Moving our family to San Antonio....would love some insight from locals! (Mission: to rent, new home)

[andrewcool]

Family
I would truly state that the City of San Antonio is a great place to raise a family. You have alot of attractions that will entertain them for a while, alot of families, which would make it easy to connect. However, I believe the average median age of a family might be younger (people start having families younger here).
Crime
Crime is spoty, some areas with obvious don't go here, and others were you wonder why you pay taxes for a police force.
Education
Education, like anywhere, is location, location, location and luck. You can have great elementary school, but have a horrible middle school and great High School. It really depends on the whole feeder process in which most districts follow.
Cost of Living
Cost of Living is low...period.
Low Wages
Wages, as low too here in San Antonio. I would secure employment before moving.
Overall

I would say, San Antonio is a great place to raise a family, however, I would not buy into any location. I would rent, as previously suggested because of various reasons. One, there are always new housing developments where you can start from scratching, in terms of getting the house you want. Second, You need to get a feel for what type of area you want to live in/work in. In San Antonio, where you work, is not always the best place to live in. Third, Commute times vary widely, for anything. You might be in a location where a 15min drive is necessary for the movies, and sometimes to go grocery shopping. Other times, its your work that is the longest commute, which is different of course.

I would also suggest looking into the Northwest Area, near Seaworld. Alot of housing developments are opening up, and with access to 151 (quick ride to downtown).

[My_3_M_Angels]

I would definitely stay away from the Sea World area as recommended. I used to live there 5 years ago and that area has only declined. We live in Canyon Springs as well and love the area. Many many young family transplants from all over the US in this area and surrounding including Stone Oak. Traffic is an issue at times, but not a nightmare nor any different then any area around the city at peak times and definitely worth the trade off to live here in my opinion. San Antonio is the perfect family friendly city and many many things to do with kids if you venture out.

Eta: We just moved from the Helotes area and thats also a pretty good area. We lived off Kyle Seale Pkwy in Sonoma Ranch and Beard elementary is a top notch elementary with the middle school and high school close by. Helotes gives you a small town feel with access to Bandera and La Cantera/Fiesta Tx. Helotes has monthly movie nights in the park, Cornyval and many family oriented things to do. We enjoyed living there too.

[ItsTheTruth]

Another vote to stay away from SeaWorld (or anywhere along 1604 west of Bandera) if you can afford it. I'm always baffled when people suggest living on the west side. You live there when you can't afford a better area. It's not a slum but it is on the decline, and considering how cheap real estate is here, why wouldn't you go to a better area for not much more money?

[JosephV55]

Originally Posted by mmaninja

We are white folks and I speak limited Spanish, but my wife doesn't speak It at all....will this pose a problem?

This has not been an issue for me.

What are your thoughts on this area and also the impact of a cross-town commute during rush hour times?

I would not want to be dealing with that, but that is just me.

I live only 2 miles from the office and am thankful I do not have
to deal with the stress & time of a long commute.

[mb64]

I relocated here in 2008 from the East Coast (CT). Let me reassure you its a great place to live! I can't imagine going back there for more than a visit. I find the cultural diversity here adds to its charm. It is reflected in the faces, cuisine and the architecture. People here are kind, helpful and friendly for the most part. It is a beautiful city with lots of history and is generally clean and safe (due to tourism?) in my opinion. Every city in the US has its problems and we are no exception, however as indicated it is easily avoided.
I rented for a 2 years, and STRONGLY suggest you do at first to really get a feel for it. I didn't understand then, but all the recommendations I got on here before I came were right on the money.

I chose to buy on the North side just outside 1604, (not far from Stone Oak- I thought the houses were overpriced there) and love the area. Traffic is always tight at rush hour, but no worse than CT/NYC commute! I have no children, but my friends are happy with NEISD.

There is a saying "I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could!"

[elmariachi]

I didn't mean to imply that SA was filled with thugs, merely, that like any large city, there are some and they can be easy to avoid. In, addition, we live near 410, and my wife and I both work near downtown, so we might see them much more than those who live to the north.

[CLR210]

I think you are making a very wise choice to raise your family here. San Antonio is extremely friendly and family oriented. I'm in agreement with everyone else, I would not buy a home until I've lived here for a while via renting first. I moved here 22 years ago and am so glad that we didn't buy right off the bat. The area we rented in was highly recommended at the time but after living there for only a short few months, we realized it just didn't fit with our family lifestyle or taste. As far as thugs and crime, dependent upon where you end up living, you shouldn't have any issues. Sure, there are pockets in the city that I'd shy away from but I roam the majority of the city with no fear or safety concern what so ever.

Knowing Spanish is not required but if you do want to learn how to speak it, there are plenty of Spanish speakers here who would love to teach you. Just be careful because some jokesters will teach you words/phrases that you probably don't want to know or use in mixed company to get a rise out of you.

As far as desirable neighborhoods/schools, there are lots of them here to choose from dependent upon what you are looking for. To echo everyone else Stone Oak is a great area with great schools but you may not like the traffic and your commute to work could be brutally frustrating if you are traveling across town..

I personally wouldn't listen to the naysayers about the Sea World area on the Northwest side. I'm sure there may be a few neighborhoods that could be declining but there are TONS of great new neighborhoods, especially outside of Loop 1604 in the Alamo Ranch area.

My hubby and I started to look to build a new home about 3 years ago. We looked at Stone Oak but the traffic and commute to work were deal breakers for us. Hubby's commute to his work would have fueled his already high blood pressure.

We checked out every subdivision and builder in Alamo Ranch. The neighborhoods are all very nice but we weren't happy with a few who sacrificed more trees than they needed to. Most had recreation areas of some sort with soccer fields, swimming pools, playgrounds, etc. Some of the swimming pools are like mini waterparks with fountains, slides, twisty tube things, etc. Many neighborhoods are gated and all have HOA's. I found a few HOA's that got a bit silly with their restrictions but for the most part the majority were very reasonable on their rules. There are a couple of new schools that were built for the area but not having kids at home anymore, I don't know much about them. I've heard they are really good though. Home prices varied from one neighborhood/builder to another but they seem to run from the low 200's to the high 400s.

You've probably figured out by now that we chose Alamo Ranch by now and I can tell you that we could not be happier with our choice. We've been here for 7 months and love it. Hubsters commute to work is easy and quick. I LOVE shopping being so close by and there are lots of things in the area for entertainment purposes. We don't regret our decision for a second and I'm so glad there weren't any naysayers on here when I was first inquiring about the area. Hope this helps and good luck with your move.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by ItsTheTruth

Another vote to stay away from SeaWorld (or anywhere along 1604 west of Bandera) if you can afford it. I'm always baffled when people suggest living on the west side. You live there when you can't afford a better area. It's not a slum but it is on the decline, and considering how cheap real estate is here, why wouldn't you go to a better area for not much more money?

So you're excluding everything from the Helotes area to Alamo Ranch in that? If so, that poor advice that hopefully the OP doesn't take to heart.

The far west side (e.g. Westcreek) may be having problems but there are plenty of great communities on the NW side that are worth considering...

[teenwolf80]

Please don't listen to/ignore people saying avoid the far west side.

[mmaninja]

Wow! I must say that I am overwhelmed by the responses! If the way all of you folks took time out of your day to respond to a stranger, is any indication of the kindness of San Antonions, I am already excited about our new home! Thank you all so much! I will be reviewing your responses tonight with my wife and I'm sure that we will have plenty of collective follow up questions for you great people! More to follow and from the bottom of ky heart, THANK YOU ALL for your time and help you are providing my family!