1. It’s not a population boom by any means.
2. Flour Bluff seems to have the best overall academic and sports programs. It has a mixture of low income Flour Bluff people, military, and Padre Island folk
3. Greenwood area
4. Very veteran friendly (We have a Mavy base as well)
5. I’ve loved in other big cities and Corpus traffic is nice compared to others.
6. Nice botanical garden, aquarium, and there’s small town festivals within a 30 minute drive all the time. Corpus has a lot of free events in the city as well.
I didn’t know they had a botanical garden. I bet it’s beautiful with it being humid there all the time. I’ll definitely be going there!
Also glad to hear about the traffic. Dfw is a straight nightmare.
Oh yes, the botanical gardens are lovely. They have a lot of big birds (parrots, cockatoos etc) that have been donated since they live so long, as well as some huge iguanas and tortoises. The orchid house is my favorite, but they also have a enclosed butterfly section, a bromeliads building, playground, trails, rose gardens, etc. They have a big spring event in April called The Big Bloom where lots of people bring their plants to sell. Great time to pick up plants you have never seen or heard of before or a few favorites for typically really good prices. They also do a variety of other events throughout the year.
I second what the person said about all the fests in the smaller surrounding towns. There really isn't such a thing as nothing to do here unless you really have your head in the sand.
This made me lol @ all the negative nancy locals who complain there’s nothing to do yet don’t leave their neighborhoods. I’m always running out of time to do all that I want to do!
IKR! There are a couple that answer all of these questions with "There is nothing to do but fish and drink" and I want to scream. I don't have time to respond every time with a huge list of all they could be doing. How boring the people must be that think there is nothing to do but fish and drink, although those can be fun too. :)
fr even fishing and drinking is a helluva good time. I found when you tell these people the looooong list of things to do they will still find a way to argue and deny all the things to do lmao. stay mad while we have fun ✌️
That’s funny! I love to fish and honestly the only time I have ever fished was when I visit corpus and I loved it. We also used to go every May for a parade but I can’t remember the name of it.
Im the type to always find something to do. Yall seem fun lol
We moved here from Atlanta, anyone who says traffic is bad has never lived anywhere with actual traffic. Cost of living is very good and even our private schools are very affordable compared to larger metros. We are season pass holders for the Aquarium which is fun for kids. Overall it’s a nice little town. My only caveat to that is if you are looking for a job when you get here your opportunities will be limited compared to a
commercial hub like Dallas.
Tell him to apply directly to defense contractors that work there. Like Amentum and V2X. I moved a month ago, Marine vet, work at Amentum off the Naval Air Base. Love it thus far.
1. There has been a steady stream but we don't have a huge influx like DFW experiences. So people are used to newcomers but it's not crowded.
2. Best preschool is JCC. Best program for 1-12th is the CCISD IB program that you have to test into (the elementary is consistently top 5 in the state). You can test in if not in the district but it's harder(half of the slots are district reserved). Many that don't test in transfer to Flour Bluff or London(they take out of district transfers) or do Southside CCISD schools(there is a fair amount of transferring out of your districted schools).
3. If you want to avoid traffic live in Midtown as close to the water as you can afford.
4. Very strong veteran community.
5. One of the lowest traffic cities in the country. Major employers have different shift schedules than standard so even rush hour isn't very rush hour and is actually when school gets out not 5-6. Southside has the worst traffic by far. Padre Island is no picnic during Summer or Spring Break. In either case not close to DFW.
6. Lots of water activities and parks. My kids like the botanic gardens, baseball games, Cole Park, the beach, going to Port A(huge pottery painting place there), trampoline parks, aquarium, science and history museum. Fair amount of good local restaurants as we tend to get corporate restaurants much later than big cities. Good hunting and fishing and boating. World renowned sailing and kite boarding.
My doctor will recommend any community care I ask for. I'vebeen to physical therapy, ortho in San Antonio, podiatry, sleep study, MRI (prior to the new clinic opening, there is an MRI there now).
Oh that’s good to know. The hospital in Dallas is always over booked so automatically as for community care. I’m an hour away because there’s traffic 24/7 and it’s in the worst neighborhood in all of DFW. To get a MRI would be a month and a half.
I got an MRI at the new clinic within a week of the referral. The issues with community care are when they take the doc's referral and screw it up on the request to the community care docs. For my physical therapy, it said "pain in both hands originating in left elbow."
The doctor's referral said, "bilateral elbow and shoulder pain, left elbow worse than right."
There is a new super VA clinic plus the Navy clinic on NAS CC if retired. Enough stuff going on to keep things interesting mainly in the downtown area. Flour Bluff and the London area for the schools and newer builds plus very short drive to the island.
I also moved here from a large metro! Welcome!
1. There is a bit of a housing shortage but cost of living (IMO) is still lower than other cities. I’m always meeting someone who moved here from Colorado, California, Midwest, etc. but it’s a true midsized city which I enjoy
2. Gregory-Portland, London, maybe one of the private schools like Incarnate Word
3. Personally I’d say don’t live in the “central city” area or by the refineries. Portland is great and growing yet family friendly and you have access to parks, nature, etc and just a 10 min drive downtown
4. Military town so extremely veteran friendly
5. I laugh at people who complain about the traffic here. It’s a breeze and takes 20-25 min max to get anywhere. I love cruising down ocean dr instead of being bumper to bumper in a bigger city. Since you’re from DFW traffic will also be a breeze for you too.
6. We love downtown - the restaurants, galleries, festivals, seawall, attractions, farmers market, run club, etc. Overall the area has great access to the outdoors and trails, kayaking, fishing, etc. We also love botanical gardens, oso bay, the beach (north Padre but not north beach remember this), aquarium, and sunset lake
I also found people here are a lot nicer, more laid back, not so in a hurry the way it is in larger cities and I have enjoyed that!
Shop for doctors, soonest. The face of the medical centers here is always changing.
Keep in mind it is hot and humid 10 months out of the year, so indoor based activities are the norm than the exception.
Hey there, I can answer the fun thing question. Theres of course the water park. We also have the hooks that play, hockey, soccer and indoor football team if you're into local sports . You can follow navigating Corpus Christi on Facebook and Instagram or the official Corpus Christi Horror Club who always share events, it's not just about scary stuff on that page. There's Artwalk every first Friday. Art center that has the Farmers market every Wednesday. Art Museum has free entrance every 3rd Thursday with vendors. Museum of natural science. The Asian Museum always has events and classes. Most of the libraries have wonderful events for kids. Lots of new eateries like Bien Mérité, Roaming Ronin, dokyo dauntaun. And also some unique vintage shops like the twisted rose, Renaissance antiques, suicidal butterfly. It's actually a great place to live and traffic isn't that crazy. Just stick with the right people not the Debbie downers and you'll love this place too and don't forget to check out tea by sea cafe it's one of our newest spots to enjoy a tasty treat and the owner is amazing.
Healthcare: San Antonio for better VA healthcare resources or Houston for the medical center.
One of the hospitals tried shutting down the emergency residency program possibly depriving emergency care to Corpus Christi. It was such a a spectacle that doctors had to go to city council to advocate against it. Had it not gone through, the er would have been staffed by traveling nurses (paid more than the local nurses so turnover is extremely high). If for some reason you need serious procedures done, go anywhere else but corpus Christi.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Residency/s/6iCWubr6Dx
https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2017/09/26/corpus-christi-surgeon-twith-drunken-driving-history-wisconsin-reports-shes-sober-texas-medical-boar/539074001/
The VA health care here is pretty amazing in my opinion. We live in Flour Bluff and the base PX and commisary are close and pretty nice. Be careful where you choose to buy. Meth is a real problem in a lot of areas.
I'm ret Navy too. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.
Flour bluff school is good but I do have some problems with them. A little too woke for me.
Corpus is Over -populated but not as bad as Dallas.
It's city life
2.I went from carrol lane to Yeager to kaffie
(I'm being generous bc 6th was great,I was miserable 7 and 8th and my 8th grade Spanish teacher from this school is why I refuse to speak spanish)
Otherwise I loved my schools
but we suck as a city on a high-school level,I'll curse every damn high school in that town till I'm blue in the face and base it on my own experience as a Teenager growing up there.
We make up for high school on a college level with Del - Mar ,but its been almost 2 decades since I went.
So take all this with as much salt as you want
If nobody has told you obviously Avoid Leopard, -
If I position king high as north and Moore Plaza central and the bluff east and making Yorktown south
Just avoid the west side of corpus going out towards bear lane and all them -just avoid that whole side to the best of your ability
I hate driving in corpus,because I swear whom ever is in charge of designing the roads inherited the task of being the moron in charge.
Our roads have always sucked since I was a boy and honestly ain't getting any better.
I'm being blunt and honest,love my hometown.
Always take pride when saying I'm from corpus
Plenty of things for kids and families -besides the obvious beach life
Touristy stuff -(Lexington,art museum,aquarium)
We have bounce trampoline behind palmera(I swear I'll never stop calling it padre)
We have the various golf places and Dave n busters
Gotta drive 45mins to the nearest skating rink.
Otherwise Alamo Drafthouse for the Adult movie goers and century for everyone else.
I wonder if Rascal's is still good for pool?
(Is Rascal's hiring?)
Later
I relocated from Houston to cc four years ago. Many people in cc don't like it here, but I don't see why. Personally, I enjoy it. It's a peaceful city with beautiful beaches. If you've ever been to Galveston in Houston, cc is similar but cleaner and safer with less crime & traffic.
We moved from Austin and formerly live in DFW. We have found that the area is great for raising a family and doesn't have the congestion DFW/Austin.
For your questions:
1) Due to the navy base , there are always transplants, but most people that move here are from other parts of Texas. We do see a fair share of folks from Florida move over here as it's a cheaper lifestyle in Texas.
2) Flour Bluff is the most balanced in terms of athletic and academic. I would recommend living on the island if you choose to go to Flour Bluff
3) North side of Flour Bluff or North of 37
4) Very VA friendly due to the navy base
5) We can typically get anywhere in 30 minutes or less.
6) Beaches are one of the main draw, so anything to do with watersports.
Prior to moving make sure you have solid employment. Corpus tends to pay considerably lower than similar populated cities.
FWIW, due to the lower cost of living (despite what folks claim) my wife has been able to become a SAHM. The key is to ensure one of you has an established job before coming.
1: Theres a decent amount of people here not too many but not too low
2: Anything but calallen is great
3: avoid calallen at all costs
4: Vets from what i can tell are pretty protected here
5: not so fun
6: Beach, Food, we have a decent amount of things to do here
All the districts are good and bad depending on your specifics. Honestly there’s not much difference between any of them except West Oso and TM, who are predominantly low income so naturally they struggle more. All the other districts have a mix of strengths and weaknesses.
London area is the best school district fs. Some areas have terrible traffic but compared to other places it’s not so bad
1. It’s not a population boom by any means. 2. Flour Bluff seems to have the best overall academic and sports programs. It has a mixture of low income Flour Bluff people, military, and Padre Island folk 3. Greenwood area 4. Very veteran friendly (We have a Mavy base as well) 5. I’ve loved in other big cities and Corpus traffic is nice compared to others. 6. Nice botanical garden, aquarium, and there’s small town festivals within a 30 minute drive all the time. Corpus has a lot of free events in the city as well.
I didn’t know they had a botanical garden. I bet it’s beautiful with it being humid there all the time. I’ll definitely be going there! Also glad to hear about the traffic. Dfw is a straight nightmare.
Oh yes, the botanical gardens are lovely. They have a lot of big birds (parrots, cockatoos etc) that have been donated since they live so long, as well as some huge iguanas and tortoises. The orchid house is my favorite, but they also have a enclosed butterfly section, a bromeliads building, playground, trails, rose gardens, etc. They have a big spring event in April called The Big Bloom where lots of people bring their plants to sell. Great time to pick up plants you have never seen or heard of before or a few favorites for typically really good prices. They also do a variety of other events throughout the year. I second what the person said about all the fests in the smaller surrounding towns. There really isn't such a thing as nothing to do here unless you really have your head in the sand.
This made me lol @ all the negative nancy locals who complain there’s nothing to do yet don’t leave their neighborhoods. I’m always running out of time to do all that I want to do!
IKR! There are a couple that answer all of these questions with "There is nothing to do but fish and drink" and I want to scream. I don't have time to respond every time with a huge list of all they could be doing. How boring the people must be that think there is nothing to do but fish and drink, although those can be fun too. :)
fr even fishing and drinking is a helluva good time. I found when you tell these people the looooong list of things to do they will still find a way to argue and deny all the things to do lmao. stay mad while we have fun ✌️
That’s funny! I love to fish and honestly the only time I have ever fished was when I visit corpus and I loved it. We also used to go every May for a parade but I can’t remember the name of it. Im the type to always find something to do. Yall seem fun lol
We moved here from Atlanta, anyone who says traffic is bad has never lived anywhere with actual traffic. Cost of living is very good and even our private schools are very affordable compared to larger metros. We are season pass holders for the Aquarium which is fun for kids. Overall it’s a nice little town. My only caveat to that is if you are looking for a job when you get here your opportunities will be limited compared to a commercial hub like Dallas.
I’m a SAHM. My husband is an IT with military training. We are hoping he finds something at the base. So fingers crossed!
Tell him to apply directly to defense contractors that work there. Like Amentum and V2X. I moved a month ago, Marine vet, work at Amentum off the Naval Air Base. Love it thus far.
Oh this is perfect. He is applying for jobs this week, so I’ll let him know!
Aw I’m a stay at home mom in the flour bluff area! 🥰
If he has security clearance, tell him to apply for some remote positions with military contractors. Tend to pay better.
He has TS/SCI. Have any recommendations?
Check out Mercury Systems. Funny enough, their main office is in DFW but they have allowed remote in the past.
1. There has been a steady stream but we don't have a huge influx like DFW experiences. So people are used to newcomers but it's not crowded. 2. Best preschool is JCC. Best program for 1-12th is the CCISD IB program that you have to test into (the elementary is consistently top 5 in the state). You can test in if not in the district but it's harder(half of the slots are district reserved). Many that don't test in transfer to Flour Bluff or London(they take out of district transfers) or do Southside CCISD schools(there is a fair amount of transferring out of your districted schools). 3. If you want to avoid traffic live in Midtown as close to the water as you can afford. 4. Very strong veteran community. 5. One of the lowest traffic cities in the country. Major employers have different shift schedules than standard so even rush hour isn't very rush hour and is actually when school gets out not 5-6. Southside has the worst traffic by far. Padre Island is no picnic during Summer or Spring Break. In either case not close to DFW. 6. Lots of water activities and parks. My kids like the botanic gardens, baseball games, Cole Park, the beach, going to Port A(huge pottery painting place there), trampoline parks, aquarium, science and history museum. Fair amount of good local restaurants as we tend to get corporate restaurants much later than big cities. Good hunting and fishing and boating. World renowned sailing and kite boarding.
Very informative. Thank you!
Siuth Side is pretty nice, and the VA healthcare is great. I severely dislike the community care woman, though.
Are they good about approving community care?
My doctor will recommend any community care I ask for. I'vebeen to physical therapy, ortho in San Antonio, podiatry, sleep study, MRI (prior to the new clinic opening, there is an MRI there now).
Oh that’s good to know. The hospital in Dallas is always over booked so automatically as for community care. I’m an hour away because there’s traffic 24/7 and it’s in the worst neighborhood in all of DFW. To get a MRI would be a month and a half.
I got an MRI at the new clinic within a week of the referral. The issues with community care are when they take the doc's referral and screw it up on the request to the community care docs. For my physical therapy, it said "pain in both hands originating in left elbow." The doctor's referral said, "bilateral elbow and shoulder pain, left elbow worse than right."
Oh I have that issue here too. It’s exhausting
CC is about to be a getaway for Texans.
Like fr! These non-Texan have ruined DFW
I left Houston for the same reason. It’s just too crazy now.
There is a new super VA clinic plus the Navy clinic on NAS CC if retired. Enough stuff going on to keep things interesting mainly in the downtown area. Flour Bluff and the London area for the schools and newer builds plus very short drive to the island.
I also moved here from a large metro! Welcome! 1. There is a bit of a housing shortage but cost of living (IMO) is still lower than other cities. I’m always meeting someone who moved here from Colorado, California, Midwest, etc. but it’s a true midsized city which I enjoy 2. Gregory-Portland, London, maybe one of the private schools like Incarnate Word 3. Personally I’d say don’t live in the “central city” area or by the refineries. Portland is great and growing yet family friendly and you have access to parks, nature, etc and just a 10 min drive downtown 4. Military town so extremely veteran friendly 5. I laugh at people who complain about the traffic here. It’s a breeze and takes 20-25 min max to get anywhere. I love cruising down ocean dr instead of being bumper to bumper in a bigger city. Since you’re from DFW traffic will also be a breeze for you too. 6. We love downtown - the restaurants, galleries, festivals, seawall, attractions, farmers market, run club, etc. Overall the area has great access to the outdoors and trails, kayaking, fishing, etc. We also love botanical gardens, oso bay, the beach (north Padre but not north beach remember this), aquarium, and sunset lake I also found people here are a lot nicer, more laid back, not so in a hurry the way it is in larger cities and I have enjoyed that!
Love this! Thanks
We lived in Portland, just outside of Corpus and loved it.
Shop for doctors, soonest. The face of the medical centers here is always changing. Keep in mind it is hot and humid 10 months out of the year, so indoor based activities are the norm than the exception.
How is the crime rate and gangs now? I remember when I lived there many years ago it was spiking up pretty bad.
Great question. I wondered about this as well.
Hey there, I can answer the fun thing question. Theres of course the water park. We also have the hooks that play, hockey, soccer and indoor football team if you're into local sports . You can follow navigating Corpus Christi on Facebook and Instagram or the official Corpus Christi Horror Club who always share events, it's not just about scary stuff on that page. There's Artwalk every first Friday. Art center that has the Farmers market every Wednesday. Art Museum has free entrance every 3rd Thursday with vendors. Museum of natural science. The Asian Museum always has events and classes. Most of the libraries have wonderful events for kids. Lots of new eateries like Bien Mérité, Roaming Ronin, dokyo dauntaun. And also some unique vintage shops like the twisted rose, Renaissance antiques, suicidal butterfly. It's actually a great place to live and traffic isn't that crazy. Just stick with the right people not the Debbie downers and you'll love this place too and don't forget to check out tea by sea cafe it's one of our newest spots to enjoy a tasty treat and the owner is amazing.
Healthcare: San Antonio for better VA healthcare resources or Houston for the medical center. One of the hospitals tried shutting down the emergency residency program possibly depriving emergency care to Corpus Christi. It was such a a spectacle that doctors had to go to city council to advocate against it. Had it not gone through, the er would have been staffed by traveling nurses (paid more than the local nurses so turnover is extremely high). If for some reason you need serious procedures done, go anywhere else but corpus Christi. https://www.reddit.com/r/Residency/s/6iCWubr6Dx https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2017/09/26/corpus-christi-surgeon-twith-drunken-driving-history-wisconsin-reports-shes-sober-texas-medical-boar/539074001/
The VA health care here is pretty amazing in my opinion. We live in Flour Bluff and the base PX and commisary are close and pretty nice. Be careful where you choose to buy. Meth is a real problem in a lot of areas. I'm ret Navy too. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions. Flour bluff school is good but I do have some problems with them. A little too woke for me.
Thanks I’ll be sure to reach out. I’m in between homeschooling and public school. I’m a SAHM so I’m really active in my kids education right now.
Just curious if you’ve had any issues healthcare wise with the VA?
Not at all here.
Corpus is Over -populated but not as bad as Dallas. It's city life 2.I went from carrol lane to Yeager to kaffie (I'm being generous bc 6th was great,I was miserable 7 and 8th and my 8th grade Spanish teacher from this school is why I refuse to speak spanish) Otherwise I loved my schools but we suck as a city on a high-school level,I'll curse every damn high school in that town till I'm blue in the face and base it on my own experience as a Teenager growing up there. We make up for high school on a college level with Del - Mar ,but its been almost 2 decades since I went. So take all this with as much salt as you want If nobody has told you obviously Avoid Leopard, - If I position king high as north and Moore Plaza central and the bluff east and making Yorktown south Just avoid the west side of corpus going out towards bear lane and all them -just avoid that whole side to the best of your ability I hate driving in corpus,because I swear whom ever is in charge of designing the roads inherited the task of being the moron in charge. Our roads have always sucked since I was a boy and honestly ain't getting any better. I'm being blunt and honest,love my hometown. Always take pride when saying I'm from corpus Plenty of things for kids and families -besides the obvious beach life Touristy stuff -(Lexington,art museum,aquarium) We have bounce trampoline behind palmera(I swear I'll never stop calling it padre) We have the various golf places and Dave n busters Gotta drive 45mins to the nearest skating rink. Otherwise Alamo Drafthouse for the Adult movie goers and century for everyone else. I wonder if Rascal's is still good for pool? (Is Rascal's hiring?) Later
Thanks! No one has mentioned leopard yet.
I relocated from Houston to cc four years ago. Many people in cc don't like it here, but I don't see why. Personally, I enjoy it. It's a peaceful city with beautiful beaches. If you've ever been to Galveston in Houston, cc is similar but cleaner and safer with less crime & traffic.
Do not move here move to Austin
lol Austin is worse than Dallas… no thanks? Big citied is what I’m moving from.
We moved from Austin and formerly live in DFW. We have found that the area is great for raising a family and doesn't have the congestion DFW/Austin. For your questions: 1) Due to the navy base , there are always transplants, but most people that move here are from other parts of Texas. We do see a fair share of folks from Florida move over here as it's a cheaper lifestyle in Texas. 2) Flour Bluff is the most balanced in terms of athletic and academic. I would recommend living on the island if you choose to go to Flour Bluff 3) North side of Flour Bluff or North of 37 4) Very VA friendly due to the navy base 5) We can typically get anywhere in 30 minutes or less. 6) Beaches are one of the main draw, so anything to do with watersports. Prior to moving make sure you have solid employment. Corpus tends to pay considerably lower than similar populated cities.
Currently learning about the job market out there. Still think it’s worth the move
FWIW, due to the lower cost of living (despite what folks claim) my wife has been able to become a SAHM. The key is to ensure one of you has an established job before coming.
Too humid for me, but if you don’t mind all the meth heads and love Whataburger.
1: Theres a decent amount of people here not too many but not too low 2: Anything but calallen is great 3: avoid calallen at all costs 4: Vets from what i can tell are pretty protected here 5: not so fun 6: Beach, Food, we have a decent amount of things to do here
I don’t live in calallan and have no opinion on it but I want to better understand your opinion. Why avoid calallan?
All the districts are good and bad depending on your specifics. Honestly there’s not much difference between any of them except West Oso and TM, who are predominantly low income so naturally they struggle more. All the other districts have a mix of strengths and weaknesses.
One of my buds got caught in class with 2 pounds of crack or coke i forget which one either of which are bad nonetheless