Padre Island...Gang activity ??? (Corpus Christi, Galveston: crime rate, hotel, houses)

[Marlow]

I remember a case several years ago where a couple was at the beach late at night and he was beaten and she was raped. I believe the perps were arrested and convicted.

But you can easily stay til dark with no worries and lots of people do camp and hang out at night. We did it lots when we were younger. It just gets very dark and it's loud because of the surf, so you can be in a difficult spot if you do need help.

[Marlow]

Also, sometimes the crowd can get rough during Spring Break, but that's just from having thousands of young people and lots of beer. That's not really a family scene anyway.

[elvalle_mayne]

It's South Padre Island. It's a great place during vacation periods of the year actually but during the down time periods it does have legitimate gang activity. Akon performed there a couple years back and got jacked of his shoes and I believe his belt and chain when he crowd surfed. They had to cut the show short cause if it, which was a bummer lol. I was at that show and a bunch of local Padre/Bville kids went and a few fights almost broke out but in the end it was a good concert and I had fun.

[latetotheparty]

Originally Posted by LastStraw

Why in the world would anyone want to leave those beautiful beaches with the white sand to vacation on a Texas beach with the rough dirty looking sand ?

I would much rather spend time in Destin, Fort Walton Beach but there aren't any direct flights to get there

.

if the bright white sand is THAT important to you ....... I have flown to pensacola through atlanta to get to gulf shores...... wasn't too awful difficult........

[DutchessCottonPuff]

Originally Posted by LastStraw

When I moved to Texas a short time ago, I remember someone mentioning to stay away from a certain part of Padre Island because there was gang activity. I can't remembe if it was North Padre Island or South Padre Island??? Which is the safest part for a family ?

Also,...I've heard a lot of folks rave about "Port A" but I can't get excited about it because all the pictures I've seen of the lodging accomodations show a long pier to get to the beach area and there is lots of weeds plus yellow sand.... yuk!

I'm used to going to the beautiful Destin/Fort Walton Florida area beaches where lodging is available right on the beach, - walk out the door a few steps to clean white soft sand and beautiful sparkling waves. The sand looks like sugar. Sigh....

.

I was raised in P.A. and am 46 yrs old so I am going to see it differently that you , I am in Waco "the dump" for a year at work so I miss it even more .

I lived on North padre many years up until January.. there is no gang activity period,,, they cant afford to be there ... there is however periods where we have burglars from Corpus but they are just one or two people,, not gang activity ,, fed up with police inaction there is now a very good neighborhood watch program up .

[LastStraw]

Originally Posted by elvalle_mayne

It's South Padre Island. It's a great place during vacation periods of the year actually but during the down time periods it does have legitimate gang activity.

Describe "legitimate gang activity"

latetotheparty -- flying from San Antonio to Atlanta to get to Gulf Shores seems way out of the way.
I've been checking and it looks like there are a few flights from San Antonio to Fort Walton.
I would love to see Southwest offer a direct flight from San Antoinio to Fort Walton, where one could get there in an hour or so.... Ahhhh... I can dream, can't I ?

.

[awecelot]

Originally Posted by LastStraw

Describe "legitimate gang activity"

latetotheparty -- flying from San Antonio to Atlanta to get to Gulf Shores seems way out of the way.
I've been checking and it looks like there are a few flights from San Antonio to Fort Walton.
I would love to see Southwest offer a direct flight from San Antoinio to Fort Walton, where one could get there in an hour or so.... Ahhhh... I can dream, can't I ?

.

Continental to Houston to Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

[elvalle_mayne]

Originally Posted by LastStraw

Describe "legitimate gang activity"

.

Legitimate as in gang motivated not interpersonal. Most the crime during vacation periods is those vacationing causing problems with the locals (the gangsters) and as a result assault or what not but really the gangs kind of tone it down. Example is when I was in HS there was a spike in gang on gang attacks (fights, stabbings) but when spring break came in it suddenly stopped then briefly picked up again afterwards. This though was a looong time ago about 6 years ago so it may be different now. But the way I see it is this, if Rio De Janeiro can be one of the highest visited place for tourists while being one of the most dangerous cities in the world...I think you'll be just fine in SPI.

[latetotheparty]

Originally Posted by LastStraw

Describe "legitimate gang activity"

latetotheparty -- flying from San Antonio to Atlanta to get to Gulf Shores seems way out of the way.
I've been checking and it looks like there are a few flights from San Antonio to Fort Walton.
I would love to see Southwest offer a direct flight from San Antoinio to Fort Walton, where one could get there in an hour or so.... Ahhhh... I can dream, can't I ?

.

just depends on how important shiny-white sand beaches are for your enjoyment...... THOSE are found in florida, alabama, etc.

if the color of the sand is not that big an issue for you, then you can just head on down to the texas gulf coast.........

[shaman13]

Why is the Sand White along the Beaches in Destin Florida?The sand here on the Emerald Coast is among the whitest, cleanest and softest in the world. What you might not know, is that when you walk on the beaches here, you are actually walking on the mountains - the Appalachian Mountains, that is.The sand on the Emerald Coast beaches is comprised mainly of quartz washed down from the mountains by the Apalachicola River, 130 miles east of Ft. Walton Beach. It is this quartz, ground to a perfect oval in each grain of sand, that makes the beach "squeak" when you walk on it.
Normally, such quartz has a rosy pink tint because of it's iron oxide coating, but the sugary-white quartz of the Emerald Coast lost it's coating somewhere along it's watery journey thousands of years ago.