Starting a new life in Corpus (Houston, Corpus Christi: section 8, apartments, rentals)

[TheMeteorologist]

Hey folks,

I recently graduated with a B.S. in Meteorology and got a job at the National Weather Service in Corpus. I will be moving to town on Tuesday the 2nd of March. I am originally from Alabama, and have lived here all my life. I went to college in Mobile, so I am no stranger to the terrible heat and humidity of the Gulf Coast.

This is a really big move for me as I am going to be starting my adult life. I'll be 900 miles from home and all by myself. This is quite scary for me, but I know I will be fine. I've come here for some help though.

I already have an apartment near SPID and Nile Drive at the Island Villas apartments. It looks like I'll be living in a decent area, although I don't know a whole lot about the area.

Anybody have an opinion on this?

I'm bigtime into bowling, so I know I'll be hitting up the bowling alley and joining some leagues. I also like to play golf and do some freshwater fishing. I would like to start doing some saltwater stuff too. I love to go to the beach as well. I'm 22 year old guy and single, so I'll be looking for some new friends and someone to start a relationship with. Last but not least, I'm a huge weather nut. :P

Where does the young crowd hang out?

What are the best cheap golf courses in Corpus?

If I go to North Padre beaches, should I be able to meet people there?

Are there any other online forums or things that I can use to expand my social network in Corpus?

I want to enjoy my time in Corpus, and not be stuck by myself in my apartment all the time. So I'm here trying to get off to a good start.

[LTG1]

Welcome to CC.

The Island Villas are brand new complex, so they should be nice. Although CC as a whole has a high-crime rate, that area is better than others. The complex sits directly across from an Elem. school, a block from a major hospital and 1/2mile to a nice cinema. There is a complex of Section 8 housing not far from there, but I think it's more family oriented and not as problematic as some of the others. There's two nice golf courses about a mile or so from you (Pharos & Oso) and you're 15-20 minutes from the beach. The only negative I can think of for your location is its proximity to SPID which is THE major thoroughfare and you're a block from it so - anticipate road noise.

With the exception of wade-fishing & kayaking, most of the saltwater stuff happens in Port A (Port Aransas). There you'll find off-shore fishing tours, jet-ski rentals, para-sailing, kite-surfing and more of a beach-town environment, etc. I guess these things could be available in CC or on the Island (Padre Island, over the JFK causeway), but I've never encountered it. I'm sure you can meet people at the beach, or at a multidue of other places.

The college students tend to hang out at different bars depending on the day of the week. To name a few there's Ropers, Whiskey River, Toxic, Bourbon Street, KC's, Brewster's, Surf Club and Revolution. A lot of people go to some of the local pool halls, especially Paradise...it's a nice place and not ghetto like the others.

There's only one bowling alley that I now of and it's located off of Ayers and Saratoga. I've never been there, but I hear it can be rough at times.

If you want to meet a diverse group of people and make friends I recommend looking into some of the fellowship style churches in town. I'm not trying to sound like a nut, and I don't even go to church, but there are several of these in CC and they are very popular especially with the younger crowd. There's a huge one located "way out Weber" (that's a term you'll learn) that I've been to twice with friends and they incorporate a lot of music and video. There is also one specifically for young adults and college age folks. Again, I'm not affiliated with any religious group...I'm just mentioning these as a potential place to meet people your age.

Something you didn't ask about but IMO you'll want to know is where to buy groceries. There's is really only one grocery chain in town and that's HEB. Based on your location, I would recommend the HEB-Plus in Flour Bluff. Definitely avoid the HEB in Moore Plaza (Staples/SPID) and the Walmart located at Everhart/SPID. Ghetto! There's a health food store called Sun Harvest (Airline/SPID) that is a nice store and fairly priced.

Good luck with your move!

[TheMeteorologist]

Wow thank you so much. You've certainly helped me out.

[jbtx]

Welcome to CC.

[Marlow]

Hi and welcome! I'm old , but I just wanted to add a couple of things. There's a coffee shop on Alameda close to Ennis Joslin called Coffee Waves and lots of college kids go there and there's a bulletin board with community stuff on it. Also, the student center at the university always has activities going on. Both of those might be good places to meet people. The bowling alley is fine--we've been to several kids birthday parties there.

Since you like the water, you could also consider taking windsurfing or surfing lessons--lots of people do that. You could also join a gym and there are running (CCRoadrunners) and cycling groups if you enjoy that kind of thing.

Good luck and have fun. Try to keep the hurricanes away!

[SouthTexKid]

I'm actually in your same situation with starting a new life but I'm getting away from corpus for a job opportunity. Ditto what LTG said about college kids and the bar scene. I just finished college here and Whiskey River, Brewsters, and Fire on Water seemed to be the most popular IMO. If you're into fishing there is a local club called Team Oso Hardcore Fishing that you might want to consider looking into. I'd avoid hanging out at places like Hypnotic, Rascals, and most bars/pool halls on the North Side. I've had some bad experiences with those places.

And don't be afraid to look up groups/people on facebook. Also I agree with the poster who made the reccomendations about churches; If you are into that kind of thing it is a quick way to meet plenty of people.

[Houstonkid]

Freshwater fishing isn't too far away, Lake CC is about an hour from you and Choke Canyon (great bass fishing) is just a tad farther. Definitely try salt water fishing, you may just get hooked once you land a big red or a large trout!

Congrats on the gig at the NWS, always wanted to be a meteorologist and my day usually starts with reading the overnight NWS (HGX) discussion to see what is in store for me up here in Houston. I am envious!

Don't blindly go to a club, wait till you meet someone and they can give you pointers on which are the shady joints. Make a friend or 2 and head down to Executive Surf Club for happy hour

[CptnRn]

There is some pretty detailed information here about crime statistics in the different parts of town.

Crime statistics in Corpus Christi

[bjledesma]

There are some great groups on Facebook for more info. on Corpus. The Crush Girls, 40 Things to do in Corpus Christi, etc. There are also some bars on the island (just over the causeway) that are popular with young professionals.

[ocean2026]

I like North Beach -its 2 minutes from downtown and yesterday the beach was beautiful and only about 5 girls on half a mile of beach. Definitely not crowded. I also think the Villa Del Sol which keeps getting upgraded would be a nice place for a single ( they used to be poorly maintained). I was in a few units with a friend after we checked out the beach. There are also some other condos further down - bigger and more expensive if you prefer. North Beach is not popular with native Corpus Christians - it used to have a sketchy reputation but I've been going there years and its always ok.