Corpus Christi sits on the Gulf Coast in Nueces County, serving as the economic and population center for the Coastal Bend region that stretches from Rockport to Padre Island. The city's economy revolves around the Port of Corpus Christi—one of the nation's largest energy ports—along with naval operations at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, petrochemical facilities, and tourism driven by beach access and year-round fishing. The metro area extends from Portland and Ingleside on the north side across the Harbor Bridge to Flour Bluff and down to North Padre Island, with significant seasonal population swings as winter Texans arrive and summer beachgoers fill the hotels along Ocean Drive and Whitecap Beach.