Port Aransas Real Estate

Amidst all the hardships that Hurricane Ike has imposed on the Houston/Galveston area, the Houston Chronicle took time to point out in the travel section that Port Aransas is a great destination this time of year.  Port A (as the locals call it) did not receive any damage from Ike or from Dolly when it struck South Padre earlier this year. 

We feel blessed to dodge these storms and we know that our turn will come one day.  It has been 38 years since we had a direct hit on our community when Celia roared ashore.  You may find the previous blog post of interest.  Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson discusses how Port Aransas and Mustang Island benefit from a healthy dune system and a wider beach than most other Texas beaches. 

The music doesn't end with summer...

Fall is the best time of the year in Port Aransas for a number of reasons, Third Coast Theater owner Jim Urban said.

"The local people who make their living in about four months, whether they work in a hotel or a restaurant, have time to go out and do things outside the tourist season,'' he said. "And the most beautiful time on the island is after Labor Day through November and sometimes through Christmas Day.

"The water is clearer, and the beaches are cleaner with a lot less seaweed. The water is still warm but the evenings are cooler and the winds are lighter and the midweek hotel rates are unbelievable.''

Read the complete Houston Chronicle Article.

There is an interesting article in the Fort Worth paper today about the impact of hurricanes on the Texas coastline.  Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson describes how Mustang Island (Port Aransas) is a good example of how coastal land should be developed.  To read the entire article follow this link.

Mustang Island

One area of the developed Texas coast in better shape is Mustang Island near Port Aransas, where setbacks keep homes away from the beach.

Under the rules proposed by Patterson, new buildings would have to be set back 60 times the erosion rate, as measured from the beach's line of vegetation. If the shoreline is eroding 5 feet a year, then construction wouldn't be allowed within 300 feet.

The Legislature ordered the new rules last year in hopes of reducing storm damage. But Patterson insists that it doesn't make sense to enact them until it can be determined whether beaches will recover from Ike.

Patterson and Gibeaut say Mustang Island development is a good example of how coastal land should be developed.

"But it's a wider island," Patterson said. "There's more room there. The road is set back farther from the beach. You just don't have the same kind of room in other places."

Port Aransas Real Estate

Keith McMullin - Realtor

Several hundred people read my blog on Hurricane Ike in the past 24 hours.  Clearly there is interest on the impact the storm had in Port Aransas.  With that in mind, I am reposting the weather details and including some additional photos that were taken yesterday morning (9/13) about eight hours after the storm came ashore near Galveston.

Earlier this week, forecasts from the National Hurricane Center predicted that Ike would make landfall near Port Aransas on the mid Texas coast.  At the expense of the Houston, Galveston and the Port Arthur area, Port Aransas was spared.  No rain was recorded and the peak wind gusts were below 30 mph.  However, the powerful storm did generate a large flood tide 165 miles from landfall.  The peak tide measured at the Horace Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas was 5.37 feet above normal (MMSL).

The photo below was taken in the Island Moorings subdivision from the second level of a home on Mustang Blvd.  Water levels were over the docks and bulkheads, but well under the elevation of homes.

If you have ever enjoyed a cold one at Shorty's, gone fishing from Fisherman's Wharf or enjoyed sushi at the Pelican Club, than you have been in the area of Port A known as "The Flats."  This photo was taken just after the tide had peaked and illustrates why the name is appropriate.

The surge from Ike made changes to area beaches.  Sand was deposited over large areas and appears to have increased the elevation of the beach on northern sections of Mustang Island. In the southern section where the beach is narrow, the high surf appears to have eroded the dunes to some extent.  Shown in the photo below, exposed roots from dune vegetation.  As I recall, prior to Ike the dunes extended seaward and the mile marker and traffic bollards shown were inside the foredune ridge.  This will (temporarily) result in wider beaches in this area.  Note:  Others with far greater knowledge of beach ecology will have much more to offer on the impact of forces such as Hurricane Ike.

Earlier this week, forecasts from the National Hurricane Center predicted that Ike would make landfall near Port Aransas on the mid Texas coast.  At the expense of the Houston, Galveston and the Port Arthur area, Port Aransas was spared.  No rain was recorded and the peak wind gusts were below 30 mph.  However, the powerful storm did generate a large flood tide 165 miles from landfall.  The peak tide measured at the Horace Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas was 5.37 feet above normal (MMSL).

The photos below were taken earlier this morning (09/13).  The top photo was taken behind Woody's Sport Center and shows the boat slips behind Trout Street looking towards Virginia's.  The second photo was taken at the Island Park Estates dune walkover.  The tide was still approximately 3.5 feet above normal.  The high tide did cause some significant dune erosion on Mustang Island.  Prior to Ike, the dune ridge extended to the mile marker shown in this photo.