Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a

coastal A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

city in the

South Texas South Texas is a geographic and cultural region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of th ...

region of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city of Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. It is southeast of

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

and southwest of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Its political boundaries encompass

Nueces Bay Nueces Bay is a northwestern extension of Corpus Christi Bay in the San Patricio and Nueces Counties of Texas. The bay is fed by the Nueces River, forming a natural estuary, which renders it ecologically and economically vital to the surrounding ...

and

Corpus Christi Bay Corpus Christi Bay is a scenic semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast found in San Patricio and Nueces counties, next to the major city of Corpus Christi. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island, and is fed by the Nueces River ...

. Its zoned boundaries include small land parcels or water inlets of three neighboring counties. The city's population was 316,239 in 2022, making it the eighth-most populous city in Texas. The

Corpus Christi metropolitan area The Corpus Christi metropolitan statistical area is a metropolitan area in South Texas that covers three counties– Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 413,280 (though a July 1, 2013 estimate ...

had an estimated population of 442,600. It is also the hub of the six-county Corpus Christi-Kingsville combined statistical area, with a 2013 estimated population of 516,793. The Port of Corpus Christi is the fifth-largest in the United States. The region is served by the Corpus Christi International Airport. Corpus Christi is home to

Naval Air Station Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is a United States Navy naval air base located six miles (10 km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas. History A naval air station for Corpus Christi ...

, one of two locations training primary student pilots and advanced multiengine pilots of the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

, and

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

Etymology

The city's name means ''body of Christ'' in

Ecclesiastical Latin Ecclesiastical Latin, also called Church Latin or Liturgical Latin, is a form of Latin developed to discuss Christian theology, Christian thought in Late antiquity and used in Christianity, Christian liturgy, theology, and church administration ...

, in reference to the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion. The name was given to the settlement and surrounding bay by Spanish explorer

Alonso Álvarez de Pineda Alonso Álvarez de Pineda (; 1494–1520) was a Spanish conquistador and cartography, cartographer who was the first to prove the insularity of the Gulf of Mexico by sailing around its coast. In doing so he created the first map to depict what i ...

in 1519, as he discovered the lush semitropical bay on the Western Christian feast day of Corpus Christi.

History

Spaniard Alonso Alvarez de Pineda traveled in 1519 to this bay on the day of the religious Feast of Corpus Christi, so named the semitropical bay Corpus Christi.

Cabeza de Vaca In Mexican cuisine, ''cabeza'' (''lit.'' 'head'), from barbacoa de cabeza, is the meat from a roasted beef head, served as taco or burrito fillings. It typically refers to barbacoa de cabeza or beef-head barbacoa, an entire beef-head traditionall ...

may have passed through Corpus Christi in the 1500s, but the first European to study the Nueces River and Corpus Christi Bay was Joaquín de Orobio y Basterr in 1747. A few years later, José de Escandón organized a colony of about 50 families to settle the head of the bay, though this was short-lived. In 1839, the first known permanent settlement of Corpus Christi was established by Colonel Henry Lawrence Kinney and William P. Aubrey as Kinney's Trading Post, or Kinney's Ranch. It was a small trading post that sold supplies to a Mexican revolutionary army camped about west. In July 1845, U.S. troops commanded by General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

set up camp there in preparation for

war with Mexico War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organize ...

, where they remained until March 1846. About a year later, the settlement was named Corpus Christi and was incorporated on September 9, 1852. The Battle of Corpus Christi was fought between August 12 and August 18, 1862, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

forces blockading Texas fought a small land and sea engagement with

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

forces in and around Corpus Christi Bay and bombarded the city. Union forces defeated

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

ships operating in the area, but were repulsed when they landed on the coast. In November 1873, seven Mexican shepherds were lynched by a mob near the city. The crime was never solved. Hamlet Del Mar

The Port of Corpus Christi was opened in 1926, and the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station was commissioned in 1941. In February 1929, the

League of United Latin American Citizens The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the largest and oldest Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was established on February 17, 1929, in Corpus Christi, Texas, largely by Hispanic and ...

(LULAC) was founded in Corpus Christi. This organization was created to battle racial discrimination against Hispanic people in the United States. Since its founding, LULAC has grown and now has a national headquarters in Washington, D.C. In March 1949, the

American GI Forum The American GI Forum (AGIF) is a congressionally chartered Hispanic veterans and civil rights organization founded in 1948. Its motto is "Education is Our Freedom and Freedom should be Everybody's Business". AGIF operates chapters throughout ...

(AGIF) was founded in Corpus Christi. Currently, AGIF focuses on veteran's issues, education, and civil-rights issues. This organization was founded after concerns over the segregation of Mexican-American veterans from other veterans groups and the denial of medical services based on race by the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

. The 1919 Storm devastated the city, killing hundreds on September 14. Only three structures survived the storm on North Beach. To protect the city, the seawall was built. The city also suffered damage from Hurricane Celia in 1970 and

Hurricane Allen Hurricane Allen was the strongest Atlantic hurricane by wind speed on record. An extremely powerful tropical cyclone, Allen affected the Caribbean, eastern and northern Mexico, and South Texas in August 1980. The second tropical depression, fi ...

in 1980, but little damage from

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

in 2008. In 2017, the city was affected by

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

, then by Hurricane Hanna in 2020. Rough surf from

Hurricane Laura Hurricane Laura was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that is tied with the 1856 Last Island hurricane and 2021's Hurricane Ida as the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana, as measured by max ...

caused one death and one injury at a beach in the city in late August 2020, just a month after Hanna. ''Cisneros v. Corpus Christi Independent School District'' (1970) was the first case to extend the U.S. Supreme Court's ''Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas'' decision (1954) to Mexican Americans. It recognized them as a minority group that could be and was frequently discriminated against. Such segregation and discrimination were ruled unconstitutional. Judge Woodrow Seals found that the school board consciously fostered a system that perpetuated traditional segregation. This included a system that bused Anglo students to schools out of their neighborhoods, renovated old schools in black and Mexican-American neighborhoods rather than building new ones, assigned black and Hispanic teachers to segregated schools, and limited hiring of such teachers at other schools; the school board also lacked a majority-to-minority busing system. In 2012, Corpus Christi was ranked as the second-least literate city in the U.S. in a study by Central Connecticut State University.

Geography

Corpus Christi is situated on

fluvial A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

deposits that are of

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

—

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

age. Although no solidified rock occurs naturally at the surface, the Deweyville Formation of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension (chemistry), suspension with water. Silt usually ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

, and

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

, is locally indurated with

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

(

caliche Caliche () is a soil accumulation of soluble calcium carbonate at depth, where it precipitates and binds other materials—such as gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It occurs worldwide, in aridisol and mollisol soil orders—generally in arid or se ...

) deposits. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey's storm surge eroded down to shale bedrock at a depth around 40 feet in Packery Channel, an artificial pass cut between North Padre and Mustang Islands. This feature has become a gathering place for game fish, and can be identified from the surface by its whirlpool-like current. The large, shallow bay makes Corpus Christi an ideal feeding place for birds, which is one reason why Corpus Christi is known as the "Bird Capital" of North America; consequently, the San Diego Audubon Society has designated Corpus Christi as "America's birdiest place". Harbor Bridge -- Corpus

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Corpus Christi has a total area of 460.2 square miles (1,192.0 km²), of which 154.6 mi² (400.5 km², 33.60%) are land and 305.6 mi² (791.5 km², 66.40%) are covered by water.

Annexation

Since its founding, the city has annexed nearby lands and waters for growth and development purposes. The original area encompassed several city blocks in present-day downtown Corpus Christi with the majority of city expansion occurring in the 20th century.

Neighborhoods

* Annaville * Clarkwood * Bayside * Calallen *

Flour Bluff Flour Bluff is a specified area of the city of Corpus Christi, Texas. It is located on Encinal peninsula bordered by Corpus Christi Bay on the north, Oso Bay on the west, the Laguna Madre on the east and the King Ranch to the south. South Padr ...

* Gardendale * Hillcrest * North Beach * South Side * Mustang Island *

North Padre Island North Padre Island is a barrier island along the coast of Texas. It and South Padre Island were formed after the creation of the Port Mansfield Channel split Padre Island in two. From north to south, North Padre Island is located in parts of Nu ...

Suburbs

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

* Robstown * Aransas Pass * Port Aransas * Sinton * Odem * Gregory * Mathis * Taft * Ingleside * Agua Dulce *

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Climate

Corpus Christi has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: Cfa), with hot and humid summers, and short mild winters. The period from November through February is the coolest time of year in the city, while June through September is the hottest. October is still hot, but not as hot as the summer months. Rainfall is spread throughout the year, and there is rarely ever snow or ice. The city's record high temperature is , on September 5, 2000, and the hottest month August 2012 with an average of . Average night-time winter lows in January, the coldest month, are a little less than and its record low is on February 12, 1899. The coldest maximum of occurred on five occasions, the most recent being on January 30, 1951. Winter and early spring are generally dry, and average monthly precipitation is highest in September, when the threat from

hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

and other tropical weather systems is greatest. The coolest month on record has been February 1905, with a mean of . In December 2004, the city experienced snowfall on Christmas Eve, the city's largest recorded snowstorm at . The snow melted the day after Christmas. The city experienced light snowfall a second time, on December 8, 2017, nearly 13 years later. Between 1981 and 2010, Corpus Christi averaged of rainfall; however, long periods with very little rainfall are normal, and hurricanes can frequently produce daily falls of over . The wettest day on record is July 2, 2007, with , while the wettest month on record is September 1967, with , including four days with over . Eight months with not even a trace of rainfall have happened, of which the most recent was May 1998, and 21 with merely a trace. The longest spell without measurable rainfall in Corpus Christi has been 55 days from June 23 to August 17 (inclusive), 1895, and from June 1 to July 25, 1915, while easily the driest calendar year has been 1917, with a mere . The two wettest calendar years have been 1888 with and 1991 with , although from August 1967 to July 1968, fell, and for the 12 months ending January 1918, only . Hurricanes seldom hit the city, but those which have were destructive, such as the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane and

in 2017. The city also can see

tornadoes A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

, with an F2 tornado hitting the area on April 29, 1961.

Demographics

According to the 2020 United States census, there were 316,239 people (2022 estimate), 117,210 households (2021 estimate), and 79,055 families residing in the city. At the 2010 census, 305,215 people resided in Corpus Christi, a 10.0% increase since 2000. According to the 2010 census, 80.9% of Corpus Christi's population was White; 4.3% was African American; 1.8% Asian; 0.1% Pacific Islander; 10.4% of some other race; and 2.5% of two or more races. About 62.23% of Corpus Christi's population was of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race, and 33.3% of the population was non-Hispanic

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, down from 56% in 1970. In 2000, the racial makeup 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. Hispanics of any race were 54.33% of the population. By 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 30.21% non-Hispanic White, 3.91% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 2.37% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.36% some other race, 2.09% multiracial, and 60.71% Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of its 117,210 households in 2020, the American Community Survey's 2019-2023 estimates approximated 57.9% lived in owner-occupied housing. The median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $197,100, with a monthly mortgage rate of $1,831. In the same study, 51% of housing units were valued from under $100,000 to $200,000. The median gross rent was $1,230 and there was an average of 2.62 persons per household. The median household income was $66,325, and the per capita income was $33,579. An estimated 17.5% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Economy

The majority of the population is employed in the services, wholesale and retail trades, and government sectors. Corpus Christi has an unemployment rate of 4.5% as of July 2019. The Port of Corpus Christi, which is the fifth-largest U.S. port and deepest inshore port on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, handles mostly oil and agricultural products. Much of the local economy is driven by tourism and the oil and petrochemicals industry. In 2005, the port was ranked as the 47th-largest in the world by cargo tonnage. Corpus Christi is home to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, providing 6,200 civilian jobs to the local economy, making it 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. Additionally located on NAS Corpus Christi is the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is the original home of the headquarters of

Whataburger Whataburger is an American regional fast food restaurant Chain store, chain, headquartered and based in San Antonio, Texas, that specializes in hamburgers. Founded by Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton, it opened its first restaurant in Corpus Chri ...

, a fast-food restaurant operator and franchiser with 650 stores in 10 states and Mexico; the company relocated its headquarters to San Antonio in 2009. Other large employers include

Christus Spohn Health System Christus Health is an international Catholic nonprofit health system based in Irving, Texas. History The present company was formed on January 28, 1999 by the merger of Houston's Sisters of Charity Health Care System and San Antonio's Incarna ...

at 5,400 local employees, the Corpus Christi Independent School District with 5,178,

H-E-B H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held company, privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, with more than 435 stores throughout Texas and Mexico. The company also operates Central Market (Texas) ...

at 5,000, and Bay Ltd. at 2,100. Other companies based in Corpus Christi include Stripes Convenience Stores and AEP Texas. Corpus Christi became the first major city to offer citywide free wi-fi in April 2005 and to allow remote meter reading after a meter reader was attacked by a dog. In 2007, the network was purchased by Earthlink for $5.5 million, and stopped being a free service on May 31, 2007.

Culture

Various sections of Corpus Christi maintain distinct senses of identity and community from the city proper, especially the Calallen and

areas.

Attractions

The city is home to a number of popular destinations for both tourists and residents. The official visitor and tourism information organization is the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau. Some of the most visited attractions are located on North Beach, where the Texas State Aquarium and the Museum on the Bay are located. USS ''Lexington'' was also part of the set for the 2001 film ''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

''. Corpus Christi's museum district is located near USS ''Lexington''. Some attractions located in the museum district are the Museum of Asian Cultures, the 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 Texas. 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 such as One Shoreline Plaza, company offices, various shops, a popular center of marinas, and

Mirador de la Flor Mirador de la Flor () is a monument in Corpus Christi, Texas, that honors Tejano musician Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who was murdered on March 31, 1995 at age 23. About 30,000 people visit the monument every year, especially citizens of Corpus Ch ...

. Downtown also is home of K Space Contemporary, a nonprofit art organization promoting and presenting local, regional, and national contemporary art. Texas State Aquarium Corpus Christi

The Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, also located in the city, hosts gardening programs from time to time. On Oso Bay near the Pharaoh Valley subdivision, the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge is known for seabird-watching. The nearby Pharaohs golf course also serves as a haven for coastal and migratory birds. Directly east of Corpus Christi are

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, ...

and Mustang Island, home to various municipal, state, and national parks, most notably the

Padre Island National Seashore Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) is a national seashore administered by the National Park Service, located on Padre Island off the coast of South Texas, USA. In contrast to South Padre Island, Texas, South Padre Island, known for its beach ...

. The city is also near

King Ranch King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some it is larger than the area of the European country Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the racehorse Assault (horse), Assault, who won the United States Tri ...

, one of the world's largest ranches, upon which the movie ''

Giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''wiktionary:gigas, gigas'', cognate wiktionary:giga-, giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''gia ...

'' was based.

Sports

Although Corpus Christi has no teams in any of the four major sports leagues of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

, or

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

, it does have several sports offerings. The city is home to the Corpus Christi IceRays of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

and the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

, of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, and the AA affiliate of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

. The largest venue in Corpus Christi is the 18,000-capacity American football stadium named Buccaneer Stadium. Year-round NCAA Division I collegiate athletics may be found at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the Islanders compete in 14 men's and women's sports as a member of the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

. Corpus Christi is also home to the Corpus Christi Rugby Football Club, which is a member of the Texas Rugby Union, an affiliate of the Western Rugby Union and of the United States Rugby Football Union. In 2017, the United Soccer League expanded to Corpus Christi, forming Corpus Christi FC. Corpus Christi FC plays in the Mid-South Division of the USL League Two. In 2023, the American Indoor Football expanded to Corpus Christi, forming Corpus Christi Tritons.

Parks and recreation

The city's location beside Corpus Christi Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and

Laguna Madre The Laguna Madre is a long, shallow, hypersaline lagoon along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Nueces County, Texas, Nueces, Kenedy County, Texas, Kenedy, Kleberg County, Texas, Kleberg, Willacy County, Texas, Willacy and Cameron Coun ...

provides opportunities for water sports and nature tourism. Waterfowl hunting is available in the region for

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

geese A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egyp ...

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usual ...

, and

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue color. Its name comes from that of a bird—the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'')—which presents a similarly colored stripe on its head. The word is often used ...

. White-winged dove and

mourning dove The mourning dove (''Zenaida macroura'') is a member of the dove Family (biology), family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, the chueybird, colloquially as the turtle dove, and it was once known a ...

are also hunted on private leases. The brushland inland from Corpus Christi is also ideal for hunting feral hogs and white-tailed deer.

Fishing

Fishing is a popular recreational activity in Corpus Christi, including fishing from various piers around Corpus Christi Bay, wade fishing in Oso Bay, and fishing from the Gulf of Mexico at Packery Channel or at Bob Hall Pier.

Wind sports

The city has one of the highest average

wind speed In meteorology, wind speed, or wind flow speed, is a fundamental atmospheric quantity caused by air moving from high to low pressure, usually due to changes in temperature. Wind speed is now commonly measured with an anemometer. Wind spe ...

s of coastal cities in North America. This, combined with the Bay Front area located along Ocean Drive, makes the city an important destination for wind sports such as

kite boarding Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

wind surfing Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

flying, wing foiling, and sailing. In 1990, Corpus Christi hosted the

Windsurfing World Championships The Windsurfing World Championships is an international sailing competition held since 1980, now annually. Men Mistral Class RS:X Class Women Mistral Class RS:X Class See also *Sailing World Championships *List of World Championships me ...

. In 2018, Corpus Christi hosted the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships, and in 2022, the J/24 World Championship.

Skating

The Corpus Christi Skate Park opened on February 17, 2007. It is located in Cole Park on the shoreline of the Corpus Christi Bay near downtown. The concrete park includes a skating bowl and a street course with stairs, railings, and flat surfaces.

Birdwatching

Being a coastal city, Corpus Christi is a good spot for seabird watching. Popular spots include Blucher Park in downtown, the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge along Oso Bay, Hazel Bazemore County Park along the Nueces River in Calallen, and the South Texas Botanic Garden and Nature Center along the Oso Creek. The Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, founded in 1957, promotes birding culture and protects habitat for birds in the Coastal Bend region of Texas, with five sanctuaries owned or managed by the club within Corpus Christi. The club hosts field trips and public meetings monthly.

Government

Municipal government

In 1852, the City of Corpus Christi was incorporated. Texas' 31st Legislature chartered the city as a political and corporate municipal entity in 1909. By ordinance, the city possesses power to "fix, alter and extend its boundaries."Citgo Online GrayBook
, Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is under a council-manager municipal government. The elected city council is the primary authority in municipal matters such as enacting local legislation, determining policies, and appointing the city manager. Together, the city council and city manager execute laws and administer the municipal government. Organized by governmental sectors of city council, city management, city secretary, and several city departments, Corpus Christi is seated in Nueces County. Peter Zanoni, former deputy city manager of

, was appointed city manager in May 2019. Upon appointment, Zanoni created two new positions in his leadership team and appointed Michael Rodriguez as his Chief of Staff and Constance Sanchez as Chief Financial Officer. The city manager works alongside Assistant City Manager Steven Viera. The city's intergovernmental relations director is Tammy Embrey. Rebecca L. Huerta serves as the city secretary. Former City Manager Margie C. Rose was appointed in 2016 and served as the first African-American city manager in Corpus Christi. Rose resigned in 2018. Selman served as interim city manager in 2018 following Rose's resignation and until the appointment of Zanoni. The Corpus Christi City Charter was adopted by public referendum in 1987, with amendments to the entire charter conducted January 19, 1991, and April 3, 1993. Further revisions to the charter were conducted on November 2, 2004, November 7, 2006, and November 8, 2016. The charter consists of 10 articles and 41 sections regarding stipulations of home rule government, city council and city manager procedures, administration, planning, boards and commissions, etc. The Code of Ordinances of Corpus Christi was codified through Ordinance No. 028493, and adopted Feb. 23, 2010. Mayor From 2012 to 2016, Nelda Martinez was mayor of Corpus Christi, the first Hispanic woman to the hold the office. On January 19, 2017, Corpus Christi Mayor Dan McQueen resigned from office after 37 days, an outgrowth of a comment by McQueen claiming that the city council members were only high school graduates and he was an engineer.Bogan, Ray
Corpus Christi mayor resigns after just 37 days
FOX News, January 19, 2017. He does not have an engineering degree and some college graduates are on the city council. The 60th and current mayor of Corpus Christi and current member of city council is Paulette M. Guajardo, who has was elected in 2022 for a two year term. Some of her duties include gathering over council meetings and official city ceremonies. Corpus Christi is represented by mayor Guajardo on state, national, and international levels.

State and federal representation

The Texas 13th Court of Appeals is located in the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi. The

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

operates the Corpus Christi Parole Office in Corpus Christi. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Corpus Christi Post Office, the city's main post office, and several station post offices.

Education

Colleges and universities

Corpus Christi is home to several institutions of higher learning: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Del Mar College, Saint Leo University-Corpus Christi, and numerous vocational schools, including Southern Careers Institute, South Texas Vo-Tech, Career Centers of Texas-Corpus Christi, and Vogue Cosmetology School. The city is also home to Stark College and Seminary (formerly known as the South Texas School of Christian Studies), located on Ward Island alongside Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a component of the

Texas A&M University System The Texas A&M University System is a state university system in Texas and is one of the state's seven independent university systems. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States, with a ...

. It was formerly known as Corpus Christi State University, Texas A&I University at Corpus Christi, and the University of Corpus Christi. Saint Leo University-Corpus Christi Education Center is located at Corpus Christi's Naval Air Station. Del Mar College is a local community college designated for the entire Corpus Christi city limits. It began in the 1940s at a location behind Wynn Seale Jr. High School. The main campus began with the administration building, which was constructed after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on Del Mar. The college grew to encompass a good portion of a residential addition called Southmoreland built from the Bohemian farmlands in the late 1930s. Del Mar now includes a west campus located in the area of Corpus Christi that once was Cliff Maus Airport. Del Mar College is expanding their footprint with the unveiling of their new Southside Campus near Oso Creek. The new Southern branch campus will serve the recent growing Southside area. Southern Careers Institute offers career training at two Corpus Christi locations, primarily in the medical, business, and cosmetology fields. In 2015,

WalletHub WalletHub (formerly CardHub.com) is a personal finance company that launched in August 2013. It is based in Miami and owned by Evolution Finance, Inc. WalletHub offers free consumer tools, such as its WalletLiteracy Quiz and its Financial Fitn ...

ranked Corpus Christi near the bottom, 138 out of 150 cities in America, for its low educational level and low-income opportunities. To improve literacy levels in the city, a multiyear effort has been made to promote reading through annual literacy festivals. Started by First Lady Laura Bush and the Texas Book Festival, a series of book festivals is held each spring.

Schools

Seven school districts provide primary and secondary education for residents of the city limits, within Nueces County: * Corpus Christi ISD * Calallen ISD * Flour Bluff ISD * London ISD * Port Aransas ISD * Tuloso-Midway ISD * West Oso ISD The portion of Corpus Christi in Kleberg County is within the Riviera Independent School District. The portion in San Patricio County is in the Ingleside Independent School District. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi provides the primary and secondary education for

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

s. Several Open Enrollment Charter Schools are in Corpus Christi. These public schools are: Accelerated Learning Center, Cesar E Chavez Academy, Corpus Christi College Preparatory HS, Corpus Christi Montessori School, Dr ML Garza-Gonzalez Charter School, GCCLR Institute of Technology, Premier HS of Corpus Christi, Richard Milburn Academy, School of Science and Technology, Seashore Learning Center, and Seashore Middle Academy.

Corpus Christi Independent School District

High Schools *

Mary Carroll High School Mary Carroll High School, often referred to as Carroll, is one of six high schools that are part of the Corpus Christi Independent School District. History Opened in 1957, Mary Carroll High School is currently the second largest and third oldest ...

* Richard King High School * Roy Miller High School * Foy H. Moody High School Health Science Academy * W. B. Ray High School * Collegiate High School * Solomon Coles High School * Branch Academy for Career and Technical Education * Veterans Memorial High School * School of Science and Technology College Prep High School Middle Schools * Marvin P. Baker Middle School * Tom Browne Middle School * Cullen Place Middle School * Claude Cunningham Middle School * Robert Driscoll Middle School * Elliott Grant Middle School * Carl O. Hamlin Middle School * R. Haas Middle School * Harold Kaffie Middle School * Martin Middle School * South Park Middle School * Wynn Seale Academy of Fine Arts Magnet Middle School Elementary Schools * Allen Elementary School * Barnes Elementary School * Berlanga Elementary School * Calk Elementary School * Club Estates Elementary School * Crockett Elementary School * Dawson Elementary School * Early Childhood Development Center * Evans Elementary School * Fannin Elementary School * Galvan Elementary School * Garcia Elementary School * Gibson Elementary School * Hicks Elementary School * Houston Elementary School * Jones Elementary School * Kolda Elementary School * Kostoryz Elementary School * Los Encinos SES Elementary School * Meadowbrook Elementary School * Menger Elementary School * Metropolitan Elementary School of Design * Mireles Elementary School * Montclair Elementary School * Moore Elementary School * Oak Park Elementary School * Sanders Elementary School * Schanen Estates Elementary School * Shaw Elementary School * Smith Elementary School * Travis Elementary School * Webb Elementary School * Wilson Elementary School * Windsor Park Elementary School * Woodlawn Elementary School * Yeager Elementary School * Zavala Elementary School Alternative * Student Learning and Guidance Center * Mary Grett School

Flour Bluff Independent School District

* Flour Bluff High School grades 9–12 * Flour Bluff Jr. High School grades 7–8 * Flour Bluff Intermediate School grades 5–6 * Flour Bluff Elementary School grades 3–4 * Flour Bluff Primary School grades 1–2 * Early Childhood Center prekindergarten and kindergarten * Head Start ages 1–4

West Oso Independent School District

* West Oso High School grades 9–12 * West Oso Junior High School grades 6–8 * West Oso Elementary grades 2–5 * West Oso John F. Kennedy Elementary prekindergarten to grade 1

Tuloso-Midway Independent School District

* Tuloso-Midway High School * Tuloso-Midway Middle School * Tuloso-Midway Intermediate School * Tuloso-Midway Primary School * Tuloso-Midway Academic Career Center

Calallen Independent School District

* Calallen High School * Calallen Middle School * West Intermediate School grades 4–5 * East Primary School grades pre-K–3 * Wood River Primary School grades pre-K–3

London Independent School District

* London High School * London Middle School * London Elementary School

Private/charter/other

* John Paul II High School (8–12) * Bishop Garriga Middle School (6th-8th grade campus) * St. James Episcopal (primary, K–8) * Corpus Christi Montessori School (grades 1–8) * Incarnate Word Academy (K–12) * Annapolis Christian Academy (K–12) * Yorktown Christian Academy (K–12)

Libraries

Libraries in the city include: * Dr. Clotilde P. Garcia, 5930 Brockhampton * Ben F. McDonald, 4044 Greenwood * Janet F. Harte, 2629 Waldron * La Retama, 805 Comanche * Owen R.Hopkins, 3202 McKinzie * Anita & W.T. Neyland, 1230 Carmel Pkwy

TexShare {{No footnotes , date=April 2024 The TexShare program is a statewide resource-sharing consortium of hundreds of member libraries in Texas, United States administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). The TexShare program ma ...

card holders also have limited borrowing privileges at these area libraries: * Nueces County Public Library in

Robstown, Texas Robstown is a city in Nueces County, Texas, of the United States of America, and is a western suburb of Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus Christi. It was founded in 1907 by a land speculator from Keota, Iowa by the name of George H. Paul. Paul purcha ...

* Mary and Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi * Del Mar College Libraries

Infrastructure

Transportation

Corpus Christi is served by Corpus Christi International Airport and

Interstate 37 Interstate 37 (I-37) is a Interstate Highway located within the southern portion of the US state of Texas. The highway was first designated in 1959 as a route between Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Construction in the urban areas of ...

Interstate 69E Interstate 69E (I-69E) is a north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas. Once complete, the freeway will begin in Brownsville and head northward before terminating near Victoria as both I-69W and I-69E merge into I-69 t ...

/ U.S. Highway 77 connects the city to Brownsville and Victoria.

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 ...

is a main thoroughfare that connects Corpus Christi to Laredo and the western part of South Texas by way of

Interstate 69W Interstate 69W (I-69W) is a relatively short north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas in the United States. The freeway begins northeast of the middle of the World Trade International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, Laredo and ...

/ U.S. Highway 59,

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

, and U.S. Highway 83. The inner-city public transportation is provided by Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority with its 28 bus routes. Corpus Christi had a

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

system functioning from 1910 to 1931 and a railway station (passenger service ended in 1965). Despite the convenience of a large harbor, the city does not have a passenger port. The city of Corpus Christi has a lower than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 8.5% of Corpus Christi households lacked a car, which decreased to 7.9% in 2016. The national average was 8.7% in 2016. Corpus Christi averaged 1.77 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8. The city is accessed by two major bridges, the Harbor Bridge (US 181) and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway (PR 22). Both bridges are maintained by the

Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a Texas state government agency responsible for construction and maintenance of the state's immense Texas state highway system, state highway system and the support of the state's maritime trans ...

Major highways

; under construction and extension following US 77 * US 77

U.S. Highway 77 * US 181

U.S. Highway 181 * Texas 44

Texas State Highway 286 State Highway 286 (SH 286) is a Texas state highway running from downtown Corpus Christi, TX, Corpus Christi south to Chapman Ranch, TX, Chapman Ranch. The route was designated on its current route in 1939. Before 1939, this route was known as ...

(Crosstown Expressway) * Texas 358

Texas State Highway 358 State Highway 358 (SH 358) is a Texas state highway that runs along the southern edge of Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus Christi. The access road for the freeway section of SH 358 is signed as Padre Island Drive. History The section of the highw ...

(North Padre Island Drive and South Padre Island Drive) * Texas 35

Texas State Highway 35 State Highway 35 (SH 35) is a state highway near the southeastern edge of Texas, United States, that is maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). It runs primarily south–north, paralleling the Gulf of Mexico for much o ...

Texas State Highway 361 * Texas 357

Texas State Highway 357

Water

Drinking water for the city is supplied by three reservoirs,

Lake Corpus Christi Lake Corpus Christi is a reservoir in coastal southern Texas. The lake was created by impoundment of the Nueces River by the Wesley E. Seale Dam opened in 1958. The lake and the dam that creates it are managed by the City of Corpus Christi. La ...

, the Choke Canyon Reservoir, and Lake Texana. Through an effective regional partnership with 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. ''Nu ...

Authority and the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, a pipeline was built which transports water from Lake Texana to the city's O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant. It was named the Mary Rhodes Pipeline, after the late mayor. Phase two of the pipeline is underway to draw water from the Colorado River. All reservoirs are outside the city limits, but Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir are managed directly by the public utility of the City of Corpus Christi. To support future water needs, plans are being completed to build a desalinization plant.

Notable people

* Jimmy Akin, Catholic podcast host *

Kevin Abstract Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. Releasing music since 2009, he released his debut album, '' ...

, musician, founding member of Brockhampton * Amy Acuff, five-time Olympic

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

er * Mike Adams, former

pitcher *

Devon Allman Devon Allman (born August 10, 1972) is an American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and record producer. He is the son of musician and singer-songwriter Gregg Allman and has appeared occasionally as a guest musician for Gregg Allman and The All ...

, musician * A.A. Allen, Pentecostal evangelist and "faith healer", pastored an

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

church in Corpus Christi in the late 1940s * Marshall Applewhite, founder of the Heaven's Gate suicide cult, graduated from Corpus Christi High School *

Barbara Barrie Barbara Barrie (born Barbara Ann Berman; May 23, 1931) is an American actress and author. Her film breakthrough came in 1964 with her performance as Julie in the landmark film '' One Potato, Two Potato'', for which she won the Best Actress Awa ...

, actress *

Raymond Berry Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assi ...

, wide receiver and coach,

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

r * Phil Blackmar, golfer, three-time winner on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

and single win on the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

Justin Brantly Justin Jay Brantly (born March 28, 1986) is an American former football punter. He played for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL). He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college fo ...

, NFL punter * John A. Brieden,

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

commander *

Tammie Brown Tammie Brown is the stage name of Keith Glen Schubert (born September 15, 1980), an American drag queen, drag performer, reality television personality, and recording artist. Brown was a fixture in the Southern California drag scene before appear ...

, drag queen and musician * Rick Baldwin,

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver * Johnny Canales, TV host *

Dabney Coleman Dabney Wharton Coleman (January 3, 1932 – May 16, 2024) was an American actor. He was recognized for his roles portraying egomaniacal and unlikeable characters in comedic performances. Throughout his career, he appeared in over 175 films and ...

, actor * Roger Creager,

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer-songwriter * Henry Cuesta,

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

ist on ''

The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 t ...

'' *

Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies ( '; born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, led by his older brother (and principal writer and singer) ...

, American broadcaster and contributor to

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...

'' program *

Paula DeAnda Paula Dacia DeAndrade (born November 3, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for the 2006 US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top twenty single " Walk Away (Remember Me)". Her debut album, '' Paula DeAnda'', was released in 2006. ...

, musician *

Tom DeLay Thomas Dale DeLay (; born April 8, 1947) is an American author and retired politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, DeLay represented Texas's 22nd congress ...

, former U.S. Congressman and

House Majority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

* Carlos DeLuna, executed for murder, controversial conviction causing concerns about

wrongful execution Wrongful execution is a miscarriage of justice occurring when an innocent person is put to death by capital punishment. Opponents of capital punishment often cite cases of wrongful execution as arguments, while proponents argue that innocence c ...

s *

Iann Dior Michael Ian Olmo (born March 25, 1999), known professionally as Iann Dior (stylized in all lowercase), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his guest appearance on 24kGoldn's 2020 single " Mood", which peaked atop ...

, singer, rapper, and songwriter *

Helen Donath Helen Jeanette Donath (née Erwin; born July 10, 1940) is an American soprano with a career spanning fifty years. Biography Helen Erwin was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and studied there at Del Mar College. Later she studied in New York with ...

opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

* Ramón H. Dovalina, college administrator and president *

Roberto Elizondo Roberto Elizondo (born December 28, 1955) is an American former professional boxer of Mexican descent. Elizondo competed in the sport of professional boxing from 1977 to 1987, and he fought for the World Boxing Council's world Lightweight title twi ...

, boxer, two-time world title challenger *

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played a ...

, actress and artist * Frances Farenthold, member,

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

(1969–1973), activist, educator *

Blake Farenthold Randolph Blake Farenthold (born December 12, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Farenthold co-hosted a conservative talk-radio program before beginning a career in po ...

, former U.S. Congressman from

Texas's 27th congressional district Texas's 27th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers the coastal bend of Texas' Gulf Coast consisting of Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus Christi and Victoria, Texas, Victoria up to Bastrop County, Texas, Bastr ...

* Joe Bertram Frantz, historian *

David Freese David Richard Freese (born April 28, 1983) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009, where, two seasons later, he was a key player during the 2 ...

, MLB player for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

* Albert Lee Giddens, Texas trial lawyer * Clint Gresham,

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

long snapper, Super Bowl champion * Stephanie Griest, author * Steven A. Hickham Jr., racing driver * Jim Heath, musician known as Reverend Horton Heat *

Burt Hooton Burt Carlton Hooton (born February 7, 1950), nicknamed "Happy", is an American former right-handed starting pitcher and former coach in Major League Baseball. He won 151 games over a 15-year career, mostly with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Do ...

, baseball pitcher, All-Star and World Series champion * Todd Ames Hunter, member,

, 1989–1997 and since January 2009 * Ernestine Jackson, actress and singer * Bret Anthony Johnston, author of ''Corpus Christi: Stories'' * Jeremy Jordan,

Supergirl (TV series) ''Supergirl'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero Drama (film and television), drama television series developed by Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg that aired on CBS and later The CW from October 26, 2015, to November 9, 202 ...

actor, Joyful Noise (movie actor), Broadway performer * Jeff Kanipe, author and astronomer * Larry Kelm,

player, an original member of the Texas A & M "Wrecking Crew", linebacker for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

and the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Ashley Kidd Ashley Kidd (born November 15, 1994) is a professional wakesurfing, wakesurfer and three-time world champion. Kidd was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas and took up the sport in 2009 on the encouragement of her older brother.Winningest Wake Surfin ...

, world champion wakesurfer *

Brooks Kieschnick Michael Brooks Kieschnick (born June 6, 1972) is an American former professional baseball left fielder and pitcher. The only player to win the Dick Howser Trophy twice, he is a College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. He played in Major League Bas ...

, baseball player *

Bobby Labonte Robert Allen Labonte (born May 8, 1964) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current analyst for ''NASCAR on Fox''. He also currently competes part-time in the SMART Modified Tour, driving the No. 18L for Hermie Sa ...

, Hall of Fame

driver, and 2000 Cup Series champion *

Terry Labonte Terrance Lee Labonte (born November 16, 1956), nicknamed "Texas Terry" or "the Iceman", is an American former stock car racing, stock car driver. He raced from 1978 to 2014 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup and Sprint Cup Series (now called the NAS ...

, Hall of Fame

driver, and 1984 and 1996 Cup Series champion * Colleen LaRose, indicted in 2010 for trying to recruit Islamic terrorists to wage ''

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

'' *

Chris Layton Christopher Layton (born November 16, 1955), also known as "Whipper", is an American drummer who rose to fame as one of the founding members of Double Trouble, a blues rock band led by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Born and raised in Corpus Christi, T ...

, drummer for

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble Stephen Ray Vaughan (also known as SRV; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (band), Double Trouble. Although his ma ...

Brian Leetch Brian Joseph Leetch (born March 3, 1968) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He has been called one of the ...

defenseman, born in Corpus Christi, but grew up in Connecticut *

Danny Lohner Daniel Patrick Lohner, frequently known as Renholdër, is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle. In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Ni ...

, musician *

Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; born March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, director, and businesswoman. After several guest roles on television, she became recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS day ...

, actress (''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...

'') *

Allen Ludden Allen Ellsworth Ludden (born Allen Packard Ellsworth; October 5, 1917 – June 9, 1981) was an American television personality, actor, singer, emcee, and game show host. He hosted various incarnations of the game show ''Password'' between 1 ...

, TV

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

host *

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...

, playwright *

Irlene Mandrell Ellen Irlene Mandrell (born January 29, 1956) is an American musician. She is the younger sister of country singers Barbara and Louise Mandrell. Irlene Mandrell first rose to prominence as a model for CoverGirl, and later gained national atten ...

, musician, actress, model, and sister of Barbara and Louise Mandrell *

Louise Mandrell Thelma Louise Mandrell (born July 13, 1954) is an American country music music artist (occupation), singer. She is the younger sister of fellow country singer Barbara Mandrell, and older sister of musician Irlene Mandrell. Louise had a successfu ...

, singer and entertainer, sister of Barbara and Irlene Mandrell * Kathryn Leigh McGuire, activist, businessperson and socialite * Victoria Moroles, actress * Mitch Morris, actor * Roger Narvaez,

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

Larry Norman Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and released more than 100 album ...

, musician and songwriter * Todd Oldham,

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

* Revilo P. Oliver, professor and founder of the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, right-wing populist, and ...

* Solomon P. Ortiz, U.S. Congressman, represented Corpus Christi for 28 years * Joseph D. Patch, U.S. Army major general *

Jessie Pavelka Jessie Pavelka (born September 26, 1982) is an American health and well-being expert, author, coach, and TEDx speaker. He is the co-founder of Pavelka Wellness. Pavelka is known as a fitness professional and television host. In the United Ki ...

, actor and model *

Jennifer Peña Jennifer Marcella Peña (born September 17, 1983) is a Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards nominated Mexican American Tejano/Latin pop singer known as "The Princess of Tejano". Peña reached a milestone in her career of over 10 million record ...

, Latin pop and Tejano singer and actress * Cliff Pennington, MLB player for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

* Paul Peress, drummer, composer, producer *

Lou Diamond Phillips Louis Diamond Phillips (né Upchurch; born February 17, 1962) is an American actor, director, and writer. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film '' La Bamba'' (1987). For his performance as Angel ...

, actor *

Billy Powell William Norris Powell (June 3, 1952 – January 28, 2009) was an American musician and the keyboardist of southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2009. Biography Early life Powell was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He gr ...

, former keyboardist of

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

* Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, Mexican-American Tejano singer, ''Queen of Tejano Music'', with

Selena y Los Dinos Selena y Los Dinos () was an American Tejano band formed in 1981 by Tejano singer Selena and her father Abraham Quintanilla. The band remained together until the murder of Selena in 1995, which caused the dissolution of the band in the same ye ...

* A.B. Quintanilla III, producer, songwriter, bassist, ''King of Kumbia'' (or ''King of Cumbia''), with

Kumbia Kings The Kumbia Kings are a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia, hip hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. The producers for th ...

and Kumbia All Starz, Selena's older brother *

Suzette Quintanilla Suzette Michele Quintanilla-Arriaga (born June 29, 1967) is an American business executive who is the current chief executive officer of Q-Productions. Suzette began her musical career as the drummer for Selena y Los Dinos, a Tejano band that f ...

, drummer for

, Selena's older sister * Dody Roach, professional poker player, two-time

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best ...

bracelet winner * Johnny Roland,

player and coach *

Lester Roloff Lester Leo Roloff (June 28, 1914 – November 2, 1982) was an American fundamentalist Independent Baptist preacher and the founder of teen homes across the American South. The operation of those teen homes (primarily his Rebekah Home for Gi ...

, radio evangelist *

Leslie Sanchez Leslie Sanchez (born 1971, Corpus Christi, Texas) is an American author, political pundit affiliated with the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, and founder/CEO of Impacto Group LLC, a Washington, D.C.–based market research and ...

, political pundit *

Pepe Serna Pepe Serna (born July 23, 1944) is an American actor and artist. Career Serna's first break in films came in 1970 on the Roger Corman-directed film '' The Student Nurses''. Over the years, Serna has appeared in over 100 films. In the blockbust ...

, actor *

Sid Sheinberg Sidney Jay Sheinberg (January 14, 1935 – March 7, 2019) was an American businessman, lawyer and entertainment executive. He served as president and CEO of MCA Inc. and Universal Pictures for over 40 years. Early life and education Sheinberg ...

, ex-president of

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

, helped make '' Jaws'' * Bart Shirley, MLB player for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

and the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

* Ormond R. Simpson, lieutenant general in the Marine Corps * Robert Simpson, meteorologist and hurricane specialist *

Lori Singer Lori Singer (born November 6, 1957) is an American actress and musician. The daughter of conductor Jacques Singer, she was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and raised in Portland, Oregon, where her father served as the lead conductor of the Oregon ...

, actress *

Marc Singer Marc Singer (born January 29, 1948) is a Canadian-American actor best known for his roles in the '' Beastmaster'' film series, as Mike Donovan in the original 1980s TV series '' V'', and as Matt Cantrell in ''Dallas''. Early life Singer was born ...

, actor * Justin Storms, artist, musician *

Martha Tilton Martha Tilton (November 14, 1915 – December 8, 2006) was an American popular singer during America's swing era and traditional pop period. She is best known for her 1939 recording of " And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman. Tilton was born ...

, singer and actress * Raul Torres, state representative from Nueces County * Jose Trevino (baseball), MLB player for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

and the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

* Carlos Truan, politician * e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, author, filmmaker, and youth literacy activist *

George Conrad Westervelt George Conrad Westervelt (December 30, 1879 – March 15, 1956) was a U.S. Navy engineer who created the company "Pacific Aero Products Co." together with William Boeing. Westervelt left the company in 1916 and Boeing changed the name of the c ...

, naval officer and engineer; co-founder of the

Boeing Company The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

* William I. Westervelt, US Army brigadier general * April Wilkerson, American maker, YouTube content creator, television personality *

Don Williams Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing p ...

, country and western singer * Jillian Williams (volleyball), American sitting volleyball player *

Rob Zastryzny Robert John Zastryzny ( born March 26, 1992) is a Canadian-American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, a ...

, pitcher for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Sister cities

Corpus Christi keeps a thriving and active relationship with these sister cities: *

Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, ) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...

, Taiwan *

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Japan *

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

, Philippines *

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, Mexico

References

Notes

External links

City of Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Public Library Digital Archive
features local history photographs and materials {{Authority control 1839 establishments in North America World War II Heritage Cities Cities in Aransas County, Texas Cities in Kleberg County, Texas Cities in Nueces County, Texas Cities in San Patricio County, Texas Cities in Texas Cities in the Corpus Christi metropolitan area County seats in Texas Hurricane Ike Nueces River Populated coastal places in Texas Populated places established in 1845 Port cities and towns in Texas

Etymology

History

Geography

Annexation

Neighborhoods

Suburbs

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Culture

Attractions

Sports

Parks and recreation

Fishing

Wind sports

Skating

Birdwatching

Government

Municipal government

State and federal representation

Education

Colleges and universities

Schools

Corpus Christi Independent School District

Flour Bluff Independent School District

West Oso Independent School District

Tuloso-Midway Independent School District

Calallen Independent School District

London Independent School District

Private/charter/other

Libraries

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways

Water

Notable people

Sister cities

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links