General Info about South Padre Island, Texas

South Padre Island is a township located in Cameron County. The 2000 census lists the official population as 2,422 permanent residents. However, this number is slightly inaccurate as many winter Texans or part-time residents claim South Padre as home for large portions of the year. South Padre is also a popular destination for Mexican nationals, particularily those from Monterrey, Mexico. It is estimated that Mexican nationals own between 30% and 50% of the island's real estate.

Geography of South Padre Island

South Padre is located at 26.111935, -97.169587. This is approximately the same latitude as Miami, Florida.

The town's total area is about 1,200 acres. The island is approximately 1/2 mile wide from beach to bay.

The island is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre Bay. The Laguna Madre Bay is one of only five hyper-saline bays in the world. The only saltier body of water in the United States is the Great Salt Lake. This unusual bay is home to diverse species and a nursery to fish. It is estimated that 30% of the Gulf's fish are spawned in the bay. This body of water is also home to young sea turtles, dolphins, endangered brown pelicans, and much more.

Demographics on South Padre Island

The South Padre Island census of 2000 lists 2,422 residents, 1,211 households, and 662 families residing in the town. There were 4,685 housing units. Of the 1,211 households, 15.4% had children in the residence, 47.2% were married couples, 4.2% had a female head of household with no husband, and 45.3% were non-families. 35.8% of households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone over the age of 65. The average household size was 2 people, and the average family size was 2.54.

The age of the population was as follows:

under 18 - 12.9%
18 to 24 - 6.2%
25 to 44 - 28.2%
45 to 64 - 34.2%
65 or older - 18.4%

For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.9 males.

The median income for a household in South Padre Island was $45,417.

Education

School age children on South Padre Island attend Point Isabel Independent School District Schools. There is a bus service from the island. Children go to Garriga Elementary School (Grades K-2), Derry Elementary School (Grades 3-5), Port Isabel Junior High School (Grades 6-8) and Port Isabel High School (Grades 9-12).