Port Aransas, TX

Port Aransas, known locally as Port A, sits on the northern tip of Mustang Island along the Texas Gulf Coast. With around 3,000 year-round residents, this relaxed beach town is famous for a lifestyle where street-legal golf carts are everyday transportation and the coast is always right down the road. Getting into town is simple, whether you drive up Highway 361 from Corpus Christi or catch the free, 24-hour ferry from Aransas Pass.

ATTRLarry D. Moore / CC BY 4.0

Daily life here revolves around the water, from world-class offshore fishing and boating to quiet mornings on miles of drivable sand. The community keeps a friendly small-town feel, complete with local seafood spots, neighborhood schools, and the University of Texas Marine Science Institute right on the channel. While summers bring plenty of vacationers, the off-season settles into a calm, sunny routine that makes it easy to put down roots.