How long will it be before San Antonio surpass Philadelphia? (Dallas: home, neighborhoods)

[martinez4]

Inherently, there is no comparsion between San Antonio and Philly.....two distinct areas that are totally different. As a gal born in Philly, I love the town (was there on vaca just two years ago) but it is extremely different from San Antonio.

The population of Philly is much denser....there are many row homes, downtown high rise apts, etc. There is a much bigger sprawl here so a population number comparsion is really misleading. According to stats: Philly = 135 sq miles San Antonio =412 sq miles

[wCat]

Originally Posted by martinez4

Inherently, there is no comparsion between San Antonio and Philly.....two distinct areas that are totally different. As a gal born in Philly, I love the town (was there on vaca just two years ago) but it is extremely different from San Antonio.

The population of Philly is much denser....there are many row homes, downtown high rise apts, etc. There is a much bigger sprawl here so a population number comparsion is really misleading. According to stats: Philly = 135 sq miles San Antonio =412 sq miles

very good points!

[oldmanshirt]

Although it seems inevitable that SA proper will at some point pass Philly in population (thought it will never look like Philly, for which I am very grateful), I too would like to see the growth more dispersed into the surrounding towns and into portions of the city that have not seen the kind of growth that the overburdened far north and west sides have seen. I'm talking about inside 410, downtown, the east side, and the south and far south sides. Fortunately, developers have been taking chances on these areas with great, well-planned developments such as River North, Espada, and the Preserve at Medina Lake.

While I don't necessarily agree that the influx of people into the SA area needs to slow down, I agree with those who are talking about infill and would also suggest that for the sake of SA's current citizens, more of the surrounding cities need to be taking on some of this growth, even if it means abandoning that safe, small-town feel that so many seem to cherish. Luckily, I think this is happening right now, as SA's appetite for annexation has been satiated somewhat, and cities such as New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo, Seguin, Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch, Helotus, Castroville, Floresville, Pleasanton, and Jourdanton are now outpacing the percentage growth of SA proper, and areas to the south such as Von Ormy are either incorporating or planning to incorporate. This, I believe, will only serve to benefit the greater area over time and promote more dispersed and balanced growth.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by wCat

For growth sake, I agree to a certain point....if it's planned right...

Bingo! Uncontrolled growth, and not growth itself, is the problem. Everybody understands why a lot of people want to move to San Antonio...great weather, beautiful countryside, friendly people, lots to do. But the rate in which housing developments rise up without the ncessary infrastructure (roads, schools, etc) is alarming. As such, the city is constantly trying to catch up, and in the mean time we have to pay the price for the lag.

The question is who has oversight on this, and what are they doing about it? From my perspective, I think the only focus is on $$$...and the more people who show up, the more $$$ is made. However, that means other things are being sacrificed.

I love it here, and I am one of the "guilty" as I am not a native Texan. I do not advocate keeping others from moving here, I only wish that an effort would be made to regulate the growth in San Antonio so we don't see the things disappear that drew people here in the first place!

Cheers! M2

[martinez4]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

I love it here, and I am one of the "guilty" as I am not a native Texan. I do not advocate keeping others from moving here, I only wish that an effort would be made to regulate the growth in San Antonio so we don't see the things disappear that drew people here in the first place!

Cheers! M2

Amen and ditto!!

[imthrowed94]

Originally Posted by SnappyBob

imthrowed94. Are you, by any chance, an elected San Antonio official?

No I'm Not an elected official just an ordinary citizen. And to the person who ask why is it a big deal to lure certain ethnicies here I said that for better diversity. I think like for example it would be nice to have a chinatown here that would be great for the tourist that come here since were already a tourist town. Since the city has no plans to annex any land in the near future that's great because they don't need to. oldman is right we do need more development on the west, south, downtown, and east side even though i think the city should annex more land to the east side to help balance the growth. And of course we will never look like Philly who would think that would happen?

[imthrowed94]

I wasn't gonna say this but I have to speak on it for the man who ask the question about certain ethnicities. Do more people of certain groups moving here worry you? It would spice up the city and make it more lovely i think.

[imthrowed94]

Originally Posted by wCat

I'm confused too. Philidelphia is a great place to visit, but they have major problems with crime and other things. Why pick that city? And why to we want to have a bigger more congested population? I don't understand why "more" is better in this question.

It makes me crazy to see lot sizes getting smaller and developers squeezing people into tighter communities here. And...in the high dollar areas things are going vertical. But I also hate the raw land and hill country being swallowed up too. Why don't we just tread water here for a while and let the city services and road construction catch up to the already increasing population boom in Texas? I think SA needs to catch it's breath!

Your right when you said more or bigger doesn't mean better. We do need balance and smart growth for real. And crime, water and road construction are serious matters we need to be concered about. We're not in a race with Philly and i don't see it that way so everybody calm down please no it's not that serious. The reason why I wrote this thread was to just start a conversation you know just to discuss it. Maybe i should have explained myself a little better. But believe me if we never catch Philadelphia I won't shed any tears or have a heart attack there's more important issues in life to worry about.

[SweethomeSanAntonio]

Originally Posted by wCat

very good points!

San Antono recently annexed a large portion of far south San Antonio.In 2000 San Antonio had 333 square miles with nearly 1.2 million people.San Antonio now cover 400 or so sq miles but it's a lot of undeveloped land.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by imthrowed94

No I'm Not an elected official just an ordinary citizen. And to the person who ask why is it a big deal to lure certain ethnicies here I said that for better diversity. I think like for example it would be nice to have a chinatown here that would be great for the tourist that come here since were already a tourist town. Since the city has no plans to annex any land in the near future that's great because they don't need to. oldman is right we do need more development on the west, south, downtown, and east side even though i think the city should annex more land to the east side to help balance the growth. And of course we will never look like Philly who would think that would happen?

Why try to drawl in cultures that haven't already been drawn in? I mean, there is already a rich heritage of Mexican and Germany culture in this town and surrounding areas, isn't that enough? I don't see the benefit of a "Chinatown" to attract more tourists. There are plenty of big cities in the US that have an established Chinese population. People come here for what has already been established, both culturally and more modern attractions such as SeaWorld, Six Flags and the RiverWalk. San Antonio has a lot going for it, more so than most every other city in the US in my opinion, and doesn't need any "help" to be more popular...

Cheers! M2