When West Texas Intermediate turned negative for the first time ever on Monday, everyone in the Middle East felt like they were being run over by a coronavirus. Like every other Texas city that was already called Midway, the site was renamed Midland before it got a post office. In 1915, a railroad was built on its northwest route to the city, connecting it with Seminole. In 1917 it operated a short line serving farmers and ranchers between the towns of Midland, Fasken and Florey, but in the same year it was discontinued.

Midland is served by Odessa - Midland, which is located about 20 miles west of Midway and about 30 miles north of Odetta. Midlands also has a city - a broad public bus service that runs from the Midland - Odenna Urban Transit District, also known as the "E - Z Riders" of Mid Landings, and the Mid Landings - Odessa Transit Management, or MODM for short.

Midland is also home to Midland Mad Dog Rugby Club, which competes in Texas High School Rugby League and other regional and national competitions. The Midlands - Odessa Symphony Choir, or MOSC for short, has been performing throughout the Permian Basin for over 45 years. It is the largest orchestra organization in the region and presents pop and masterpiece concerts every year. The MosC also consists of a large number of musicians from the surrounding cities of Odetta, Midway, Odenna and Mid Landings.

Midlands' leading educational institution is Midland Community College, a four-year institution of higher education in the Permian Basin. It offers a wide range of degrees and graduate programmes and is home to one of the largest and most prestigious undergraduate courses in education in the country.

According to the US Census Bureau, the Midland - Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Midlands County, is the second largest urban area in the United States with a population that grew 4.6 percent to 151,662 in 2012, according to 2012 census data. It is also the third largest in Texas, after the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston-Houston metropolitan areas, which both had an estimated population of 295,987 as of July 1, 2012.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a population of 151,662 and an area of 1.5 million square miles (3.2 million acres), of which 2.6 million are land and 0.4 million are water. Midland County stretches across flat land broken open by a train and covered by scattered mesquite, and sandy red, dark clay soils dominate, with elevations ranging from 300 to 1,500 feet. Highway 349 cuts it from north to south and Interstate Highway 20, which runs southwest through the northeast corner of this district. In the 1850s, these two roads were part of different surveying parties tasked with marking the border lines between Texas and the United States.

Although there were other cities in Texas with the name Midway, the city changed its name to Midland in January 1884 when it was granted the first post office. The Midland Gazette newspaper had long promoted the city as the "Queen of the Southern Plains," and it got its name from its location at the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate 20.

Today Midland International Airport serves a vast area of West Texas, including much of the Trans-Pecos region, the Gulf Coast and parts of Central Texas. The cities of Corpus Christi, Amarillo, El Paso and San Antonio are all more than 300 miles away.

Residents and visitors to the Midlands can get on I-10 and head to Balmorhea State Park, where a wide variety of wildlife awaits them, including birds, wildflowers and feeding pools. The habitat of the Midland Painted Turtle, which is native to both the rainy and dry seasons, offers numerous opportunities for bird watching and wildlife viewing during the rainy or dry season. The closest airport is Corpus Christi International Airport, the largest airport in the state of Texas, which is less than three hours away.

The Texas Department of Conservation has established the Davis Mountains Preserve in the heart of the area to help Midlanders and other West Texans understand the importance of conservation in their area. Sibley Nature Center covers 49 hectares in Hogan Park in Midland and showcases the natural beauty and diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds of prey and wildlife.

Midland is also home to Midland International Airport, the second largest airport in the state of Texas. The General Aviation Airport, located on its northeast side, is an important hub for air traffic between Texas and the rest of the United States.

The city is located almost exactly at the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate 10 in Midland County, Texas, north of the Texas-Mexico border. Midlands borders the cities of El Paso, San Antonio and Corpus Christi as well as the cities of Lubbock, El Cajon, Laredo and San Angelo.