South Padre Island

Padre Island takes its name from Padre José Nicolás Ballí, a priest whose family held the island under a Spanish land grant of 1759 and who ran cattle there in the early 19th century. Before that the Karankawa people camped, fished and gathered along these shores in seasonal bands. Across the Laguna Madre, Port Isabel grew as a harbour; its lighthouse was built in 1852, and in 1846 the nearby battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma opened the Mexican–American War.

For a long time the southern tip of the island had little more than a few fishing camps. In the early 1950s the first causeway linked it to the mainland, and a resort town began to grow. A hurricane in 1967, Beulah, caused heavy damage; the town was incorporated in 1973, and the present Queen Isabella Causeway replaced the old one in 1974. Condominium towers rose along the beach in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 2001 four barges struck the causeway, part of the bridge fell into the bay and eight people died; the bridge did not reopen until that November. Hurricane Dolly hit in 2008, and storms remain an ever-present threat. In recent years SpaceX's rocket site at Boca Chica, visible across the pass, has brought new attention and new residents to the area.

South Padre is a beach town, with a culture shaped by the sea and the seasons. In March it becomes one of the best-known spring-break destinations in the country, with concerts and beach parties that briefly overwhelm the town. In summer it fills with Texas families, and in winter it belongs to retirees from colder states, known as Winter Texans, who spend the cold months in the Rio Grande Valley.

The wider area is strongly Mexican-American, and Spanish is heard everywhere. The island takes pride in its wildlife: Sea Turtle Inc. began with Ila Loetscher's work for the Kemp's ridley turtle, which nests on these beaches, and birdwatchers come for the spring and autumn migrations along the coast.

Fishing is a way of life here, from the jetties and piers to deep-sea charters and the shrimp boats of Port Isabel. Locals are relaxed and informal, used to visitors, and quick to talk about the weather, the water and the next storm.

Only about 2,000 people live permanently in the town, but the population swells many times over at peak season. Tourism is almost the whole economy: hotels, condominium rentals, restaurants, beach services, fishing charters and the construction and maintenance trades that serve them. Many workers commute across the causeway from Port Isabel, Laguna Vista and the larger cities of the valley, where housing is cheaper.

Daily life follows the seasons. Summer days are busy with families on the beach and in the bay, winter days quieter, with long-stay visitors cycling, fishing and watching birds. Shops, schools and services are limited on the island, so residents drive to Port Isabel, Harlingen or Brownsville for many everyday needs. Life on a narrow island means relying on a single bridge for supplies, work and evacuation.

Current issues include beach erosion and dune protection, hurricane preparedness, the cost of housing for workers, and the effects of the nearby rocket site and of proposed industrial projects on the coast.

Seafood from the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre is the island's main attraction at the table. Port Isabel has long been one of the main shrimping ports in Texas, and Gulf shrimp — fried, grilled, in cocktails or with garlic butter — appear on nearly every menu. Red snapper, flounder, redfish and speckled trout, often caught by visitors themselves, are cooked to order in some restaurants.

The cooking of the Rio Grande Valley shapes the rest. Tex-Mex dishes, breakfast tacos, and ceviche of fish or shrimp with lime, tomato, onion and coriander are everywhere, and Mexican-style seafood cocktails served in tall glasses are a local favourite.

Restaurants cluster along Padre Boulevard and on the bayside, where many have decks over the water facing the sunset. Port Isabel, across the causeway, has more seafood restaurants near its harbour and lighthouse. Cold beer, margaritas and fruit drinks are the standard accompaniments, and in summer raspas — shaved ice with sweet syrups, a Mexican favourite — are sold from stands and shops.