Relocating from Houston to San Antonio (area) (Austin, New Braunfels: neighborhoods, theatres)

[RAG03]

Moving from Houton to San Antonio (or areas around).

I know almost nothing about SA.

My husband travels a lot and knows "roads" and such but not so much on schools, community feel and things like that.

Open to almost anywhere.

200,000 to 350,000 price range

Schools are very important.

Want a neighborhood feel without being right on top of another.

Any help appreciated

Thanks!!!!!

[kevcrawford]

You'll find that SA is a lot less overwhelming than Houston. Pretty easy to get to know the area and find a place that's comfortable for your family. Rush hour isn't anywhere NEAR as bad as Houston, so you won't have a problem with traffic anywhere.

Folks tend to prefer the schools in the Northside ISD and the North East ISD. There are some exceptions, but by and large they're well respected. Boerne is an option too, as they have good schools, but to find something in that price range would be more difficult. You'll get more for your money in SA. Possibly Helotes area as well.

[smuboy86]

If you are willing to look at older neighborhoods, I would look at northwood, large lots, small very well regarded elementary school in NEISD. Close to the airport, and loop 410, 281 and I 35.

[ggeorgie]

another nice area to look at, in my opinion is Churchill Estates and surrounding area. Bitters road through Blanco, Bitters and Huebner. All those areas are nice..

[DandiDay]

Hi Rag03,

Oh boy!!! This brings back memories of my family in the same position several years ago. Going to a brand-new area not knowing a thing about the schools and neighborhoods, but focusing on what's best for children and a growing family, coupled by proximity to a workplace is a daunting task, indeed!

Perhaps if you posted more information of what you're searching for, you might get more specific responses.
For instance, what are your children's ages? Knowing if elementary vs. middle vs. high schools are important for you right now would help.

What type of neighborhood? Large vs. small? Older, established? Newer? Planned community? Small lots vs. those approaching an acre or more? Do you desire a neighborhood "gathering place" like a clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts and the like? What about accessibility to local services such as supermarkets, doctors' offices, and after-school kid's activities?

You mentioned wanting "a neighborhood feel without being right on top of another". I specifically recall a statement from a friend of mine who moved to S.A. in 2000. She said she chose living in the outskirts of S.A. in a Northwest neighborhood up IH-10 near Boerne, because the developments up Route 281 outside of Loop 1604 were not only on top of each other, but looked like a "sea of rooftops", and traffic at that time was a nightmare.

Now, to be fair, we've been away from S.A. for several years. (We are considering moving back now, but have older children.) So, I've heard there's been a plethora of new subdivisions built up IH-10 outside of loop 1604. Therefore, the NW outskirts may be exploding with a "sea of rooftops" just like those off of 281.

Finally, in what part of town will your spouse be working? Will this impact where you want to live? Is commuting time a concern?
You also posted wanting info about the "areas" around SA. Do you know already which areas you'd like?

How far outside of the city limits are you willing to go? Any particular direction in mind? For example, being on the NE side (besides having some good schools) is near New Braunfels, has great shopping and outlets, and renders quick access to Austin. The Northside (great schools), provides an incredible array of shopping, doctor's offices, a great indoor swimming and fitness complex, is near the Hill Country, and is a short trip up to Canyon Lake and the Marble Falls area with it's lakes. The NW side (great/fantastic schools) provides great shopping (along with a fitness center and movie theatres) at the Rim and La Cantera, has a short drive to the Medical Center area, access to the charming little city of Boerne, along with access to Comfort, the Hill Country and its historic towns, in addition to the lakes I mentioned.

Now, keep in mind that there are little "enclave cities" within, but independent of San Antonio. Likewise, there are small, incorporated cities in the outskirts of the sprawl. These cities are subject to their own taxes, and don't pay S.A. city tax. However, they all are still responsible for paying Bexar county taxes in addition to their own city and school district taxes. I'd advise you to carefully research and compare the tax structure of each.

This bit of tax and services information was very important to our family. We were concerned that if we lived in a subdivision outside of the S.A. city limits (but still within those parts of unincorporated Bexar county), the police and fire department services may have some difficulties serving us, or otherwise reaching us in time.

So, you see, there's a myriad of factors that may affect your searching process as well as your ultimate decision on where to live. Some may seem to be nuanced right now, but actually may prove to be very important later on! Just as one example, some neighborhoods we were considering in parts of unincorporated Bexar county were later annexed! (S.A. at that time used annexation as a mechanism to increase its revenues via collecting the property taxes, but it did so without a corresponding improvement in services such as police and fire protection.)

These very same neighborhoods were drastically affected by water shortages a few years later. San Antonio just couldn't keep up with all of its "stepchildren". What a mess that was! Water had to be trucked in! I understand that the water problem has since been solved.

Ultimately, we decided that the school district and services took precedence over DH's commute time to the Southside of S.A. So, we chose a "city" just outside of the S.A. city limits, with all of the services and schools included. We have never regretted our choice, and in fact, if we do move back, that's our first choice!

First note of advice, is to search the 'net for info. Take a look at the second sticky thread in the San Antonio forum, as it has some good initial references on schools, neighborhoods, and traffic to get you started.

Get a good map, and start to outline neighborhoods, while keeping in mind that school borders can, and have changed over time. If you've found a couple of neighborhoods and corresponding school districts, call the school district to double-check. Keep a list of the services nearby, the proximity of medical care, kid's activities, and other things important to you and your family. There are positives and negatives of any area or neighborhood.

Regarding schools, search the S.A. forums for opinions. Greatschools.org may be a good place to begin....I wouldn't just limit your school research to just this site, however. Bear in mind, that this site's data is mostly based on standard test scores which may be 3-5 years old. There are so many other factors which contribute to the success of a "great" school. Ultimately, keep in mind your own children's personalities and needs, for certain school districts can address these better than others. Also, San Antonio has grown by around 16% since 2000, and there may be shifting demographics along with corresponding changes to a particular school as well as its catchment area. Also, new schools may have been built along with changing ISD school boundaries:

San Antonio Schools - San Antonio Texas School Ratings - Public and Private

There are also many private and religion-based schools which may be options. Many people also don't realize that there are "magnet" schools (both middle schools and high schools) which in my opinion and first-hand experience, are superior to the private schools there!

Other things to keep in mind...San Antonio surrounds several independent enclave cities which include Alamo Heights, Terrel Hills, Castle Hills, and many others.These neighborhoods are not districts of the City of San Antonio, but are actually independent cities throughout the San Antonio region... completely surrounded, but not directly controlled, by the City of San Antonio.

Likewise, there are independent cities located in or near the "sprawl" of S.A., but outside the S.A. city limits. These usually have their own services, such as police and fire departments. Some even have their own water and utility companies, as well as schools! I'm not familiar with all of them at this moment, so, you would have to do some research.

So, Rag03, as you see, S.A. provides a wide array, if not complex, range of living opportunities.

If you could provide some more specifics, I'd be happy to help, as I'm sure other posters would be as well. There's so much more to share with you, but I'd be writing a book!

I have a few more "unique" things I did to narrow down my own research, which proved to be helpful years later when finding a good "fit" for high schools for my own children. I'll share this with you later, either here or PM, after hearing more details from you.

In the meantime, all the best to you in your new adventure!!! Good luck!
~Dandi