Is the Alamo Heights area racist? (San Antonio, New Braunfels: best neighborhoods, apartment, buying a house)

[rd2007]

I don't live anywhere near AH (I live in Westcreek), but I stare at every driver that's going down my street, no matter what skin color or language they speak. Nothing wrong with letting strangers know that someone is watching them..

[SA Greed]

Originally Posted by rd2007

I don't live anywhere near AH (I live in Westcreek), but I stare at every driver that's going down my street, no matter what skin color or language they speak. Nothing wrong with letting strangers know that someone is watching them..

How do you know what language they speak by just staring?

[Chakapu]

I have read in one of my SA history books that until relatively recently (1970s I think) AH did not allow 'persons of color" to purchase property in AH. I believe the officials laws have changed but that doesn't mean the attitudes have.

I do know several Hispanic people who live there. I also know several white people live in AH who are not the least bit racist and would welcome anyone new. That said, there seems to be a sort of 'everyone knows everyone else' atmosphere there, which can be less than welcoming to newcomers.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by Chakapu

I have read in one of my SA history books that until relatively recently (1970s I think) AH did not allow 'persons of color" to purchase property in AH. I believe the officials laws have changed but that doesn't mean the attitudes have.

I do know several Hispanic people who live there. I also know several white people live in AH who are not the least bit racist and would welcome anyone new. That said, there seems to be a sort of 'everyone knows everyone else' atmosphere there, which can be less than welcoming to newcomers.

Having done tons of public records research, it's not uncommon to find old deeds that have that kind of restrictions in the wording of the 'deed'....and that is all over the county....in other Texas counties and other states. AH does not have the market on that, nor did they invent it. I've done, 50 year, 80 year and LONG chains of title that go all the way back to the original Spanish land grants where land was traded for anything...cattle, specie etc.
As property was sold, it was common to copy older documents verbatim. Later they resorted to just referring to the volume and page number of past deeds to the same property or parcels of it. If the parcel of land did not change, this saved them from having it re-surveyed and they could just say "see vol xyz, page 123, for the "metes and bounds". IF there is anything in a document as recently as 1970, it's only due to that manner of handling deeds.
I personally have never seen them past the 50's....and those were still from very early references. Remember....I'm talking about many areas outside of AH.....and the actually terminology would have been "Mexican, Negro or Mulatto". Castillion Spanish was perfectly acceptable! Go figure.....
At least the world has changed for the better in that regard!

Sorry...can't help myself when it comes to historical bits of trivia!

Ditto to what wCat said. Nowadays, a title policy will include an exception to any recorded covenants and restrictions on a piece of land, except for the ones that violate Fair Housing rules. Any restrictions that include language limiting who can buy a property based on their race, sex or creed is automatically illegal and automatically thrown out. So while the language is still there, it is not enforceable. Most subdivisions and residential communities developed before around 1965 will have that language; Alamo Heights is not unique in that regard.

For a major example, look at Levittown, New York, one of the first master-planned suburbs. It was designed explicitly for Anglo Veterans of WWII. Or you can look up the idea of redlining on wikipedia.

[ryneone]

Originally Posted by wehotex

i noticed that deb myers realty website (can i say that?) until recently had an "all white" cast. i am mex-american, so i tend to notice this type of thing when i'm looking for somebody to help me. then recently, i noticed that she finally decided to color it up a bit and be inclusive. when i looked up the helpful #s section of her website, i found that there were #s listed for every organization EXCEPT the hispanic chamber of commerce, which she did include the name, but NO phone #. "juanita" probably forgot to get it for her.
Coming from calif, but being a native of texas, i think that san antonio has come a long way from where it was 20 years ago. but i find that the city itself is segregated, not b/c of any open hostility or discrimination, but b/c of mex- americans lacking the means to move into the more wealthy parts of town like stone oak, monte vista, AH, etc.

but don't let that real estate agency get to you. i think that you'll find maybe the elderly anglos to be a bit more snooty. i've heard them make comments like ex:"i don't want a mexican doctor". this is b/c they're just not used to the idea of it. the 40s and younger will more than likely care more about your monied status than anything else, just like everywhere else.

good luck to you and welcome.

p.s: AH is a big time speed trap! please watch your speed.

Coming from someone who is a little younger (19) This statement is just wrong. Maybe one or two "elderly Anglos" are like this but Hispanics are caught talking about Hispanics more in this town. I think its said that the younger generations Hispanics (or Mexicans what ever you prefer) are looking down upon there own ethnic background.

[CamaroGuy]

All I can say is that I've visited San Antonio twice and it seemed like a very tolerant city. I tended to see far more mixed couples of Whites/Hispanics than in Los Angeles.

[patricktherogue]

As a white guy who grew up on the West Side, I can say that there is some race consciousness but not much real outright racism in San Antonio.

I wish you luck in your search for a house, all I ask is that you don't pay more than something is worth.

I see alot of posts coming from California and Arizona asking how much they can get for 700K. Well, the answer is five houses and a truck, in San Antonio. So don't come in looking to spend that much. The houses near the coasts (west and east) are priced completely out of all bounds of reason. And their prices are artificially inflated by govt taxes and fees, and by crazy speculators who are driving house prices up. It simply does not cost that much to throw up the boxes of sticks that are so cheaply made that we call houses in our country today.

In four years I will retire from the Marine Corps and I would like to go back to my hometwon, so please, just pay a reasonable local rate and not some insane San Diego or Phoenix price. That will just ruin it for the rest of us.

Semper Fi,
PTR

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by ryneone

Coming from someone who is a little younger (19) This statement is just wrong. Maybe one or two "elderly Anglos" are like this but Hispanics are caught talking about Hispanics more in this town. I think its said that the younger generations Hispanics (or Mexicans what ever you prefer) are looking down upon there own ethnic background.

i'm not sure that i understand what you mean.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by CamaroGuy

All I can say is that I've visited San Antonio twice and it seemed like a very tolerant city. I tended to see far more mixed couples of Whites/Hispanics than in Los Angeles.

i've lived in both and can honestly say that south texas has more mexican americans that have been here for multiple generations, and are more americanized than those in so cal. many of the mexican ancestry people over there in LA were either 1st or 2nd generation, illegal and legal. that's why they are so militant over there and all of that "aztlan" cr*p has taken root. the chance that you might find a middle class mex american, in my experience was less likely in LA than here in san antonio.