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As a transplant who has lived in different parts of Southern CA and that has lived here in SA for approx 1 year I will give you my honest opinion.
Cons
San Antonio has a lack of diversity compared to other cities of similar size. This city is 70%? hispanic. A drawback from this is a lack of high quality ethnic restaurants, not counting TexMex. By the way, the Mexican (not TexMex) food is better in California.
There is a lack of professional jobs in this city. Why? There is a large low skilled, uneducated workforce population in this city. This does not translate into a large educated young professional workforce in the city. This is the wrong place for young educated professionals, generally speaking. The UTSA grads that tend to stay in SA are either natives of SA or from smaller towns in Texas
Not the best place for singles. I am in my late 20's and most of the locals my age are married w/kids which means I date younger which I REALLY like but, see comment above. Is it just me but do a lot of people get married very young here?
The weather here is ok, but coming from southern CA it is nothing special. Summers here are HOT.
This city has a "small town" mentality. It doesn't like change and can be very resistant to change. Many (not all) people (the locals) here can very closed minded.
Not a lot to do here compared to other cities of similar population. Others on this board like to state the population of SA etc. but never mention the lack of amenities/attributes this city lacks compared to other cities of similar size. SA is one large “town” vs a metropolitan/cosmopolitan city like Dallas.
The drivers here are HORRIBLE, this is enough reason to leave this city. SA should start a advertisng campaign advising people to drive safer.
Pros
It is easy to survive here i.e. its easy to be poor here. Housing is cheap and VERY affordable. You do not need a great job to live in a nice area of town.
People here are very very friendly
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The Californians i have met here who like living here tend to be those from the inland parts i.e. Sacramento/ Fresno. Most do not like living here and will/want to leave when the timing is right, including myself. I have met others from different parts of the country who do enjoy SA so my opinion does not reflect ALL transplants.
You make a lot of factual "claims" that are not backed up or supported with any references.
Maybe you meant Miami when you said 70 percent of the population was Hispanic, because that's true of Miami according to the 2010 Census, but San Antonio is closer to 60 at 63 percent. The Hispanic population for Bexar county, which SA is the county seat, goes down to 58 percent.
In terms of single people and married people, well, according to Moderator cut: competitor site not permitted, which uses Census data, The percentage of married people in the city of San Antonio was 40 percent, which is below the national average of 47% and on par with places like Houston and Denver.
The single population for San Antonio was 59%, which again, is above the national average of 52 percent.
As for your claims about professional jobs and UTSA graduates, you provide no supporting evidence for either claim. Your definition of "professional" is simply ambiguous.
Next time, when you make claims, at least have some type of tangible support.
Last edited by BstYet2Be; 03-23-2012 at 07:42 AM..
Maybe you meant Miami when you said 70 percent of the population was Hispanic, because that's true of Miami according to the 2010 Census, but San Antonio is closer to 60 at 63 percent. The Hispanic population for Bexar county, which SA is the county seat, goes down to 58 percent.
Wrong!
What I love about San Antonio - the abundance of outdoor recreation that is available OUTSIDE of the city in the Hill Country.
What I hate about San Antonio - they'll give a driver's license to anybody.
You make a lot of factual "claims" that are not backed up or supported with any references......
This is why the OP asked for TRANSPLANTS to respond. They weren't looking for homers to defend the place. They wanted opinions from people that have made the move, ie. not you. Also, this isn't a scientific report. We don't need to present data and evidence. I'm sure there's a thread somewhere for you picking out the best burger in San Antonio, but this thread, again, was asking for TRANSPLANTS.
I used to think I needed a big city until I moved to my current location and realized I do not. Most important things are schools, safety and convenience. I don't want to drive 10-15 minutes to the closest grocery store.
Questions: Unbearable summers compared to what? I live in the south now and deal with wicked heat from April-October plus awful humidity and that is one thing that really worries me. I HATE the summers here, but I LOVE the winters. Are summers that long there?
My husbands job would be just North of the 410 loop near Blanco road. Where would be some good places to look at renting a home until we figure out where we would like to buy. Looking at no more than 2k a month for rent, good schools, and a family friendly, safe neighborhood.
Thanks!!
No matter where you live, you'll be driving 10-15 minutes to the grocery store.
Unbearable summers: 2 of the past 3 years had 50+ consecutive days over 100F. Expect a solid 6 months in the 90s.
As for where to live, go north till you pass Wurzbach, and then look from there until 1604, and a few miles east or west of there. Nice and safe, reasonably priced.
My impressions as a two year transplant from Central Texas. First, the city is fairly friendly compared to other areas. There are usual large city issues with crime, etc., but by and large it is a nice enough place. Traffic here is bad, and it is bad because of poor driving habits. The predictable slow down in evening on 10 West is caused by people waiting until the last possible second to work their way right to exit, and conversely by people wanting to shoot from an on-ramp across three lanes of traffic to the left lane. Lots of "me first' behavior on the highways, people will cut you off to exit when there is no one behind you for over a mile. Love the climate. The summers aren't much worse than what I am accustomed to, that's what A/C is for. The winters are excellent compared to the mid-west, pacific northwest, and the east coast. There is a decent restaurant population, but the quality is all over the place along with the consistency. You can go somewhere and get a fantastic meal, and return weeks later to have a poor experience. This seems to be the trend with most of the non-chain, locally owned places from the 'burbs to down town. Good availability of retail options from big-box chain places to high end stuff in many different areas of the city. Loads of chain stores all over the area and high end stuff in The Quarry, La Cantera, the Rim, and around Stone Oak. There really isn't anything I hate about it, but things that could use some work include the road infrastructure. 1604 is long overdue for expansion, widening, conversion to a complete limited access highway all the way around the loop, something... If the growth in the NW continues, 10 will need to be expanded from 1604 through at least Ralph Fair Rd. to keep up. It's already over congested during the evening rush hour. A city this size could use more mass transit options. I know, I know, light rail will never pass in Texas, I got it. DUI enforcement needs a lot more effort. There have been more wrong way DUI fatalities here than anywhere else I have, including all over the U.S., and abroad.
This is why the OP asked for TRANSPLANTS to respond. They weren't looking for homers to defend the place. They wanted opinions from people that have made the move, ie. not you. Also, this isn't a scientific report. We don't need to present data and evidence. I'm sure there's a thread somewhere for you picking out the best burger in San Antonio, but this thread, again, was asking for TRANSPLANTS.
I'm a transplant, and I think he put it nicely. (I might chime in with my own thoughts later on.) Folks who deal with Rackspace probably have a pretty good sense of the transplant perspective, too, as they bring in tons of folks.
To the OP: hopefully you've looked over this forum enough to figure out that some people love to bring negativity, and only negativity, to these conversations. That's fine, and even welcomed, of course, but please remember to keep it in context. (That's why "facts" can be important.)
I am a transplant twice over. I was born in a suburb of NYC, so I'm used to smaller towns and the metropolis. I also came back here after living in Houston, consistently touted as a cosmopolitan city. But I've been here long enough to know that some of the cons are simply based on choice, not because of a weakly implemented or lacking feature. That said, here are my pros/cons:
Cons
- Way too hot. I don't know how I was used to it before I left the first time, but I'm not at all used to it now.
- Scenery. I like the hill country, but the semi-arid climate and flora that accompany it are not my favorite. I'm used to hills, mountains, AND green, but, especially during droughts, our currently-green areas will turn brown in an instant.
- Sprawl. Chalk this up to living in Houston for so long (among the reasons I left it), but I used to have to drive EVERYWHERE. When I moved to SA, I drove less than I did in Houston, but it's still too much.
- People/culture. This encompasses the majority of complaints. People love to complain about XYZ, but few make an effort to change it. Also, the culture is Tejano-centric. I don't find this at all interesting. Also, as a black professional, I
think SA doesn't do enough (different from "doesn't have") to promote my culture or even others. You CAN find things, such as Greek and Lebanese festivals, but they're typically small for a metro of 2 million.
The other "people" problem is that often they complain about how the sprawl/lack of this or that is a problem, but are also contributing to it. I've only known two people (a couple) that ultimately decided to ditch sprawl and
move into the city. Most complain but contribute to it by going to big box stores or living further out. It doesn't help that employers also follow this trend. When this happens, the education problems plaguing the inner city
continue, and involved schools and parents are an exception rather than a norm.
- Grocery monopoly. HEB may be savvy at business, but I'd like to have alternatives. They WERE here when I first moved here (Albertson's, Kroger, Handy Andy), but those were long gone when I came back.
- Jobs. It's not that there aren't many, but it goes with the whole notion that SA is more family-oriented, i.e., entry-level jobs, which are more appropriate for someone my age, are lacking. I did a quick search this week, and entry-level jobs were in Austin, while experience, mid-level jobs were here. It's nigh-impossible for me to move up because I don't have any clearances, a grocery list of experience in various things, and I can't get a management role to save my life. Also, my age precludes me from even trying because of the rather obvious age discrimination. If you like San Antonio but you're starting out, you'll almost HAVE to move until you have the experience to come back. Once that happens, you'll either be handsomely or terribly compensated. I hardly hear anyone complain about being paid "average salary"--it's almost definitely "X pays below average for what you have to do" complaints.
Pros
- Convenience. I've lived outside 410/inside 1604 my entire time here, and grocery stores have been less than 10 minutes each time. I can currently walk, bike, bus, and drive to my current grocery store of choice. And I live in a safe neighborhood. I can also take the bus to work. In fact, I'm switching locations and going further north to the suburbs and still have good routes. I can go almost 2 weeks without going to the gas station with my wife and I sharing one car.
- Easy lifestyle/affordable. Some have tried to pressure me into buying things I don't really need, but I've been able to do more with less. Like I said, I avoid driving when I can, and I can still do everything I need to with no issues. Everything's affordable.
- Safe. I don't like the current neighborhood I live it, but despite that, I've still had no problems, even though I've moved closer to a traditionally less safe area.
- Unique. I don't think the city makes much of an effort to promote this, but there's a rich history and interesting things to take note of.
- Recreational activies. There are also plenty of things to do INSIDE the city, provided you go closer to downtown.
If anything, I've discovered that the city seemed that it could've been cosmopolitan-yet-still-small like New Orleans IF the cultural amenities SA had years ago stayed. What I've noticed is the city often had things
and lost them for whatever reason, and they just have returned, probably because of the "culture" issue. I admittedly don't care too much about how "cosmopolitan" a place is or how big it is, so my perception is different from
other transplants. But I thought I'd provide an alternate opinion than "San Antonio is bad because it isn't [insert city here] and you have to drive." Recently I would've probably told you I'd leave if I didn't want to make a difference,
but I'm starting to see that I don't have to change my lifestyle/way of thinking at all to enjoy what SA has to offer. It just takes a lot of research.
I am a transplant twice over. I was born in a suburb of NYC, so I'm used to smaller towns and the metropolis. I also came back here after living in Houston, consistently touted as a cosmopolitan city. But I've been here long enough to know that some of the cons are simply based on choice, not because of a weakly implemented or lacking feature. That said, here are my pros/cons:
Cons
- Way too hot. I don't know how I was used to it before I left the first time, but I'm not at all used to it now.
- Scenery. I like the hill country, but the semi-arid climate and flora that accompany it are not my favorite. I'm used to hills, mountains, AND green, but, especially during droughts, our currently-green areas will turn brown in an instant.
- Sprawl. Chalk this up to living in Houston for so long (among the reasons I left it), but I used to have to drive EVERYWHERE. When I moved to SA, I drove less than I did in Houston, but it's still too much.
- People/culture. This encompasses the majority of complaints. People love to complain about XYZ, but few make an effort to change it. Also, the culture is Tejano-centric. I don't find this at all interesting. Also, as a black professional, I
think SA doesn't do enough (different from "doesn't have") to promote my culture or even others. You CAN find things, such as Greek and Lebanese festivals, but they're typically small for a metro of 2 million.
The other "people" problem is that often they complain about how the sprawl/lack of this or that is a problem, but are also contributing to it. I've only known two people (a couple) that ultimately decided to ditch sprawl and
move into the city. Most complain but contribute to it by going to big box stores or living further out. It doesn't help that employers also follow this trend. When this happens, the education problems plaguing the inner city
continue, and involved schools and parents are an exception rather than a norm.
- Grocery monopoly. HEB may be savvy at business, but I'd like to have alternatives. They WERE here when I first moved here (Albertson's, Kroger, Handy Andy), but those were long gone when I came back.
- Jobs. It's not that there aren't many, but it goes with the whole notion that SA is more family-oriented, i.e., entry-level jobs, which are more appropriate for someone my age, are lacking. I did a quick search this week, and entry-level jobs were in Austin, while experience, mid-level jobs were here. It's nigh-impossible for me to move up because I don't have any clearances, a grocery list of experience in various things, and I can't get a management role to save my life. Also, my age precludes me from even trying because of the rather obvious age discrimination. If you like San Antonio but you're starting out, you'll almost HAVE to move until you have the experience to come back. Once that happens, you'll either be handsomely or terribly compensated. I hardly hear anyone complain about being paid "average salary"--it's almost definitely "X pays below average for what you have to do" complaints.
Pros
- Convenience. I've lived outside 410/inside 1604 my entire time here, and grocery stores have been less than 10 minutes each time. I can currently walk, bike, bus, and drive to my current grocery store of choice. And I live in a safe neighborhood. I can also take the bus to work. In fact, I'm switching locations and going further north to the suburbs and still have good routes. I can go almost 2 weeks without going to the gas station with my wife and I sharing one car.
- Easy lifestyle/affordable. Some have tried to pressure me into buying things I don't really need, but I've been able to do more with less. Like I said, I avoid driving when I can, and I can still do everything I need to with no issues. Everything's affordable.
- Safe. I don't like the current neighborhood I live it, but despite that, I've still had no problems, even though I've moved closer to a traditionally less safe area.
- Unique. I don't think the city makes much of an effort to promote this, but there's a rich history and interesting things to take note of.
- Recreational activies. There are also plenty of things to do INSIDE the city, provided you go closer to downtown.
If anything, I've discovered that the city seemed that it could've been cosmopolitan-yet-still-small like New Orleans IF the cultural amenities SA had years ago stayed. What I've noticed is the city often had things
and lost them for whatever reason, and they just have returned, probably because of the "culture" issue. I admittedly don't care too much about how "cosmopolitan" a place is or how big it is, so my perception is different from
other transplants. But I thought I'd provide an alternate opinion than "San Antonio is bad because it isn't [insert city here] and you have to drive." Recently I would've probably told you I'd leave if I didn't want to make a difference,
but I'm starting to see that I don't have to change my lifestyle/way of thinking at all to enjoy what SA has to offer. It just takes a lot of research.
This a really interesting, great, smart, and measured perspective on SA. I might not agree with all of it, but I'm glad to have read it. Kudos!
Its usually hot by June, and will stay hot through September.
There are many, many nice areas up and down Blanco Road. Generally, the further north you go from Loop 410 the better the schools will be and the safer the neighborhoods, but none of it is slums by any means.
I moved here from Dallas in 1975 and gladly stayed. It's not "weird" like Austin, but it sure is different. Nothing like the other big cities in Texas.
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The winters are excellent compared to the mid-west, pacific northwest, and the east coast. There is a decent restaurant population, but the quality is all over the place along with the consistency. You can go somewhere and get a fantastic meal, and return weeks later to have a poor experience. This seems to be the trend with most of the non-chain, locally owned places from the 'burbs to down town. Good availability of retail options from big-box chain places to high end stuff in many different areas of the city. Loads of chain stores all over the area and high end stuff in The Quarry, La Cantera, the Rim, and around Stone Oak. There really isn't anything I hate about it, but things that could use some work include the road infrastructure. 1604 is long overdue for expansion, widening, conversion to a complete limited access highway all the way around the loop, something... If the growth in the NW continues, 10 will need to be expanded from 1604 through at least Ralph Fair Rd. to keep up. It's already over congested during the evening rush hour. A city this size could use more mass transit options. I know, I know, light rail will never pass in Texas, I got it. DUI enforcement needs a lot more effort. There have been more wrong way DUI fatalities here than anywhere else I have, including all over the U.S., and abroad.
