The West Texas city of Midland has yet to be affected by the downturn in crude oil prices, but a prolonged energy slump would eventually be felt. Midland, Texas’ downtown. Source: City of Midland Chamber of Commerce With crude oil prices at their lowest levels in years, municipalities that depend primarily on the oil and gas industry for their economic vitality are suddenly at risk of seeing drastic slowdowns in the local economy, and possibly some red ink. One such city is Midland, Texas, an oil and gas town like few others. Oil is its lifeblood, and throughout its history, the Tall City has experienced many up-and-down cycles in the energy industry. So, how is it weathering the current one? The short answer is that months after oil prices first began to slump, the city itself is doing fine – so far. In fact, a relatively short-term slowdown would […]