Living in Corpus Christi, Texas:
Tips for Moving and Visiting

Be prepared for wind, summer heat, obesity, mosquitoes, drug and crime issues, high property taxes. Padre Island has a very nice beach and a good spring break party place.

While the natives have a lot to complain about, they all stay for a reason, and the tourists also come for several notable things. Each area of Corpus Christi is unique, and all these areas come together at ‘the bluff’, formally known as Flour Bluff. Downtown is about 12 miles northwest of Flour Bluff and it provides a unique mix of crack houses, company warehouses, sailors and port managers, immigrants from Mexico and across the sea, and elaborate mansions overlooking the sea.

Someone moving to Corpus Christi should know it gets very hot in this city. If moving from an area that is known for its own high temperatures, then this will not be an issue. If moving from an area whose temperatures never exceed 90 degrees, it may be quite uncomfortable here at first.

Corpus Christi is very small but beautiful. It is near the ocean and is a tourist attraction. It is also a great place to settle down for retirement. I recommend living here if you love salt water, the city life, and partying every once in a while. I have never found a better place.

In Corpus Christi, Texas southern hospitality is one hundred percent true. In other states, you are lucky to receive a “hi” from a stranger. In Texas it goes further than just “hi”, you will also receive a “good morning y’all” and a “how are you doing” each day. The people in Texas do not force themselves to be nice, they naturally are. Texans are some of the friendliest people you will meet, as many of them are willing to help, even if it means changing a flat in over 100-degree weather.

If you move to Corpus Christi, know the city is regularly quite windy. Some people know Chicago as the “Windy City,” but people in Corpus often insist that their city is the one deserving that moniker. You should also know that the city is spread out over a fairly wide area and that travel across town can take longer than expected.

To the west of the air base is Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. This is a 4-year college with no football team, but a lot of school spirit for basketball and volleyball. The college owns nearly all of the island it occupies and is known as ‘the island university’. The result is a small ‘college town’ area surrounding this island.

As you consider moving to Corpus Christi, Texas, one thing you must be aware of is the climate. Corpus Christi is hot and humid for most of the year, and we only experience cold weather for a few weeks in late December and early January. Since we are on the Gulf Coast, there is a risk of hurricanes which can range in intensity.