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| Ector County, Texas | |
 Ector County Courthouse in Odessa
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 Location in the state of Texas | |
 Texas's location in the U.S. | |
| Founded | 1891 |
|---|---|
| Named for | Mathew Ector |
| Seat | Odessa |
| Largest city | Odessa |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
902 sq mi (2,336 km²) 898 sq mi (2,326 km²) 4.1 sq mi (11 km²), 0.5% |
| Population - (2020) - Density |
165,171 153/sq mi (59/km²) |
| Congressional district | 11th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www.co.ector.tx.us |
Ector County Coliseum
Ector County Courthouse Administration annex building
Ector County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In the 2020 census, its population was 165,171.[1] Its county seat is Odessa.[2] The county was founded in 1887 and organized in 1891.[3] It is named for Mathew Ector,[4] a Confederate general in the American Civil War.
Ector County comprises the Odessa, Texas, metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Midland–Odessa combined statistical area.
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 902 sq mi (2,340 km2), of which 898 sq mi (2,330 km2) are land and 4.1 sq mi (11 km2) (0.5%) are covered by water.[5] Ector County has an average rainfall of about 14 in per year and a warm, sunny, semiarid climate. Most of the county is relatively flat, with small areas of slightly rolling terrain. The area is known for its stark landscape. The few naturally occurring trees are mostly mesquite trees, which more resemble large bushes.
Major highways[]
I-20- I-20 Bus.
- US 385
- SH 158
- SH 181
- SH 191
- SH 302
- Spur 450
- Spur 588
- Loop 338
- FM 554
- FM 1053
- FM 1601
- FM 1787
- FM 1788
- FM 1882
- FM 1936
- FM 2019
- FM 2020
- FM 3472
- FM 3503
Adjacent counties[]
- Andrews County (north)
- Midland County (east)
- Upton County (southeast)
- Crane County (south)
- Ward County (southwest)
- Winkler County (west)
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 224 | ||
| 1900 | 381 | 70.1% | |
| 1910 | 1,178 | 209.2% | |
| 1920 | 760 | −35.5% | |
| 1930 | 3,958 | 420.8% | |
| 1940 | 15,051 | 280.3% | |
| 1950 | 42,102 | 179.7% | |
| 1960 | 90,995 | 116.1% | |
| 1970 | 91,805 | 0.9% | |
| 1980 | 115,374 | 25.7% | |
| 1990 | 118,934 | 3.1% | |
| 2000 | 121,123 | 1.8% | |
| 2010 | 137,130 | 13.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1850–2010[7] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the census[8] of 2000, 121,123 people, 43,846 households, and 31,700 families resided in the county. The population density was 134 people per square mile (52/km2). The 49,500 housing units averaged 55 per square mile (21/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 73.69% White, 4.61% African American, 0.83% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 17.38% from other races, and 2.81% from two or more races. About 42.36% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 43,846 households, 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.10% were married couples living together, 13.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were not families. About 24.00% of all households was made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the county, the population was distributed as 30.40% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,152, and for a family was $36,369. Males had a median income of $30,632 versus $21,317 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,031. About 16.10% of families and 18.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.90% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.
Communities[]
Cities[]
- Goldsmith
- Odessa (county seat)
Census-designated places[]
- Gardendale
- West Odessa
Unincorporated communities[]
- Notrees
- Penwell
- Pleasant Farms
Ghost towns[]
- Arcade
- Badger
- Douro
- Judkins
- Metz
- North Cowden
- Prairie Home
- Scharbauer City
- Smith Chapel
- Turnbaugh Corner
Politics[]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 32,697 | 73.33% | 11,367 | 25.49% | 527 | 1.18% |
| 2016 | 25,020 | 68.49% | 10,249 | 28.06% | 1,261 | 3.45% |
| 2012 | 24,010 | 73.85% | 8,118 | 24.97% | 385 | 1.18% |
| 2008 | 26,199 | 73.49% | 9,123 | 25.59% | 329 | 0.92% |
| 2004 | 27,502 | 75.74% | 8,579 | 23.63% | 229 | 0.63% |
| 2000 | 22,893 | 69.58% | 9,425 | 28.65% | 583 | 1.77% |
| 1996 | 17,746 | 54.29% | 12,017 | 36.76% | 2,923 | 8.94% |
| 1992 | 18,161 | 50.35% | 11,130 | 30.85% | 6,782 | 18.80% |
| 1988 | 23,155 | 67.80% | 10,825 | 31.70% | 172 | 0.50% |
| 1984 | 31,228 | 77.41% | 8,913 | 22.09% | 201 | 0.50% |
| 1980 | 26,188 | 72.38% | 9,069 | 25.07% | 922 | 2.55% |
| 1976 | 18,973 | 62.56% | 10,802 | 35.62% | 553 | 1.82% |
| 1972 | 21,386 | 79.32% | 5,449 | 20.21% | 125 | 0.46% |
| 1968 | 10,557 | 43.02% | 5,312 | 21.65% | 8,671 | 35.33% |
| 1964 | 11,497 | 51.36% | 10,826 | 48.36% | 63 | 0.28% |
| 1960 | 11,145 | 53.91% | 8,996 | 43.52% | 531 | 2.57% |
| 1956 | 8,805 | 62.41% | 5,109 | 36.21% | 194 | 1.38% |
| 1952 | 8,259 | 61.01% | 5,270 | 38.93% | 8 | 0.06% |
| 1948 | 1,145 | 20.11% | 4,305 | 75.61% | 244 | 4.29% |
| 1944 | 432 | 13.98% | 2,265 | 73.28% | 394 | 12.75% |
| 1940 | 451 | 13.92% | 2,783 | 85.92% | 5 | 0.15% |
| 1936 | 81 | 8.92% | 816 | 89.87% | 11 | 1.21% |
| 1932 | 37 | 6.22% | 530 | 89.08% | 28 | 4.71% |
| 1928 | 168 | 52.66% | 151 | 47.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 12 | 7.74% | 138 | 89.03% | 5 | 3.23% |
| 1920 | 23 | 18.40% | 100 | 80.00% | 2 | 1.60% |
| 1916 | 2 | 1.64% | 120 | 98.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | 3 | 3.13% | 89 | 92.71% | 4 | 4.17% |
See also[]
- List of museums in West Texas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ector County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Ector County
- Odessa College
- Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
- University of Texas of the Permian Basin
- Odessa Meteor Crater
References[]
- ^ a b "Ector County Profile". http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48135.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx.
- ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. pp. 114. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html.
- ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac. http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
External links[]
- Ector County government’s website
- Ector County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
- Inventory of county records, Ector County courthouse, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Ector County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
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Andrews County |
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| Winkler County | 
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Midland County | ||
   Ector County, Texas | ||||
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| Ward County | Crane County | Upton County |
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| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Ector County, Texas. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |