Need Downtown Apartment Recommendation (San Antonio, Alamo: homes, neighborhoods, school)

[iammovingtosanantonio]

Graduating from college and landed an internship in downtown SA. I have no knowledge of the city whatsoever...don't know neighborhoods or how things fit together down there. I need some help trying to figure out where to get a basic loft/studio apartment. I will be working near the Alamo (on 3rd st. I believe) and need to be able to bike/walk to work. I would appreciate if anyone could give me a heads up of where/where not to look! Thanks

[BenjaminNicholas]

Contact Debbie at Centro Properties... GREAT lady and she really knows the downtown market.


BN

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by iammovingtosanantonio

I will be working near the Alamo (on 3rd st. I believe) and need to be able to bike/walk to work.

Welcome to SA! Are you by any chance interning at Lake/Flato? They're on 3rd Street. My cousin interned with them for a couple years while in school and says it's a great place to work. Anyway, regarding where to live... a lot depends on your budget. If you're a typical intern and looking for bargain housing (under $400 or 500/mo) I would suggest trying craigslist. There are plenty of small studios/1BR apts and roommate sharing situations in and near downtown.

If you want to walk to work every day, you're best off living in the very heart of downtown or in Southtown... VIA (the local transit authority) operates a downtown trolley shuttle, and the trolley's Blue line runs from the SoFlo/BlueStar neighborhood in Southtown through the downtown area and up to 3rd Street and beyond. See the full trolley map at VIA Metropolitan Transit If you want to bike to work, or occasionally take the bus, you will be just fine looking up the Broadway corridor as far north as Hildebrand or so.

These are all good neighborhoods, with some variation... some are considered more "artsy" (Southtown/BlueStar/SoFlo), some are considered transitional but on the way up (Tobin Hill, Government Hill), some are considered trendy (Pearl District, maybe sorta Mahncke Park). All these neighborhoods border Broadway heading north. Map Neighborhood map - north of downtown San Antonio on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/celestialbebe/2370914428/ - broken link)

If you're a recent college grad, you may enjoy the lifestyle in Southtown/SoFlo/BlueStar/King William (which tends to be a little more lively and arts-based - see Southtown - San Antonio Arts District, San Antonio, TX) than other neighborhoods just north of downtown (Tobin Hill, Govt Hill, Mahncke Park) that are mostly single family homes or 4-plexes and are quieter residential areas (but still friendly!). In my opinion, Southtown is more walkable than the neighborhoods north of downtown - restaurants, bars, entertainment are all walking distance. The only thing missing downtown is a real grocery store... so you'd have to find a friend with a car or take the bus. North of downtown there are a couple grocery stores on the bus line.

Just in case you're coming from a large metro area with significant public transportation, be warned that bus service in San Antonio is horrible once you get more than a mile or two outside of downtown... it can take as long as 2 hours to get from downtown to the medical center or UTSA's 1604 campus in the NW parts of town. Just a sad fact of life in this sprawling western city. Hope this is helpful in getting oriented to the downtown area. I've personally lived in King William, BlueStar, Monte Vista, Alamo Heights and now Mahncke Park, so if you want more specific info, feel free to DM me.

[dvlpr]

Another big vote for Debbie Maltz. She's wonderful.

[Newk]

Great advice here. I am moving mid September and need an apartment in the northeast.

[pattyjrudd]

I am looking for an apt near the Culinary Institute at Pearl PKWY.
Start school in Oct. I know nothing about the area. Any help? thanks