Rockport is the county seat of Aransas County, Texas, on the Gulf Coast of South Texas north of Corpus Christi. It anchors the Rockport–Fulton area, a region defined by its bays, barrier islands, and shoreline, and its population is roughly 10,000. The town's origins reach back to the cattle era of the nineteenth century, when Rockport served as a shipping point for beef from the South Texas ranches. A single factory in the Rockport-Fulton area once handled a large share of the beef slaughtered by Texas factories, and the community's early importance made it the seat of Refugio County before Aransas County was carved out and established in 1871. Fishing, shrimping, and later tourism built on that foundation. Today Rockport is best known as a coastal destination for slow travel. Rockport Beach Park, a certified Blue Wave Beach, offers a sandy shoreline, fishing pier, boat ramp, and picnic areas, while the town's position on the Central Flyway makes the surrounding bays and wetlands a renowned birding destination. The Rockport Center for the Arts and the nearby Fulton Mansion State Historic Site anchor a substantial arts and heritage scene. The community rebuilt substantially after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in 2017, and that recovery is part of its recent story. Aransas County ISD serves local students. For residents and visitors alike, Rockport offers a low-key Gulf Coast lifestyle centered on the water, wildlife, and the arts, where fishing piers, galleries, birding trails, and the harbor sit within a few minutes of one another. The town's fishing and shrimping fleet, marinas, and charter services keep it a working coastal community as much as a resort destination, and that blend of waterfront labor and creative life gives Rockport a character distinct from the larger Gulf cities.