About South Padre Island

In the early 1980s, South Padre Island was relatively unknown. The town's population was around 300 people and, on most maps, it was not listed. However, thanks to the recent population increase and a number of high profile awards, South Padre Island is becoming one of the most sought after coastal regions in the country, not only because of its friendly people and laid back atmosphere, but because SPI is perhaps the last affordable beach front community in the country that we'll see for some time.

The Texas Economic Development and Tourism Committee, an organization that promotes and markets the state of Texas, recently held a study to determine the most popular tourist attractions in the state. While the results appear to be the same for the past five to ten years, one thing is very surprising: South Padre Island has been climbing up the rankings for the past five years, about one higher spot per year, with this year being ranked fourth among most visited tourist spots in the state. Just ahead is The Alamo (ranked 1), San Marcos Outlet Malls (ranked 3) and the River Walk (ranked 2).

South Padre Island’s Accolades

• Ranked No. 3 destination for 2006 Texas non-residents travel and No. 5 for destination
traveled to by overall Texas visitors.
• Designated in 2007 as holding one of the Top 10 Sand-Castle Contests in the United States by Coastal Living magazine.
• Designated in 2007 as one of the World’s Top 30 Island Beaches by Condé Nast Traveler
magazine.
• Designated in 2007 as a top destination in the 100 Hot-City Guide on Cosmopolitan.com.
• The boardwalk of the South Padre Island’s Laguna Madre Nature Trail was listed in the state’s top 10 list by Texas Parks & Wildlife and The Outdoor Magazine of Texas.
• South Padre Island was recently named a Top 20 fishing destination by Field and Stream
magazine!
• Designated in 2006 by National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of the top 10
destinations for Trips with a Splash. Kiteboarding was recognized.
• Designated in 2006 by AOL’s SmartMoney.com as one of the top five destinations for
purchasing a vacation home.
• Designated in 2006 by MSN.com’s CitySearch editors as one of the nation’s top 10 beaches.
• Designated in 2006 by the Travel Channel as one of America’s Best Beaches for Families.
• South Padre Island’s Bikefest named in the Top 10 Best in Texas Events for 2006 list by Ride
Texas Travel Magazine.
• Designated in 2005 by EscapeHomes.com as the No. 2 location to purchase an affordable
vacation home.
• Designated in 2005 by MSN.com’s CitySearch editors as one of the nation’s top 10 beaches.
• Designated in 2005 as No. 1 on the Top 10 Beaches for Vacationers by a travel industry
authority, TravelExperts.
• Received in 2005 a Top Restored Beach Award by the American Shore and Beach
Preservation Association.
• CBS News: The Early Show deems South Padre Island a “Texas-Style Paradise”
• NBC’s Today show also provided a segment on the nation's popular beaches. "Although a
premiere Spring Break hot spot", the Today show crew stated that South Padre Island has “lots of great family resorts for the rest of the year.”

South Padre Island Activities

• The Laguna Madre Bay separates South Padre Island from the Texas mainland and is
recognized as one of the world's top windsurfing destinations. The sailing season off South
Padre runs from September through May. Water depth varies from three to five feet, daytime
winds average 18 mph.
• Kiteboarding is fast becoming the hottest new water sport and South Padre Island offers yearround, world-class kiteboarding conditions.
• Excellent year-round sport fishing for Red Snapper, Speckled Trout, Marlin, Mahi-Mahi…
• Boating, kayaking, eco-cruises, kiteboarding, surfing, any water sport you could imagine!
• Take you and your loved one on a tandem parasailing excursion
• Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle research & educational facility
• Laguna Madre Yacht Club
• World Birding Center, South Padre Island
• Laguna Madre Art League, Port Isabel
• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
• Spend the day water sliding and tubing and at Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark
• World class Gladys Porter Zoo rivals that of San Diego, California
• Spectacular sunsets & sunrises
• Enjoy a margarita at the Wanna-Wanna Beach Bar palapa
• Shopping, dining, art community, growing local, colorful art scene
• Best bird watching in the United States with over 300 species
• Go horseback riding on the beach at the Equestrian Center
• The Texas Clipper: World Class Wreck Diving, Spear Fishing, get SCUBA certified at our local
shop. Charter an offshore fishing adventure or go rig diving with friends.
• The University of Texas Pan American Coastal Studies Laboratory
• Take a day trip to Matamoros, Mexico 30 minutes from the Island. Enjoy shopping, traditional cuisine, museums, colorful architecture and friendly people.
• South Padre Island Golf Club’s subtropical 18 hole championship course
• Explore 34 miles of undeveloped drivable coastline
• Relax and enjoy the company of friendly locals
• Sit on the beach and do absolutely nothing!

Population

The resident population of South Padre Island in the 2000 Census was 2,422. Estimated
population in 2006 is 3,583. Due to the large number of visitors, the resident population is only a small percentage of the total number of people who are in the Town of South Padre Island at any given time. South Padre Island’s population has a high median age of 51.77 as compared to 27 for Cameron County. The Rio Grande Valley area has been one of the fastest growing areas in the nation, with a 54 percent increase in population since 1980.

Climate

South Padre Island is a year-round vacation destination located at practically the same latitude as Miami, Florida, latitude 26. The Island enjoys a sub-tropical environment with
mild, dry winters and warm, breezy summers.

Transportation

South Padre Island boasts access to four airports, three waterways and is 45 minutes from the population center of the Rio Grande Valley. U.S. Highways 77, 281 and 83 provide passage to South Padre Island. Locally free transportation is provided by the Town’s own motorized trolley (the Wave).

Border Crossings

• Matamoros, Mexico: Bargain shopping for silver, leather goods, and handicrafts at vibrant
Mexican markets. Traditional dining, museums. Thirty minutes southwest of the Island. Escorted tours available.
• Nuevo Progresso: This quaint little town caters to tourists. Shopping and dining is made easy. You can walk across the short international ridge or drive your car across. The main street is lined with shops of all kinds, pharmacies, dentists’ and doctors’ offices. Restaurants abound with a variety of food choices.

Airports

• Valley International Airport, Harlingen, Texas (HRL) 1.5 hours from the Island
• Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport (BRO) 30 min. from the Island

Nightlife

Dining and entertainment options abound on the Island. Many restaurants feature outdoor
seating and live music, and some go so far as to offer volleyball courts, swimming pools, and
bungee jumping!

New Highways

In 2002, Gov. Rick Perry unveiled his Trans Texas Corridor plan that would incorporate the already imagined I-69. Passenger lanes would be supplemented with truck-only lanes, rail lines
and utilities in a corridor that could be a quarter-mile wide in places as it stretched 650 miles
north to south across the state.

Climatic Profile

Winter Average Temp. 65 degrees
Summer Average Temp. 82 degrees
Average Daily Temp. 74 degrees
Average Sunshine Days 253 days
Average Growing Season 336 days
Average Annual Rainfall 27.6 inches

Future Causeway

Bidding and debates are underway for a second causeway from the mainland to the North end
of the Island as well as an offshore wind farm.

Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets Mall

Shop the day away in Mercedes, Texas. Located 20 miles east of McAllen and 10 miles from
the Mexican border on 54 acres, Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets features 100 designer and
name-brand outlet stores.

Chamber of Commerce

The South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce is organized to advance the quality of life and
economy of the Island so that all areas of the business community and its residents shall
prosper. Emphasis will be given to participation in the formation of Town strategies, education & development of the workforce, coordination and support of Town and tourism efforts and the establishment of partnerships with the communities of the Laguna Madre Area and the Rio
Grande Valley.

City Growth

South Padre Island is experiencing major development growth and interest. The City is also
implementing substantial infrastructure improvements such as City-wide median and street
rebuilding/ beautification and a new City Hall which has just been completed. Possible Wi-Fi
Mesh Network, artificial beach protection reefs, utility line burial, etc.

Population

In 1978, South Padre Island had a population estimated at 314. Ten years later it had an
estimated 1,012 residents and 111 businesses. Its main industry is tourism; peak seasons are
summer, late winter and spring. Hundreds of thousands of college students make the trek down to South Padre Island during their annual Spring Breaks to party and party and party. During the winter season, the area is much calmer and the population drops almost 50% and is often visited by Winter Texans (senior citizens from the North who escape the cold). Still, the area is often warm enough to enjoy the outdoors. Today the full-time resident population is 2,600.

History

According to some documents from the Spanish Archives, Westerners first walked the shores of Padre Island around 1519 when Spanish Explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda surveyed the area as he charted the Gulf of Mexico for Spain. Padre Island first appears as a dot labeled ‘Isla Blanca' (White Island) on a map drawn by Pineda. In one of his letters, Pineda claimed that “giants inhabited the coast” and may have been referring to the mysterious Karankawa Indians, a supposedly cannibalistic Indian tribe that was known to mark its territory…and keep it. Whatever the case, the native people of the island have been extinct since 1850 and the only remnants of their past are the few discarded arrowheads and pottery that occasionally spring up on the shoreline.

Casino Potential

A development group led by Community Planning Associates hopes to establish a casino
destination resort & marina and a world-class aquarium at South Padre Island's Isla Blanca
Park, the most Southern point of the Island. Developers will present the issue to a special
session of the legislature, addressing school funding. The economic benefits of legalizing
casinos will be presented. 80% of Louisiana's casino revenue comes from Texas, dollars that
could stay in Texas. Developers say the project would help the local economy by producing $20 million-plus per year in new tax revenues for schools, and 2200 direct jobs paying $9 to $90 per hour with full employee benefits.

Distance to Main Cities

From Austin 340 miles
From Dallas 531 miles
From Houston 367 miles
From San Antonio 285 miles
From El Paso 815 miles
From Mexico City 666 miles
From Monterrey 225 miles
From Tampico 336 miles

Fishing Paradise

South Padre Island is Texas' hottest fishing spot. Drop your line from a boat, a pier or cast out into the surf. Tackle an 800-pound Marlin or maybe a state-record Wahoo in the Gulf of Mexico. The Laguna Madre Bay swells with trophy speckled trout, redfish and flounder.

Crime Rates

The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 38. The number of murders and
homicides was 1. The violent crime rate was 15.3 per 1,000 people.

• A Short History of South Padre Island

• Four Wheelin' on South Padre Island

• Packing Tips for a South Padre Island Honeymoon