Moving to Corpus Christi. Any recommendations? (San Antonio, Spring: rent, crime rate, roughest)

[CptnRn]

I have to comment on a couple of the things jbtx wrote, and then add a few of my own:

Originally Posted by jbtx

I've been to CA and your beaches there do not compare favorably to ours. CA beaches I've seen are narrow and rocky, TX beaches are broad and sandy. There tends to be not much for parking in CA along the beach, our beach is wide enough that we drive and park on the beach,,, just cruise down the beach till you find an empty stretch, park your truck and set up your stuff. Just beware of the dry fluffy sand near the dunes, it has the consistency of flour and you can get stuck in a heartbeat if you are not careful. One negative here; if there has been a storm in the Gulf we get large amounts of seaweed washed up that takes a few days to get cleaned up. Our water is warm, warm, and warmer. No need for wet suits here.

I don't know what part of CA jbtx saw, but Texas beaches don't hold a candle to CA beaches. True you can drive on most of them in TX, but they are not nearly as scenic. The TX sand is floury, sticks to your skin and is hard to brush off, unlike CA beaches, where most of the sand was easier to brush off so you did not feel gritty. The shallow water on TX beaches doesn't produce many areas where surfing is good. There are still a few places where people surf, but the waves are much smaller.

It is a good idea to store a towing strap in your trunk so someone can pull your car out if it gets stuck in a patch of soft sand. Or so you can come to the rescue of any attractive young ladies that you find stuck in a similar circumstance.

Tx seaweed is small and weedy, unlike the massive tendrils of kelp that can wash up on CA beaches. The Gulf is shallow and doesn't have much kelp. The gulf water does get warmer in summer then the pacific but there is still much of the year when it is too cold to swim or surf without a wet suit.

TX gulf water is silty and brown in comparison to CA. The muddy Mississippi River which drains into the gulf near New Orleans is carried West by gulf currents and muddies the water around here.

I'm not aware of any particularly "cool" beach where all the "cool" people go. Each clique probably has its own favorite spots. I know following high school graduation events huge lines of cars full of high schoolers celebrating the graduation cued up at the Port Aransas ferries waiting to cross over to Port A for the beach parties. So it appears they prefered that area over the beaches closer to Corpus.

A lot of what you want to know has been discussed over and over again in this forum. It would be worth your while reading through many of the previous discussion threads.

The Intercoastal Waterway runs the entire distance of the Texas coast behind barrier islands offering sheltered water for boating and fishing. The gulf itself can be quite rough and choppy because of its shallowness. There are a limited number of bay areas that are suitable for sailing with a keel boat. My 4.5' draft sailboat was too deep to sail in 50% or more of the Texas bays. Shallower draft power boats and sailing trimarans can access to closer to 90% of the coastal waters. Personally I can't imagine living in that area and not owning a boat. You will be missing out on much of the best the area has to offer.

Port Aransas is really more of a transient vacation town, not many full-time residents. In fact it is hard to find property to lease year round because so much of it is dedicated to higher paying vacation and weekend rentals.

If I were a young man working in Corpus, I would consider the ultimate cool place to live would be aboard a boat in the Corpus Christi marina. It would be much cooler to invite a girl you met back to your boat at the end of an evening, rather then back to an apartment.

I would encourage anyone new to the Texas coast to read the book "Aransas: The life of a Texas Coastal County". It is about Aransas County, next door to Corpus Christi, but it is a really interesting anecdotal and historical account of the area.



BARNES & NOBLE | Aransas by William Allen | Paperback

Personally, after years of exploring the Tx coastal areas my wife and I found Rockport in Aransas County to be our favorite. We kept our sailboat there for over 3 years. It has reasonably easy access to Corpus, Port Aransas, and the Official Site of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Resources and previous threads you should read:

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...l#post18555779

Flood Plain Maps: City of Corpus






Zillow - Real Estate, Homes for Sale, Home Prices & Values is helpful in searching for apartments and houses for rent.

The Coastal Wave - the Premier Calendar of Events for Corpus Christi & The Coastal Bend for entertainment events listings.

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...ean-drive.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...-rockport.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...n-beaches.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...-corpus-2.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...s-christi.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...orpus-bad.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/corpu...s-christi.html

[d8210]

Marlow,

Thanks for the link. I'll be sure to read it through

[d8210]

CptnRn,

I really appreciate the time you took to write all of that. I will definitely check out all of the links you provided. One thing I noticed in my short visit was how friendly people in CC were. You are most certainly not an exception.

[Bideshi]

BTW, If your job offer is related to the Navy Base/Army Depot, Flour Bluff has good schools and is right at the gate to the base. FWIW

[d8210]

Originally Posted by Bideshi

BTW, If your job offer is related to the Navy Base/Army Depot, Flour Bluff has good schools and is right at the gate to the base. FWIW

Thank you. I'm actually single and will be doing engineering at a local refinery. I've done alot of research on apartments in the area and will be hopefully checking them out within a week.

[jbtx]

CptnRn

I guess I'm the "half full" guy rather than the "half empty" guy. If someone is moving to CC for a career choice I'd rather give them something to look forward to; instead of that feeling that they are leaving behind the best part of their life.

I love CC, I think it's akin to living in paradise.

And,,, yes, I do own a boat.

[d8210]

CptRn,

You've got a great attitude and it's greatly appreciated. I LOVE southern California, and plan on returning at some point after a few years. The economy, however, is pretty bad over there right now, and being still young in my career, I'm willing to make changes to get the experience(s) necessary to further my career. CC looks like a neat place, and I am looking forward to experiencing it.

[jbtx]

Welcome to Corpus Christi, I hope you will enjoy your stay. I have friends who work in the refinery and chemical industry here. It's a good life, you will probably have a good time in CC.

[d8210]

Originally Posted by jbtx

Welcome to Corpus Christi, I hope you will enjoy your stay. I have friends who work in the refinery and chemical industry here. It's a good life, you will probably have a good time in CC.

I'm looking forward to it. People on this forum have been great and already make me feel comfortable moving into a new city.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by jbtx

CptnRn

I guess I'm the "half full" guy rather than the "half empty" guy. If someone is moving to CC for a career choice I'd rather give them something to look forward to; instead of that feeling that they are leaving behind the best part of their life.

I love CC, I think it's akin to living in paradise.

And,,, yes, I do own a boat.

jbtx, my comments were not intended to be critical of anything you said, I just did not consider some of them to be accurate, based on my own experience in both states. I once lived in Southern California for a year and would not move back for anything.