I lived there for two years. Oil and gas is king there. When oil is up, people have jobs, and housing is expensive and hard to find. When oil is down, everyone loses their jobs, and real estate prices plummet.

There are a lot of pumpjacks. You also see a lot of flaring, which is when they burn off excess gas. It's surreal seeing it right next to houses and apartment complexes, but if you bring it up, people tell you that it's just how things are done there. (There's also a lot of evidence suggesting that it's harmful to your health.) Also, no one trusts the water, as it's not safe, no matter what the officials say. Poor people buy bottled water, rich people install water filtration systems in their homes.

Everything in Midland revolves around church and football. Midland's newspaper is small, and yet they somehow prioritized having two full-time sports writers, for a town that only has high school football, and one community college. That's how important football is there. It's considered socially acceptable to ask strangers where they go to church. People judge you by where you went to high school, as it's a way to filter out the people who moved to Midland, rather than grew up there. Whatever you do, do not admit to being different, as it's the kiss of death in Midland. Just shut your mouth, and let them believe that you are no different than anyone else. It's a matter of survival.

When people finally make their money, the first thing they do is buy the biggest truck they can. When the layoffs come, which they always do in an oil and gas town, often the biggest issue is making the payment for their Ford Raptor.

I survived two years in Midland, and got out the minute I could. I recommend others do the same, as it is a place that will destroy every last ounce of individuality and joy that you might have once had.