Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi
Downtown bayfront
Downtown bayfront
Flag of Corpus Christi
Official seal of Corpus Christi
Nickname: 
Sparkling City by the Sea
Location within Nueces County
Location within Nueces County
Corpus Christi is located in Texas
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi
Location within Texas
Corpus Christi is located in the United States
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi
Location within United States
Coordinates: 27°44′34″N 97°24′7″W / 27.74278°N 97.40194°W / 27.74278; -97.40194
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountiesNueces, Kleberg, San Patricio, Aransas[1]
Named forBody of Christ
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager government
 • City councilMayor Paulette Guajardo (D)
Michael Hunter
John Martinez
Mike Pusley
Billy A. Lerma
Ben Molina
Roland Barrera
Greg Smith
Gil Hernandez
 • City managerPeter Zanoni
Area
 • City488.73 sq mi (1,265.80 km2)
 • Land160.63 sq mi (416.03 km2)
 • Water328.10 sq mi (849.77 km2)
Elevation
7 ft (2 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City317,863
 • Estimate 
(2022)
316,239
 • RankUS: 59th
 • Density2,033.17/sq mi (785.01/km2)
 • Urban
339,066 (US: 119th)
 • Urban density2,622.9/sq mi (1,012.7/km2)
 • Metro
421,933 (US: 121st)
 • CSA
525,875 (86th)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
78401, 78402, 78404–78419
Area code361
FIPS code48-17000[3]
GNIS feature ID2410234[4]
Websitewww.cctexas.com

Corpus Christi (/ˌkɔːrpəs ˈkrɪsti/ KOR-pəs KRIS-tee; Latin for 'Body of Christ') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County[5] with portions extending into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. It is 130 miles (210 km) southeast of San Antonio and 208 miles (335 km) southwest of Houston. Its political boundaries encompass Nueces Bay and Corpus Christi Bay. Its zoned boundaries include small land parcels or water inlets of three neighboring counties.

The city's population was 316,239 in 2022, making it the eighth-most populous city in Texas. The Corpus Christi metropolitan area had an estimated population of 442,600.[1] It is also the hub of the six-county Corpus Christi–Kingsville combined statistical area, with a 2013 estimated population of 516,793. The Port of Corpus Christi is the fifth-largest in the United States. The region is served by the Corpus Christi International Airport.

The city's name means body of Christ in Ecclesiastical Latin, in reference to the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion. The name was given to the settlement and surrounding bay by Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519, as he discovered the lush semitropical bay on the Western Christian feast day of Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi is home to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, one of two locations training primary student pilots and advanced multiengine pilots of the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and US Coast Guard.

  1. ^ a b "US Census change list". Census.gov. January 7, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  2. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 1996. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Corpus Christi, Texas
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.