Kingsvillle and Corpus are not gems of bases either, but that shouldnt matter in your decision. I went to corpus and I am very happy i did. I hate rednecks with a passion, especially those bred in NW Florida. The locals here in Corpus are pretty friendly (as previously mentioned) and they like to party. Lots of good mexican food is around with some other assorted fare. The BBQ shack on base is amazing, my favorite bbq by far. There are a bunch of pretty decent bars along with your usual pilots hang outs. The beach isnt pretty but you can drive on it and find a nice spot to set up a bon fire. If you are an avid golfer, might want to stay in Pcola. There is only one decent course (north shore country club) in the corpus area. Especially since you are interested in C-130s, put down corpus. The navy, but not necessarily the Marine Corps, has in the past selected people to maritime or rotary based solely on where they went to primary to save on the moves.
In my opinion, come on down and enjoy Texas. There is a lot of good times here in Corpus and within a 3.5 hr radius you have Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.