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Corpus Christi, Texas is a seaport .
Located at the mouth of the Nueces River on Corpus Christi Bay, it is
the largest city on the South Texas coast.
Corpus Christi ("the Body of Christ")
was originally colonized in 1749, but the colony did not thrive.
Settlements were proposed for this site in 1787, 1784, and twice in
the 1830's with no luck. In 1839, a trading post and a thriving
illegal trade with Mexico was established and the rest is history. In
1846, Corpus Christi became the county seat of Nueces County. An 1846
incorporation was repealed, as no officials had been elected, and
Corpus Christi was reincorporated in 1852.
The shallow waters of Corpus Christi
Bay, were an obstacle to large freighters. Smaller boats with more
shallow drafts were needed for offloading. During the Civil War, the
Confederacy defied Union blockades and used their smaller boats to
sail inside the barrier islands for transport of goods. Union forces
bombarded Corpus Christi from
Mustang Island
twice.
After the Civil War, Corpus
Christie's economy was driven by sheep and cattle ranching, with
Corpus Christi as the center of a wool market, and an important key to
shipping. Packing houses, stockyards, and other peripheral industries
boomed.
The main sea channel was dredged in
1874 for better draft for large steamers. The Corpus Christi, San
Diego and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Railroad was also organized in 1875,
and the new city paved its streets and improved sanitation. Tourism
was promoted, and by 1915 hotels and service industries were
flourishing.
September 14, 1919, was the date of a
hurricane so powerful that much of the North Beach area, the central
business district, and the newly dredged harbor was destroyed. Almost
400 people were killed. In 1922 President Harding approved a rivers
and harbors act that authorized construction of new, 30' ship channel.
The Corpus Christi population doubled and the first "skyscraper" was
built.
The discovery of oil in 1930 slowed
the Depression in this area, and new channels (40' x 400') were
completed in 1965 to enable the new supertankers to enter the port.
Corpus Christi's diversified economy
includes agricultural exports, exports cotton, shipping,
manufacturing, tourism, and gas and oil exports. Twenty-two docks in
the Corpus Christi port are reserved for local petrochemicals and
petroleum products.
Truax Field adds more than $40 million annually economically to
this area.
Recreational facilities abound in the
Corpus Christi metropolitan area:
Padre Island National Seashore,
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge,
Goose Island State Park,
Rob & Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation,
Lake Corpus Christi State Park,
and the beach on the Bay of Corpus Christi offer boating, swimming,
fishing, camping, and
birdwatching. If history's your enthusiasm,
Fort Lipantitlán,
Fort Marcy, the first fort built in the state of Texas, and many
historic homes are available for tour. The
Texas State Aquarium focuses
exclusively on aquatic life found in the Gulf of Mexico. Other
cultural attractions include the Corpus Christi Museum, and the
Art Museum of South Texas. Not to be missed is the Cinco de Mayo
celebration at Heritage Park.
The Corpus Christi area offers
several institutes of higher learning and technical training,
including
Del Mar College and
Texas A&M University.
Corpus Christi's population in 2000
was 277,454. The population, which continues to grow, is approximately
50% Hispanic. |
