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Corpus Christi, Texas

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1925 and the latest in 1989. It stands in the Corpus Christi census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78401. It lies near Spoil Island. The Survey maps it on the Corpus Christi quadrangle. 317,863 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 26 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Corpus Christi within Nueces County

On record in Corpus Christi

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 13 shown

Every listing in Nueces County

Population over time

2 figures

Corpus Christi grew from 305,215 to 317,863 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010305,215
2020317,863+12,648 (+4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 12 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

6 since 2008

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 6 fires within 5 miles of Corpus Christi between 2008 and 2017, burning about 214 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning2
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
18 July 2010Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Service2146 SAVOY
2 April 2009Power generation/transmission/distribution100 acresTexas A & M Forest Service5217 SUNBELT
27 February 2008Equipment and vehicle use100 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
12 February 2017Debris and open burning2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Service17-022
26 October 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined10 acresTexas A & M Forest Service17-217
18 October 2017Debris and open burning1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceBRUSH FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Nueces County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Corpus Christi: 7 producers, 3 plants. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sulfur, Chromium, Barium-Barite, Silica. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
(Facility) Corpus Christi Zinc RefineryZinc, CadmiumPlant
Centex Corp Clay PitClayProducer
Corpus Christi Grinding PlantCement RockProducer
Corpus Christi Texas PlantChromiumProducer
Corpus Cristi MillBarium-BariteProducer
Hitox PlantTitaniumProducer
P P G Industries Inc OperationSilicaProducer
(Facility) Champlin's Corpus Christi RefinerySulfurPlant
(Facility) Valero Corpus Christi RefinerySulfurPlant
Coastal Sulfur PlantSulfurProducer

Every working recorded in Nueces County

Storms near this place

60 of 142 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Corpus Christi in 142 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 63 flash flood, 34 hail, 30 thunderstorm wind, 4 waterspout. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2004LightningCorpus Christi3 hurtLightning nearly struck three golfers at the Corpus Christi County Club. All three were knocked to the ground and one blacked out. Injuries were very minor.
March 2000Flash FloodCorpus Christi1 hurt, $100,0006.55 inches of rainfall was recorded at the downtown storm water pump station. The city storm drainage pumps were unable to remove the excess runoff caused by heavy rainfall. Several streets were flooded, with some water damage to downtown businesses. Emergency crews rescued several people from cars stalled in the flood waters. One man was injured when he was pinned in a storm drain by flowing water.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$1,000,000Several hundred large trees and tree limbs snapped throughout the city of Corpus Christi in addition to many power poles. Minor damage was reported to some homes were trees came down on them. Some business signs were blown out. Over 31,000 customers were left without power in Nueces County alone. Debris and brush cleanup by the city went on for weeks after the storm.
May 2015Tornado (EF1)Corpus Christi$750,000The tornado touched down near Cunningham Middle School just north of Golihar Road where trees were snapped and uprooted. A residence just north of the school at the corner of Hudson and Stafford Streets sustained moderate roof damage and a had a fence blown down. The tornado continued to the northeast crossing Horne Road and parallel to Sarita Street. Dozens of trees were snapped and uprooted with many falling on homes or vehicles. Several residences suffered roof and siding damage in this area. Further northeast, the tornado hit a grocery store on Tarlton Street destroying a sign and blowing several windows out. Tree and minor roof damaged was observed northeast of this area as the tornado crossed Baldwin and Morgan Avenues. The last evidence of the tornado was at 16th Street and Crosstown Expressway where a nursery sustained damage and a baseball dugout was destroyed. Maximum winds were estimated around 90 mph.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$500,000Widespread tree damage occurred across the city of Corpus Christi. Damage started southwest of the downtown Bayfront and continued southeast across the area around Ray High School to south of Oso Beach Municipal Golf Course and then to Flour Bluff. This caused widespread power outages due to downed power lines also.
June 2006Flash FloodCorpus Christi$300,000Nearly 12 inches of rain fell across west-central Corpus Christi during the late night hours of May 31st and the early morning hours of June 1st. The flooding began at roughly 2345 CST on May 31st and continued through roughly 0615 CST on June 1st. The Corpus Christi International Airport recorded a 24 hour rainfall total of 11.47", establishing a new all time 24 hour precipitation record. Numerous city streets became flooded, along with a seven mile stretch of Highway 44 (from the Corpus Christi International Airport to F.M. 1694), North Padre Island Drive (Highway 358) and a section of Interstate 37 (near Corn Products Road). Numerous cars became stranded in high water. There was one indirect fatality when a 51 year old woman abandoned her flooded vehicle and began walking on the shoulder of Highway 358. The woman was struck and killed by a van exiting Highway 358. Many high water vehicle rescues were performed by the Corpus Christi Fire Department, including rescues on I-37, Highway 44 and Highway 358. Several people were also evacuated from their homes, which included homes near Manchester Avenue and I-37.Other areas in the city that flooded included, but were not limited to, homes near Clarkwood Road and Highway 44, homes in the Las Colonias subdivsion near Greenwood Avenue and Saratoga, sections of Old Brownsville Road near Saratoga and several roads and neighborhood between Highway 44 and I-37Dollar estimates on the damages are rough, conservative estimates and are likely underestimated. See episode narrative below for further details on the event.The flash flooding also complicated efforts to contain an oil spill, intially caused by lightning, at the Valero Refinery. More info on this oil spill can be found below, in the lightning event.
June 2017Flash FloodCorpus Christi$250,000Flood waters made multiple roads impassable in the downtown area of Corpus Christi. Numerous vehicles were stranded in the high water.
October 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi$100,000Severe flooding occurred on North Padre Island Drive under Leopard Street and along Interstate 37. Several vehicles were disabled or stranded due to driving through high water.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$50,000The bow echo resulted in wind damage across portions of Corpus Christi and Port Aransas. Many tree limbs were snapped across Corpus Christi and several trees were completely uprooted. Power lines were downed by falling tree limbs in many areas, and a power pole was completely snapped in half by the winds in Flour Bluff. More than 10,000 customers lost power, including many businesses that were forced to temporarily close. A boat was also flipped off the trailer it was on at North Beach.|
May 1993Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$50,000,Dime-size hail was reported at the National Weather Service Office and at the Navel Air Station along with wind gusts to 58 MPH. The Sheriff's Office reported power lines down south of the International Airport. TV-Channel 6 reported wind gusts between 55 and 60 MPH in Robstown.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$30,000A local radio station KCCT 1190 AM reported 52 kt winds with damage to large sections of the station's roof. The radio transmitter was also damaged with the station reported off-the-air for three days with a total damage estimated at $30 thousand.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$25,000A large carport was blown on to power lines. Power poles were blown down near the intersection of Staples and Ayers Streets.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$10,000Trees were blown down and blocked Santa Fe Street in Corpus Christi.
September 2013Flash FloodCorpus Christi$10,000Flooding was observed on many city streets in the central portion of Corpus Christi. Two to three feet of water was reported over the roadway at McArdle Road near La Palmera Mall, leading to stalled vehicles. Water was over the road at several intersections from Port Avenue and Crosstown Expressway to Alameda and Robert Streets.
March 2000Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$10,000Roof damage to drive-in restaurant.
April 2013Flash FloodCorpus Christi$5,000Local television station reported Morgan and Baldwin Streets near 19th Street and Crosstown Expressway were flooded.
April 1994Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$5,000Corpus Christi International Airport recorded a peak wind gust to 58 knots.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi$1,000Public submitted images of a large tree blown down next to a house near Santa Fe Street.
September 2025Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Social media post on Facebook shows photos of several inches of standing water. Photos of cars driving through the water are also included. Report came from the intersection of Baldwin Blvd, Virginia Ave, and Morgan Avenue.
September 2025Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Facebook post of trash cans floating in a few inches of standing water at the intersection of Dolores St and Highland St.
September 2025Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Social media video from Facebook showed a Chevrolet pickup truck driving through several inches of standing water at the intersection of Baldwin Blvd and Osage St.
May 2023Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Corpus Christi Emergency Manager reported the 4500 block of Baldwin Boulevard was flooded.
August 2023Flash FloodCorpus Christi-The northwest loop exit from Interstate 37 to Highway 286 flooded.
August 2022Flash FloodCorpus Christi-The northwest loop ramp to southbound State Highway 286 was closed due to flooding.
August 2022Flash FloodCorpus Christi-The Nueces Bay Boulevard exit on Martin Luther King Drive was closed due to flooding.
August 2022Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Emergency manager reported street flooding at Tarlton Street and Blanc Courts near downtown Corpus Christi.
April 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Streets were flooded around downtown Corpus Christi.
May 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Ayers Street and Tarlton Street flooded due to heavy rain.
May 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Baldwin and Osage Streets flooded.
May 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Several roads flooded and closed in Corpus Christi, including: Interstate 37 at Carbon Plant, State Highway 286 at Holly Road, Rodd Field Road from South Padre Island Drive to Holly Road.
September 2021FloodCorpus Christi-Construction road ramps from Interstate 37 and Highway 286 were flooded and not passable. Law enforcement reported multiple road closures in this area around downtown Corpus Christi.
September 2021FloodCorpus Christi-Road closure on Tarlton Street between Churchill Drive and Ayers Street occurred due to flood waters.
October 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Flooding was reported near the downtown area of Corpus Christi. Flooding was reported on Crosstown Expressway from downtown to near Tarlton Street. Flooding also occurred near Interstate 37 near North Staples Street.
October 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Twitter video showed flood waters up to bumpers of cars near Louis Lynch Drive and Interstate 37.
October 2021Flash FloodCorpus Christi-High water was over the road at Buford and 3rd Streets in downtown Corpus Christi.
May 2020Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Flooding of roads occurred near the intersection of Staples Street and Texas Avenue in Corpus Christi.
May 2020Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Roads were closed due to flooding near the Leopard Street and Crosstown Expressway.
September 2018FloodCorpus Christi-Water was over the road at Buford Street and 3rd Street intersection in Corpus Christi.
September 2018FloodCorpus Christi-Multiple streets were affected by minor flooding in Corpus Christi to south of town. Water affected Weber Road, Highway 286 south to Farm to Market Road 70 and County Roads 28 and 57.
June 2017Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Water flooded Alameda and Staples Streets around the Six Points area.
March 2017Flash FloodCorpus Christi-High water rescue occurred with no injuries reported.
March 2017Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Numerous reports of roads flooded around the downtown area of Corpus Christi.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi-Corpus Christi Police Department reported 60 mph winds on Crosstown Expressway near Baldwin Boulevard. Nickel sized hail was also reported.
March 2016Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Corpus Christi Police reported flooding at the intersections of Highway 286 and Coleman Avenue, Staples Street at Six Points, Staples Street and Furman Avenue, and Interstate 37 northbound at Mesquite Street.
April 2015Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Water flooded the roadways in several parts of Corpus Christi. Flooding was reported near Leopard and Peabody, along the South Padre Island Drive frontage road, and near the intersection of Staples and Lipe Streets.
May 2015Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Brawner Parkway from Kostoryz Road to Devon Drive was flooded.
September 2014Flash FloodCorpus Christi-High water made roads impassable on Morgan Street between Alameda Street and 15th Street in Corpus Christi.
October 2014Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Public reported flood waters were deep enough to prevent fire trucks from reaching the downtown area at Crosstown Expressway and Leopard Street.
July 2007Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Between 1 and 3 inches of rain feel quickly over already saturated ground in southwest Corpus Christi. Many frontage roads near the Crosstown Expressway and S.P.I.D. interchange were under 1 to 2 feet of water and impassable. Weber road out near Hwy 286 was also flooded and impassable. Frontage roads at S.P.I.D. and Kostoryz were under several feet of water and impassable.|
April 2007HailCorpus Christi-Pea to nickle size hail reported thoughout portions of south-central and the downtown areas of Corpus Christi.|
July 2007Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Between 1 and 3 inches of heavy rain fell over portions of Corpus Christi. Hardest hit were several city streets in and around Mcardle at Nile as well as the Pharaoh Valley subdivision, were flash flooding occurred. NAS Corpus Christi was forced to close incoming and outgoing gates at one point when floodwaters caused several vehicles to stall. The Crosstown Expressway underpass near Mexico Street and Leopard was also flooded and barricaded.
July 2007Flash FloodCorpus Christi-One to two inches of rain fell during the evening, over already saturated grounds from morning rainfall. A few city streets in central and northern Corpus Christi were flooded and impassable due flooding.
July 2007Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Between 3 and 5 inches of heavy rainfall resulted in several city streets flooded and impassable throughout Corpus Christi. In addition, Interstate 37 at Corn Products Road was flooded with several feet of water.
May 2006Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Nearly 12 inches of rain fell across west-central Corpus Christi during the late night hours of May 31st and the early morning hours of June 1st. The Corpus Christi International Airport recorded a 24 hour rainfall total of 11.47", establishing a new all time 24 hour precipitation record. Numerous city streets became flooded, along with portions of Highway 44, North Padre Island Drive (Highway 358) and Interstate 37. Numerous cars became stranded in high water. There was one indirect fatality when a 51 year old woman abandoned her flooded vehicle and began walking on the shoulder of Highway 358. The woman was struck and killed by a van exiting Highway 358. The flooding began at roughly 2345 CST on May 31st and continued through roughly 0615 CST on June 1st. Please reference June Storm Data for damage estimates and an episode narrative.
June 2006LightningCorpus Christi-Lightning struck a waste oil tank at the Valero Bill Greehey Refinery between 100 and 130 AM CDT. The lightning strike resulted in a fire as well as an oil spill. The fire destroyed the large oil storage tank and part of the pipe rack behind it, used to offload oil from ships. The oil spilled into a containment dike. The heavy rainfall, as well as well as water used to put out the fire, caused the oil to spill over the containment dike and into the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Valero estimated roughly 63,000 gallons of an oil water mix (roughly 1500 barrels) spilled into the ship channel. The Corpus Christi Ship Channel was closed for several days while the oil was cleaned up.Dollar estimates on the damage that occurred to the tank and pipe rack, as well as the cost of the oil and cleanup, were unknown at the time of this publication.See episode narrative below for further details on the event.
July 2006Flash FloodCorpus Christi-Heavy rainfall fell across the south side of Corpus Christi leading to all S.P.I.D. (Hwy 358) underpasses from Staples St. to Flour Bluff flooded, including Nile and Rodd Field which caused backups on Hwy 358. Several cars became stranded in the high water. High water on Airline, from Hwy 358 to Gollihar, also caused several cars to stall in the high water. High water and impassable streets were also reported in neighborhoods near Century Theater on S.P.I.D. There were several other reports of minor flooding of secondary streets throughout the south side of Corpus Christi.NWS radar estimated 1 to 3 inches of rain fell across central and south Corpus Christi, with isolated amounts of 3 to 4 inches across the south side.
March 2005HailCorpus Christi-Reported in downtown Corpus Christi by Fire Dept.
March 2005Thunderstorm WindCorpus Christi-Trained spotters and off-duty NWS employee reported pea to marble sized hail and estimated 50 kt winds on south side of Corpus Christi. (Lipes at Clubgate and Airline at Yorktown)
May 2005HailCorpus Christi-Quarter size hail reported by NWS employee at Weber and Saratoga.
May 2005HailCorpus Christi-Reported by NWS employee at Weber and Saratoga.

Every storm recorded in Nueces County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
North Beach1.5 miles12
Nueces3.6 miles12
Flour Bluff Junction5.2 miles12
Gardendale6.6 miles14
Viola7.3 miles13
McNorton7.6 miles13
Clarkwood7.7 miles13
San Juan7.9 miles13

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Corpus ChristiAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q49242The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1333380. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.