WINKLER COUNTY
County Offices
100 East Winkler
Kermit 432-586-3401
www.co.winkler.tx.us
Chamber of Commerce
401 South Dwight Avenue
Monahans 432-943-2187
www.monahans.org
Expanding and shrinking through decades of up-and-down oil booms, rural Winkler County preserves the traditional ranching activity so prevalent in the past. A portion of the sprawling Haley Ranch, founded by the father of Texas historian J. Evetts Haley, is located in Winkler County. County residents are minutes away from the New Mexico border and a short 40-minute drive from Odessa. Both the City of Monahans and Interstate 20 are available within a short commute. For local travel and regional connections, residents rely on State Highways 18, 115, and 302.
Services
Residents of Winkler County meet many of their routine and primary healthcare needs close to home in the county seat of Kermit. Since 1948, Winkler County Memorial Hospital has provided compassionate, patient-centered, short-term acute care including emergency services for urgent treatment and/or referral. Rehabilitation therapies, long-term or swing-bed services, dental care, laboratory, and diagnostic imaging are all available in a community hospital setting. For more advanced care, residents can access state-of-the-art healthcare at two major medical centers in nearby Odessa. Serving the Permian Basin for more than 60 years, Medical Center Hospital provides expert, patient-centered care to residents in a 17-county surrounding region. Combining a teaching hospital with a comprehensive health system, this 402-bed regional medical center includes a network of satellite outpatient centers and integrated physician specialties to meet a wide range of routine and advanced medical needs. Odessa Regional Medical Center provides a 230-bed hospital and comprehensive healthcare services from emergency and heart care to advanced surgical procedures, diagnostic imaging, maternity care, and orthopedic specialties.
Access to quality educational opportunities on every academic level begins with two progressive independent school districts: Kermit and Wink-Loving. Support for education is strong within the community, enabling dedicated educators to meet the highest of standards in preparing students for success in college or vocational fields. Meeting the needs of a growing population, Kermit ISD leveraged a $33 million bond into a new elementary school and other facility upgrades shortly after the opening of the new Kermit High School campus. Wink-Loving ISD recently received special acknowledgement from the Texas Education Agency for Outstanding Academic Achievement in reading, math, science, and post-secondary readiness. Opportunities for higher education are abundant in the Midland/Odessa region, home to the two-year institutions of Howard College in Big Spring, Odessa College in Odessa, and Midland College in Midland. Four-year institutions include the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of the Permian Basin in Midland and Odessa, and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa. From skills training to baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degree programs, every educational goal can be met in the region surrounding Winkler County.
Lifestyle
Winkler County is well-known as a place of abundant sunshine, encouraging outdoor enjoyment throughout the four seasons. Golfers have their own oasis in the West Texas desert at Winkler Country Club, a member-owned facility located on the outskirts of Kermit and Wink. Providing a relaxing atmosphere of scenic beauty, the club includes a wonderful restaurant and pro shop. A short distance from home, the popular attraction of Sandhills State Park is located in neighboring Ward County, combining thousands of acres of sand dunes with 40,000 acres of miniature oak trees. Drawing visitors from across the state and the nation, the park offers nature study, picnicking, camping, and sand surfing. Other unique attractions in the Monahans area include the Million Barrel Museum and the Pyote Rattlesnake Bomber Base Museum displaying the history of a former Air Force training base for B-17 bombers during World War II.
Those interested in cultural enrichment and the performing arts will find wonderful venues and talented groups in the Midland/Odessa region, including the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale. Nearby Odessa is home to Permian Playhouse, the Globe of the Great Southwest theatre, and historic Ector Theatre. The crown jewel of this region is the architecturally stunning Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center on the University of Texas campus in Odessa, showcasing the finest of symphony, ballet, opera, and theatre as well as Broadway shows and national entertainers. Residents are never at a loss for day-trip destinations, from the fine museums in Midland/Odessa to Big Bend National Park, Balmorhea State Recreational Area, and the famous Carlsbad Cavern National Park in New Mexico. For the pleasures of small-town living in friendly rural communities near the finest urban amenities in West Texas, Winkler County is an ideal place to call home.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Kermit, Wink
Kermit City Offices
432-586-3460
www.kermittexas.us
Wink City Offices
432-527-3441
Chamber of Commerce
432-586-2507
Although the city has dedicated a local street sign to Kermit the frog, its name honors Kermit Roosevelt, son of Theodore Roosevelt. From its genesis as a supply center for surrounding ranchers, the town has grown into the commercial hub and seat of county government, with the grand historic Winkler County Courthouse gracing the downtown district. Along with the small neighboring town of Wink, Kermit stands as the largest residential community in the county. Six miles from Kermit and only one square mile in size, Wink is home to the unique attraction of the Roy Orbison Museum and the original home site of the country singing legend. Pilots will be pleased to fine of the area’s finer municipal airports just five miles from downtown Kermit.
