Why/what do you like about living in SA? (Houston: fit in, real estate)

[Drraider82]

The traffic? If you mean the congestion, it's really not as bad as a lot of other places. If you mean the drivers, yes, we have some of the most moronic drivers.

[pobre]

Originally Posted by naj609

I dislike:
There isn't a sense of community(gated & everyone ignores each other)
School District (my child isn't able to enroll in PreK, we make too much $/aren't military & she speaks english. Where's the importance of early childhood education!?)
Shopping (so many rude people & just walking away from your buggy taking up the entire aisle)
Traffic ( no explaintion needed )
Horrible public transportation
Racism(if not of Hispanic culture)

What I like:
The Riverwalk
Weather
Historic

PreK: Universal PreK is VERY RARE. If you don't qualify here, it is unlikely you will qualify anywhere else. SOme areas still don't even offer all day Kindergarten.
Shopping: I agree
Traffic: NOTHING compared to major cities.
Public Transport: Agree, especially if you are away from downtown.
Racism: Have to disagree here, at least in my personal experience. I'm as far from Hispanic as you can get.
Weather: TOO HOT!!

So, you see, everything is a matter of opinion.

[Chaka]

What we like:

*Incredible sense of community, neighbor kids interacting like extended family, in and out of each other's houses, knowing we have people around on whom we could call on a moment's notice to help (we have no family here).
*being able to walk anywhere (except to a real grocery store)
*incredible number of activities for families and non-families (too many really, we often feel like we're missing out when we skip things, there's just too much to do)
*Neighborhood school - we're not native Spanish speakers so love the dual-language immersion program at our local public school, providing my kids the opportunity to learn to speak another language fluently
*Neighborhood school - love walking/cycling/riding a scooter to our neighborhood school, along with loads of other neighbors. Seeing the kids walk together, or timing it so they can catch up with each other is such fun. Our younger child is in a private pre-K, we didn't even consider the limited slots in the district
*The weather, usually
*The fabulous art scene
*The unique and interesting restaurant options within a short walk of our home
*The diversity of my neighborhood (ethnic, religious, and other)

All at a reasonably affordable price to live. I have no great love for SA as a city, it's not my first choice, but since our jobs are here and we've built a life here, we love our community.

ps - I'm not from here. Have lived on both coasts and in the middle, as well as a number of cities abroad. I first arrived in SA as a single young 30-something with no intention of staying long term, met another single young 30 something with no intention of staying, married, had kids, and here we are with no immediate plans to leave. if we do, it'll be to move abroad.

[TXEX06]

I'll echo what SMU stated. You picked the wrong area of town to live in.

I live in the Southtown area like chaka and will also echo everything she stated. This morning I jogged into downtown and worked out at Gold's gym and then stopped by Sip afterwards for a latte and breakfast before walking the river back home. I live in a loft and my wife and I are always hanging out at the pool with our neighbor's or having each other over to drink and relax on the patio. Every Thursday people living in the Southtown/King William area meet at Liberty Bar for happy hour together.

I grew up in Sweden and lived in Michigan and Pennsylvania before my family moved here and I have never experienced any racism. I teach at an inner city school and the kids and parents are fantastic!

Very little tagging where I live also. If something does get tagged the city removes it the same day.

[LindaGrace]

My favorite thing about San Antonio is that there is always something to do. I've been in a PhD program with Saturday classes these past four and a half years and I feel like I missed so much cool stuff. Happily, I will be defending soon and graduating in December is I'll have my life back and will spend Saturdays doing cool stuff around town with my husband and my bestie in tow!

I also love my neighborhood. We live just inside the loop (loop 410, just to be clear) and feel a great sense of community. Our neighbors are wonderful and it appears they like us too There are only a few kids on our block but they spend tons of time riding bikes and playing in their front yards - reminds me a lot of growing up in my teeny hometown. We have almost no tagging. The only time I see it is when I'm driving on Babcock or Fred (they're the big streets bordering my neighborhood).

We just bought our wonderful 1959 MCM home in 2010 and we never even considered anything outside 410. I am not a suburbs person at all. In fact, if my husband hadn't had an opinion, we would live even further inside the loop! As it is, I have a 2.7 mike commute to work and my husband has a 4.8 mile commute and that makes me happy on many levels.

I get really tired of summer but don't miss actual cold and snow. I miss seeing red brick buildings. I miss being within an easy drive to a Major League Baseball team (although we are big Missions fans). I miss the vibe of the Midwest, which is something I can't put into words. I miss the crisp cleanliness of the Midwest. I miss planting and harvest.

I've also never experienced any racism personally (I'm white) although my African American friends have (at the hands of white people, mostly).

All that said, my husband and I are happy here. We love our neighborhood and love all the fun stuff around the city. And since he's a native Texan (grew up in the Valley), we will never leave. And I'm ok with that.

[lollygagger428]

Originally Posted by LindaGrace

I get really tired of summer but don't miss actual cold and snow. I miss seeing red brick buildings. I miss being within an easy drive to a Major League Baseball team (although we are big Missions fans). I miss the vibe of the Midwest, which is something I can't put into words. I miss the crisp cleanliness of the Midwest. I miss planting and harvest.

I read this to my wife and she said, "YES, that's it; that's what I miss! The mid-west architecture, going to Cubs or Cardinal games, and the smell of fall and winter!"

[taraox]

We're kind of in the same boat, I just don't see the appeal.. similar experience on everything but the schools, cause I don't have kids. But yea. I moved here in the spring and I just haven't adjusted well. I can see why it might be great for others, but it just hasn't been for me at all. I can't really find a reason to stay so I'm leaving in December. I've definitely noticed the racism thing (despite having tons of Hispanic friends back in CA, so I really don't understand.. tends to be moreso at my college though, I've never had an issue with any older people), and the traffic seems so much worse to me than anything I ever experienced anywhere else. And it's not just 'traffic', it's crazy people in monster trucks trying to run you off the road :| I also don't love the intense summer heat, and the way everything is so spaced out.. Like nothing is in walking distance where I am. But at the same time, I like the general area so it was still a better choice for me than anywhere else in the city. Something else that really bothers me for some reason is the turn-around things on the freeways, I can't wrap my mind around why I can't just turn left at a darn intersection. But I digress. This isn't really specific to SA but I always seem to get caught driving in intense rain, and that scares me because people don't seem to slow down or be cautious. I miss really good coastal sushi (sorry Texas, not your strong point haha) and having more diverse food options within a local distance (I really don't like Mexican food or tex mex so that's been an adjustment). But there IS delicious bbq options so that's been nice. What I do like is the people (the majority have been really friendly and kind, like even just the people you run into at the grocery store are nice).. And I like the general Stone Oak area, how it's nice and peaceful and hilly. Friendly neighbors, fairly safe. LOVE the La Cantera area for shopping and dining.. also love the Marriot for a relaxing spa day. I didn't love the heat in August but I like the general climate and how it's mild and still warm, while other states are starting to get chilly. It's okay not to love it, not everyone does. But I can also understand why some people do.. Personally though, it's just not my cup of tea for a long term situation

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by taraox

I miss really good coastal sushi (sorry Texas, not your strong point haha) and having more diverse food options within a local distance (I really don't like Mexican food or tex mex so that's been an adjustment). But there IS delicious bbq options so that's been nice.

This really points out how different various parts of the city are.

Where I live I can walk to:
Bliss
Taco Haven
Bite
La Frite
Azuca
La Foccacia (though not the best Italian, I'd rather make my own)
The Monterey
Alamo St Eat Bar
Friendly Spot
Liberty Bar
Mission #4 (Food truck place)
Blue Star
Halcyon
Stella (Pizza place)
*A new tapas place but it's had bad reviews so far
China Garden but as I don't like fast food it's not that appealing...

And of course all the stuff on the Riverwalk but there's little there that appeals. If I want to drive 5 minutes (or cycle), I can go to the Pearl area and hit:
Il Sogno
Nao
Midtown Arcade
and now, Tuk Tuk

We're definitely lacking in Indian and other quality Asian places, though the food truck offerings provide a range of things.

I agree on sushi. We have some fair options, but we're not on the coast so I don't expect as much.


When I first moved to SA I lived in the Med Center and later on the far NW. I was counting the days until I moved away. Then I decided that if I was going to live here, even for a year or two (the extent of my contract), I wanted to live in a place that made SA unique, as opposed to "anywhere, USA." So I moved to Southtown. Back then there was hardly anything here, but it was worth it. This area is not for everyone, but we love it.

SA is definitely not for everyone, but the way I see it, if I have to live here (for jobs or other personal reasons), I'm going to find a way to enjoy it, and I did.

[BoerneMan]

I have lived from coast to coast, and have spent over 10 years in San Antonio/Boerne now. It took some adjusting that first year or so, but I love it here - it is one of the best places in the country to raise a family.

What I like:

- Uniqueness of the city (it really stands out compared to places like Dallas and Houston)
- Low cost of living
- Weather from late September through June
- Public schools (Boerne ISD)
- The Hill Country and its small towns
- Friendly, down to earth people (very little pretentiousness) and great sense of community around Boerne
- Texas values (family, freedom, religion)
- The Spurs
- The vastly improving culinary scene
- The Pearl/River North area and Southtown/King William (urban neighborhoods with character)
- The extensive history
- State Parks (Guadalupe River, Pedernales Falls, Enchanted Rock, Lost Maples, etc)
- Leon Creek Greenway, Brackenridge Park/zoo/Japanese Tea Gardens, Government Canyon hiking
- The Riverwalk when I'm feeling like a tourist
- The Majestic Theater and the under construction Tobin Center
- Great museums (and an awesome Children's Museum under construction)
- Tubing on the Comal or Guadalupe
- Cibolo Nature Center
- Easy to get around town at almost all times compared to other cities (even Austin and Houston are much worse)
- Running into people I know all over town

What I don't like:

- Bad drivers
- July-September heat
- Fire ants/scorpions
- People not taking pride in their home/landscaping (it's all about curb appeal even if you're not selling!)
- Lack of small pocket parks near neighborhoods with playgrounds and other amenities
- Small city mindset/people that assume that we play second fiddle to Dallas/Houston and even Austin (it doesn't have to be that way!)
- Lack of rain at times (Ha - just started pouring outside)
- Lack of attractive streetscapes with landscaped medians, bike lanes, wide sidewalks (I despise continuous turn lanes on streets)
- Access roads (I understand that landowners are king in Texas and want easy accessibility, but this creates more traffic by turning highways into "Main Street")

Overall, a great place to live!

[LovingSAT]

Originally Posted by naj609

I'm having a hard time adjusting to San Antonio, we moved here 6 months ago. Please share why you continue living here. Maybe from my dislikes, what/where I'm missing it. Thanks!

About me:
We've lived coast to coast & I was raised in the Midwest. Family of 3 with a preschooler( Non military). We are living on the NW side, Alamo Ranch area. We're Italian.

I dislike:
There isn't a sense of community(gated & everyone ignores each other)
School District (my child isn't able to enroll in PreK, we make too much $/aren't military & she speaks english. Where's the importance of early childhood education!?)
Shopping (so many rude people & just walking away from your buggy taking up the entire aisle)
Traffic ( no explaintion needed )
Horrible public transportation
Racism(if not of Hispanic culture)

What I like:
The Riverwalk
Weather
Historic

Start the sense of community - Have a block party! Tuesday is National Night Out! Send out notices and hold a bbq in your yard or a pot luck!
Bummer on the PreK - what about a mothers day out?
Shopping - Yes - Hate it! Maybe odd hours? Many times the rudeness at the mall is not from the locals. Hate the grocery stores, I go at odd hours. I even go to a store far from my neighborhood. It is small and not as rude feeling.
Reverse racism? Wow! Well I am Hispanic so maybe I am missing it. However smile and stay nice - I pray one day the hate will end.