Odem is at the intersection of two rail lines 20 miles from Corpus Christi in southwestern San Patricio County, where Hwy 234 crosses US 77.
The local economy initially depended on growing vegetables for commercial markets. In the early 1930s the Pioneer Cannery produced Del Mar brand vegetables. In the fall of 1930 an entire trainload of radishes moved from the Las Palmas Farms to northern markets.
By the 1980s cotton, corn, and grain sorghum had supplanted vegetables. At that time Odem supported a large grain elevator, and three gins were located within a few miles of the city. Oil, first discovered in the area during the 1930s, diversified the local economy. During the 1980s many Odem residents worked in nearby Corpus Christi. Growth pushed the town's estimated population to nearly 3,000 by 1988, when it had thirty-six rated businesses.
In 1990 the population of Odem was reported as 2,366.