Odessa has two higher education facilities: a small University of Texas campus brings 3500 students and there is a health science center run by Texas Tech. The region is famous for its fervor for high school football, chronicled in the book and movie “Friday Night Lights.” The geography surrounding Odessa is dry, dusty, and flat, which some may find uninteresting.

The Midland-Odessa region is on a relatively high southern extension of the Great Plains. The terrain is level with slight undulations. Vegetation consists mostly of native grasses and a few mesquite trees. The climate is semiarid. Summer daytime temperatures are hot but with a large diurnal range and most nights are comfortable. Humidity is low. Winters are characterized by frequent cold periods followed by rapid warming. Cloudiness is minimal. Summer showers are common and most of the annual precipitation comes from violent spring and early summer thunderstorms. Due to the flat nature of the countryside, local flooding and blowing dust may occur.