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Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi: Texas’ Coastal Gem of Wind, Wildlife, and Waterfront Adventure

Official Website
Corpus Christi, known as the “Sparkling City by the Sea,” sits along the southern coast of Texas, where the Gulf of Mexico meets the mainland. Its origins date back to 1839 when Henry Lawrence Kinney established a trading post on the bay’s shore. The settlement grew steadily, and by 1852 it was officially incorporated as a city. The name “Corpus Read more…
Gulf Coast

Seven and One-Half Fathom Bank – Texas’s Submerged Reef off Padre Island

Seven and One-Half Fathom Bank, often referred to as Seven and One-Half Fathom Reef, lies about 3.2 kilometers (roughly 2 miles) off the central Padre Island coast in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. It forms part of the continental shelf and is best described as a low, elongated bank rather than a true coral reef. Geological studies show that the Read more…
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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Gulf of Mexico Reef Wonderland

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) lies approximately 80 to 125 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. It was officially designated in 1992, initially protecting the East and West Flower Garden Banks. In 1996, Stetson Bank was added to the sanctuary. Area & Expansion Originally, the sanctuary covered about 56 square Read more…
Gulf Coast

Texas Clipper Wreck Reef – South Padre Island

The vessel that became the artificial reef off South Padre Island began life as USS Queens (APA-103), launched on September 12 1944. She served during World War II as an attack transport, carrying troops and wounded from Pacific battlefields and arriving at the combat zone at Battle of Iwo Jima as the first attack troop transport to do so.After the Read more…
Matagorda Island Lighthouse

Matagorda Island Lighthouse: Texas’ Enduring Beacon on the Gulf Coast

Official Website
The Matagorda Island Lighthouse stands on Matagorda Island in Calhoun County, Texas, where it has guided ships through Pass Cavallo and into Matagorda Bay since the mid-19th century. The lighthouse was first illuminated on December 31, 1852, built to protect mariners navigating the treacherous entrance to the bay. Constructed of cast iron by the Murray & Hazlehurst firm in Baltimore, Read more…
Port O’Connor’s Bayfront Fishing Legacy on the Texas Gulf Coast

Port O’Connor’s Bayfront Fishing Legacy on the Texas Gulf Coast

Official Website
Port O’Connor is a small coastal community on the Gulf of Mexico, situated in Calhoun County in southeastern Texas. It lies on the shore of the Matagorda Bay system, roughly midway between Houston and Corpus Christi. The town traces its roots to a late-19th-century settlement and remains known today for its fishing, boating, and relaxed seaside character. Fishing and Natural Read more…
Laguna Madre

Laguna Madre — Unique Hypersaline Lagoon and Coastal Habitat in Texas

Official Website
The lagoon known as Laguna Madre lies along the Texas Gulf Coast, between the mainland and the barrier island system of Padre Island. It spans several counties (including Nueces, Kenedy, Kleberg, Willacy and Cameron) and forms a unique coastal ecosystem distinguished by its shallow waters, high salinity and significant biological productivity. Location and Physical Characteristics Laguna Madre stretches for about Read more…
Gulf Coast

Christmas Bay Texas: A Coastal Gem of Seagrass Meadows and Oyster Reefs

Christmas Bay is a shallow, 4,173-acre embayment located in Brazoria County, Texas. It lies in the southwestern portion of the Galveston Bay system, connected to the Gulf of Mexico through San Luis Pass and Cold Pass, and fed by Bastrop Bayou. Its shallow waters, calm conditions, and limited development make it one of the least disturbed areas along the upper Read more…