County Seat: Odessa • County Population: 137, 130 (2010 U.S. Census)
County Judge: Susan M. Redford
Count Commissioners:
- Precinct 1: Freddie Gardner
- Precinct 2: Greg Simmons
- Precinct 3: Dale Childers
- Precinct 4: Armando Rodriguez
The Ector County Courthouse was built in 1964 and constructed around its 1938 predecessor. The earlier temple of justice fashioned of stone was designed by Elmer Withers, while the standing concrete and steel capitol was a product of Peters and Fields.
Ector County was created in 1887 and named for Matthew Duncan Ector, a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. The meaning behind Odessa, the county seat, is likely tied to Odessa, Russia; early settlers likened Ector County’s flat terrain to the “steppe breadbasket,” or extensive plain area, in Odessa, Russia.
Odessa, Texas, was founded in 1881 as a water stop and cattle-shipping point located on the Texas and Pacific Railway. In 1887, Ector County was carved out of land previously assigned to Tom Green County.
In 1927, oil was discovered on the Connell Ranch southwest of Odessa. The launch of the oil industry became a major draw for new residents, especially with the increased demand for oil during World War II.
Triggered by an oil glut in the early 1980s, the oil industry crashed, and a lengthy depression drove most of the major industry players out of the Permian Basin. The industry later picked up, continued to experience valleys and peaks, and as of now is several years into an explosive boom, largely generated by technological advances. According to the February 2014 issue of Permian Basin Oil and Gas Magazine, as of press time Ector County tallied 391 producing oil wells. The boom has also lured new companies to the area, with 642 businesses added in 2012 and 385 in 2013, according to the Odessa Chamber of Commerce.
Ector County is known for more than its rigs and pump jacks:
The book “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream” by author H. G. Bissinger and subsequent movie (“Friday Night Lights”) are based on the 1988 football season of the Permian Panthers, one of the two high school football teams in Odessa.
Odessa is home to:
- University of Texas of the Permian Basin and Odessa College;
- the second largest meteor crater in the nation; and
- Stonehenge Odessa, comprised of 20 stone blocks similar in size and shape to those of England’s ancient Stonehenge.