Latin for "Body of Christ," Corpus Christi has grown from a Spanish fort into a popular vacation destination, military town, and thriving seaport. Legend has it that Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda discovered and named Corpus Christi Bay in 1519. Henry L. Kinney, a trader who arrived in the area around 1838, is credited with starting the trading post that eventually grew into one of Texas's largest cities and became home to one of the nation's busiest ports. This "Sparkling City by the Sea" balances growth and industry with an appreciation for the air, water, and wildlife that attract both sportsmen and environmentalists. Corpus Christi is a bilingual, bicultural community that embraces both its Mexican and American roots.
Scott Williams, who graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in journalism, is a full-time freelance writer who has spent the past two decades reporting and writing for newspapers, magazines, Web sites, trade journals, and book publishers. He is coauthor of The Insiders Guide to Corpus Christi and Haunted Texas and has handpicked around 200 stunning images to celebrate his hometown. The photographs for this book came from the Corpus Christi Public Library's archives of more than 11,000 historical photographs.