TEXAS: Undiscovered And Surprisingly Empty Coastal Towns

I was born here and my family settled in Palacios and began the shrimping industry here. At the 33 second mark of the video, the rear cabin boat is my uncle’s. The Seagull. Its the oldest boat in Palacios. It was originally built as a sailboat and converted when engines became available.

Port Arthur has suffered repeated direct hits from hurricanes - Ike, Laura, Rita etc. Clearly there came a point where all the businesses gave up trying to put things back together...

Born and raised in Port Arthur, graduated from Thomas Jefferson Senior High, moved to Houston in 1985 and didn't go back as much as I could have. Port Arthur was awarded "An All American City" title during my high school years and it was a great place to live. Downtown started fading in the 70's and business moved out to better places. Glad to hear you found some great food while there! Thanks for going thru PA.

Thank you for doing this. I'm basically home bound and watching your trips is enjoying.

Wow, I didn't know towns like this existed in Texas! When I see fishing boats like that I think Northeast coast. Palacios looks like a nice cozy retirement town.

We retired to Palacios and love it! We were drawn by the shrimp boats. It’s a great little town. Very friendly.

RE: Victoria. Just wanted to say nice job and thanks for posting. I was in the mood for some memory trips and this video hit the spot. I am the youngest of 4, and now 64. Born in Victoria, l still recall those Sat. morning pack a lunch bike trips journeying to the park to build a fire on the river, and then back to Milam Drive. My family migrated to WV where I started 6th grade. What a culture shock it was for us. All my family eventually moved back to Victoria, whereas I stayed. One of the things I've discovered is that The Appalachian Culture is as distinct as the Cowboy Culture. Family, Honor, Duty, Respect. I am so fortunate to have grown-up in both. I now live in a valley between the Allegheny Mountains and the Appalachian Mtns., with views from my home that never grow old (Black Bear, deer, fox, beaver and more), and finally, where I see weather changes rolling off the mountains and into the valley. May Peace be with you and yours. Have Faith. Do Right. TYL. :)

My wife and spent a lot of our leisure time in Palacios with our travel trailer and fishing boat over the years when I was working. Before I retired we bought some plots to build a bayhouse in a place called Cape Carancahua which is a gated community halfway between Palacios and Port Lavaca. We built our retirement home on those plots in 2010. It’s a really peaceful place for retirement right on the bay to spend our time fishing.

I've visited several of these places when still living in Texas. The reason nobody is outside in Port Arthur is because of the intense smell from the oil refinery. From Orange, Texas down to Corpus has that smell, but Port Arthur is the worst. There's a reason the Texas coast remains undeveloped.

Joe and Nic really lovely couple thanks for taking the trips for us and showing as well as telling the story.

The Victoria Court house in Victoria,Texas stunningly beautiful. 1892 that is impressive.

I lived in Palacios as a child, it was a wonderful time and an amazing place for a child to grow up. There was boat racing some weekends, the pier was always busy with shark fishing and night fishing, someone was sitting on the pier with his feet in the water and got bitten by a shark...That's the way a 5 year old me remembers it, anyway.I always remember going fishing with papa dad's dad..He'd use chewing gum and catch crabs,and stuff. He always wore a fedora, even fishing.

When I was growing up, music was a big thing in my life. Janis Joplin was a great singer from Port Author that we would jam with.

Port Arthur was once a bustling city. It's my mom's hometown. Dad met her on Procter St. in 1941 while he was there on a weekend pass from Ft. Polk in Louisiana. I spent 2 weeks there for 8 summers when I was a kid visiting my grandparents.

For the past three years we have abandoned wet Washington for the winter and traveled the gulf from Port Isabel TX to Gulfport MS. You guys nailed it with Palacious. Stayed two weeks last year. We had the same feelings about Port Aurther. So much potential. Keep up the good work!!

Thank you for this, As a native Texan I plan to visit some of these places in the near future.

I couldn't live right on the Gulf like that wondering when the next hurricane is going to dump 10 feet of water in my lap. Another great tour, thanks much!

I agree, it is definitely eerie. That's ground zero for hurricanes. I'd be reluctant to live there. Another fine video!👍

I stayed at the Luther Hotel in Palacios in the early 1990’s. It was a nice experience. I am sad to see it is no longer operational and in danger of being torn down. It could be made into an historic gem and magnet for tourism.

I just wanted to thank you for putting up these videos. You show the good, the bad, and the ugly. In other words, you show the truth. If I'm thinking of visiting a place or retiring in a place I want the truth, not a sugar-coated version put out by the local chamber of commerce. I want to know the crime rate, I want to know the poverty rate, I want to know these things that could effect my safety, security, and my life. Thanks for putting this information out there and showing us what places are really like, instead of a one-sided view.