Midland is the county seat of Midland County with a small portion of the city reaching into Martin County. It is located on the Southern Plains and now has a population of around 111,146. It is the principal city of the Midland Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of July 1 2009, The Odessa-Midland, Texas Combined Statistical Area had a population of about 266,941. The residents of Midland refer to themselves as Midlanders.
The city was established in the year 1881 because of its convenient location as the halfway point on the Texas and Pacific Railroad between El Paso and Fort Worth. The city's original name was Midway but was changed a few years later because of another city within Texas having the same name. The city of Midland is the childhood home of former President George W. Bush and laura Bush, the former First lady's hometown.
The city was initially a ranching and farming community. However, the economy of the city went through a big transformation when oil was discovered in the Permian Basin during the year 1923.
There are several attractions situated near or within Midland, such as the Midland County Museum, Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Museum of the Southwest Complex, Big Spring State Park and the Confederate Air Force and American Airpower Heritage Museum.
There are numerous amazing parks located within Midland, including Tolbert Park, Trinity Park, CJ Kelly Park, Doug Russell Park, Halff Park and Fasken Park. Furthermore, there are several fascinating museums with a comprehensive explanation of the region's history, like the Museum of the Southwest and the Midland County Historical Museum. There is also the American Airpower Heritage Museum, which is home to more than 50,000 artifacts from World War II. World class shopping is available at The Midland Park Shopping Centre.
The administrative and management head office for the oil and gas industry of the Permian Basin, the biggest oil producing area within Texas, is situated in the city of Midland. The energy industry of the nation is heavily influenced by the Permian Basin.
The city features a lot of oil and gas related companies, including finance, legal, data processing, accounting, engineering, and marketing. The economy is also supplemented by agriculture and ranching businesses.
The city of Midland has numerous occupations requiring a college or university degree, like for instance manufacturing and wholesale sales reps, registered nurses, petroleum engineers, geoscientists, financial mangers, financial analysts, engineering managers and child, family and school social workers. The largest employers in the city of Midland are involved in mining, healthcare, educational services, food and accommodation services, professional, and scientific and technical services.