Odessa

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FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2013, file photo, a man steadies himself as he and others work on framing new houses, in Odessa, Texas. America’s energy boom is fueling population growth west of the Mississippi River. New 2013 census information released Thursday, March 27, 2014, showed that six of the 10 fastest-growing metropolitan areas and eight of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the country are located in or near the oil- and gas-rich fields of the Great Plains and Mountain West. More and more oil and gas drilling is being done in those regions, drawing people from around the nation looking for work, the Census Bureau said. Neighboring cities Odessa and Midland, Texas, show up as the second and third fastest-growing metro areas in the country. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)