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Life in Odessa, Texas

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Are you thinking of moving or relocating to Odessa, Texas? Would you like to know what the quality of life is like living in Odessa?

Jill Eisnaugle reports in this review:

Weather	How much crime?	What are the neighborhoods like?	What are the people like?
The winters can be cold with snow and ice. Temperatures generally range between the 20s and 50s for highs in the dead of winter. The region has been in an extreme drought for the past few years and summertime temperatures range from the upper 80s to 110s.	Crime in Odessa is so prevalent that in 2014, Time Magazine named Odessa as having the highest crime rate in the country. According to statistics, there is a 1 in 94 chance of a resident becoming a crime victim. Theft from properties and burglaries occur frequently and at a higher average than the US's average as a whole. The occurrence of violent crime in Odessa is more than twice the average for the state.	The South Side of Odessa has always been a bad part of town with a higher crime rate on the other side of the tracks. For as long as I can remember, parents have instructed their kids to avoid the south end of town. The East Side of town is among the safer areas, though with an escalating crime rate, no area is totally immune these days. Odessa's East Side is home to many hard-working Caucasians. The West Side of town is not as wealthy with trailer park villages filled with the area's Hispanic population.	The residents are extremely friendly and treat you like you would have expected to have been treated in the olden days of the Wild West. Manners still matter here and neighbors do help one another in times of need. The city's ethnic mix is just over 50% Hispanic, approximately 42% Caucasian, 5.3% African-American and 3% other races.
Schools	town comparison vs.	General comments
Back when I attended school there, the education system lagged behind other districts in Texas and elsewhere. Over the past 20 years, this has not changed much. The schools are suffering from a population boom dose of overcrowding with higher numbers of students per classroom.	From a crime standpoint alone, Odessa fails when compared to other communities in the area. Midland, for example, was just named #2 on the best places to live in Texas list due to its low unemployment (the lowest in the state) and amenities.	The town has gotten progressively worse over the years in crime, industry, quality of the schools, etc. From a residential standpoint, the long-time citizens that remain are strong-willed and friendly and see the town as home, but many people are being forced to leave town in order to escape the escalating crime rate and lessened quality of the public education.

Odessa, Texas population: 99940

How many black people live in Odessa? How many white people?

Number of White People	75320	Percentage of White people	75.4%
Number of Black People	6322	Percentage of Black people	6.3%
Number of Hispanic People	51503	Percentage of Hispanic people	51.5%
Number of Asian People	1513	Percentage of Asian people	1.5%
Number of American Indian People	1517	Percentage of American Indian people	1.5%

Note: Numbers may add up to >100% because some people are more than one race.

Odessa, Texas

Percent college grads: 16.2%
Percent grad school grads: 5.2%
Unemployment rate: 5.4
Median house value: 86200
Median income: 47140

How many singles in Odessa?

Single men ages 20-34	Single women ages 20-34	Ratio of single men to women age 20-34
6743	5569	1.21men for each woman
Single men ages 35-44	Single women ages 35-44	Ratio of single men to women age 35-44
2077	2586	0.8men for each woman
Single men ages 45-54	Single women ages 45-54	Ratio of single men to women age 45-54
2023	2378	0.85men for each woman

Crimes in Odessa, Texas

Crimes	Absolute numbers	Average percentage chance of being a victim in
by type	of crimes	One Year	Five Years
Murders	3	0%	0%
Robberies	96	0%	1%
Aggr. Assault	591	1%	3%
Burglary	824	2%	12%
Auto Theft	191	0%	1%

Weather History for Odessa, Texas

Odessa, Texas Basic Temperatue and Weather (30 year averages)

Month	Number of Days 50's (degrees)	Number of Days 60's (degrees)	Number of Days 70's (degrees)	Number of Days 80's (degrees)	Number of Days 90's+ (degrees)
January	27	4	0	0	0
February	0	29	0	0	0
March	0	10	21	0	0
April	0	0	12	18	0
May	0	0	0	20	11
June	0	0	0	0	30
July	0	0	0	0	31
August	0	0	0	0	31
September	0	0	0	22	8
October	0	0	20	11	0
November	0	20	10	0	0
December	22	9	0	0	0
Average year	49	72	63	71	111

How many days and how much precipitation and snow for Odessa, Texas?

	Number of days of rain (.1 inch or greater)	total rainfall	Number of days of snow (.5 inch or greater)	Total snowfall
January	1	0.53	0	0.5
February	1	0.64	0	0
March	1	0	0	0
April	1	0	0	0
May	2	1	0	0
June	2	1	0	0
July	2	1	0	0
August	3	1	0	0
September	3	1	0	0
October	2	1	0	0
November	1	0	0	0
December	1	0	0	0
Average year	25	13	0	0

Realistic temperatures, taking into account precipitation, amount of sunlight during the day, winds during the day, and humidity during hot days.

Month	Number of Days 50's (degrees)	Number of Days 60's (degrees)	Number of Days 70's (degrees)	Number of Days 80's (degrees)	Number of Days 90's+ (degrees)
January	31	0	0	0	0
February	9	19	0	0	0
March	0	2	29	0	0
April	0	0	7	23	0
May	0	0	0	9	22
June	0	0	0	0	30
July	0	0	0	0	31
August	0	0	0	0	31
September	0	0	0	15	15
October	0	0	11	20	0
November	0	11	19	0	0
December	26	5	0	0	0
Average year	66	37	66	67	129

How many hot humid days a year does Odessa, Texas have?
How many cloudy days a year does Odessa, Texas have?
How many sunny days a year does Odessa, Texas have? How sunny is it?
How many windy days a year does Odessa, Texas have? How windy is it?
See below for the answers!

Month	Number of very windy days	Number of clear days	Number of moderately cloudly days	Number of somewhat cloudy days	Number of very cloudy days
January	31	18	1	3	8
February	28	16	1	3	7
March	31	18	1	3	7
April	30	19	1	3	5
May	31	19	2	4	5
June	30	20	2	4	3
July	31	19	3	5	3
August	31	19	3	4	2
September	30	18	2	4	4
October	31	20	1	3	6
November	30	19	1	3	6
December	31	19	0	2	8
Average year	365	229	21	46	69

(Note: Humidity, wind, and cloudcover information is based on (a) 30 year averages and in many cases (b) a large nearby weather station. If you're in an area with a lot of "micro climates" actual conditions may vary.)

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Sources of information: Census, FBI Crime Statistics, NOAA
Disclaimer: The information presented here are for the general population, assume the same rate of crime in the future, and an evenly distributed amount of crime throughout the city in question. They are not meant to accurately predict whether one person in particular will be a victim of crime. Percentages are based on the population of the city/town in question, except for burglaries, which are based on the number of households.