Rockport may have a laid back fishing village vibe, but the small Texas town is no stranger to the spotlight, having been a favorite coastal getaway spot for wealthy Texans for more than a century.
Situated behind barrier islands and the intercoastal waterway along the Gulf of Mexico, the small city of just over 10,000 people was named one of the most affordable beach towns in the U.S. in a survey by realtor.com.
“The Gulf Coast tourist destination is known for its clean beaches, fantastic fishing, and world-class birdwatching,” said realtor.com in its roundup.
While a mostly well-kept secret since its incorporation in 1870, Rockport also played host to five presidents over the years as iconic Lone Star State oilmen such as Clint Murchison and Sid Richardson set up shop on nearby islands.
It was not unheard of in the early days for the White House to ring the pay phone at the Magnolia filling station on Main Street to try and get ahold of one of the Texas power brokers.
Rockport continues to draw visitors from all walks of life with its prime location – three hours or less from Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and the Mexican border town of Matamoros.
Rockport’s strategic location along the Gulf of Mexico, and its protection of the Aransas Bay made it an early thriving Texas port, meeting 19th century ranching, meat packing, and shipping needs.
Even before its founding in 1867, the area had a rich and colorful history including:
Things moved quickly at first for Rockport, with a city charter just three years after its founding, and a year later, in 1871, Rockport was named the county seat of newly formed Aransas County, carved out of Refugio County.
By 1888, the first San Antonio and Aransas Pass railroad train arrived and soon four trains were coming from San Antonio daily.
In some ways, Rockport and Aransas County are as much about the water as they are about the land – with Aransas sixth smallest of Texas’s 254 counties in land area with 252 square miles. The county has more water with 276 square miles.
Paradise can come with its price and Rockport’s growth was hindered by its very prime location as major hurricanes in 1916 and 1919 destroyed much of downtown and wrecked the industrial and shipping industries.
A growing shrimping industry in the 1930s and 1940s helped the city survive.
The area, no stranger to surviving these storms, had to rebuild again after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in 2017 on San Jose Island, just east of Rockport.
While some repairs remain five years later, such as the rebuilding of the Rockport breakwaters, tourism has returned to the area in droves.
“The town, despite all the obstacles, is thriving,” reported KSAT this month.
Gloria Whitley, a Rockport resident for almost 30 years, told the television station: “We had Harvey. Then we had the pandemic, which turned us down also. And then we had a freeze a couple of years ago that shut us down. So, it’s been one thing after another … I have to say that this is the best summer we’ve had. Ever since Memorial Day, it has been busy, and it’s thanks to the people of San Antonio and in the surrounding area.”
Fishing, swimming and simply relaxing is high on the list for those visiting Rockport, but the area really stands out in bird watching.
“Rockport offers 10 different sites on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, which boasts the planet’s sole migrating flock of over 265 whooping cranes, which passes through the Aransas Wildlife Refuge every winter,” reports Culture Map Austin.
Scheduled boat trips to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge run throughout the Whooping Cranes’ migratory stays.
Other area birding sites in addition to the 70,000-acre Aransas Wildlife Refuge include:
Birds and beaches are nice, but there are other things to put on your Rockport “To Do” list while visiting including: