Trying to see if SA is a good fit. HELP Please. (San Antonio: fit in, high crime)

[lsharp66]

My Husband was approached about running his corporate office in SA. Problem is, we have never been to San Antonio and really know nothing about it, so this is very nerve-wracking. We are currently living in a suburb of Raleigh, NC. I am a stay at home Mom currently to my 2 small children. We are looking for a safe, family friendly area preferably with other young families. The school system is VERY important. We prefer newer housing probably in the 400k range (or less!) with neighborhood amenities (pool,etc) close to shopping and restaurants. My Husband will be working close to SA Intl Airport so somewhere within 30 mins or so is ideal.

I read some threads on here that are pretty discouraging. The picture that this forum has painted for me is SA is mainly illegal Mexicans, poor, uneducated with a high crime rate. Also, that whites are not welcome in the area. Really? Is there any truth to this?

[pobre]

Originally Posted by lsharp66

My Husband was approached about running his corporate office in SA. Problem is, we have never been to San Antonio and really know nothing about it, so this is very nerve-wracking. We are currently living in a suburb of Raleigh, NC. I am a stay at home Mom currently to my 2 small children. We are looking for a safe, family friendly area preferably with other young families. The school system is VERY important. We prefer newer housing probably in the 400k range (or less!) with neighborhood amenities (pool,etc) close to shopping and restaurants. My Husband will be working close to SA Intl Airport so somewhere within 30 mins or so is ideal.

I read some threads on here that are pretty discouraging. The picture that this forum has painted for me is SA is mainly illegal Mexicans, poor, uneducated with a high crime rate. Also, that whites are not welcome in the area. Really? Is there any truth to this?

ZERO. Really. However, you would really want to visit to see for yourself. There are many areas here that would fit in with what you have described.

[lollygagger428]

From someone trying to leave SA with Raleigh as a possibility to move to, I'm sending you a PM.

[beaste]

There is a large Mexican presence but remember that Texas used to be a part of Mexico. Many of them are American citizens and hard working. I'd say that San Antonio is mostly 'blue collar' in terms of the work force, but there are some tech companies here and that sector is growing at a high rate.

Coming from Raleigh it'd be night and day for you. Be prepared to not see fall and spring. Cost of living, and land, is extremely low.

If you really want to live somewhere close to the airport and live closer to more whites I'd advise living in the north east and north sides of town (though the north side is a little bit farther).

I do miss the diversity of food having lived in Atlanta a bit. Seems 'diversity' of food here is between Tex Mex and BBQ but there are a few gems if you look.

As far as crime, yes I've heard that, but I really don't go to certain parts of town for that reason.

[Pancho-Villa]

High property crime- yup
High violent crime- nope
Lots of Mexicans- yup
Lots of illegals- no way to tell..not like they freely admit it...but probably yes.
Good amount of poor areas- yup
Good schools- like anywhere, some good, some not so good.
Diversity- IMO, nope.
Hope you like TexMex and/or BBQ

[beaste]

Originally Posted by Pancho-Villa

High property crime- yup
High violent crime- nope
Lots of Mexicans- yup
Lots of illegals- now way to tell..not like they freely admit it...but probably yes.
Good amount of poor areas- yup
Good schools- like anywhere, some good, some not so good.
Diversity- IMO, nope.
Hope you like TexMex and/or BBQ

To add about property crime, San Antonio has a problem with hit-and-runs in the city.

[bspray]

Originally Posted by pobre

ZERO. Really. However, you would really want to visit to see for yourself. There are many areas here that would fit in with what you have described.

While I will agree that San Antonio isn't necessarily as bad as the OP's perception comes across, there is far more truth in her statements than 'ZERO'.

Pancho Villa pretty much nailed it on the head.

-High property crime- yup
-High violent crime- nope
-Lots of Mexicans- yup
-Lots of illegals- now way to tell..not like they freely admit it...but probably yes.
-Good amount of poor areas- yup
-Good schools- like anywhere, some good, some not so good.
-Diversity- IMO, nope.
-Hope you like TexMex and/or BBQ

I will add to this list and say, if you are a white person and paying attention, yes the predominant culture can be rude to you based on your skin color. It is also possible that, depending on where your children go to school, they might get picked on for being white.

Inferring, from the way the OP's post was worded, I don't think you and your family would enjoy San Antonio much. You might enjoy Boerne if you can handle the heat but that is more than 30 minutes from the airport. Smithson Valley might be an option.

Personally, I would stay in Raleigh. It is a much nicer city to raise a family regardless of the problems in the financial industry these days. Raleigh is much more scenic too.

Having said that, San Antonio is a wonderful city to visit and I would highly recommend it for a winter vacation.

After having spent the better part of the last three decades in Texas, the state has a very high opinion of itself that isn't exactly warranted.

YMMV

[BoerneMan]

Originally Posted by lsharp66

My Husband was approached about running his corporate office in SA. Problem is, we have never been to San Antonio and really know nothing about it, so this is very nerve-wracking. We are currently living in a suburb of Raleigh, NC. I am a stay at home Mom currently to my 2 small children. We are looking for a safe, family friendly area preferably with other young families. The school system is VERY important. We prefer newer housing probably in the 400k range (or less!) with neighborhood amenities (pool,etc) close to shopping and restaurants. My Husband will be working close to SA Intl Airport so somewhere within 30 mins or so is ideal.

I read some threads on here that are pretty discouraging. The picture that this forum has painted for me is SA is mainly illegal Mexicans, poor, uneducated with a high crime rate. Also, that whites are not welcome in the area. Really? Is there any truth to this?

I think San Antonio would be a great fit for you, but it will be a change. I have lived in the Carolinas before, and I would say that from a family friendly and economic growth perspective, San Antonio is similar to Raleigh, Charlotte, Greenville, etc. There are many young, educated families that reside here and that population is growing quickly. The economy here is booming and is driven by medical/biotech (including military-related), financial services, IT (information security is a big growth area here), oil and gas (growing quickly) and tourism (San Antonio is the #1 leisure destination in Texas).

The type of areas you are looking for a fairly concentrated, so it should make it easy for you to look around. I will recommend three areas of town with great schools and the type of neighborhood you are looking for:

Alamo Heights. In the city but feels like a small town for the most part. Great shopping, restaurants, very good schools. At your price range, the house will be fairly small due to high prices in the area (I'm guessing 2000-2400 sf max, but a realtor and quick online search will be able to show you that). Very close to the airport (5-10 minutes). Houses are older and may require work. Lots of stay at home moms.

Stone Oak/Northeast Independent School District. Big growth area with sprawling new suburban style neighborhoods that include the amenities you are looking for. Tons of restaurants and traffic too, but not more than 20-25 minutes from the airport in most areas. Also, look a little further east of Stone Oak to Cibolo Canyons. Will offer the biggest house out of the three areas I'm listing for you.

Boerne/Fair Oaks Ranch. Some of the best schools in the area along with Alamo Heights. Small historic town with shopping and locally owned restaurants. Only 15 minutes to the best shopping in the city (Shops at La Cantera), but 25-40 minutes to the airport area depending on the time of day. Many stay at home moms. Many house options above your price range, but I would suggest you look at Herff Ranch or the Woods at Frederick Creek to start as extremely family friendly communities in your price range.

All these areas are very safe and will be close to what you are used to. Just remember that we have solid limestone under the ground here, so trees don't get as tall as you are used to and you will see more limestone/stucco in construction here that you do in Raleigh. Also, there are tons of things to do with kids here - SeaWorld is great and season passes are cheap, the zoo is nice, a beautiful new children's museum is under construction and much more.

Don't believe all that other stuff you are reading - I have been here over 10 years and haven't experienced any issues. If it's a good opportunity for your husband, I think this area will be great for you.

[BoerneMan]

And don't listen to people that claim there is only Tex-Mex and BBQ in this city. I can easily list 50+ restaurants worthy of your time (and all locally owned) and none of them would be Tex-Mex or BBQ (although some of those are great too).

[beaste]

Originally Posted by BoerneMan

And don't listen to people that claim there is only Tex-Mex and BBQ in this city. I can easily list 50+ restaurants worthy of your time (and all locally owned) and none of them would be Tex-Mex or BBQ (although some of those are great too).

There's other food places as well as food trucks. One of the things I miss here being in Texas is a good Greek / Mediterranean / Turkish place. I haven't found anywhere yet in Texas that has a good place for that though.

Still I wouldn't say SA is as food diverse as other metropolitan cities but there are some gems.

OP, Raleigh would seem like a better fit for you.