ODESSA, Texas: In west Texas, the center of the US oil boom, about 3,800 students at Permian High School are crammed into a campus designed for 2,500.

Officials had expected enrollment to fall after the last oil price crash in 2014, but it kept rising 鈥� one sign of a growing resilience in the oil economy as Exxon Mobil, Chevron and others continue investing billions of dollars here.

For most of the last century, oil money has flowed into this region 鈥� but residents had enough sense to know it would flow out again when the next bust hit. That cycle has always made people wary of investing during good times.

That hesitance is fading fast as oil majors make longer-term commitments to drill in the Permian Basin and residents grow weary of traffic jams on once-rural roads, long waits for appointments, pricey housing and overcrowded schools. Local government and industry are joining forces to tackle the region鈥檚 overwhelmed services.

鈥淲hen you have more students, you need more teachers,鈥� said Danny Gex, principal at the Odessa school. Texas has a statewide teacher shortage, Gex said, and 鈥渨hen you鈥檙e in a desert, it makes it a lot more difficult to find them.鈥�

Housing is also in demand. The median price in Midland, $311,000 in April, was higher than any other Texas city outside Austin.

The world鈥檚 biggest oil majors are taking control of the shale business. That means they will need to lure more staff to live permanently with families in cities such as Midland and Odessa, rather than depending on 鈥渕an camps鈥� for  roughnecks or relying on temporary schemes.

鈥淭he mindset is changing,鈥� said Midland Mayor Jerry Morales. 鈥淲e understand we鈥檙e growing and we need these things.鈥�