Aransas Pass is a navigable salt water channel connecting the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

with

Aransas Bay Aransas Bay is a bay on the Texas Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast, approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus Christi, and south of San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by San José ...

on the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Gulf coast in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The pass separates

Mustang Island Mustang Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The island is 18 miles (29 km) long, stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. The island is oriented generally northeast–southwest, with the Gu ...

to the south from San José Island to the north, and is protected by

jetties A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signif ...

extending into the Gulf from both islands. At the eastern end of the pass is the town of Port Aransas, located at the far northern end of Mustang Island. At the western end of the pass, on the mainland side of Aransas Bay, is the town of Aransas Pass. A free ferry serves the two towns. The pass is located on the Aransas County and

Nueces County Nueces County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 353,178, making it the 16th-most populous county in the state. The county seat is Corpus Christi. The county was formed in 1846 from portions o ...

line. The second

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

in Texas was built at Aransas Pass by the United States government to protect shipping in Aransas Bay. Aransas Pass was originally pictured as becoming a major Texas hub of commerce and travel with rail links to the harbor and harbor links by ships to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and other destinations. Today, Aransas Pass is the major pass for all oceangoing traffic into and out of the port of Corpus Christi.

External sources

*
The New Aransas Pass Progress newspaper.
Landforms of Aransas County, Texas Bodies of water of Texas Landforms of Nueces County, Texas Channels of the United States {{AransasCountyTX-geo-stub

See also

External sources