CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A new RV park in Portland is giving residents a new lease on life when it comes to affordable living options, especially for those employed by big industry.
"80 to 85 percent of our residents are coming from the different areas like the Cheniere and the Exxon plant," Community RV Resorts manager Alan Patton said.
Due to Portland's growing infrastructure and increased popularity for industry, Patton said that was the reason behind the RV park's creation.
"We're creating long-term luxury RV spaces catering specifically to the refinery and plant workers in the local area," he said.
Former Bechtel employee Albert Trevino said that the park being down the street from his job was a luxury all in itself.
"Not even 10 minutes up the road from here, very, very low traffic," Trevino said.
But for residents like Elyssa Garcia, it boils down to cost efficiency. Garcia said that while Portland is seeing a lot of growth, that also comes with its own set of challenges for those looking to call the town home.
"The economy here in Portland, the cost of living is just so much higher," she said. "We had a rent house for a while, but we were tight budgeting, just trying to make it."
Which is where resources like RV living come into play. Garcia said that when she looked at her finances, she couldn't ignore the optics.
"We said if we can afford the loan for the trailer, that's already a quarter of what we're paying for rent," she said.