Gardendale

Gardendale grew as Ector County kept growing. The county held 91,805 people in 1970 and 115,374 in 1980, and was estimated at 118,934 in 1992. Most lived in Odessa, but by the 1990s the Handbook counted 1,670 people in Gardendale, 24,288 in West Odessa and 280 in Goldsmith. In 2014 the county's population stood at 153,904. Politically the county moved toward the Republican Party, which carried it in every presidential election from 1952 through 1988.

What the plaque says

Gardendale Located in northern Ector County, Gardendale is an area known for horse ranches, oil production and pecan orchards. Prior to 1950, the area was owned by a Sherman physician and called Neathery Ranch. In the late 1950s, Odessa realtor and land developer Fred Gage and his associates purchased 6,500 acres of land for development. The new community quickly became an attractive option for people seeking a rural environment. The Gardendale Community Association, active since 1970, helped secure a community center and a fire department, along with other community enhancements such as park improvements, a horse arena and other recreational spaces. An annual fundraiser continues to fund community projects and organizations. During the 1970s and 1980s, Gardendale became known for its large pecan orchards, boasting almost 80,000 pecan trees. The local pecan processing facility played a significant role in Texas' rank as the second-largest producer of pecans in 1978. In the 1980s, Gardendale was home to several vineyards, including one of the only table grape vineyards in the state. Drought and harsh weather conditions affected both agricultural industries, despite the proximity to a ground water source known as the Midland Draw. Due to drought concerns, the greater Gardendale Water Supply Corp. Formed in 2000 to deliver reliable water to its residents. The area is also home to a 120-acre Odessa College Rodeo and Agricultural Graham Center and the nationally recognized Odessa College Rodeo Team. The citizens of Gardendale continue to honor their agricultural heritage and traditions. (2016)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Midland Army Air Field Museum — 11 mi
  A hangar museum at Midland's airport, run by Commemorative Air Force volunteers, telling how a 1927 grass field became the bombardier college that graduated 6,627 officers in World War II.
• White-Pool House — 13 mi
  Odessa's oldest standing building, an 1887 brick house of a family the Texas and Pacific drew west, later cut into apartments for the oil boom and now a free house museum.
• Museum of the Southwest — 17 mi
  Midland's art and science museum in the 1937 house of oilman Fred Turner and his wife Juliette, with added galleries, a children's museum and a planetarium on the grounds.
• Bush Family Home State Historic Site — 17 mi
  The small 1939 frame house on West Ohio Avenue where George and Barbara Bush raised their young family in Midland's 1950s oil boom, now a Texas Historical Commission site.

More markers nearby

• LeGrande Survey of 1833 — 2.8 mi
• Baker Ranch School — 2.8 mi
• Midland & Northwestern Railroad — 7.2 mi
• Emigrant Trail — 7.7 mi