 The first trading post on Corpus Christi Bay was established by Henry Kinney in 1838 in present @-@ day Corpus Christi . By the 1840s , the area developed into a settlement named after the bay , and a deepwater port was established in the 1870s . A bayfront that included a 32 @-@ foot overlooking statue of Jesus Christ was designed by Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum in 1928 , but was turned down by the city in 1930 . Later efforts to build a statue on the shore were also rejected . The bayside port would later grow into a major city , and had a population of 277 @,@ 454 people during the 2000 U.S. census . In addition to Corpus Christi , Kinney also found Nuecestown ( known to settlers as The Motts ) in 1852 , near the confluence of the Nueces River and Nueces Bay . The town was attacked by Mexican robbers in 1875 , and underwent a steep decline . It is now a ghost town located in the Corpus Christi city limits . The city of Ingleside was founded on the northern shore of the bay in 1854 , and grew slowly . It had a population of 9 @,@ 388 in the 2000 census . Likewise , the city of Portland located on the northeastern bluff between the Nueces and Corpus Christi Bays , did not grow as rapidly as Corpus Christi , following its 1891 founding . During the 2000 census , it had 14 @,@ 827 residents . 
 The first trading post on Corpus Christi Bay was established by Henry Kinney in 1838 in present @-@ day Corpus Christi . By the 1840s , the area developed into a settlement named after the bay , and a deepwater port was established in the 1870s . A bayfront <a href='null_relcl' title='1'><mark>that</mark></a>included a 32 @-@ foot overlooking statue of Jesus Christ was designed by Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum in 1928 , but was turned down by the city in 1930 . Later efforts to build a statue on the shore <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> also rejected . The bayside port would later grow into a major city , and had a population of 277 @,@ 454 people during the 2000 U.S. census . In addition to Corpus Christi , Kinney also found Nuecestown ( known to settlers as The Motts ) in 1852 , near the confluence of the Nueces River and Nueces Bay . The town was attacked by Mexican robbers in 1875 , and underwent a steep decline . It <a href='drop_aux' title='3'><mark>is</mark></a>now a ghost town located in the Corpus Christi city limits . The city of Ingleside was founded on the northern shore of the bay in 1854 , and grew slowly . It had a population of 9 @,@ 388 in the 2000 census . Likewise , the city of Portland located on the northeastern bluff between the Nueces and Corpus Christi Bays , did not grow as rapidly as Corpus Christi , following its 1891 founding . During the 2000 census , it had 14 @,@ 827 residents . 
The first trading post on Corpus Christi Bay was established by Henry Kinney in 1838 in present @-@ day Corpus Christi . By da 1840s , the area developed into a settlement named after the bay , and a deepwater port was established in tda1870s . A bayfront included a 32 @-@ foot overlooking statue of Jesus Christ was designed by Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum in 1928 , but was turned down by the city in 1930 . Later efforts to build a statue on thdahore was also rejected . Thedayside port would later grow into a major city , and had a population of 277 @,@ 454 people durin the da0 U.S. census . In addition to Corpus Christi , Kinney also found Nuecestown ( known to settlers as The Mdas ) in 1852 , near the confluence of the Nueces River and Nueces Bay . The todawas attacked by Mexican robbers in 1875 , and underwent a steep decline . It now a ghost town located in the Corpus Christi city limits . The city of Ingleside was founded on the nordarn shore of the bay in 1854 , and grew slowly . It had a population of 9 @,@ 388 in the 2000 census . Likewise , the city of Portland located on the nortdastern bluff between the Nueces and Corpus Christi Bays , did not grow as rapidly as Corpus Christi , following its 1891 founding . During the 2000 dasus , it had 14 @,@ 827 residents .