Reasons to move to San Antonio (Houston, Dallas: insurance, home, neighborhoods)

[Jersey Family]

Hi everyone! My wife and I (30-somethings) are considering a move to Texas from the Northeast. We are self employed in the natural health care field and are looking for a great community to start a family. We're tired of the fast past, big city life and want to find ourselves in a warmer climate community, with great schools and friendly people. Having access to nature (lakes, mountains, etc.) would be a plus. We'd love to find a new/newer 4 bedroom/3 bath home, 3000 sq. ft., with a big yard for under $300K. We prefer a suburban neighborhood (do not want to be in a too rural area) outside the city but not too far because the social life, arts/entertainment, etc. are still important to us.

Is S.A. the place? Looks forward to your feedback on the pros/cons of S.A. What neighborhoods should we consider? What are the top school districts in the area? We are also considering Dallas, Houston and Austin and searching the postings for similar input on those cities too. Any comparisons/contrasts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your input!!!

[shenane]

Good luck on your move. Take a look at Schertz. Property taxes lower, and your care insurance might even be less because you are outside the San Antonio metrol.
Do a search for Schertz and you will see some posts.

[LookingtoLeave]

If you're looking for mountains, lakes, and the sort, you are way off base looking here. I would definitely point you towards Austin. IMO Austin is much more beautiful than here. The cost of living is a little lower in SA than Austin, but for a few reasons, and I'm sure that being one of them. However, if you can swing $300k, you can definitely afford Austin. Many of my friends here are from Dallas and say it's much nicer there too, but I haven't been since I was a child so I couldn't tell you first hand.

[hello13685]

I agree that Austin would be better for almost anyone, but given the suburban lifestyle you seem to be looking for, you could be happy in San Antonio, or in any number of other places for that matter. San Antonio has a much more "dead" feel to it than do Austin, Dallas, and Houston, by far. It's almost impossible to describe in words; you've got to feel it first hand. People in San Antonio are nice, though.

[JejuneRaccoon]

You can certainly afford all that you are looking for and then some for 300k.

I suggest either Austin or San Antonio.

I can tell you more about SA than Austin - while I went through SAISD and got a very good education, its gone to the dogs as of late. I suggest public schools on the north east side.

Entertainment - depends on what you are interested in. No matter what part of town you are at, it'll take 10-25 min to get to most places. But 15 is the average, it seems!

The good thing about SA is its location - you can still appreciate nature but live in the city as there are many places to hike and whatnot, just a short drive away.

[SAguy]

hello13685-San Antonio has a much more "dead" feel to it than do Austin, Dallas, and Houston, by far. It's almost impossible to describe in words; you've got to feel it first hand.

There's a lot more to do in S.A. than in Austin. So please tell us how "San Antonio has a much more dead feel to it than Austin?"

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by SAguy

There's a lot more to do in S.A. than in Austin. So please tell us how "San Antonio has a much more dead feel to it than Austin?"

Click on her name, select read all posts by hello##### and you will see that it's been discussed ad nauseum.

[hello13685]

Exactly

[LookingtoLeave]

Originally Posted by SAguy

There's a lot more to do in S.A. than in Austin. So please tell us how "San Antonio has a much more dead feel to it than Austin?"

Such as? And please say something besides a theme park

[sapphire]

OK, I'll name a few:

San Antonio Botanical Garden
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo - Home
San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium - Where you experience Real. Wild. Life.
Mission Trail Visitors Guide - Tour the San Antonio Mission Trail
San Antonio Missions: Home
San Antonio Rampage - Home
Cameo Theatre, San Antonio, Texas
http://www.vexler.org/
The Majestic Theatre and The Empire Theatre -- San Antonio
The Official Website for The San Antonio River Walk!
TPWD: Government Canyon State Natural Area
The Alamo - San Antonio, TX
Historic Market Square
Welcome To The Witte Museum
Welcome to the McNay
UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures Home Page

The list goes on and on.......
Not to mention tons of shopping, restaurants, touristy stuff, etc.

Yeah, we're all a bunch of deadwood here.