Corpus Christi is the county seat of Nueces CountyGR6 and a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the region known as South Texas. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 277,454 people (though a July 1, 2004 estimate placed the population at 281,196), making it the eighth-largest city in the state. 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 is often referred to as 'The Sparkling City by the Sea,' particularly in literature promoting tourism. Locals and natives often just call it Corpus. Since 2003, the city has earned numerous awards including:
The city is home to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is served by the Corpus Christi International Airport on the west side of the city.
As of December, 2006, Corpus Christi has citywide Wi-Fi [2]
GeographyCorpus Christi is located at (27.742857, -97.401927)GR1.
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.
ClimateCorpus Christi has a warm subtropical climate similar to those of Northern Florida cities such as Gainesville, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville, except that the city is located in a semiarid region, so less rainfall occurs than in Florida. The average highs in the summer months are in the mid 90's and lows in the mid 70's, while the average highs and lows in the coldest month, January, are 66 and 46 respectively. Corpus Christi averages about one day a year at or above 100 degrees, and averages 6 freezes a year. The largest snowstorm on record was 4.4 inches during the Christmas 2004 snowstorm. It has been as hot as 109 degrees on Sept. 5, 2000 and as cold as 11 degrees on Feb. 12, 1899. (although this temperature was taken a few blocks from the water, it is quite likely that in the current offical location at the airport, which is 5 miles inland it would have been down to 8 degrees)
DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 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 38.50% 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. Average rents in Corpus Christi in 2005 were $599 for a one bedroom apartment, and $769 for a two bedroom apartment.
People and cultureCorpus Christi is or was home to these celebrities:
ActorsCorpus Christi is also the hometown of Whataburger.
Sports TeamsThe city is home to the Corpus Christi Rayz of the Central Hockey League, Corpus Christi Hooks of the AA-Baseball Texas League, and the Corpus Christi Sharks of arenafootball2 (who begin play in 2007). The Corpus Christi metropolitan area also is the home of the Coastal Bend Aviators of independent minor league baseball's American Association, the Corpus Christi Hammerheads of the Intense Football League, and a yet-unnamed team in the American Basketball Association.
Local attractionsVarious 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.
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 A. Suter Wildlife Area. It is on the western shore of the Cayo del Oso and is considered to be one of the best sea bird watching areas in the world. The nearby Pharaohs golf course also serves as a haven for migratory birds. Some of the most visited attractions are probably 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 Museum of Art, 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. 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 and Padre Staples Mall, the latter of the two having much more major retailers and attendance. facing each other and a number of large shopping centers, small strip centers, and scores of restaurants of various kinds. Major retailers include Macy's and Sears.
Education Colleges and universitiesCorpus Christi is home to several institutions of higher learning: Del Mar College [3], Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (formerly known by the following three names: Corpus Christi State University (CCSU), Texas A&I 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.
SchoolsFive 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.
RecreationFishing in Corpus Christi is some of the best in the nation. 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. People come from all over to fish in these waters.
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.
The city has one of the highest average wind speeds in North America. 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.
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