"[7] Odessa was founded in 1881 as a water stop and cattle-shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway.

It was incorporated as a city in 1927, after oil was discovered in Ector County on the Connell Ranch southwest of Odessa.

For the rest of the 20th century, the city's population and economy grew rapidly during each of a succession of oil booms (roughly in the 1930s–1950s, 1970s, and 2010s), often with accompanying contractions during the succeeding busts (particularly in the 1960s and 1980s).

It is situated above the Permian Basin, a large sedimentary deposit that contains significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

The area exhibits a large diurnal temperature range and frequent high winds.

[14] By 2020, the racial and ethnic makeup was 32.68% non-Hispanic white, 6.12% African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.14% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 0.31% some other race, 2.01% multiracial, and 56.14% Hispanic or Latino of any race, reflecting state and nationwide trends of greater diversification.

[23] Around the same time, a coal pollution mitigation plant had been announced for a site previously entered in the Futuregen bidding.

[25] Plans were also in place for a small nuclear reactor called the High-Temperature Teaching and Test Reactor to be run as a test and teaching facility in conjunction with the nuclear engineering department at University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[28] the top employers in the city were: The Midland–Odessa Symphony and Chorale (MOSC) was founded in 1962,[29] and is the region's largest orchestral organization, presenting both pops and masterworks concerts.

The MOSC has three resident chamber ensembles: the Lone Star Brass, Permian Basin String Quartet, and West Texas Winds.

[citation needed] Odessa's Presidential Museum and Leadership Library, on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, is dedicated to the office of the Presidency.

[citation needed] The Parker House Museum features the lifestyle of a prominent ranching family in from the early 1900s.

[30] The Odessa Jackalopes, a Tier ll junior ice hockey team plays its home games at Ector County Coliseum, which was also home to the Indoor Football League’s Odessa/West Texas Roughnecks, and the West Texas Wildcatters of the Lone Star Football League and currently home to the West Texas Desert Hawks indoor football team and member of the National Arena League.

High-school football is held at Ratliff Stadium, which was featured in the movie Friday Night Lights.

In a 6–1 vote, Mayor Javier Joven and council members Denise Swanner, Mark Matta, Gilbert Vasquez, Chris Hanie, and Greg Connell established Odessa as the 62nd city to "outlaw" abortion.

[35] In October 2024, the city gained national attention after voting 5–2 to implement a transgender bathroom ban, in which any transgender person found using a publicly owned bathroom not matching their assigned gender at birth could be charged with trespassing.

The ban was particularly notable for creating a private right to sue, under which any cisgender individual may seek damages from the transgender person of at minimum $10,000 in addition to attorney and court fees.

[36][37] A month later, they expanded the law to cover all restrooms public or private, and allow anyone to sue regardless of if they're an Odessa or even Texas resident.

Since 1994, TTUHSC Permian Basin has included a school of allied health, offering a master's degree in physical therapy.

Additionally, TTUHSC Permian Basin includes a school of nursing focusing on primary care and rural health.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Permian Basin also operates 21 WIC clinics located in nearby small communities.

A total of 124 listed radio stations broadcast in West Texas,[47] which includes Midland/Odessa, Abilene, San Angelo and Alpine.