Calallen ( ) is a former town that existed until the 1960s. Today, Calallen is an outlying portion of the larger city of Corpus Christi. It is located in Nueces County, in the Coastal Bend region of Texas. It is bound to the north by the

Nueces River The Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, about long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande. ''Nueces'' ...

, which also marks the boundary between Nueces County and San Patricio County.

History

The community was named for Calvin Joseph “Cal” Allen (18591922), a noted rancher who was born and raised about three miles up the Nueces River from the future townsite. He established a spread where he herded wild cattle and cultivated his herds. He was among the first to bring fine-blooded stock into South Texas for the improvement of beef brands. The ''New Encyclopedia of Texas'' (1929) described Allen as "one of the most beloved characters of the old Southwest." Upon his death, the ''Corpus Christi Caller'' called him "one of the most highly honored and prominent ranchmen of the Southwest". In 1900 the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway, which was building southward to the Rio Grande Valley, decided to bypass the pioneer community of Nuecestown and run its tracks a few miles away. Allen donated right-of-way to the railroad; in return, the railroad built a water stop and depot on Allen’s property. Allen then divided some of his ranch land along the nearby Nueces River into lots and put it on the market. Soon a community formed along the railroad. The railroad initially named the stop Calvin. However, when it was discovered that another town in Texas had secured that name, residents settled on Calallen, combining Allen’s nickname and surname. The community received a post office in 1908 with Ira D. Magee as the first postmaster. Meanwhile, Nuecestown slowly dissipated. The main part of Calallen grew around the west side of the railroad tracks, and included a bank, lumber yard, pharmacy, funeral home, meat market and numerous general mercantile stores. Two passenger trains stopped at Calallen each day in addition to regular freight traffic. In 1914 the town had 150 residents and nine businesses. Its population fell to twenty-five by 1925 but reached 100 in 1939. Calallen had Baptist, Catholic and Methodist churches and a large two-story hotel on its main street. Its top employer was the Corpus Christi Water Plant, one of the first large non-agricultural employers in the area. Others businesses continued to move into the town and its peripheral area. Among these were the C. E. Coleman vegetable packing sheds, which sat along the railroad tracks, the Calallen Gin, and the Ault Apiary, where bees were raised. Familiar names in the community included Allen, Atkinson, Ault, Bickham, Harney, Hearn, Hunter, Magee, McKinzie and Noakes. After World War II Calallen's role in local industry diminished. The post office was discontinued sometime after 1960. Calallen was never legally incorporated, and by 1966 it was annexed by the City of Corpus Christi. The original community name survives in the

Calallen Independent School District Calallen Independent School District is a school district located in northwest Corpus Christi, Texas ( USA) in northern Nueces County. The district has approximately 4,000 students and operates four elementary schools, a middle school, and a hi ...

, Calallen Dam and numerous businesses.

Transportation

Corpus Christi is home to a major intersection point between Interstate 37 and

U.S. Route 77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, w ...

. Southbound Interstate 37 leads approximately into downtown Corpus Christi, while southbound U.S. Highway 77 leads to Kingsville, and eventually, south to Brownsville, in the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...

. U.S. Highway 77 is one of the two U.S. highways, along with U.S. Highway 281 in Three Rivers, that provides direct access to the Rio Grande Valley from Interstate 37. Many northbound U.S. Highway 77 vehicles seeking the main city body would've turned eastward at

Texas State Highway 44 State Highway 44 (SH 44) is a Texas state highway that runs from west of Encinal to Corpus Christi, Texas. This highway is also known as the Cesar Chavez Memorial Highway outside the city limits of Robstown, Banquete, Agua Dulce, A ...

in Robstown, as this is a shorter and faster route compared to turning eastward at Interstate 37. Northbound U.S. Highway 77 vehicles seeking

Padre Island Padre Island is the largest of the Texas barrier islands and the world's longest barrier island. The island is located along Texas's southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is noted for its white sandy beaches. Meaning ''father'' in Spanish, it ...

and Corpus Christi's southeast suburbs would also rather take FM 665 eastward at Driscoll. After the major intersection, Interstate 37 and U.S. Highway 77 travel about north before leaving the city limits and entering San Patricio County. Almost immediately after crossing the

into the Odem zip code, the two highways split, with Interstate 37 heading northwest towards Mathis () and eventually to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

(), while U.S. Highway 77 leads northeast towards Sinton () and eventually to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(). Corpus Christi is also home to the eastern terminus of FM 624, which turns northwest towards Orange Grove ( and eventually to Cotulla .

Geology

While the surrounding communities in the area are generally flat in terrain, many parts of Corpus Christi is rolling due to its position on the valley of the

. Corpus Christi experiences sea breeze often due to its proximity to the coast.

Education

Calallen High School Calallen High School is a public high school serving grades 9–12. The school is located in the Calallen Independent School District in northwest Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. Background Calallen's name comes from Calvin Joseph (Cal) ...

(Grades 9–12) **Calallen Middle School (Grades 6–8) **Magee Intermediate School (under construction) West Intermediate School (Grades 4th and 5th) **East Primary School (Grades

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

-3) **Wood River Primary School (Grades

-3) Calallen is known for having one of the most successful high school football programs in the South Texas region, making numerous deep playoff runs and making the state championship game in 2005 and 2016. The football program is led by head coach Phil Danaher, who has the most wins of any high school coach in Texas with 427 wins (as of 2016).

References

External links