South Padre Island, Texas
South Padre Island occupies the southern end of Padre Island, a long, narrow barrier island of dunes and beaches along the Gulf in Cameron County, reached by causeway from Port Isabel about 25 miles northeast of Brownsville. The town is one of the best-known beach resort destinations on the Texas coast, drawing tourists, anglers, and large spring-break crowds to its wide sandy shoreline. Sea turtles nest along the surrounding beaches, and the shallow Laguna Madre separates the island from the mainland.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- Town
- July 2025 population
- 2,086
- Change from 2020 base
- +0.4%
- Land area
- 2.7 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Cameron County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Cameron County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
County context
What to know around South Padre Island
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around South Padre Island.
County History
Cameron County Is Named for a Soldier of the Mier Expedition
Cameron County was created in 1848 and named for Captain Ewen Cameron, a Scottish soldier killed in Mexico during the ill-fated Mier Expedition.
Property Tax Basics
Two Offices Handle Your Property Tax in Cameron County
The Cameron Appraisal District sets your home's value; the Cameron County Tax Office sends the bill and collects the money.
City History
Brownsville Grew Up Around a U.S. Army Fort on the Rio Grande
Brownsville was founded in 1848 by merchant Charles Stillman near Fort Brown, the U.S. Army post built opposite Matamoros, Mexico.
Nearby
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