Anyone from/live in Corpus Christi?

[aphibeach]

hey yall

I'm looking at a possible job opportunity in Corpus Christi and I was wondering what it's like. I did some research earlier and found that it's a lot like the city I live in now (state university, tourist town, beach like right outside the door, weather, etc)

I was just wondering what it's actually like to live there or be from there......It's hard to find those kinds of facts unless you get them from people who have experienced it themselves.

thanks

[MeezDiscreet]

my dad was born and raised in corpus so i spent a lot of time in the city up until 2000 when my grandmother passed. now, i visit but not as much. send me a p.m. and let me know what kinds of things you want to know.

[ajuhdg]

I'll be 'moving' there temporarily in 15 days! My husband is from there, and he's got a brief military thing in San Antonio and I'll be staying with my in laws for three monts and student teaching.

You can PM me if you want any specifics!

aj

[lifesaver]

I dont know how often she check the forums during the week, but SATX*APhi lives in Corpus. She could answer all your questions. Shes in the top 20 of posters, so click on members at the top, then top 10 posters, then page 2 and shes third up from the bottom. She can answer all your questions.

Its a nice town, but its probably not as much like your town in NC as you might think.

I lived outside of Corpus for a year and now live 2 hours north of there. My brother in laws family lives there and I have many friends there. So I am very familiar with it.

I am not aware of your background, but if you do move there, be prepared for a bit of a culture shock. The town is about 90% hispanic and its a close knit community, so if you havent come from an area with a large hispanic community (south florida, chicago, New York, or the southwest US), it would take a little adjustment. I dont even mean this on a racial front. Its a cultural thing, really. There's lots of different food, (of course ya have the regular stuff, but ya also have tamales at christmas, breakfast tacos like everyone else eats donuts or bagels, cilaquiles, carne asada) theres a lot of spanish or spanglish spoken there, quincenieras, and just other things that go on in a culture that if you arent a part of that culture make you feel like a bit of an outsider.

It has nothing to do with what people look like (cause down here, latinos can be blond (naturally) with green eyes. It has to do with the culture being really different from the historically anglo or black communities. I came from a town that was 96% anglo and it was a bit of a shock for me. It was a GREAT experience, and now I've absorbed intro the culture down here so much that Adrianna (SATX*APhi) calls me a Mexican. (Shes hispanic, so she can, lol) And I'm honored that she does. I wouldnt live anywhere else.

The weather is great, people are friendly, theres lots to do (2 hours from San Antonio, 3 from Houston, 3 from Austin, 3 from Mexico and South Padre). Texas is an awesome place to live (theres not nearly as many trees in Corpus as there is in NC... actually, theres not many trees in that part of Texas... but, hell, make a trip down here and check it out for yourself!

Good luck.

PM me with any questions.

[aphibeach]

hey thanks yall

yeah i went through the culture shock when i moved from NJ to Texas in high school.....but i lived in Dallas and it was only for a year.

my main concern is the tourist season.....i battle it here from March through September and it blows. we have bad traffic problems and it's impossible to go anywhere during those months.

I've lived in Corpus since I was about 2 years old. I moved away for college and currently live bout 1 1/2 hours north of there, but am at TAMUCC for grad school. I'd love to answer any specific questions you have. I think it's a great place to live. Lots of fun stuff to do, great job opportunities, etc. Good luck!

[aphibeach]

hey i just tried to send you a PM ADPiZXAlum but your mailbox is full

[kk_bama]

One of my chapter's new members is from Corpus- her dad is the basketball coach at A&M-Corpus. I'll ask her what she thinks about it. I do know she's said there's awesome Mexican food, of course, and the beach.

[aphibeach]

i :heart: mexican food

the beach isn't a big deal for me......i've been living at the beach now for the past 4 years

i go to school 30 min. away from corpus and we go out there often for shopping, restaurants and especially to get away from this town!

you can ask me about corpus, too!

[SATX*APhi]

I just have to laugh at the fact that Andy (lifesaver) thinks Corpus is 90% Hispanic! Ha! Last census report said it's at around 50%. San Antonio is at 60%!

Corpus has grown soo much in the past 5 years and continues to do so.

Jobs: Many great opportunities down here.
Property value: Continues to increase
Food: There are several great local restaurants, serving all sorts of ethnic foods.
Entertainment: The American Bank Center was just built and Corpus is now attracting big-named acts, the first concert being held next weekend; Concrete Street Amphitheater; plus tons of small venues that host great local and Texas musicians
Places to visit: The Texas State Aquarium, USS Lexington, Columbus Fleet, Botanical Gardens, There are plans to put something similar to New York's Central Park on the south side of town.
Arts: Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi Ballet, Corpus Christi Symphony
Parks: Tons; Cole Park - right on the bay, live music and Friday night movies during summer, pier, walking trail; Hans A. Suter Wildlife Park - nature walk, bird-viewing area, nature trail; Mustang Island State Park - camping, picnicking, fishing, swimming, hiking and mountain biking on 5 miles of open beach, sunbathing, hiking, surfing, and excellent birding
Outdoors: Supposedly some of the best windsurfing in the world, gulf fishing, sailing, boating, etc.
Yearly local fairs: Bayfest held in September, Buc Days held in April-May, the Texas Jazz Festival, South Texas Celtic Music Festival, Harbor Lights which is always lots of fun, not to mention the many other events in surrounding small towns.
Sports: We have an arena football team, an ice hockey team, a baseball team.
Fitness: Corpus Christi Athletic Club (largest health club), Feminique (women's health club), Curves, Gym X (24 hour facility), Platypus Fitness Center, YWCA
Nightlife: There are some great 20s/30s bars. Katz / 21 is great, Havana Club is also tons of fun, Dr. Rockits Blues Bar, Rumba Room is great for salsa/merengue dancing, Executive Surf Club is a great restaurant and provides live music some nights
Shopping: Two malls (one is not so fabulous), several shopping centers
Military: There is a naval base in Corpus and a couple of other bases in surrounding towns
News: Corpus Christi Caller-Times - our newspaper, KIII (ABC affiliate), KRIS (NBC affiliate), KZTV (CBC affiliate)

Tourist season: Not to worry! There are Winter Texans that migrate from up north; however, they all stay on "the island" which refers to North Padre Island, about 5-10 minutes east of Corpus. There is no disruption in traffic and they go unnoticed in the city.


Sites to visit:

• Check out this site for more info regarding downtown Corpus.
• http://www.corpuschristi-tx-cvb.org/ for Corpus bayfront and beach events

Whew! I'm spent and need to get going. I tried to include as much as possible and tried to provide as many links as possible. If you have any questions what-so-ever, please do not hesitate to ask. I was born here and have lived here 20 of my 23 years, so any questions, feel free to PM me.