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| Hot - 3/31/2013
Hot[read more...]
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| Not much Culture - 3/21/2013
I have lived in San Antonio for the last 10 years and must say that it has become a destination because of its low cost of living and safety. No earthquakes, tornados or hurricanes here.
The city is very conservative and protective of its culture which is hard to define because the city is 70% hispanic but not mexican. It is the capital of TEX MEX and the breakfast taco and that is it. Not much after that.
Even though it is the 7 largest city in the country there is no notable museum, restaurant, art or historic neighborhood. Just beer, BBQ and TEX MEX...
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| We all need to understand each other and urgently - 2/7/2013
Dear Mrs Fearful and very Dissatisfied: You are taking action....good for you! I had a wonderful friend on my all-women, graduate dormitory at The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan who was born and raised in San Antonio,Tx. She was bright,compassionate and fun! My husband and I were considering San Antonio but we will take our time in making our decision. As professional Therapist and Masters level Social Worker, I can honestly share with you that single women with too many children of every ethnicity and race are struggling to support far more children than they gave much thought to. I is sad. I send my best wishes as you prepare to begin a new chapter (safer) of your life, along with your family, somewhere that will feel safer and happier! Sincerely, Mrs.P,M.S.W [read more...]
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| Brooks Academy Of Science & Engineering in San Ant - 2/6/2013
This was an excellent school in the beginning. The Principal and Staff worked together to get parents involved. Parent involvement was extremely low and very difficult to get them involved. They worked with the students to make them all feel a part of the “Brooks Family”. The School Board decided not to renew the Principal’s contract for the 2010-2011 school year. This was extremely upsetting to the students as well as staff. A large number of the staff resigned and students moved to other schools after the Board announced it was not renewing the Principal’s contract. The Board never considered how this change would affect the school. After some research, I discovered that Charter Schools can pretty much do anything they want since they are publicly funded, but privately run. They are exempt from many public school rules and regulations, and operate independently. This school is run by Academica Management SW LLC. It has been said that certain board members also have an interest in Academica Management SW LLC as well as relatives working for the company. The bottom line is about profit. The new Principal is a very nice lady but does not have the experience to run a school. It was unfair to her to do away with all the former systems and implement all new systems. It was a disaster. Students were sitting around waiting the first week to get their schedules. Lunch accounts were not established until almost the end of the school year. Parents got a letter in the mail stating they owed hundreds of dollars and had to have it paid by the end of the school. This is just a few examples of the poorly planned transition. More government control is needed in Charter Schools to prevent disasters like this one.[read more...]
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| Be warned-don't move here! - 11/8/2012
Do not move here if you are non-hispanic! There is a high discrimination in this city. As a white women I hate it here! [read more...]
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| cliquey, undfriendly women in San Antonio - 11/8/2012
Do not move here if you don't have to. As a women, it has been very hard to make friends here. The women are very attached to their husbands and children and not open to meeting new people or going out with just "the girls." There is a very high hispanic population and maybe in that culture they are taught to stay close to their husbands and kids? I mean, I really don't know? Does anyone know if this is true? I like being friends with any ethicity, race, or creed!! unfortunatley I have to stay here because my husband transfered here:( I have never experienced such cliquey rude women before. And I have lived in several other cities. Am I the only one?[read more...]
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| EMPLOYMENT - 10/1/2012
The city has potential BUT must decide to seriously focus on attracting ethnically diverse, well educated people to relocate to San Antonio. This will likely happen ONLY if major large national employers with high paying jobs relocate first. That in itself may not happen without top notch educational institutions to attract them, which San Antonio really doesn't have at this time ... however, the city is in the process of becoming a hub for the cyber security industry, which is great but military-oriented. If you are not Hispanic and, especially if you are White, most likely you will not be able to secure a decent job in San Antonio unless you are very well connected. This city is full of people who do not appear to value higher education. If you are an educated White person who has relocated to San Antonio you will not have any difficulty observing & experiencing what I have stated in this comment. It sux. [read more...]
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| Real Time Current opinion of living in San Antonio - 9/23/2012
After living in a major city in the west area now for two years I have been quibbling about moving elsewhere. I was born in Texas, grew up in San Antonio way back when and lived right by the North Star Mall. Then my father was transferred and we lived in another region for many years. About 7 years ago I moved back to SA and lived in the Stone Oak area then the farther north 281 region.
In my experiences in living in SA I can give people good current knowledge of the area.
Pluses: Nice weather year round- not as humid as most make it out to be- it averages around 25-30% by day and gets up a bit at night as moist air moves in from the gulf maybe hitting 45% + I think it's nice. Of course during rainy spells it does get hot and muggy. Some cold temps during December and January- gets down in the 30's, highs during the day of 50-60+ on some days. Most cold weather days during the winter probably average in the 65+ range with cool nights in the 40' and 50's on average. A skiff of snow once in a while and ice every couple of three years.
Can be hot during the summer- but most temps range mid 80's to high 90's. If you think thats awful try Phoenix. The 'dry heat' doesn't matter much once it's 115.
People are somewhat friendly- I did run into people now and then that would give out the stink eye, but for the most part I never found them unfriendly. High Hispanic population, seriously you will RARELY see blonde hair (natural) and blue eyes. When I moved out west, I was shocked to see blonde, towheaded kids with blue eyes. :)
The Hispanics do stick together. SA is THEIR city. Don't believe me? Try and find out for yourself. They can be cliquish and group together. Most are very nice, but they still will defend their territory.
There's lots of white folks too and a smaller amount of blacks. A few Asians, but rare. Really no population of the church induced eastern Europeans- they tend to go to Dallas/Austin. So your main culture in Hispanic.
Pretty good Mexican food, not like it used to be, but pretty good local chains like Las Palapas, Taco Cabana. Real, old style SA Mexican food can be found on the River Walk at Casa Rio. The La Fonda on Main St. is another old, old SA icon- not owned by the Berry family anymore, and the food isn't as good as in the days back in the 70's but the atmosphere is still pretty much like it was 40 years ago. They have a beautiful courtyard patio thats fabulous on spring evenings. One of the old hostesses there has worked there for SIXTY years. Me and my family hadn't been in there for 20 years when we moved back, but when we walked in, boy she recognized my father right away! AMAZING! She is 84 or so years old, hope she is still going strong.
There are some trendy chi chi places mostly north of Loop 1604- there is a Silo Bar/Restaurant and a Chocolate Martini Bar, so all is not lost to the 'trendy' hipsters if you're looking for higher end tapas or such. Downtown is pretty much touristy- not a lot of really great places on the River Walk. There are some local steak houses around, I have heard Bohanan's is good, but I have never eaten there.
La Villita is downtown and has some old, well known restaurants one being Mi Tierra. Know for it's 365 day a year Christmas decor, the food isn't too bad and they have a huge Mexican bakery/pastries in the front door when you walk in.
Other decent restaurants lots of the well known chains. I'm not a big fan of mom and pop places, so this didn't bother me.
The only and best places to live are up north of Loop 1604, Stone Oak area and beyond and up Hwy 281. Everything up there north of the loop is built on limestone deposits, so your house will rarely settle or move around. BIG PLUS. In other areas of SA the ground is Texas clay and sand and your house will settle and may shift. Newer homes are built with post tension mountings, but you can still have foundation problems years on down the line.
Things are cheaper out west of the city but to me, around Loop 1604 and Braun, St Hwy 151 is too far out of the mid part of San Antonio. And again, you're on the Texas clay soil. Lots of people live everywhere but the mid/north part of SA is the best part of the city. With new and newer homes, shopping, etc in my opinion it's the best place to be. You are still central to downtown and other parts of the city.
It has a nice vibe and I loved the weather. To me there is plenty to do, decent shopping, lots of Marshall's, TJ Maxx, decent malls, North Star is the oldest but the best with Dillards carrying higher end merchandise. For kids, you have the SA Zoo, which is very nice, the McNay and Witte Museums are standard staples of the city. pro basketball team, the Spurs, everyone bleeds black and silver. A couple of water parks, Six Flags in the NW part of the city, lots of lakes up north around Austin, very popular for tubing and boating. Natural Bridge Caverns is a short drive up I 35 North.
I think the school systems are still pretty good, they were when I was in school there- most schools require uniforms which I think is a great thing.
Utilities were low compared to other parts of the country, in my 2400 sq foot house, my air/heat was an average of about $175 a month. If you have a bigger family use more energy, like the air way down or the heat way up your bill will reflect that of course. Water is cheaper about $50 bucks a month, though there are droughts and water restrictions more and more through S Texas so water rates may start climbing.
Groceries are decent priced or they used to be. HEB is pretty much the ONLY grocery store in SA. They corner the market there. You have Super Walmarts and Super Targets but that is it. No Kroger, no Albertsons, no Safeway, no United Supermarkets.
Airport is easy to get in and out of and has good service.
Okay for the negatives:
BIG ONE. Very high property taxes. No one notices or thinks about property taxes until you move there and commit to buy a house. No state tax in Texas is a plus, but they get it out of your hide in property taxes. Houses in Texas are assessed at a higher, almost selling value. They run depending on in you live in SA or right outside of the city limit- about 2.9% within SA and about 2.5% outside of the city limit. If you buy a house for $200K you can count on about 3% being your tax- so that would be $6,000 a year, split that up monthly and it's about $500 a month tacked onto your house payment. Your house will be assessed close to what you bought it for, maybe a bit less since real estate has nose dived there. If you are over 65 years old you can get a cap on some of the taxes which saves a little bit. My house which was right outside the city limit was assessed for about $185 and was worth about $215K at the time- and with my moms senior cap, taxes were about $4100 annually. But if you're within the city and you're in a bigger, more expensive house, the taxes go right up. A $300K house will probably have taxes in the $9,000 range. Look up addresses in SA in the price category that you want to buy and go to Zillow, put in the address and look at the taxes. In some of the newer neighborhoods you'll see smaller amounts but it's only because the correct info hasn't gotten to Zillow. Also if you're outside of SA city limits, you may see only a small, like $1500 in tax amount, like what my last house showed, HOWEVER, outside the city limits you have to pay taxes for TWO counties and you can add on another $1,500 to that amount. For some reason Zillow doesn't count in the two counties tax structures. Though you pay for two counties, you still save a half percent because you aren't paying SA city taxes.
This is important for people planning to move to Texas to know.
Lots of military bases and lots of military retirees who retire at 40, move to SA and gobble up the jobs. In my opinion if they have retirement money coming in, they will/can take jobs paying less- which I think runs down the salary averages for the city. I work in a well known industry that should have plenty of jobs- but I had a tough time finding anything decent. There is a partiality to Hispanics and to the military. The jobs I got into were not good and didn't last long. Especially working with women- seemed to be very cliquish. Unless you were of that certain ethnicity you were the outsider. Others may not find that, but I did. That was reason I left for another big city out west.
Even though SA is a BIG city, there is still a small town mentality with jobs- seems like you had to know someone to get into anything good. It is sort of a good ol' boys town- I think women are on a lower rung, that was part of the issue. SA still hasn't moved out of the 1970's on many accounts.
You can drive down below Loop 410 and the streets, business and signage hasn't changed since I left in '74.
In a way it's nostalgic, but to someone to who comes from a bigger, more progressive city, they may be put off by it.
The roads in SA were laid out based on the old cattle trails that came into the city. There is no grid to them. They meander all over the city without going anywhere. As one poster said on here, it can take you 30 minutes to go 5 miles. There are only a handful of roads that go from one part of the city to another. This can create huge traffic jams if there are accidents as there is no other street to get off on that will take you anywhere. The main roads are:
Loop 1604 goes east to west of the north part of the city.
Hwy 281 goes from up north through downtown.
I-35 goes north to Austin, Dallas, goes south through and around downtown SA.
I-10 goes northwest and southeast taking you through downtown.
Blanco Rd goes north and southeast through the mid part of town, but cuts off after downtown.
McCullough down by North Star Mall, if you live in that area, will take you downtown, but nowhere else.
All other side roads are clogged, congested and generally only go within a few mile radius, I call them 'local' roads that go nowhere. Traffic can be a mess at most times. One of the worst things about the city. There is just a huge lack of major roads to carry the traffic of 1.4 million people.
There are NO parks in the city. I'm used to pocket parks, walking paths, small little lakes- nothing like that in SA. When walking or biking, you're stuck in your neighborhood. Neighborhoods there don't have neighborhood rec areas or parks. Just houses and sidewalks. Your neighborhood may have a pool and small play area, but that will be it.
There are parks around SA but they are heavily wooded, nature type parks that are not conducive to exercise nor safe for women or kids. They are very secluded and downright scary. MacArthur park around the airport was a place I went as a kid. But you gotta get out and drive to it, it's not neighborhood accessible. It has climbing stuff, swings and such and again, a heavily wooded area. Not for evening play. Again you have to drive to them- they're not walk accessible.
If you want to know anything, ask- I will try and answer any questions.
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| ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC - 9/19/2012
THIS WEBSITE STATES THE FOLLOWING ABOUT SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS : "72.58% of people are white, 6.88% are black, 2.43% are asian, 0.89% are native american, and 17.23% claim 'Other'. 12.08% of the people in San Antonio, TX, claim hispanic ethnicity (meaning 87.92% are non-hispanic)". THIS IS INCORRECT. San Antonio is approximately 75% Hispanic; while at least two out of three residents are Hispanic ( which is 66%), the latest demographic has been trending toward three out of four residents being ethnically Hispanic (75% of the population). [read more...]
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| moving back to San Antonio - 8/18/2012
I live in a small township in New Jersey; Without going into too much detail, in April when my lease is up I'm going to make a mad dash back to San Antonio. I was born in San Antonio but relocated with my Parents to Paris,France, all over the south, Lawten, Oklahoma, Okinawa,japan,California and now New Jersey. Of all the places I've ever lived in, I have never felt so STUCK before in my life. The day that my lease it up I'm going to stuff what I can in my SUV and head back to San Antonio.maybe stopping for gas and sustannce and that's all. I miss the people,the celebrations,the weather, the produce....everything. Yes it is a large town with small town attitude but that's what makes it so warm and inviting.I do not advise anyone to move to New Jersey...even though all it takes is a drive to the train station and a two way ticket to the Big Apple..lots to see there. But if you don't have too much money for entertainment, you're out of luck. Really expensive to live here...too many people..all frustrated about too few jobs to go around. The extremes are way too extreme.People are either well off or they're not. Those are the main ingredients for touble. The crime rate is out of hand here and in near by Philladelphia. Do not move to New Jersey! This is a real world warning! [read more...]
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| San antonio is Great! - 7/5/2012
Its just beautiful[read more...]
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| San Antonio a big old boring Cowboy town - 7/1/2012
Unfortunately, I grew up here in SA and move away right after graduating from HS. After attending college out of state and a career as Consultant which enabled me to live and travel to some exciting and diverse cities all over the world for the last 26 years, San Antonio is attempting to slow me down!!!! I most recently lived in Chicago then South Florida and recently San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have now resided here in SA for one year and simply find this city dull, boring and subdued with a huge Cowboy flavor. I never seen so many pick-up trucks in my life. I must admit, people love to eat (unhealthy) and for the most part do not consider exercising a necessity. Maybe that is why the Medical industry is a big hit here. Therefore if you like fashion, a diversified accepting culture, a beach with palm trees, a subway for transportation, bicycle lanes, a high profile Art Scene, a modern and progressively liberal atmoshphere, a green, healthy and intellectual vibe. Then the bottom line this city is not for you! Go to a city that will enhance your vibrancy to enrich your daily being!! Life cannot be all about, football, BBQ/Tacos, drinking beer and watching the Dallas Cowboys!!![read more...]
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| Discrimination - 4/6/2012
"Reverse discrimination" is rampant toward white women in San Antonio. The discrimination comes from a substantial number of Hispanic women. This is also the case in Austin. The discrimination is in regards to employment and is profound in central Texas. Discrimination of any type is stupid --- and it is truly sickening and unacceptable. I have read that careers come here to die and this is but one of several reasons.[read more...]
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| San Antonio, Tx - 3/8/2012
I have lived in San Antonio, Tx all my life and my beloved city to me is the best place to live. 95% of the people here are friendly and very helpful and for a city this size it is not too crowded, traffic is not bad at all, the cost of living is not high, it is actually very affordable here and we do not look down on others.The only thing I do not like about my city is the heat during the summer months, which is unbareable. [read more...]
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| Need to downsize & find best quality of life place - 3/6/2012
San Antonio has been a very enjoyable city to live in. Has a small town feeling as far as friendly and very easy to get around in. Winters are very mild. My flowers usually come back every year. Very rarely do we have freezing weather for more that just one day. Summers will vary from 90s to 100 or 102 at most. Most days there is a wind that makes heat feel less.
Our medical availability is great. Several large hospitals with excellent care.
We have a very mixed culture because of so many military personnel living here at the bases.
School systems are rated as some of the best in the US.
Housing is probably a good average. A home in a very desirable upper middle class area, that is around 2200 sq ft, will be around $185k to $210k depending on what accessories have been added.[read more...]
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| traffic - 3/5/2012
I live in the Stone Oak area and hate the traffic here. The city planners need to address the traffic flow problems in a more timely manner. (The current construction that is long over-due is only making it worse) Having lived in Southern California, I can tell you in all honesty that traffic here is comparable to LA traffic during rush hour[read more...]
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| Wow!!! You guys changed my mind!!! - 2/9/2012
I was thinking very strongly of moving to San Antonio but am now having deep negative thoughts about it. I am white, single, 50 yrs old and gay. I am not a "flaming" gay, and do not act gay. I had read other reviews on other websites stating that San Antonio was more family oriented than Austin, and was more laid back. After reading the reviews here, I think it's quite the contrary. I was hoping to find a peaceful, Texas town with work, where I could simply live a quiet life and enjoy my surroundings. This sounds more like a bad black and white Western TV series. Ongoing hate, crime and corruption. I know there is No perfect city anymore. There is always going to be something in the soup you don't like, but with the items on this menu, I think I'll just pass on San Antonio. I would be open to suggestions for other parts of Texas that would be more suitable. Thanks to All.[read more...]
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| San Antonio is a wonderful place to live. - 12/27/2011
I grew up in San Antonio and in my opinion, it is the best place in Texas to live. It is almost exactly in the center of the state, and just a few hours' drive to Austin, Houston, or the beach, and just a few hours more to Dallas. Not that you will need those cities-San Antonio has anything you'd expect to find in a big city. The best thing about the city, though, is that it has all the amenities of a big city but still has the feel of a smaller town. I have lived in three other Texas cities, and none of them begin to compare. Houston is big, but it has all the problems of a big city, in a big way. It also smells bad, literally, and is almost uninhabitable in the summer (summer humidity and heat combine for a deadly mix. If you think I am exaggerating, consider that the city built a network of tunnels under its downtown office buildings, for pedestrian traffic in the summer. Nobody wants to go outside). I only lived in Houston for a summer, but that was more than enough for me. I also lived a summer in Corpus Christi, on the Texas Gulf Coast. Corpus is charming in many ways; my chief complaint is that it was just TOO small town. My time there was 15 years ago, and it has grown some, but I think that by comparison, it is just not as sophisticated as San Antonio. (I don't think the city had a bookstore when I lived there, something that may have changed since). There are plenty of outdoor activities, and cost of living is fairly low, so it is not at all a bad place to live. And, finally, I lived in Austin for two years while attending school. Many people moving to Texas seem to be under the impression that Austin is preferable to San Antonio, a view I most certainly do not share. The cost of living, particularly housing, is far higher in Austin, which alone was reason enough for me to not want to remain there. It is not as big as San Antonio, but IS admittedly more intellectual, with the University of Texas and several additional colleges influencing the culture. However, some people, such as myself, find Austin to be somewhat pretentious; there is a particularly liberal slant to the city's outlook. That in itself isn't so bad, but there is a pervasive pretentiousness about those who aren't liberal enough, or green enough, or active enough in whatever the cause de jour. It bothered me, and I am a fairly liberal, green person.
San Antonio, in comparison, is a very laid back place. Speaking only from personal experience, it's my belief that San Antonio is one of the most integrated places in Texas. I say this being an Anglo, and realize I cannot give the minority experience. However, my ex husband is Mexican, and my children resemble him; I have never faced any kind of friction over this in San Antonio (but have in Austin and Houston, even on short visits). San Antonio hosts the largest MLK day march in the nation, but it isn't a self-rightous kind of city (Austin, for example, probably WISHES it hosted the biggest march). Overall, it's more of a live and let live kind of city. I am very happy to be raising my family here.
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| I have read the good, bad and plain ole ugly. Have - 11/29/2011
wow, it can't be that bad;can it? I plan on relocating to San Antonio, Tx sometime next year. I only know what I have read;of course all readings are good till I started reading comments on this website lol. Other than driving through San Antonio to see a friend in Houston(gawd houston traffic sucked totally;I could never live in that suction seeping traffic hole to hell), I have never been there. I picked SA based on these categories...Not far from a beach(3+ hrs;not a bad drive & far enough to not worry about hurricanes)touristy,(remember the alamo?:-) for the most part, warm all year around (okay I may suffer in the summer, but I am willing to trade that for freezing in the winter(I am from Indiana)many military bases (just retired from the military and can get what I need off of a base. Also my bank, USAA is there. And last, but not least, I want to pursue my acting career. It is close to cali, so I can hop on a cheap plane to audition and be back by dinner:-)(cali is wayyy toooo expensive to move to.)I do believe I have picked the best place. I have not figured out where to live, because when I read the apt reviews at what appears to be great apartments, renters slam the places pretty bad.... places that had what I was looking for, but got dogged in reviews are
Presidio@ the Landmark 14200 Vance Jackson,SA78249 reccomended by 10%, The Haven at Westover Hills 9914 W. Military Drive SA,78251 recommended by 74%(not bad) The Haven at Blanco 15150 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX 78232 recommended by 58% The Retreat at Canyon Springs formerly Mansions at Canyon Springs24245 Wilderness Oaks,SA78258 I am in love with these but recommended by 32%? ****the overlook at westover hills 9850 Westover Hills BlvdSan Antonio, TX 78251 wish I could afford these but 1br starts at $1600. I don't want to spend more than $1200 for a 2br2ba attached garage, resort style pool, nice fitness center in a nice area with no drama(drugs,dog crap all over the place, nasty mgmt, loud college kids, racism;I am black cuban, etc) I don't think I am asking for too much for $1200 or less am I? North, south east or west? I haven't a clue, so tell me where I don't want to go. I am also willing to live in the country as long as it's no more than 30min away from SA. If you live or ever lived in SA and know a great apt/condo to live in,with reasonable prices or close nearby towns, please share thanks[read more...]
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| SAN ANTONIO, TX - 11/15/2011
i have lived in san antonio for most of my life. its a black hole. high unemployment rates, high eviction rates, high debt rates, lower cost of living, but they hit you with hidden fees. people are not very nice but at the same time it just depends on the side of town you live on. [read more...]
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