District 31.

MC is one of only three community colleges in Texas approved to offer a bachelor's degree in applied technology.

The entry-level graduate program awards a Master of Physician Assistant Studies following 27 months of intensive academic and clinical training.

Twice each year, the Davidson Distinguished Lectures Series at Midland College presents free public lectures by "nationally known speakers whose academic accomplishments, civic leadership, and/or public achievements interest, enrich, and enlighten Midland students and citizens.

"[41] The series was endowed in 1996, and has brought a diverse selection of speakers to Midland, including Ken Burns, Richard Leakey, Bill Moyers, Mark Russell, Sandra Day O'Connor, Richard Rodriguez, Shelby Foote, Anna Deavere Smith, Bill Nye, John Updike and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

It aims to award students their associate degrees from Midland College by the time they receive their high school diplomas.

It also has a religious television station: KMLM-DT, an affiliate of God's Learning Channel, a worldwide institution offering pro-Israel programming.

Many major motion pictures have been filmed in and around Midland, including Hangar 18, Waltz Across Texas, Fandango, Blood Simple, Hard Country, Friday Night Lights, The Rookie, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (which featured, as extras, many participants in the actual rescue and its coverage), and others.

The Midland-Odessa area is a focal point for many of the TV series Heroes's first-season episodes, serving as the Bennet family home and as the location of the Burnt Toast Diner.