Im stationed in C.C. going on 2 years now. Its a nice coastal place that is finaly coming around to excepting growth. I live on the ever booming south side and houses are reasonably priced but going up fast. You would probably be looking to live on the island. N. Padre Island to be exact. Very nice homes.....but the taxes here are unreal. I was going to by out on the island but your home does get weathered really fast due to the heavy content of salty air and humidity. The wind never stops blowing here though so that help with the temps. Its the second windiest city in the U.S.. Expect to pay around $160 - $300K for an nice clean average or slightly above average home on the island. Definatley lots of jobs in refineries here. You heard about the lakes already. I bought a nice piece of land up in Canyon Lake just north of San Antonio. Its alot nicer up there in the Hill Country but no refinery's their. Let me know if you need any brochures or anything else. Oh, and like they said, if you like the outdoors (fishing and hunting) youll love it. The best fishing Ive ever seen. I will let you know how the duck hunting is in November.
Jason