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The county was named for Mathew D. Ector, a Confederate general and Texas jurist.  Ector County was marked off in 1887 from land previously assigned to Tom Green County, and was attached to Midland, Crane, and Upton counties for judicial purposes.
As early as 1881 promoters of the Texas and Pacific Railway encouraged immigration by offering to haul farm machinery and household goods for prospective settlers at no charge; they ignored the limited rainfall and predicted a splendid agricultural potential for the area. During the late 1880s and in the 1890s settlers began to trickle in.
In 1890 the census enumerated 224 residents, and in 1891 Ector County was formally organized, with Odessa, the largest town, designated as the county seat.
Cities and towns
Gardendale Goldsmith Odessa	West Odessa Penwell Notrees
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