What It’s Like Living in the Coastal Bend
The Coastal Bend’s welcoming spirit embraces lifelong residents and newcomers with warmth and hospitality.
When Brook Kaufman, president and CEO of Visit Corpus Christi, relocated to the Coastal Bend, she experienced firsthand how the community embraces newcomers.
“People here will take you in and make sure you feel like you have a place,” she says. “It’s the person at the coffee shop who gives you a hug and knows your order. It’s the dry cleaner grabbing your clothes from the back when they see you walking up to the door. It’s a series of little things that make this place special.”
Hospitality Matters
Dr. Roland Hernandez, superintendent of the Corpus Christi Independent School District, ensures that students in the Coastal Bend feel that sense of community too.
“It starts on the first day of school, when I love being out and about,” he says. “We start before dawn, welcoming families via the morning news shows, then I spend the better part of the day visiting our schools. It is important to me that I set an example for our administrators by personally welcoming as many staff members and students to a new school year as I can.”
Kindness is threaded through the culture here, but it’s also an intentional practice, Kaufman says.
“It’s really important to us to make sure people feel a part of this community quickly, and we do our best to cultivate that experience for others and pay it forward.”
Arts and Events for All
Events and festivals across the Coastal Bend tie the community together, providing myriad opportunities for diverse groups to gather, celebrate and connect. Every year on the last Saturday of October, the Día de los Muertos Festival fills the streets of downtown Corpus Christi with food, art and ofrendas.
A major highlight of the celebration is a double performance by the beloved Ballet Folklorico Viva Mexico. This authentic local dance group is a mainstay at community events, bringing their artistry to everything from festivals and rodeos to weddings and quinceañeras.
“At these cultural celebrations, we see families come together and truly enjoy the culture of Mexico through these performances,” says Cinthia Martinez, artistic director for Ballet Folklorico Viva Mexico. “I especially love seeing children perform proudly in traditional costumes while audiences from different backgrounds celebrate together. Those moments remind me that the arts create unity and connection in a very powerful way.”
To ensure cost is not a barrier to entry for the arts, Ballet Folklorico Viva Mexico even stages an annual show in June for no cost. Everyone is invited, says Martinez, “as a gift to the public to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the cultural dances and music of Mexico.”
Martinez says the Coastal Bend’s creative scene reflects its diverse culture and welcoming spirit.
“What makes this community special is that artists collaborate and support each other. I have seen local organizations, schools, families and businesses come together to keep the arts alive and accessible. There is a genuine desire here to celebrate culture and create opportunities for the next generation.”
Room for Everyone
With a population of over 375,000, the Coastal Bend region offers residents the best of both worlds: small-town hospitality and big-city amenities, including schools with a variety of programs to cater to any interest.
“Being in the Coastal Bend, we have fishing clubs at several high schools, and they are quite popular,” Hernandez says. “Our robotics teams compete and win at the global level. Our fashion design and culinary students always impress us with their talents. I have been in public education for more than 30 years, and I never tire of seeing students explore a variety of interests and take advantage of opportunities to explore careers as well as discover new hobbies.”
This balance of expansive opportunity and close-knit community is exactly what keeps the region true to form as it grows.
“You can still have an experience here that feels like a small town,” Kaufman says. “We hear it from visitors all the time: They appreciate the experience and the friendliness. We just know how to treat people.”