b'T h eI s l a n d sPORT ARANSAS EXPLODES IN POPULARITYPort Aransas, Port A to the locals, is an escape unto itself. Unlike the crazy Spring Break days that ended in the mid-80s, today Port A is a place to enjoy a low-key, well-heeled, type of respite from the ever-bustled worlds of Big City, Texas. Over the past decade or so, wealthy vacation home buyers mainly from San Antonio and Austin, two of the countrys fastest-growing cities, have made Port A the most sought-after (as in expensive) waterfront destina-tion in Texasand more are on the way!In the year of the great pandemic, 2020, a year in which the national economy shrunk by 30% in a sin- Harvey in a way, a terrible disaster has ended upairplane to get there, discovered Mustang Island, gle quarter and over twenty million American jobssparking new opportunties to grow and build backor simply replaced their fly-to destinations with were lost, for many businesses in Port Aransas it wasstronger than ever. drive-to hautes like Port A. Just as interesting is the very best year on record. How is this possible when the towns entire tourism economy was closedThe positive Covid phenomenon for Port A makeswhen you meet new full-time islanders who sold for six weeks, and restricted from full occupancy forsense when you consider that the most affluenttheir homes in Big City, Texas, suburbs in favor of the four months following that? End of year results wereTexans who usually vacationed in Hawaii, or theslower-pace, low-stress lifestyle for which Port A is predicted by no one last spring, but like HurrianceCaribbean, or Florida, or anywhere that requires anknownpartcularly those with kids!86 THE COASTAL BEND TOUR+RELO+BUILD GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'