What is the difference between Houston and San Antonio? (Dallas: house, neighborhoods)

[StepRN3]

My husband and I are in our early 30's and moving to Texas from Connecticut. We can either live in Houston or San Antonio. Are needs are: We need a MAJOR international airport close to a nice suburb, would like to buy a nice home on a decent lot (spend up to $900,000) and have good public schools. If we choose Houston we would live in the Woodlands. We know NOTHING about San Antonio.

Any help would be appreciated!

[michelangelosa]

May I ask why a suburb? As for SA, the Stone Oak area would be your ideal local if your
choice is The Woodlands in Houston.

[StepRN3]

Because we would want a yard.

[michelangelosa]

You can get that in the city. And for $900,000 you can get a lot of yard.

[smitty12]

Originally Posted by StepRN3

My husband and I are in our early 30's and moving to Texas from Connecticut. We can either live in Houston or San Antonio. Are needs are: We need a MAJOR international airport close to a nice suburb, would like to buy a nice home on a decent lot (spend up to $900,000) and have good public schools. If we choose Houston we would live in the Woodlands. We know NOTHING about San Antonio.

Any help would be appreciated!

If the major airport thing is a hard requirement, Houston will be your choice.... There are quite a few direct flights out of San Antonio, but they are spread over all the different airlines. The only commercial International flights to/from San Antonio are to Mexico. Continental operates a Major hub in Houston, I travel for work and 90% of the time I connect through Houston. Flying from San Antonio adds about two hours (1 hour flight, 30-60 minutes connection time) to the direct travel time from Houston. So if you could live with two hours added each way on your trips San Antonio could be a good choice. The connection wait is rarely more than 60 minutes since Continental runs about 10-12 flights per day SAT-IAH.

[CelesteDF]

To the OP - as you may be aware, the cost of housing in Texas is about half or even less than in CT. You can live anywhere you want, even on your own 20-acre ranchette, for $900,000. However, you specified that you need to be near a major international airport. While San Antonio's airport is international, and we are steadily adding direct flights, most international flights require a connection through Dallas or Houston, then typically a flight change at your international gateway (if not DFW or IAH).

I would suggest that you look closely at where you'll need to be traveling to and find out which airport (IAH or SAT) has more direct flights. In addition, depending on your current lifestyle, you may want to reconsider living way out in the suburbs. Traffic in Houston is particularly horrendous, and if you choose to live in the Woodlands, you probably will rarely go downtown (which in my opinion is where Houston's real treasures are). San Antonio's traffic is better, but again, in your price range you can find a fabulous house with a beautiful yard and great schools in a closer in neighborhood such as Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, or Olmos Park.

[BrianW]

Having grown up in SA and living in Houston for 23 years, I think I can compare the two cities:

1. Although SA is growing and has some traffic hot spots, traffic in Houston is far worse.

2. Houston is much more humid than SA in the summer.

3. Houston is a much more international city than SA. SA still seems to be fairly segregated.

4. Houston is a relatively young city, with most of its growth occurring after WWII. Also, there is NO ZONING in Houston - you can find any type of business right next to a residential area. In addition, neighborhoods/areas can vary widely from street to street or block to block.

5. SA has far more "character" than Houston, IMO. You'll find nothing like the river walk in Houston!

6. Houston has more "culture" - i.e., symphony, nice theaters, etc.

[Paka]

Houston also has water that tastes like oil (IMHO) and hurricanes to deal with...evacuations are to places LIKE SA.

I am not sure which will meet your needs more, but both of these issues coupled with the above mentioned would make me rethink Houston personally.

[Vettegirl]

I moved from Houston to San Antonio and San Antonio seems tiny compared to Houston. I lived in Kingwood, which is comparable to the Woodlands, and the you can't beat the location for the airport, it is 15 min. away. The Woodlands has terrible traffic compared to Kingwood. San Antonio has grown on me, but I personally still prefer Houston.

[adtobias]

did they mention the traffic... its the worst in texas houston