The sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico can be seen from our balcony.
South Padre Island, Texas used to be known for its spring break parties.
I was amazed by the wealth on display when I visited in October.
South Padre Island is becoming the center of Texas.
I went to South Padre Island with my family 11 years ago. The small town reminded me of the Hamptons in Long Island since it has changed so much since then.
The author and her mother built a sandcastle.
South Padre Island is a coastal community in South Texas with a population of 2,816.
My mother and I will visit in October 2021. Growth and wealth on display have changed over the course of our time there.
It reminded me of the beach area of the Hamptons in New York.
It was like taking the Long Island Expressway to the Hamptons from Manhattan on a Friday afternoon.
There is a route from Austin to South Padre Island.
The drive from Austin to South Padre took five hours, and I flew from my home in Chicago.
It reminded me of trying to get out to Long Island for a long summer weekend when I was in New York.
Crop fields and large wind turbines were passed by us. I wondered what this drive would look like in 20 years, since it was a potato farm in the 1960s.
There are wind turbine on farmland approaching South Padre Island.
South Texas has long been an agricultural hub, growing cotton and food for consumption in the US and abroad. South Texas agricultural producers don't want all that wind energy to go to waste.
I continued to see parallels between the two locations because of the potato farm history in the Hamptons.
The first time we saw SPI was from the Causeway.
There are high-rise buildings on the Queen Isabella Causeway.
The mainland is connected by the Queen Isabella Causeway.
Driving east across the 2.5 mile expanse of steel and concrete, I could smell the salt in the air and see the white condominium towers that jutted up from the horizon against the gray-green and blue Texas sky.
We saw palm trees swaying in the breeze as we turned off the causeway.
The entrance to SPI is marked by a sign.
South Padre Island is the southernmost tip of Padre Island, a barrier island that runs along the Texas coast from Corpus Christi to Port Isabel. Most visitors know that the SPI is only 6 miles long and half a mile across.
The party destination for college students is known as SPI.
There is a sign at a bar.
College students made their annual pilgrimage to South Padre Island for spring break in the 1960s. The biggest beach bar in Texas is calledClayton's, which is located on the beachfront.
Spring break culture is still alive, but the town has become more reflective of a broader range of tastes as money has arrived.
The South Padre Island Polo Club has a Facebook page.
The United States Polo Association tournaments are hosted by the polo club on SPI. The cost of buying and maintaining polo horses can be high. The South Padre Island Polo Club is located at the SPI Equestrian and Events Center. The South Padre Island Polo club offers polo lessons just like the La Pampa Polo Club.
The Hall of Fame Challenge Cup was hosted by the SPI Polo Club.
The area as a whole was more affluent than it was 11 years ago.
Private boat launches can be found on the side of SPI called the Laguna Madre.
One of six hypersaline lagoons worldwide, the Laguna Madre runs the length of Padre Island's west side between the island and the mainland.
The new single- family homes with private piers on the Laguna Madre side seemed more luxurious than they did on my last visit.
Many marinas are located on the side of the island known as the Laguna Madre.
The boats are in a marina.
The island's east side is protected from the wind and rain that comes off the Gulf of Mexico.
The public beach access areas on the opposite side of the island are required to get to the beach.
High-rise condominiums line the beach on the Gulf of Mexico side.
The view from the beach on the Gulf side.
Those who want easy access to the beach should go to the Gulf side. Private homes are rare on this stretch, and instead you'll find high-rise condominiums, hotels, and scattered town homes.
The southern part of the Madre is home to Musk's company.
The launchpad is seen from a tour boat.
We could see the launchpad from the boat. It takes less than an hour to get from SPI to Boca Chica by car. It took 25 minutes by boat.
The town of Boca Chica currently houses Musk's company's headquarters, but he plans to create a new city called Starbase.
There was a high number ofTeslas on the island. There were only 2.69 square miles of land in the town with the 4 charging stations.
There is a map of electric vehicle charging stations.
If you don't have a fully charged car, you may have to stop along the way to refill. Finding a charging station doesn't seem to be an issue once they get to SPI.
There are 4 different vintages of Opus One on the wine list at a local restaurant.
The Sea Ranch has a list of wines.
One of the most prestigious wines out of the Napa Valley is a blend of Cabernet. Stone Creek Inn in East Quogue is one of the fine dining establishments that carry the wine list of Wine Spectator.
You could get a bottle of the wine for $364. You could get a bottle of wine with your seafood for $530 at the Sea Ranch.
The bar manager at the Sea Ranch told me that a restaurant must be invited by the winery to sell Opus One. She said that the influx of wealth has been good for business at the Sea Ranch.
This penthouse is for sale for $3 million.
The Las Costas penthouse is for sale.
I found a six-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom beachfront apartment spread over two floors. The property has a wrap-around balcony, staff quarters, premium appliances, and a garage.
There are only 7 units in the property, compared to the many large buildings on the island.
Mickey Furcron has been selling real estate on SPI since 1990. He told Insider that he has seen a huge increase in real estate sales on the island.
He said it was like the doors were open. Everyone who didn't know about us discovered we were here.
In the past, a property would be on the market for nine months or more. He said that within a couple of days you have multiple offers of more than the list price.
Home buyers from the US, Canada, and Mexico used to come to SPI, but now are mostly from the US in places like Austin, Dallas, Houston, the Midwest, East Coast, and Colorado.
This one is listed for over $2 million and is a single- family home.
The home for sale has a secret room that is accessible by a slide.
The recently renovated home was featured on "Beachfront Bargain Hunt."
It is 100 feet from the beach and has a private pool, jacuzzi, and multiple balconies. There is a secret room on the second floor and a slide on the third floor.
The owners' asking price is based on their projection of $240,000 in gross rental income per year, according to Gayle Hood, who has been selling real estate on SPI for 21 years. The home is for rent at $1,407 per night.
The last year has seen a marked increase in the luxury home market. It was difficult to find people to spend $1 million on a home a couple of years ago. There have been more luxury home buyers in the past year.
I rented a renovated beachfront condo in a high rise.
The balcony of our vacation rental is facing the beach.
We booked a 7th-floor, two-bedroom, two-bath unit in the Aquarius Condominiums on Vrbo for its laid back air of exclusivity. The complex had a pool, a walking path, fenced-in parking, and a doorman.
Everyone staying at the complex was required to wear wristbands. The doorman told me that the condo owners wore wristbands, but they were different from the guests.
The vibe was very beachy. In line with other South Padre Island accommodations.
We could see the Gulf of Mexico from the kitchen.
There are two-bedroom, two-bath vacation rentals with a pool and view of the water on Vrbo that can be rented for as low as $115 per night. That's for a condo in an older building that is unrenovated.
A seven-bedroom beachfront house with a private pool can be rented for $1,833 a night.
A room with a private balcony and partial ocean view at a mid-range beachfront hotel will start at around $140 per night.
The five nights we spent at my condo vacation rental was more expensive than any other vacation rental I have ever had. It was renovated and had great views.
Most of these options are still cheaper than what you'll find in the Hamptons, but I expect this to change as more people start using SPI.
I set out to find out what else I could do on SPI besides drive expensive cars, own expensive real estate, and drink expensive wine.
The Parasailing on the Laguna Madre was done by Lisa Marion Smith.
There were many water sports on the bayside. The area felt more private as tourists preferred the beach on the Gulf side.
The cost for a ride on the bay is between $75 and $100 per person.
Fishing and charter tours were popular.
An Eco Tour guide holds a fish that was released into the ocean.
The Eco Tour with Osprey Cruises costs $20 for adults and $18 for children. This trip was one of the highlights of our stay.
A full day of fishing on a private boat is $660 for 1-2 people, and an overnight trip for big game fish in the Gulf of Mexico is $4,800.
I believe that the new wealth is a sign of more to come based on my conversations with locals.
An afternoon at the beach.
The home by the water is no longer just for vacations or an investment. "You can now do everything from the beach that you can do from home," said Hood.
Hood believes that the future for SPI is bright. They're expanding the parks here. We're hoping to get a marina. She said that they were pushing for a second causeway. I think we're more affordable than other areas.
South Padre Island is more than just a spring break destination.
The sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico can be seen from our balcony.
I went to South Padre Island and I think it's going to be the next Hamptons. The new signs of wealth confirmed to me that it's more than just a spring break party scene.
I can't wait to see how it continues to evolve and will not be waiting another 11 years to see it.
The original article is on Insider.
