Midland, Texas

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City of Midland

Seal
Nickname(s): The Tall City
Location within the state of Texas
Coordinates: 32°0′18″N 102°5′57″W / 32.005°N 102.09917°W / 32.005; -102.09917
Country Flag of the United States United States
State  Texas
Counties Midland, Martin
Government
 - City Council Mayor Wes Perry
Michael Trost
John James
Scott Dufford
Jerry Morales
LuAnn Morgan
Vicky Hailey
 - City Manager Courtney Sharp
Area
 - City 173.0 km2 (66.8 sq mi)
 - Land 172.5 km2 (66.6 sq mi)
 - Water 0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
Elevation 848 m (2,782 ft)
Population (2000)
 - City 94,996
 - Density 550.6/km2 (1,426.2/sq mi)
 - Metro 255,978 (2,007)UNIQ733f2a6,143eac1c6-ref-00,000,000-QINU
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-6)
Area code(s) 432
FIPS code 48-48072[2]
GNIS feature ID 1341547[3]
Demonym Midlander
Website www.midlandtexas.gov

Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County,[4] located on the Southern Plains of the western area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County.[5] The population was 94,996 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Midland County. The metropolitan area is also a component of the larger Midland–Odessa, Texas Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 255,978 as of July 1, 2007.[1] People in Midland are called Midlanders.

Midland was originally founded as the midway point between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1881. The city has received national recognition as the hometown of former First Lady Laura Bush and the childhood home of former President George W. Bush.

Contents

[edit] History

Midland was originally called Midway because of its location between Fort Worth and El Paso; however the name was soon changed to Midland to avoid confusion with other towns in Texas named Midway.

Once a small town based on farming and ranching, Midland was forever changed by the discovery of oil in the Permian Basin in 1923 when the Santa Rita No. 1 well began producing in Reagan County, followed shortly by the Yates Oil Field in Iraan, Texas. Soon, Midland was transformed into the administrative center of the West Texas oil fields. 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; however, the city has also diversified to become a regional telecommunications and distribution center. By August 2006, a busy period of crude oil production had caused a significant workforce deficit. According to the Midland Chamber of Commerce, at that time there were almost 2,000 more jobs available in the Permian Basin than there were workers to fill them.

John Howard Griffin wrote a history of Midland, Land of the High Sky (1959).

D. Lance Lunsford wrote The Rainbow's Shadow: True Stories of Baby Jessica's Rescue & the Tragedies That Followed [6], which was published in 2006.

[edit] Avery v. Midland County

In 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of Avery v. Midland County. Midland mayor Hank Avery had sued Midland County challenging the electoral-districting scheme in effect for elections to the County Commissioner's Court. The county districts geographically quartered the county, but the city of Midland, in the northwestern quarter, accounted for 97% of the county's population. A judge, elected on an at-large basis, provided a fifth vote, but the result was that the three rural commissioners, representing only three percent of the county's population, held a majority of the votes.

The majority of the U.S. Supreme Court held that the districting inequality violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection clause. The dissenting minority held that this example of the Warren Court's policy of incorporation at the local-government level exceeded the Court's constitutional authority.

[edit] Geography

Midland is located at 32°0′18″N 102°5′57″W / 32.005°N 102.09917°W / 32.005; -102.09917 (32.005072, -102.099239),[7] in the Permian Basin in the plains of West Texas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 66.8 square miles (173.0 km²), of which, 66.6 square miles (172.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (0.28%) is water.

[edit] Cityscape

Bank of America building in downtown Midland, Texas, May 11, 2005.
Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, George H.W. Bush and Joseph I. O'Neill, III (who introduced George W. and Laura in Midland) at the dedication of the George W. Bush Childhood Home in 2006.
A glimpse of Midland headed north from the Bush Childhood Home

Nicknamed "The Tall City", Midland has long been known for its downtown skyline. For many years, the 22-story Wilco Building in downtown Midland was the tallest building between Fort Worth and Phoenix. Today, Midland's tallest building is the 24-story Bank of America Building, which stands at a height of 332 feet (101 m). Four buildings over 500 feet (150 m) tall were planned in the 1980s, including one designed by world famous architect I.M. Pei[8]. The great Oil Bust of the mid-1980s, however, killed any plans for future skyscrapers. As of today, five of the forty downtown skyscrapers in Midland are completely vacant.

Because of the revival of the energy-driven economy, a move is currently underway to bring mixed-use development to the downtown area. This has resulted in the on-going demolition of several older buildings and the plans for replacement of several more. At the beginning of 2008, the Permian Building and Gihl's Tower were demolished. Today, there are parking lots where the two buildings once stood. On November 8, 2008 the 14-story Midland Savings Building, built in 1959, was imploded. The building once housed Texaco's Midland office, which later moved to the Heritage Building. Crews have since begun the demolition of the Metro and First National Bank buildings, located on the same block. The Summit Building, 300 N. Marienfeld, in mid-2008 became the first building in the Midland area to be depicted on Google Earth in a 3D mode. The GIS Division of the City of Midland has a long-range plan to render more of the downtown area in the new rendering.

[edit] Midland Culture

[edit] Galleries

Midland College is home to the McCormick Gallery, located inside the Allison Fine Arts Building, on the college's main campus. Throughout the year, changing exhibits at the McCormick feature works of MC students and faculty, visiting artists, and juried exhibits from the Arts Assembly of Midland [2]. The McCormick is also home to the Studio 3600 Series [3], 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."

[edit] Performing Arts

The Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale (MOSC) has performed in the Permian Basin for over 45 years, and is the region's largest orchestral organization, presenting both Pops and Masterworks concerts throughout the year. Composed of professional musicians from the area as well as Lubbock, San Angelo and other surrounding cities, the MOSC also is home to three resident chamber ensembles, the Lone Star Brass, Permian Basin String Quartet and West Texas Winds. These ensembles are made up of principal musicians in the orchestra, who come to the area from across the United States.

The Midland Community Theatre (MCT) [4]has been entertaining the Permian Basin since 1946 with musicals, comedies, dramas, mysteries, children's theatre and melodramas. MCT produces 15 shows each year in three performance spaces - Davis Theatre I (485 seats) and Mabee Theatre II (155 seats), located in the Cole Theatre, and the annual fundraiser Summer Mummers [5] in the historic Yucca Theatre. MCT has an extensive education program, including the Pickwick Players (teen performance troupe), Theatre School programs and OutReach classes. MCT operates with a professional staff of 20 and depends upon the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers in the Permian Basin to produce shows throughout the year. MCT is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre [6], and hosted the 2006 AACT International Theatrefest.

Twice each year, the Phyllis & Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series at Midland College presents free cultural and artistic performances of "international interest and scope to stimulate and inspire the Midland arts community,"[9] and entertain the community at-large. The series was endowed in 1999, and has since brought a diverse selection of entertainers to Midland, including Andre Watts, the Eroica Trio, the Moscow Boys Choir, the Flying Karamazov Brothers, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 3 Mo' Divas, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez and the Golden Dragon Acrobats of China.

[edit] Tourism

Sitting on the Llano Estacado and located 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, located on the outskirts of town near Interstate 20. The museum houses numerous displays on the history, science, and technology of oil and gas development. The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum houses a collection of race cars designed by Jim Hall, a long time Midland resident who pioneered the use of aerodynamic downforce in the design of Formula One cars.

Main Street of Midland, Texas during the town's frontier days.

Midland is also home to The Museum of the Southwest. The Museum features a collection of paintings by various members of the Taos Society of Artists and Karl Bodmer as well as engravings by John J. and John W. Audubon. Located within the same museum complex are the separate Children's Museum and the Marian W. Blakemore Planetarium. The Museum of the Southwest is housed in the Turner Mansion, the historic 1934 home of Fred and Juliette Turner.

Headquartered in Midland is the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). Associated with the CAF is the American Airpower Heritage Museum. The museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums, displays and preserves World War II artifacts and memorabilia, as well as a collection of original WWII nose art panels. As part of the museum tour, visitors can see 14-20 aircraft on display in the CAF hangar. A research library and archives house a significant oral history collection and give the public access to the museum's information resources.

On display at the Midland County Historical Museum are reproductions of the "Midland Man", the skeleton of a Clovis female found near the city in 1953 [10].Analysis of the remains by Dr. Curtis R. McKinney using uranium-thorium analysis showed that the bones are 11,600 ± 800 years old. Presenting his findings at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in 1992, Dr. 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."

[edit] Visiting Lectures

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."[11] The series was endowed in 1996, and has since 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, John Updike and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

[edit] Sports

Midland is home to the Midland RockHounds, a Texas League minor league baseball team. It is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Rockhounds have played their home games in Citibank Ballpark since 2002.

West Texas United Sockers is an American soccer team founded in 2008. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and will make its debut in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference against teams from Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Laredo and McAllen in 2009. The team will play its home games at the Grande Communications Stadium in Midland, Texas.

In the spring of 2009 Midland will host the West Texas Drillers of the National Minor Football League. The Drillers will play their home games at Memorial Stadium.

Midland College is a member of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, and fields teams in baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's golf, softball and volleyball. Midland College has won 20 national championships in sports since 1975, as well as produced 192 All-Americans.

Plans have been made to develop a 35 court tennis facility named the Midland Tennis Center.

[edit] Media

Midland is served by 10 local television stations: KMID - an American Broadcasting Company affiliate, KWES-TV - an NBC affiliate, KOSA - a CBS affiliate and a MyNetwork TV affiliate on their digital cable station, KPEJ - a Fox affiliate, KPBT - a PBS affiliate, KWWT - The CW Television Network affiliate, KUPB - a Univision affiliate, KTLE-LP - a Telemundo affiliate, and K69IT- a Multimedios Television affiliate. It also has one local religious television station: KMLM- a God's Learning Channel affiliate that is a worldwide institution offering pro-Israel programming. Midland is also served by one local newspaper, the Midland Reporter-Telegram.

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, Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (which featured, as extras, many participants in the actual rescue and its coverage), and others.

In the Heroes television series, the Midland-Odessa area is a focal point for many of the first season's episodes, serving as the home for the Bennet family as well as the location of a recurring restaurant, the Burnt Toast Diner.

[edit] Climate

Midland receives approximately 14.8 inches (380 mm) of precipitation per year, much of which is delivered in the summer.

 Weather averages for Midland, Texas 
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 84
(29)		 90
(32)		 97
(36)		 101
(38)		 108
(42)		 116
(47)		 112
(44)		 107
(42)		 107
(42)		 101
(38)		 90
(32)		 85
(29)		 116
(47)
Average high °F (°C) 56.8
(14)		 63.0
(17)		 70.9
(22)		 78.8
(26)		 86.8
(30)		 92.7
(34)		 94.3
(35)		 92.8
(34)		 86.1
(30)		 77.4
(25)		 65.8
(19)		 58.4
(15)
Average low °F (°C) 29.6
(-1)		 34.1
(1)		 40.8
(5)		 48.6
(9)		 58.8
(15)		 66.4
(19)		 69.1
(21)		 67.9
(20)		 61.6
(16)		 51.3
(11)		 38.8
(4)		 31.2
(-0)
Record low °F (°C) -8
(-22)		 -11
(-24)		 9
(-13)		 20
(-7)		 34
(1)		 47
(8)		 49
(9)		 52
(11)		 36
(2)		 27
(-3)		 10
(-12)		 -1
(-18)		 -11
(-24)
Precipitation inches (mm) 0.53
(13.5)		 0.58
(14.7)		 0.42
(10.7)		 0.73
(18.5)		 1.79
(45.5)		 1.71
(43.4)		 1.89
(48)		 1.77
(45)		 2.31
(58.7)		 1.77
(45)		 0.65
(16.5)		 0.65
(16.5)		 14.80
(375.9)
Source: National Weather Service[12]

[edit] Demographics

Sand storm that passed over Midland, Texas, February 20, 1894 at 6:00 p.m. Windmills and houses visible just below the whirling sand.

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 94,996 people, 35,674 households, and 25,221 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,426.2 people per square mile (550.6/km²). There were 39,855 housing units at an average density of 598.3/sq mi (231.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.51% White, 8.37% African American, 0.63% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 12.49% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.99% of the population.

There were 35,674 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,320, and the median income for a family was $48,290. Males had a median income of $37,566 versus $24,794 for females. The per capita income for the city was $52,294[13]. About 10.1% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local Government

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $57.3 million in Revenues, $53.0 million in expenditures, $363.4 million in total assets, $133.9 million in total liabilities, and $75.0 million in cash and investments. [14]

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is: [15]

City Department Director
City Manager Frank Ragan
City Attorney Keith Stretcher
City Secretary Kaylah J. McCord
Interim Chief of Police Price Robinson
Fire Chief Russell Conley
Finance Director Robert McNaughton
Community Services Director Monette Burke
Director of Airports Marv Esterly
Interim Director of Utilities Sutart Purvis
Director of Facilities and Fleet Management Mark Philips
Director of Development Services Charles Swallow

[edit] Economy

According to the City's 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[16]the top ten employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Midland Independent School District 2,826
2 Warren Equipment Companies 1,920
3 Midland Memorial Hospital and Medical Center 1,500
4 Dawson Geophysical 1,200
5 Midland College 1,200
6 City of Midland 962
7 Patterson Drilling UTI 750
8 Cingular Wireless 600
9 Midland County 583
10 Key Energy Services 500

[edit] Education

[edit] Colleges and Universities

Midland is the home of Midland College, which offers a variety of over 50 programs of study for associate degrees and certificates, to more than 6,000 students who enroll each semester. MC offers programs in Health Sciences, Information Technology, and Aviation, including a Professional Pilot Training program. Midland College is one of only three community colleges in Texas approved to offer a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Technology. Current Midland College President is Dr. Steve Thomas.

Midland is also home to Southeastern Career Institute - Midland.

[edit] Schools

Midland is the home to two local public high schools: Midland High School and Robert E. Lee High School, both of which are part of the Midland Independent School District. There are also many private schools in Midland including: Hillcrest School, Hillander, Midland Classical Academy, Midland Christian School, Midland Montessori, St. Ann's School, and Trinity School of Midland, amongst others. Midland is also home to three charter schools; Richard Milburn Academy, Premier High School, and Midland Academy Charter School.

[edit] Libraries

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] Transportation

The Midland International Airport serves Midland, nearby Odessa, Texas and a large region of West Texas, and southeast New Mexico. The airport is considered the gateway to the Big Bend Region of Texas and Big Bend National Park. Midland also has city-wide public bus services provided for the Midland-Odessa Urban Transit District by Midland-Odessa Transit Management, otherwise known as E-Z Rider.

[edit] Sister Cities

Midland has four sister cities located in various countries around the world.[17]

  • Flag of the People's Republic of China Dongying (China) Located near China's second largest known oil field. A modest pagoda located at the Beal Complex, was donated by Dongying.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Table 2. Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (CBSA-EST2007-02)" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2008-03-27. http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2007/CBSA-EST2007-02.csv. Retrieved on 2008-07-21. 
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ "Table 4. Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Texas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-07-10. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2007-48.csv. Retrieved on 2008-07-21. 
  6. ^ The Rainbow's Shadow: True Stories of Baby Jessica's Rescue & the Tragedies That Followed
  7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  8. ^ List of Architectural designs, including MGF Building by I. M. Pei
  9. ^ Phyllis & Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ Davidson Distinguished Lectures Series
  12. ^ National Weather Service Midland
  13. ^ Personal Income for Metropolitan Areas, 2007 http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/mpi/2008/xls/mpi0808.xls
  14. ^ City of Midland CAFR Retrieved 2009-06-24
  15. ^ City of Midland CAFR p. x Retrieved 2009-06-24
  16. ^ City of Midland CAFR p. 132 Retrieved 2009-06-24
  17. ^ Article referencing Midland's sister cities
  18. ^ Hamilton Tiger-Cats :: Official Site of the Tiger-Cats

[edit] External links

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