What’s in a name? In 1519, a Spanish explorer discovered the city on the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Corpus Christi and named it after the holiday. Corpus Christi translates to “Body of Christ.”

The most destructive storm the city has ever seen was in September 1919. The death toll was between 600 and 1,000 people, and only three structures survived, making it the fourth-deadliest hurricane of the 20th century.

The total area of Corpus Christi is 460.2 square miles, but nearly 3/4 of that land is covered by water.

In 1554, three Spanish ships wrecked on the shores of the Padre Island Seashore. Approximately 300 people were aboard the vessel. Those that made it to shore encountered violent Native Americans, and only one person, Fray Marcos de Mena, survived to tell the tale.

Locals like to keep their beaches clean. Friends of Padre organizes the annual Big Shell Beach Clean-Up. Since 1995, volunteers have removed over 2,456,000 pounds of trash from Padre Island National Seashore.

Whataburger was founded in Corpus Christi and spread across Texas like wildfire. The original two-story location is still open today, serving juicy burgers at 121 Shoreline Blvd. in downtown Corpus Christi.