Today, the major industries in Corpus Christi are the petrochemical, military, and tourism. The city continued to grow steadily at that time, as both a center of tourism and industry. Since its official incorporation in 1852 as a frontier trading post, the city has grown steadily, particularly after becoming an important strategic site for the Americans during the Mexican-American War. The bay, and later the city that was founded, Corpus Christi, literally means 'body of Christ'. Legend has it that long ago, as long ago as 1519 in fact, on the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Corpus Christi, Spanish explorer Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda discovered a beautiful, semi-tropical bay on the southern coast of Texas. It’s truly a wonderful place to live, work, and play.
The city is known for its laid back, friendly attitude, and for its coastal beauty, situated as it is on the Gulf Mexico. The city is well-known as being a popular spring break and vacation destination in Texas, although there are plenty of residents too – well more than half a million, in fact. Corpus Christi is the 8 th largest city in Texas, covering 452.2 square miles, 124.3 of which are land, and 327.9 of which are water.
