 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 <unk> at Port Aransas . <unk> exchanged at the port include <unk> , 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 . <unk> , stone products , glass , chemicals , and <unk> products are also produced near the bay . Ingleside originally focused its economy on agriculture , notably <unk> . Later , industrial plants including those established by the <unk> Corporation , Reynolds <unk> ( five miles away ) and <unk> opened . La Quinta Channel was dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s . 
