How sweet it is.

The annual average temperature in the Coastal Texas region is 71 degrees, which makes it easy to get outdoors. The region offers four-season opportunities for golf, fishing, hunting, boating and bird watching, and the miles of beachfront and the Gulf of Mexico's waters bring in millions of visitors each year.

Yes, millions.

“We alone attract 1 million visitors a year,” says Diane Probst, president/CEO with the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

Gulf breezes, charming downtowns, unique retail opportunities, and abundant and diverse cultural and recreational options are fueling a growing segment of full-time transplants relocating from other parts of the country and part-time residents who have set up second homes in the region.  

“People who move here do so mainly because they’ve visited us in the past, and now are at a point of their lives where they can retire or semiretire to a place of their choosing,” Probst says. “We have no industry and have become mostly a retirement community for people ages 50 and up, and for people who want second homes. And because they happily choose to live here, their outlooks and reflection on life are positive and fun-loving.”

Whooping Cranes

Probst says high-end retirees want to buy homes on the water and live on the coast, and houses in Rockport-Fulton are priced $300,000 and above. In many cases, homeowners also have yachts to enjoy.

“The seascape also attracts our most famous winter visitors, the endangered whooping cranes,” she says. “Plus, there are more than 75 other species of birds that can be spotted. The area is also known among anglers for speckled trout and redfish, while fresh seafood can be eaten fried, grilled, blackened, breaded and stuffed in our quaint restaurants.”

Attractive communities throughout Coastal Texas are in the counties of Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio and San Patricio. Many individual cities in these counties have claims to fame – for example, Palacios is the shrimp capital of Texas, Edna is the gateway to Lake Texana, and George West is the storytelling capital of Texas.

Great Housing Market

Ann Vaughan, executive director with the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Bureau, says visitors flock to Coastal Texas for the coastline and a variety of other reasons, giving each city its own sense of community and opportunity.

“Our particular laid-back community has many quality-of-life options for people of any age and any economic background,” Vaughan says. “There is a great housing market with a variety of opportunities, with very attractive prices thanks to the current national real estate market. We also have wonderful schools, as well as civic organizations, to get involved. The Coastal Texas region is a beautiful place to be.”