Community, Attractions & Recreation
Over the past several years, Corpus Christi has emerged as a small city that has the capability of drawing thousands of visitors to it Gulf banks every year to take in the sights and sounds of the Texas coast.
There is almost no limit to amount of things to do in the area including trips to the beaches, surfing, and fishing, taking in the city’s vast amount of history and art and culture in museums, natural parks and sporting events.
The city boasts of walks along the historic seawall on the Gulf or on the beaches with sand-swept dunes and blue sky as far as the eye can see.
Among the long list of things residents and visitors can to do here, some activities include taking in the Port of Corpus Christi, the 5th largest deep-water port in the United States, seeing the Texas State Aquarium where educational programs are offered as well as SeaCamp, a marine science day camp for children. There’s the Watergarden, a scenic rest area with fountains and the Selena Memorial Statue, which was erected by citizens to honor Tejano star, Selena, one of the most popular stars to ever come from Corpus Christi.
Also, there’s Corpus Christi Marina, a scenic bay front area bustling with activity from private yachts and sightseeing boats to water sport rentals and waterside restaurants. Visitors may buy fresh shrimp right off the boats or take a front row seat to watch the colorful sailboat regatta and the Downtown Seawall, an impressive waterfront wall and promenade.
Harbor Bridge is the second tallest bridge in Texas and spans the port to connect Corpus Christi Beach to the downtown area and Ocean Drive, a seven-mile waterfront drive lined with stately homes, parks and a walking path. Home & Garden TV featured this waterfront drive on Dream Drives.
As far as sports and recreation is concerned, take in the action of the Corpus Christi Rayz, members of the Central Hockey League or the Corpus Christi Hooks, part of the Texas League, an eight-team baseball league.
The U.S. Open Windsurfing & Kiteboarding Regatta, Buccaneer Days PRCA Rodeo, the Allen Samuels Chevrolet Powerboat Shoot-Out all take place here, as does the Texas A&M University-Corpus, a NCAA Division I school that competes in men's and women's basketball, men's baseball, men's and women's tennis, softball, cross country, track & field and golf and Texas A&M University-Kingsville, a NCAA Division II school that competes in football, baseball, men's & women's basketball and softball, to name a few activities.
The city also offers several parks, horseback riding, tennis, birding and hunting and fishing.
Or, take in the sights of the Old West at the legendary King Ranch. Bigger than the state of Rhode Island, the 825,000-acre King Ranch is one of the largest and oldest working cattle ranches in the world. Visitors who take guided tours of the King Ranch and its museum will learn about the birthplace of the American cattle industry during the early days of ranching.
As far as performing arts, Corpus Christi has that covered, too, with the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, Harbor Playhouse, the ballet, Art Center of Corpus Christi, Art Museum of South Texas, Rockport Center for the Arts, the Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History, the Texas Maritime Museum, botanical gardens, aquarium and wildlife refuge.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 277,454 people in Corpus Christi.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,414 and the median income for a family was $41,672.
Men had a median income of $31,863 versus $22,616 for women.