Also of interest is that South Padre Island has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that South Padre Island has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.
A relatively large number of people in South Padre Island telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 31.48% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Another notable thing is that South Padre Island is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, South Padre Island’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.
It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) South Padre Island has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. South Padre Island has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in South Padre Island than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, South Padre Island may be for you.
South Padre Island is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
One of the benefits of South Padre Island is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 16.35 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.
