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Overnight Camping Banned on Corpus Christi Beach

Camp site on beach in Corpus Christi
Photo courtesy Justin Wright http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinwright
Overnight camping on Corpus Christi Beach has been banned by the City Council there in an effort to reduce crime.

Looking to go camping on the Gulf Coast in Corpus? Bummer alert: Corpus Christi City Council has instituted a curfew on Corpus Christi Beach between midnight and 5 p.m. The Corpus Christi Caller-Timesreports the goal is to reduce criminal activity at the beach north of Harbor Bridge.

The park and beach areas merge into an area with condominiums and houses, prompting complaints from residents who don't want people wandering around late at night, [Corpus Christi Police Cmdr. Mark] Schauer said.

KUT News' resident beach expert Crystal Chavez (who grew up in Corpus) was surprised to hear the news because beach camping in Corpus is such a popular family activity.

"It's the thing to do. You take your tent. Families do it, not just college students and kids," she said. "It's a pretty big deal. People do it for holidays. They do it for senior skip day. They do it just for the weekend, to get out of the city and go camping on the beach."

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.