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H.C.R. No. 24
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 WHEREAS, Proud residents of Midland and Odessa are gathering
2 in Austin on February 17, 2009, to celebrate Midland-Odessa Day at
3 the State Capitol; and
4 WHEREAS, Set only 20 miles apart in the ranching and oil
5 country of West Texas, these vibrant Texas cities got their start as
6 stops on the Texas and Pacific Railway in the 1880s; by 1890,
7 Midland was one of the most important centers for shipping cattle in
8 Texas; and
9 WHEREAS, Odessa began its rapid growth with the discovery of
10 oil in the Permian Basin in the 1920s, and by the 1940s, it had grown
11 from 750 residents to 10,000; by 1929, Midland was home to 36 oil
12 companies, and the demand for oil during World War II helped Odessa
13 develop as a major processor and distributor of petroleum products,
14 home to the largest inland petrochemical complex in the world; and
15 WHEREAS, Today, Midland continues to be the financial and
16 administrative capital of the Permian Basin, while Odessa remains
17 the center for the region's oil processing and distribution;
18 looking to the future, the Midland Development Corporation and the
19 Odessa Development Corporation are working to strengthen and
20 diversify the area's economy; and
21 WHEREAS, Midland is proud to be the hometown of former
22 president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, as well
23 as the longtime home of former president George H. W. Bush, former
24 first lady Barbara Bush, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush; and
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