30 Year Old Gay Guy moving to San Antonio (Schertz, Universal City: buy, living in)

[michelangelosa]

Originally Posted by Cookiemeister

I did not bother to read all the post so maybe someone mentioned these areas already...

You should. It's articulate and very informative.

[michelangelosa]

Somemore information on Tobin Hill.

Tobin Hill

This website shows the boundaries of Tobin Hill.


lifeisgoodintobinhill

This blog chronicles a couple who bought a home in Tobin Hill in 2006.

[Chakapu]

Originally Posted by michelangelosa

Somemore information on Tobin Hill.

lifeisgoodintobinhill

This blog chronicles a couple who bought a home in Tobin Hill in 2006.

Ok. Now I am depressed. 1. My Old House blog looks nothing like that and 2. We bought our house in 2004 and are nowhere near as far along as they are.

[Chakapu]

BigDogsTX - excellent post. I'm very impressed with all that's going on. I think that's not only ov value to the gay community but to the community as a whole.

[yigoguy]

Originally Posted by BigDogsTX

To the Original Poster welcome to San Antonio, while the community here is probably not what you were used to in MA, there is a lot of exciting stuff going on in the community. The city is growing quickly and of course a percentage of the population moving here is gay, so the gay community has the potential for some dramatic growth as well.

My partner and I are the major property and business owners of the gay oriented businesses located at Main Ave. and Evergreen in Tobin Hill. We originally opened HEAT nightclub 6 years ago and over the last 2 years have been buying the surrounding properties.

Thank you for this great post...I've noted the neighborhoods mentioned in the other posts, but from what I've read I think I'll check out Tobin Hill first. I'd love to be part of a "gay" rennaisance of a neighborhood. Luckily, I'm staying somewhere temporarily for a month, giving me ample time to check out the various neighborhoods.

As for checking out other cities...I've taken a position in SA, so I'm likely to settle in SA. I don't think an hour commute is something in the cards for me.

[BenjaminNicholas]

There are no 'gayborhoods' in San Antonio: The scene isn't developed enough or financially supported in a way that would foster it. Sad, especially for a city this size and with a pretty sizable gay community. It's tough for me to buy into someone comparing San Antonio's very young gay scene with that of Boystown in Chicago or anything in San Diego. SA is eons away from having the community and local government support to truly create a neighborhood that's more than just a row of 4 bars. There's MUCH MORE to a community than bars. So much more.

And yes, I'm gay

There is a quiet group who are involved with HRC (Human Rights Campaign), as well as other major and minor fundraising events that benefit the GLBT community. I'd say that most of the SA gay scene revolves around bar life, which isn't my cup of tea in the least. The bars here resemble pre-Stonewall era design, with horribly smoky rooms, no windows and an overall feeling that they're doing something to be ashamed of. Depressing atmosphere.

As for living, I'd recommend you call Richard over at The Bushnell or perhaps look at the Dielmann, Frost or SouthEnd lofts. All have rental units starting at around $1500/mo. Living around Main Street means likely living in Government Hill or the Monte Vista district. Still a very mixed bag of property and gentrification with some places I wouldn't want to leave my car out at night.

You also might want to give Debbie Maltz a call at Centro Properties: She always has some nice stuff that's not on the website (CentroProperties.net)




BN

[hello13685]

I didn't suggest one should move to a city for its gay pride parade. The idea was that by posting pictures of the SA parade, the OP could get a better sense of gay culture and its events in this city. Alas, no one has done this. Maybe in a new thread?

Bigdogs, that was a lovely post, and I really do hope that you can make a difference.

To answer the OP's question about neighborhoods, I asked my gay roommate where he should look. I mentioned Tobin Hill and Alta Vista, etc., and he said that, and I quote: "If he's thinking of living in one of those areas, he'd better be a pretty darn good friend of Dorothy, because he's going to be living in her ripped up tornado farmhouse."

[BigDogsTX]

Originally Posted by BenjaminNicholas

There are no 'gayborhoods' in San Antonio: The scene isn't developed enough or financially supported in a way that would foster it. Sad, especially for a city this size and with a pretty sizable gay community. It's tough for me to buy into someone comparing San Antonio's very young gay scene with that of Boystown in Chicago or anything in San Diego. SA is eons away from having the community and local government support to truly create a neighborhood that's more than just a row of 4 bars. There's MUCH MORE to a community than bars. So much more.

And yes, I'm gay

There is a quiet group who are involved with HRC (Human Rights Campaign), as well as other major and minor fundraising events that benefit the GLBT community. I'd say that most of the SA gay scene revolves around bar life, which isn't my cup of tea in the least. The bars here resemble pre-Stonewall era design, with horribly smoky rooms, no windows and an overall feeling that they're doing something to be ashamed of. Depressing atmosphere.
BN

YES THERE IS MUCH MORE TO A GAY COMMUNITY THAT GAY BARS... I addressed that in my original post.

I was by no means trying to compare the gay scene in SA to San Diego's Hillcrest/North park of today. 30 years ago Hillcrest was a seedy area that I would have worried about leaving my car overnight in... North Park, SD's "new" gay neighborhood was that way just 10 years ago.

It too a lot of imagination and vision for some gay men and women with a sense of adventure to settle down in these areas. Usually the anchor in these neighborhoods was a single gay bar that acted as a firewall (taking the heat) for the gay residents taking over. In San Diego that was the Brass Rail. (I'm a SD Native by the way) Slowly other gay oriented businesses tricked in. Coffee shops, book stores, restaurants, Clothing shops. Many of which we are planning for the 1400 block of Main Ave. It took years of people investing everything they had to make these neighborhoods what they are. Today, those people are laughing all the way to the bank.

This type of synergy isn't going to happen if the leaders of the community are happy settling in Stone Oak or Schavano Park and are content going to dinner parties and planning a once a year HRC dinner (which we support by the way). There's MUCH MORE to a gay community than that . SO MUCH MORE!

[michelangelosa]

Big, do you think additional mid and high rises in the Five Points and Tobin Hill area would work? You mentioned Auroa, the 20 story apartment building. How about another mid or high rises in that area.

[Chakapu]

Originally Posted by BigDogsTX

YES THERE IS MUCH MORE TO A GAY COMMUNITY THAT GAY BARS... I addressed that in my original post.

I was by no means trying to compare the gay scene in SA to San Diego's Hillcrest/North park of today. 30 years ago Hillcrest was a seedy area that I would have worried about leaving my car overnight in... North Park, SD's "new" gay neighborhood was that way just 10 years ago.

It too a lot of imagination and vision for some gay men and women with a sense of adventure to settle down in these areas. Usually the anchor in these neighborhoods was a single gay bar that acted as a firewall (taking the heat) for the gay residents taking over. In San Diego that was the Brass Rail. (I'm a SD Native by the way) Slowly other gay oriented businesses tricked in. Coffee shops, book stores, restaurants, Clothing shops. Many of which we are planning for the 1400 block of Main Ave. It took years of people investing everything they had to make these neighborhoods what they are. Today, those people are laughing all the way to the bank.

This type of synergy isn't going to happen if the leaders of the community are happy settling in Stone Oak or Schavano Park and are content going to dinner parties and planning a once a year HRC dinner (which we support by the way). There's MUCH MORE to a gay community than that . SO MUCH MORE!

BigDogsTX, I think I love you. Too bad I'm a married heterosexual female....

We need more of your kind.