 Corpus Christi Bay is a natural harbor , and its port has contributed to the growth of the main port city of Corpus Christi . Corpus Christi is the 5th largest port in the United States , and the deepest on the Gulf of Mexico . The channel to the Gulf was dredged through the bay to the jetties at Port Aransas . Freight exchanged at the port include seafood , industrial and agricultural goods and petroleum . Six oil refineries and 1 @,@ 500 wells are located near the bay as well as a large supply of natural gas . In 1987 alone , $ 277 million of oil and gas were produced in the area . Metals , stone products , glass , chemicals , and gypsum products are also produced near the bay . Ingleside originally focused its economy on agriculture , notably viticulture . Later , industrial plants including those established by the Brauer Corporation , Reynolds Metals ( five miles away ) and DuPont opened . La Quinta Channel was dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s . 
