Aransas Pass ( ) is a city in Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio Counties in 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 sover ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The population was 7,941 at the 2020 Census.

Geography

Aransas Pass is located at (27.9019, –97.1395),F on the shore of Redfish Bay, a tidal water body between

Corpus Christi Bay Corpus Christi Bay is a scenic semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast found in San Patricio County, Texas, San Patricio and Nueces County, Texas, Nueces counties, next to the major city of Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus Christi. It is separated from ...

to the south and

Aransas Bay Aransas Bay is a bay on the Texas Gulf Coast, approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, and south of San Antonio. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by San José Island (also referred to as St. Joseph Island). Aransas Pass is the m ...

to the north. The city limits of Aransas Pass encompass most of Redfish Bay and its islands, most of which are in Nueces County, as well a portion of Aransas Bay in Aransas County. The land portion of the city is primarily in San Patricio County, extending north into Aransas County. The city is on the mainland of Texas and is connected to

Mustang Island Mustang Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The island is 18 miles (29 km) long, stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. The island is oriented generally northeast–southwest, with the Gulf ...

(which contains the city of

Port Aransas Port Aransas ( ) is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States. This city is 180 miles southeast of San Antonio. The population was 2,904 at the 2020 census. Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Island. It is located north of ...

) by a -long causeway, and a free

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

that carries vehicles to the island. By

Texas State Highway 35 State Highway 35 (SH 35) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas, maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). It runs primarily south–north, paralleling the Gulf of Mexico for much of its length, from a junction with I ...

and

U.S. Route 181 U.S. Highway 181 is a south–north U.S. Highway located entirely in the state of Texas. Both termini are at Interstate 37, the road that it mainly parallels to the east. US 181 begins in Corpus Christi, Texas at mile marker 0 to the south ...

, Aransas Pass is northeast of Corpus Christi. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city of Aransas Pass has a total area of , of which are land and (75.99%) are covered by water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 7,941 people, 3,671 households, and 2,219 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, 8,138 people, 3,075 households, and 3,012 families resided in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 758.1 people per square mile (292.6/km²). The 3,493 housing units averaged 325.4 per mi² (125.6/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 80.58% White, 3.44% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 11.28% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 37.70% of the population. Of the 2,961 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were not families. About 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was distributed as 28.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,376, and for a family was $33,227. Males had a median income of $29,383 versus $17,969 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $12,964. About 18.3% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over. The primary industries are shrimping and tourism, along with farming and oil and gas interests. The shrimp boat fleet sails from Conn Brown Harbor, a large, protected harbor chiefly dedicated to the shrimping industry. The area is popular for saltwater sports fishing and beach-going. Bay-View Hotel, Aransas Pass, TX

Area attractions

Bay-View Hotel, Aransas Pass, TX (postcard back)

Aransas Pass is a destination for water sports, fishing, birding, kayaking, and hunting. The city is home to Conn Brown Harbor and the largest hummingbird garden in Texas. Events such as the Shrimporee, a three-day event, held in June, the Maybe Hot Maybe Not bike ride in November, and the Holiday Craft Show in December, as well as bay fishing on the Gulf Coast, keep visitors coming back to Aransas Pass. Aquatic Park, a new addition to Community Park, features a competition-sized swimming pool with 1-m and 3-m diving boards. The lap pool is heated, with a body slide attached to it. A kiddie pool, with depths from 1–3 ft, features a bucket drop and a cannon slide. Community Park is located on Johnson Avenue at S. Arch Street. Included at the park are lighted baseball fields, with dugouts, bleachers, electronic score boards, a concession stand, and public rest rooms. In the picnic area, 10 handicapped-accessible covered picnic tables are available. Each table is equipped with a small grill. One larger covered area on a concrete foundation is available for big groups. The playground features a merry-go-round, monkey bars, slides, rocking riding toys, a two-story wooden play structure, and digging toys. It is also handicapped-accessible. A paved walkway extends from the baseball field to an elevated gazebo overlooking the wetlands of the Aransas Pass Nature Trail. From there, handicapped-accessible walkways extend in two directions, ending around areas for bird and wildlife watching. Conn Brown Harbor Park, spanning , has a boat ramp; it is located on Bigelow Street at the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

, Aransas Channel, and Conn Brown Harbor Turning Basin. It has two concrete boat ramps with docks, park benches, barbecue grills, shade structures with picnic tables, an open-air picnic table, two T-head fishing piers with lighting, a public rest room, and three cleaning tables. San Patricio County Navigation District Marina, a park, is located on Ransom Road. It is equipped with two double boat ramps and two covered boat shelters, an uncovered boat slip, and two boat trailer parking lots. This facility also has a recreational vehicle park with 36 spaces and hookups. It has two shelters with tables, running water, and lights. Wildlife viewing is available from three covered areas, with tables and barbecue grills, and a bait shop. Visitors can fish from a lighted fishing pier. The park has a separate children's playground with rock-riding toys and a jungle gym structure with a slide and climbing areas. McCampbell Park, a city park, has a hard court surface with two basketball backboards and four picnic tables. No restroom facilities are available. Newbury Park, at , is located on Harrison Boulevard at Lamont Street and Wheeler Avenue. A hummingbird landscape is there to attract hummingbirds.

Notable people

Emory Bellard Emory Dilworth Bellard (December 17, 1927 – February 10, 2011) was a college football coach. He was head coach at Texas A&M University from 1972 to 1978 and at Mississippi State University from 1979 until 1985. Bellard died on February 10, 2011 a ...

, former

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

offensive coordinator and head coach at

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, inventor of the

Wishbone formation The wishbone formation, also known simply as the bone, is an offensive formation in American football. The style of attack to which it gives rise is known as the wishbone offense. Like the spread offense in the 2000s to the present, the wishbon ...

Tommy Blake Tommy Earl Blake, Jr. (born January 15, 1985) is a former American football defensive end who played college football at Texas Christian University. Early life Blake grew up in a tiny town in Texas. At just 10 months old his mother died of pn ...

, former star defensive end at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

Mickey Sullivan Mickey Sullivan (February 6, 1932 – March 22, 2012) was the head baseball coach at Baylor from 1974 to 1994. Early life Sullivan was born in Aransas Pass, Texas on February 6, 1932 to Alva Sullivan and Effie Sullivan, née McCollum. Sulliva ...

, former Baylor baseball coach

Education

Most of Aransas Pass is within the Aransas Pass Independent School District. Schools of that district include H. T. Faulk Early Childhood School (Pre-K–1), Kieberger Elementary School (2–3), Charlie Marshall Elementary School (4–5), A. C. Blunt Middle School (6–8), and

Aransas Pass High School Aransas ( ) is a placename for several neighboring places in coastal Southern Texas. *Aransas County, Texas *The Aransas River, which begins in Bee County, Texas, and flows into Copano Bay in Aransas County *The Aransas Bay, fed by Copano Bay *A ...

(9–12). Some portions of Aransas Pass are in the

Port Aransas Independent School District Port Aransas Independent School District is a public school district based in Port Aransas, Texas ( USA). Located in Nueces County, a small portion of the district extends into Aransas County. Within Nueces County the district includes Port Aran ...

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Aransas Pass has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for Aransas Pass, Texas
/ref>

References

External links

City of Aransas Pass official website

Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce
* {{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Aransas County, Texas Cities in San Patricio County, Texas Cities in Nueces County, Texas Cities in the Corpus Christi metropolitan area Populated coastal places in Texas