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Corpus Christi, Texas

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City of Corpus Christi
File:Downtown corpus.jpg
Flag of City of Corpus Christi
Flag
Official seal of City of Corpus Christi
Seal
Nickname: 
Sparkling City by the Sea
Location in the state of Texas
Location in the state of Texas
CountiesNueces County
Government
 • MayorHenry Garrett
Area
 • City1,192.0 km2 (460.2 sq mi)
 • Land400.5 km2 (154.6 sq mi)
 • Water791.5 km2 (305.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2004)
 • City281,196
 • Density692.7/km2 (1,794.2/sq mi)
 • Metro
409,741
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code361
Website[1]

Corpus Christi is a coastal city and the county seat of Nueces CountyTemplate:GR in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the region known as South Texas. In 2000, its population was 277,454; a 2004 estimate placed the population at 281,196, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the three-county Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area. The translation from Latin of the city's name is Body of Christ, given to the settlement by the Spanish, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament (Eucharist). The city has been nicknamed The Sparkling City by the Sea, particularly in literature promoting tourism.

The city is home to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, and is served by the Corpus Christi International Airport.

Geography

Corpus Christi is located at 27°44′34″N 97°24′7″W / 27.74278°N 97.40194°W / 27.74278; -97.40194Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (27.742857, -97.401927).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 460.2 square miles (1,192.0 km²), of which 154.6 square miles (400.5 km²) of it is land and 305.6 square miles (791.5 km²) of it (66.40%) is water. Drinking water for the city is supplied by two reservoirs, Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir. Through an effective regional partnership with the Nueces River Authority and the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, a 101-mile pipeline was built which transports water from Lake Texana to the city's O.N. Steven's Water Treatment Plant. It was named the Mary Rhodes Pipeline, named after the late Mayor Mary Rhodes. All reservoirs are outside the city limits, but are managed directly by public utility of the City of Corpus Christi.

Climate

Corpus Christi has a subtropical climate, enjoying similar temperatures to those of other Gulf Coast regions, but lower precipitation as it is located in a semiarid region. Average high temperatures in the summer months exceed 90°F ([[32°C), while average nighttime winter lows in January, the coldest month, are a little less than 50°F (10°C). The city's largest recorded snowstorm was 4.4 inches (11 cm) in December 2004. The city's record high temperature is 109°F (43°C), on September 5, 2000, while its record low is 13°F (-12°C).

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rec High °F 91 98 102 102 103 106 104 104 109 98 98 91
Norm High °F 66 69.7 75.8 80.7 85.6 90.2 93.2 93.4 89.9 83.6 74.9 68
Norm Low °F 46.2 49.3 56.2 62.3 69.5 73.5 74.4 74.5 71.6 64 55.4 48.1
Rec Low °F 14 18 24 33 47 58 64 64 50 28 28 13
Precip (in) 1.62 1.84 1.74 2.05 3.48 3.53 2 3.54 5.03 3.94 1.74 1.75
Source: USTravelWeather.com [2]

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 277,454 people, 98,791 households, and 70,437 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,794.2 people per square mile (692.7/km²). There were 107,831 housing units at an average density of 697.3 per square mile (269.2/km²). Estimated population in July 2005: 283,474 (+2.2% change). In 2000, the racial makeup of the city was 71.62% White, 4.67% African American, 0.64% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 18.58% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 54.33% of the population.

There were 98,791 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,414, and the median income for a family was $41,672. Males had a median income of $31,863 versus $22,616 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,419. About 14.1% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Various sections of Corpus Christi maintain distinct senses of identity and community from the city proper, especially the Calallen and Flour Bluff areas, and, less prominently, Clarkwood and Annaville. These areas are sometimes mistakenly believed to be separate municipalities.

Tourism

The city is home to a number of popular destinations for both tourists and residents. In the southeast part of the city, near the Pharaoh Valley subdivision, is the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge, on the western shore of Oso Bay. The nearby Pharaohs golf course also serves as a haven for coastal and migratory birds. Some of the most visited attractions are on North Beach, where the Texas State Aquarium and the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay are located. The USS Lexington was also part of the set for the 2000 film Pearl Harbor. Nearby is Corpus Christi's museum district. Located there are the Museum of Asian Cultures, Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, the South Texas Institute for the Arts, and the Harbor Playhouse theatre, one of the oldest continually operating community theatres in the State. Heritage Park is also in the museum district, where a number of older restored houses can be found. The downtown area, of which the museum district is a part, is home to skyscrapers, companies, various shops, a very popular center of marinas, and Mirador de la Flor. Downtown also is home of the Texas Surf Museum, which explores the history of surfing and focuses on surf culture along Texas' 367-mile coast. Also in the city is the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens and Nature Center which hosts gardening programs from time to time.

Directly east of Corpus Christi are Padre Island and Mustang Island, home to various municipal, state, and national parks, most notably Padre Island National Seashore. The city is also near King Ranch, one of the world's largest ranches, upon which the movie Giant was based.

Yearly the city also celebrates the Buccaneer Days Carnival, which is typically held downtown. South Padre Island Drive (locally abbreviated as "S.P.I.D.", with the letters pronounced individually), is the city's main retail corridor, with two shopping malls, Sunrise Mall, Padre Staples Mall, and the soon to come Crosstown Commons, which will be the largest of them all and is expected to have many more major retailers and attendance. Also, a number of other large shopping centers, small strip centers, and restaurants can be found throughout the city.

Economy

The Corpus Christi economy is vibrant and diversified with good growth potential[1] With the majority of the population employed in the Services, Wholesale and Retail Trade, and Government sectors, Corpus Christi enjoys a low unemployment rate of 4.0% (May 2007)[2]. The Port of Corpus Christi, which is the sixth largest US port and deepest inshore port on the Gulf of Mexico, handles mostly oil and agricultural products. Much of the local economy is driven by tourism and the oil & petrochemicals industry.

Corpus Christi is home to two installations of the United States military, the Corpus Christi Army Depot and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Combined, these installations provide 6,200 civilian jobs to the local economy, making them the single largest employer in the city. Corpus Christi Army Depot, located on NAS Corpus Christi, is the largest helicopter repair facility in the world. [3]

Corpus Christi is the headquarters of Whataburger, a fast food restaurant operator and franchisor with 650 stores in ten states and Mexico. Other large employers include the Corpus Christi Independent School District with 5,355 local employees, Spohn Health System at 4,500, and the H.E. Butt Grocery Company at 2,200.[4]

Sports

The city is home to the Corpus Christi Rayz of the Central Hockey League, Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League who are the defending champions of the Texas League, and the Double A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Hooks hosted the 2007 Texas League All Star Game. Current Houston Astro Hunter Pence played for the Hooks in 2006 and is now a top contender for Rookie Of The Year honors in the National League. The city also supports the Corpus Christi Sharks of arenafootball2. The Corpus Christi metropolitan area is also home of the Coastal Bend Aviators of independent minor league baseball's American Association, and the Corpus Christi Hammerheads of the Intense Football League. Current state 4A baseball champions are the Trojans of Roy H. Moody High School.

Education

Colleges and universities

Corpus Christi is home to several institutions of higher learning: Del Mar College [3], Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (formerly known by the following four names: Corpus Christi State University (CCSU), Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, and University of Corpus Christi, but now a component of the Texas A&M University System), Our Lady of Corpus Christi, a private, Roman Catholic university, a branch of the Coastal Bend College education program, and numerous vocational schools including Southern Careers Institute, Career Centers of Texas- Corpus Christi, and Vogue Cosmetology School.

Del Mar College is a local community college begun in the 1940s at a location behind Wynn Seale Jr. H. S. The main campus began with the administration building which was constructed after World War II on Del Mar. The college grew to encompass a good portion of a residential addition called Southmoreland built from the Bohemian farm lands in the late 1930s. Del Mar now includes a West campus located in area of Corpus Christi that once was Cliff Maus Airport.

Schools

Five school districts provide primary and secondary education for area residents: Corpus Christi Independent School District, Calallen ISD, Flour Bluff ISD, Tuloso-Midway ISD, and West Oso ISD. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi provides the primary and secondary education for Catholic schools.

Recreation

Fishing

With it being next to Corpus Christi Bay, The Gulf of Mexico, Laguna Madre, it has turned into a booming economy for fishing guides, bait merchants, fishing supply retailers, watercraft retailers, and even research of marine biology.

Kayak Fishing

In the past few years kayak fishing has become popular alternative to fishing from motor boats.[citation needed]

Hunting

Because of the abundance of fish, waterfowl hunting has become popular in the region. Duck, geese, coot, and teal are just some of the many birds hunted for on the water. There is also a huge interest in white-winged dove and mourning dove in these areas, but most of the birds are hunted on private leases.

Wind sports

The city has one of the highest average wind speeds of coastal cities in North America [5] Combined with the Bay Front area along Ocean Drive, this makes Corpus Christi one of the premiere destinations for wind sports such as kite boarding, wind surfing, and kite flying.

Famous People from Corpus Christi

Farrah Fawcett - Actress
Selena Quintanilla-Perez - Late Tejano Superstar
Eva Longoria - Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives
Bobby Labonte - NASCAR Nextel Cup driver and 2000 champion
Terry Labonte - NASCAR Nextel Cup driver and 1984 + 1996 champion
Lou Diamond Phillips - Actor
Lori Singer - Actress
Marc Singer - Actor
Dabney Coleman - Actor
Terrence McNally - Playwright
Paula DeAnda - Musician
Larry Norman - Musician, songwriter
Brooks Kieschnick - Baseball player
Amy Acuff - Athlete (High jump)
Pepe Serna - Actor
Freddy Fender - Musician
Barbara Barrie - Actress
Johnny Canales - Musician
Burt Hooton - Baseball Player
Allen Ludden - Game Show Host
Todd Oldham - Fashion Designer and Host
Melissa Hyde - Resort Manager, La Cascada San Antonio
Raymond Berry - NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Rey Villareal - Playboy extrodinare

Media

Magazines
Newspapers
Broadcast television
Radio

Internet Radio

AM

FM

See also

Template:Geolinks-US-cityscale

Template:Texas Largest Cities

  1. ^ [4].
  2. ^ [5]
  3. ^ [6]
  4. ^ [7]
  5. ^ Wind Average Data: University of Utah: http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/windavg.html
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