West Texas Drilling Rig At Sunset(Photo by Ed Lallo/Getty Images)
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Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States , on the Southern Plains of the state’s western area
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Odessa, Texas, USA – April 17, 2018: Daytime view of Grant Ave in the heart of the downtown district in the the 29th-most populous city in Texas
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Midland, Texas, USA – July 26, 2013: Oil well drilling rig showing the Permian Basin oil drilling activity in and around the Midland Texas area. The Midland Texas water tower displays Midland’s “Feel The Energy” logo and slogan.
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Odessa, Texas, USA – April 17, 2018: Daytime view of the city owned historic Ector Theatre along North Texas Street in downtown Odessa
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MIDLAND, TEXAS/USA – JULY 4th 2023: oil rig fields. a road trip of a family with a teenage girl during her school summer break before the start of the senior year.
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Commemorative Air Force Museum
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Kaes Van’t Hof talking with students at Young Women’s Leadership Academy
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Bush Family Home State Historic Site
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“Star-Spangled Salute” Independence Day celebration in 2024, MC’d by NewsWest 9 employees Jordan Frazier and Jason Freund.
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Line for Costco Midland on opening week
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Doug Russell Pool opening after renovation
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The Venue at Live Oak with Bryce Leatherwood, center, performing
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North Garfield Street from its roundabout, looking south at Midland Memorial Hospital in the background.
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Special Olympics opening ceremony at Astound Broadband Stadium
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Nathen Ivy of Midland Soup Kitchen Ministry counting donated cans.
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Bass Pro Shops in Odessa.
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Holiday Market at Bush Convention Center
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Basin Beautification Project
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Midland Community Theatre rehearsing their original play Sawyer/Finn.
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Permian Basin Comic Con X at the Horseshoe Pavilion
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Bush Convention Center gathering for James Talarico rally
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Permian Basin Petroleum Museum outside oil rig display
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State of Midland 2025 panel
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IREC Competition at Horseshoe Pavilion
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Lockheed C-5 Galaxy flying over Midland
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Odessa chemical fire from July 2024
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Ratliff Stadium ahead of 2024 matchup between Odessa and Permian High Schools
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Cinergy Odessa bowling alley
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UTPB Bright Star Memorial
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2026 SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo
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Note: Much of the research done for this article comes from “Historic Midland: An Illustrated History of Midland County,” edited by Bill Modisett and kindly provided by the Midland Historical Society via the Visit Midland Information and Travel Center.
At the beginning of May, I reached the second anniversary of my move to West Texas. Like many others who come from big cities — Houston in my case — the only thing I really knew about the place at the time was the story of “Friday Night Lights,” which happened in 1988. Even in that short window of time, though, that national perspective has changed a fair bit. And yet of course, all of that is just a sliver of time in the story of West Texas and the broader story of America. That is why I wanted to look back at the history and culture of this region to answer one thing: What is the West Texas identity in 2026?
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History
Midland and Odessa were founded in the first half of the 1880s, settled by pioneers traveling west. Originally, the intention was to make the region a hub for cattle, and that was the case for around four decades. Even today, the impact of the cattle and agricultural industries can be seen on ranchland extending out of the usual city limits, and this was emphasized by the primary families that gained influence in the region, such as the Scharbauer and Dunn families, several of whom still have influence in West Texas today.
Over time, the area began to establish itself more prominently as a settled city, helped in large part by the development of civic institutions in Midland. This included the formation of the post office in 1884, the county in 1885 and the Midland Fire Department in 1909, as well as the city’s incorporation in 1906. The year 1886 saw the founding of First Baptist Church, the county jail came to be in 1909 and the Midland Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1924. This also included us at the Midland Reporter-Telegram, which was founded in 1929.
During this early period, agriculture, in particular cotton, remained the primary industry for the region, making the area firmly rural. Urbanization truly started, however, with the founding of the Hotel Scharbauer in 1927. More contemporary facilities would be constructed, including the first Midland Memorial Hospital in 1950 and the First National Bank in 1959. Between 1945 and 1960, the population boomed from 14,000 people to 62,625.
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The late 1980s would see two stories in the area that quickly made West Texas nationally known: the October 1987 rescue of 18-month-old Jessica McClure, known as “Baby Jessica,” after she fell and became trapped in a well in her aunt’s backyard for over 58 hours, and the aforementioned “Friday Night Lights” story regarding the Cinderella run of the 1988 Permian Panthers high school football team led by coach Gary Gaines. Both stories were adapted into movies and continue to influence West Texas culture today. As I saw myself when I attended Permian’s game against Odessa High School in 2024 at the famous Ratliff Stadium, you only need to go to one of those Friday high school football games to see how much that one story, and football as a whole, continues to dominate the cultural landscape of West Texas.
In its time, the region has seen many famous individuals call it home. Among these, to name just a few, are award-winning actors Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee Jones; former James Bond author Raymond Benson; professional athletes Cedric Benson, Max Muncy, Natalie Hinds and Randy Velarde; Navy SEAL Chris Kyle; and singer Roy Orbison. Of course, its most notable residents are the Bush family, who originally came so George H.W. Bush could work in the oil industry, and their home is now on the National Register of Historic Places. As the 41st president of the United States would later say, “At Odessa we became Texans and proud of it.”
Industry
With the 1923 discovery of the Permian Basin, the highest-producing oil field in the United States, West Texas soon became the hub for a booming oil and gas industry that is still going strong over a century later. The search for oil had begun in 1916, and soon it became the largest export of the region by far. This was further helped by two successive oil booms: the discovery of the Spraberry Trend in 1949 and increased production in the 1970s.
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Today, you’d be hard-pressed not to meet someone who has some connection to the industry in this area. Whether it’s a giant oil rig out in the desert plains, natural gas exhausts lighting up the night sky or a lone set of pumpjacks across the highway from an H-E-B, the industry’s impact has been undeniable, and oil remains central to the local economy.
At the same time, though, a region cannot rely solely on one industry, and the region’s leaders seem to know that. For example, as someone from NASA’s hometown of Houston, it is fascinating to me that Midland is trying to make its own mark in the space industry. AST SpaceMobile, a satellite company that serves as the largest direct competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink, operates out of a warehouse near Midland International Air and Space Port. Youth sports events have been cited as a boost to the tourism industry, and with it have come park expansions and even new teams to join the Midland RockHounds, such as West Texas FC and the forthcoming Tall City Black Gold, though it also has lost the West Texas Warbirds to Amarillo. New and forthcoming facilities focused on hospitality, such as the Omni Midland Hotel, entertainment, Cinergy Tall City, personal fitness, the Wildcatter Trail, and health, Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center, are being established to help continue to foster the region’s growth. All of this contributes to a city that will always be built off the oil industry, but one day may not need to rely on it anymore.
Complications
But of course, the history of West Texas is not completely sunshine and rainbows. There are darker elements to its history, particularly regarding race, that have continued to loom over it. The region’s settlement came after violent displacement of the Comanche and other Native peoples. As part of the South, racism toward African Americans was heavily prevalent, particularly after the 1963 killing of prominent socialite Juliette Turner by a Black man — a tension reflected in the recent debate over the name of one of Midland’s most prominent high schools, ultimately settling on “Midland Lee High School.” Some of the region’s most prominent figures have faced serious criminal allegations or convictions, with Permian High School football star and “Friday Night Lights” subject James “Boobie” Miles now being incarcerated in connection with sexual assault and aggravated assault cases, and Baby Jessica, now in her 40s, having been charged last month with domestic assault. And of course, there was the darkest day in recent West Texas history when on Aug. 31, 2019, a West Odessa man, Seth Aaron Ator, drove between the two cities and killed seven people before police shot and killed him.
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Present day
The year is now 2026, and in many ways, West Texas now has more nationwide exposure than ever before. That largely has to do with the Paramount+ series “Landman,” starring Billy Bob Thornton, who also played Gary Gaines in the “Friday Night Lights” movie. Unfortunately, he is not a resident of the region, instead being from Arkansas. Part of the larger network of shows created by Taylor Sheridan, “Landman” has done a lot to shine a light on the work of oilmen in West Texas and has largely seen positive reviews, particularly for Thornton’s performance. However, it has also received controversy, being accused of obfuscating the viability of renewable resources in order to drive up profits for the oil companies backing the show, as well as its female characters being objectified or portrayed as unintelligent. The latter has been disputed by two of its actresses, Ali Larter and Michelle Randolph.
From my perspective, the Midland-Odessa region clearly has ambitions to grow and eventually become a region on par with places such as Amarillo, Lubbock or Corpus Christi, to name a few off the top of my head. It is my belief that these cities will one day reach the heights of being a major urban-rural hub that the people in charge seek. And maybe that’s the ultimate realization of the goals the original settlers had: not just as a place to work, but a place to live and thrive. So, if I were to give an answer on what the West Texas identity is in 2026, it would be that it is the promise of our capacity to do and be more than we are, to go to work every day and hope for a better tomorrow. Just like America, when you think about it.
What does being a West Texan mean to you?
The Reporter-Telegram reached out to dozens of people across Midland and asked them one simple question: “What does being a West Texan mean to you in 2026?” Here are the responses we received, in the order they were received. Note that they did not contribute to any other portion of this article.
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Tommy Gonzalez, city manager for the city of Midland: “Being a West Texan means carrying on a culture built on hard work, grit, humility, and pride in where we come from. Being born and raised here, I’m West Texas through and through — the values we learn here shape how we work, how we treat people, and how we handle adversity. This part of the country still stands for authenticity, independence, and people who don’t talk about hard work — they just do it. Around here, we don’t sit around waiting for someone else to solve problems for us. We don’t ask — we do.”
Holly Evans, financial controller at the Petroleum Club of Midland: “West Texans value tradition, knowing your neighbors, honoring our past all while inspiring our future. We cherish our roots while celebrating the innovation of what’s to come. Nothing makes a West Texan prouder than sharing our childhood memories and experiences with friends and family, in hopes that our community will remain the backbone of our children’s children for centuries to come. This place has been a staple of hard work for generations, forged in hard work, handshakes and West Texas dirt. We love a home cooked meal, country music and a great football game. But at the end of the day, our favorite thing to share is a cold beverage with an amazing sunset. Nothing prettier than our West Texas sky at dusk…”
Jack Harper, founder and partner at Hedloc Investment Company: “Being a west Texan means being part of a real community with the highest quality people, an incredible entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to work hard and take chances. Living out here over the past 30 years has been a blessing for our family and i feel deep gratitude for every aspect of our life here.”
Dan Hord III, partner at Hedloc Investment Company: “Both sides of our family have been in West Texas for 4 generations. This has continued to be a blessed place for our family. Great people with great values. Great place to raise a family. Business environment that allows for entrepreneurs to excel. We hope to be here for many more Generations.”
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Krista Escamilla, host of The Krista Escamilla Show: “Being a West Texan in 2026 means leading with grit, faith, and heart. After living here almost 30 years, my husband Al and I truly believe West Texas is the best place to raise our four kids. The people here work hard, dream big, and genuinely care about each other. We’ve also been blessed with wonderful friends who feel like family and a philanthropic community that always comes together to lift others up. I am proud to be a West Texan.”
Brian Stubbs, Midland District 1 city councilman: “Raising a family, owning a business and being involved in the city has shown me the many aspects of being a West Texan. I have seen people rise to amazing heights to help others and solve problems. I have seen groups build amazing organizations and companies. Being a West Texan means participating in solving local, state and national issues with the best people in the world.”
Christi Craddick, Texas railroad commissioner: “Being a West Texan in 2026 means living with a strong sense of independence, resilience, and pride in where you come from. It means valuing hard work, looking out for your neighbors, and staying grounded in the faith and values that have shaped generations of families across this region. Even as the world changes, West Texas continues to represent opportunity, grit, and a way of life that is uniquely American.”
Christine Foreman, a member of the Midland College Board of Trustees: “Being a West Texan in 2026 means believing that faith, hard work, generosity, and service to others still matter. It means honoring the people who invested in us by doing the same for the next generation. West Texas may be growing and changing, but I hope we never lose the small town heart, servant leadership, and sense of community that make this place home.”
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Robin Poole, Midland Councilwoman-At-Large: “West Texans have always carried a quiet strength rooted in hard work, a little grit and determination, and a deep sense of responsibility to others – this strength isn’t found in grand gestures, but in the day-to-day acts of being a good neighbor and striving to leave things better than you found them. I was recently able to take my youngest son to Washington D.C. for the first time, and as we walked through the memorials and visited the homes of our founding fathers, I was reminded that America’s greatness is not found in perfection, but in its enduring ability to overcome in spite of our differences and mistakes. In many ways the Spirit of West Texas is no different – we are a people of strong faith, community, sacrifice and a shared conviction that our shared freedoms, and the freedoms of future generations, are always worth building together and fighting for.”
Amy Stretcher Burkes, District 4 City Councilwoman: “To me, being a West Texan in 2026 means living in a community rooted in faith, personal responsibility, and a strong work ethic. It is a place where families can thrive, neighbors support one another, and people still believe in serving something greater than themselves. I am proud to call West Texas home and to be part of a community filled with hardworking, generous people.”