Should I Move To Corpus Christi – Long story short, yes! We may be a little biased due to the fact that so many people at The Place of Houses Realty team live in Corpus Christi and the surrounding areas, but it’s for good reason!
Located about 130 miles southeast from San Antonio, Corpus Christi, or the “Sparkling City by the Sea”, is a beautiful coastal city in South Texas. Corpus Christi borders Nueces Bay and Corpus Christi Bay, and has the 5th largest port in the United States, but those aren’t the only things that make it such a special place to call home!
Reasons To Live In Corpus Christi, TX
Beach Days Galore
Living on the coast means there’s no shortage of beaches to enjoy! Take the whole family to North Beach to enjoy blue water and a bustling boardwalk complete with a Ferris wheel! If you want to slow down and enjoy a long walk in the surf, Whitecap Beach with its sizable waves and scenic views could be a great go-to.
If you want to ride the waves rather than watch them go by, J.P Luby Surf Park or North Packery Beach is a great place to bring the boards. Padre Island National Seashore is a not only beautiful, but can be a great educational experience for kids and adults alike if you come when the baby sea turtles start their migration back to the sea!
Snorkeling, Surfing, Scuba-ing, Oh My!
With eleven beaches and plenty of wind to fill your sails, water activities are the bread and butter of Corpus Christi. Catch an underwater glimpse of the Texas Clipper (a sunken ship!) 17 miles off of South Padre, or see all 56-square-miles of the sea life at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
While most people think surfing is reserved for the West coast natives, Texas has surfing culture all its own! The Wind and Wave Surf Shop offers surfboard rentals if you’re not ready to bit the bullet and purchase your own, and Whitecap Beach or the J.P. Luby Surf Park are great places to break out the board, hang 10, and catch a tan.
What do I need to know before moving to Corpus Christi?
Downtown Life
Corpus Christi may be a beach town, but there’s still plenty of hustle and bustle. Enjoy plenty of nightlife, shopping and dining (we can already taste all the fresh seafood)! For night owls, there’s the Executive Surf Club with over 30 different brews on tap, kid-friendly Brewster Street House that features Texas Blue Bell ice cream and a playground for the kids, and beer, a full menu, and live music for the adults.
The Downtown Farmer’s Market is a great place to get some fresh produce and check out products from local crafters, or you can pay your respects to the statue of the late-and-great Selena Quintanilla Perez.
Lower Cost of Living (and Taxes!)
According to U.S. News & World Report, Corpus Christi has a lower cost of living in comparison to similarly sized metro areas across the country, which is great news if you’re looking to retire or start a family. The unemployment rate in Corpus Christi is low, sitting at 5.0%, and the average annual salary for the area is $44,719. A bonus of living in the great Lone Star State is the lack of state income tax, meaning you have extra money coming in from each paycheck to use for living expenses, savings, or a little extra fun!
Go Back to School
Whether you’re looking to go back to school to change careers, or you’ve got high-schoolers looking at options that are close to home, Corpus Christi has several options for higher education. Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, Del Mar College and the Corpus Christi Beauty Academy all call south Texas their home.
Texas A&M offers over 80 degrees, making it a great place to try out different classes to figure out what you want to do for a career, and Del Mar College offers degrees in sciences, fine arts, business and occupational and technical fields.
What could be better than going to college right off the beach? We can’t think of anything.
Entertainment for Kids and Adults Alike
Corpus Christi is home to numerous museums and attractions for the entire family to enjoy. If you need a break from swimming and playing in the ocean, consider a stop at one of the many museums and attractions Corpus Christi offers! From the Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History, the Texas Surf Museum, or the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay there’s a little something that can capture the entire families attention again and again.
Beautiful Weather
The sun shines on Corpus Christi about 255 out of the 365 days a year, meaning there’s plenty of time to catch a few rays and relax. The summers do see high temperatures and humidity, but the lovely breeze from the Gulf helps keep things cooler than other cities in South Texas. If you’ve always dreamed of escaping the snow and ice that can be found in the northern states, you’ll be happy to know that winters in Corpus Christi are mild, and it’s extremely rare to see any sort of snow. Time to get rid of the snow shovels!
Culture to Spare
The Corpus Christi community has plenty of culture to share and features the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, Harbor Playhouse community theater, and the Texas Jazz Festival! Corpus Christi also has several art galleries and centers, including The Art Museum of South Texas and the Art Center of Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi has a rich history, and they make sure to preserve and highlight it with historical houses, tours, and honoring Hispanic heritage and the people who built Corpus Christi all those years ago.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog, and we’re glad to have helped you learn more about why you should move to Corpus Christi! The Place of Houses Realty team specializes in Corpus Christi real estate, and we also inform readers about what is up-and-coming in the Corpus Christi community.