Where Texas Meets the Sea: Corpus Christi and Its History by Alan Lessoff (review)

When asked to name major cities in Texas, few people would immediately think of Corpus Christi. With global giants like Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston, large, established cities like San Antonio and El Paso, and emergent dynamic hotspots like Austin dominating the Texas landscape, Corpus Christi lacks notoriety beyond the state. Yet for historian and longtime resident Alan Lessoff, analysis of Corpus Christi’s history can tell us much about urbanization in Texas and the Southwest. His book, Where Texas Meets the Sea: Corpus Christi and Its History, has two stated goals: the first is to use Corpus Christi to better understand urban systems in the Southwest and in Texas, and the second is a personal attempt to recuperate residents’ image of the city’s history and future prospects.

Using an impressive variety of primary sources culled during Lessoff’s long residence in Corpus Christi, the book takes on a variety of topics. After an introduction lays out the argument and structure of the book, chapter 1 is a broad account of Corpus Christi’s history and geography that gives the reader a sense of the urban landscape and spatial and temporal changes in the city. Chapters 2 and 3 take a decidedly local perspective, emphasizing how Texas lore and regional agriculture affect residents’ perception of the city and how racial relations have shaped social life. Chapters 4 through 6 address social and political efforts to redevelop the city. Chapter 4 specifically looks at how battles over public art reflect differences of race and class. Chapter 5 laments the inability of city leaders and residents to reinvigorate the central business district despite the area’s beauty and historical significance. The final chapter, which should occupy a more prominent position in the narrative, does the best job of locating Corpus Christi within a larger regional and global framework by addressing how leaders have attempted to deal with the malaise that has marred the city’s civic spirit since the oil bust of the 1980s.

While Where Texas Meets the Sea is a fine local history with some themes that are relevant to a wider audience, the book would be more resonant if it had a specific focus and a consistent style. It is difficult to balance the perspectives of both urban historian and local advocate in one narrative. Additionally, the book could be better situated in relevant secondary literature. Because the book is part of the University of Texas Press’s Texas Heritage Series, focusing on regional cultural and social history was necessary, but that material does not integrate well with the chapters on Texas lore. Additionally, the oil industry needs to play a more prominent role; Corpus Christi’s ascendency and decline mirror that of Texas oil’s fortunes almost exactly, and the oil industry dramatically transformed the region’s environmental qualities as well. I also do not get a sense of how the city can escape its malaise. The most promising recent developments, a new oil and gas discovery and improved tourism infrastructure, will bring jobs but also the same reliance on resource extraction and outside financing that plague the region’s history at every turn. This seems to undermine Lessoff’s attempt to recuperate the city’s self-image, as the growth model falls into the same trap that the author warns against throughout the book.

However, Where Texas Meets the Sea is a well-researched and interesting addition to urban history in an understudied region. The author incorporates environmental history nicely and demonstrates why Corpus Christi has not been able to achieve long-term success like many of its neighboring cities. It could be read as part of a Texas history course or by people interested in South Texas history, coastal political ecology, or midsized cities.