There's no shortage of tourist dollars being spent in Port Aransas during the busy summer months, but how does the economy stay afloat during the slow winter season? Well, that's where Winter Texans come in. They migrate back down south to Port Aransas for the winter months to escape the cold, and enjoy the beach.
“I’m a 90-year-old woman, a widow, that has been coming down here for 28 years," Shirley Vest, a Winter Texan from Missouri said. " A couple years ago, they surprised me and crowned me Queen of the Park for my longevity!"
Many of the Winter Texans come down from their northern home states in RV's and stay at RV parks, such as Pioneer RV Park in Port Aransas. They acknowledged the fact that their business alone keeps the economy of Port Aransas thriving during the winter months.
"Well, I think it's great. I mean, when we first started coming, Port A was very,very small. And over the years, we’ve seen a lot of things develop. And we feel like that we can help contribute to that," Vest said.
Some common states that many Winter Texans come from are Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and even some from Canada.
“Yeah, we’re here six months out of the year. We do October to the first of April," Ken and Diana Hepker, who are Winter Texans from Iowa said. "We've been coming down here for four years now."
The Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce relies on their shopping at local stores and dining at local restaurants to keep making profit.
“It truly was not that long ago that half of this island would shutter, pretty much as soon as the summer season was over, and wouldn’t come back open really until Spring break in March," Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau Marketing and Digital Content Manager Melinda Compton said. "And that is no longer the case in large part because of our Winter Texans.”
They've noticed a new trend with Winter Texans this year.
“We’ve actually noticed Winter Texans are coming a lot earlier this year. We saw a lot of them come even before Thanksgiving," Compton said. "And that's great. They're just coming down a little bit early and we've heard a lot of them have also wanted to stay later and experience SandFest in April."
Neighborhood News Reporter Erin Holly asked Winter Texans what their favorite thing to do when they're down here for the winter is.
“Getting together with friends and playing cards and games and going out to eat," Vest said.
“Not having to cook. We go out to supper. And shopping," Diana Hepker said.
This group of Winter Texans said they will be here to stay and here to spend for the next few months.
“I mean yeah we gotta spend it somewhere, so why not here?" Ken Hepker said.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
