SA vs Chicago? Entertainment, etc. (Houston, Dallas: waterparks, how much, cheap house)

[benandgrace]

On second thought, after considering the info below for awhile longer, I'm wondering if life in SA would really be any better than life near Chicago? Other than the heat for cold trade off, Chicago has lake michigan (navy pier and the lake michigan beaches) which probably have the edge on the SA riverwalk. San Antonio has sea world but Chicago has snow skiing in nearby WI. Maybe the cities are equal when it comes to entertainment, which is a major reason I was considering moving. Opinions?
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SA seems to have a lot to offer: cheap houses for a large city, The River Walk (one of a kind in the US and is about to under go over a mile of expansion), Natural Bridge Caverns (Texas' largest caverns), Sea World, Six Flags, The Alamo, The Mission, Schlitterbahn waterparks (If I remember right, the discovery channel has them rated #1 in the US for years) near SA, San Antonio Zoo (one of the largest zoos in the country with 3,500 animals of 750 species), tower of americas (750 ft. tower for viewing the city with a 360 degree rotating restaurant at the top), Japanese Tea Gardens, King William Historic District, beautiful scenery (hill country w/hills, clear lakes, and rivers), unique downtown area, a conservative and religious state (some people like that anyway, including me), close to Austin (another fun city), two hours from the ocean, known to be one of the few huge cities that has a amall town feel; no
winters, hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires, or tornadoes; nearly year round planting (to combat the rising cost of food), known for extraordinary friendliness, great schools (at least in the north), no state income tax, interesting Mexican culture (not as much in northern SA) and authentic Mexican chow, a bunch of festivals (Fiest TX at the riverwalk, cajun festival at medina lake, major blues festivals a few hours away in Houston, etc.); near german historic towns in the scenic hill country like New Braunfels, 8 hours from New Orleans; within driving distance to Galviston, Dallas and Houston, Lake Texoma (huge lake with white sand islands (I've heard that Lake Buchanon near SA also has an island with a beach), Amarillo (where the grand canyon of TX is located and you can drive through the canyon), Terlingua (one place to put in when rafting the Rio Grande w/ huge limestone cliffs and other scenery, and has guided tours), Big Bend National Park (small
mountains and other scenery), S. Padre Island (nice beach), etc.

Seems like about the only negatives I can think of at the moment are some summer heat and a nine hour drive to Ruidoso, NM, which is the closest skiing mountain.

The Mission, a couple parks, and other scenery in SA:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-antonio/40243-places-run.html

http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/photos/default.aspx

Pics of Medina Lake near SA:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1080433400039510477DSZsfh

http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-antonio/4134-new-braunfels-canyon-lake.html#post16118


A couple more interesting links:

http://www.bearfireresort.com/#


http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2007/07/23/story8.html

A complete list of things to do in San Antonio:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60956-Activities-San_Antonio_Texas.html

[mtdave2]

sa is getting lots better here in the last few years, but it is still lacking for the people who know what other big cities have to offer. still, there is lots going on here. the weather trade off is HUGE! i cant say how much i don’t miss the cold Montana weather!

forget about a good piza here too.. ugh!

[rd2007]

we need an alt smiley..

[Paka]

I'd stay in Chicago if I were you....other than a much nicer place, less violent, much cheaper, much better weather and lots of friendly folks, we have NOTHING to offer here.

[jules07]

Moderator cut: cut

benandgrace ~ you have continually started threads with numerous questions about SA, and almost with the attitude of "convince me that SA is all that and I'll move there". Yet you generally seem to come to your own conclusion to not relocate here. I'm confused as to why you would continue to try to convince yourself to move here. Sure seems like you'd be much happier staying put. I, personally, don't think SA is for you.

[Schaertl]

Chicago's "nice" area's are very nice, nicer than anything in San Antonio. But the "bad" parts are worse than anything in San Antonio. San Antonio lacks the extremes.

[Chaka]

SA and Chicago are two totally different places. I like both.

Is one better than the other? Depends on what you want. There's no reason to try to convince anyone that one is preferable. It all comes down to personal preference and why you'd move to either in the first place. Jobs? Family?

[Midorigreen]

I'm not sure what more we can offer to you in terms of information - you seem to have done your research.

Other than coming here to visit for a year before making the decision to move - there are no guarantees that you're going to love a place.

I think if you are happy, outgoing, and love life - you can be happy anywhere. If not: "wherever you go, there you are."

Good luck in making the best decision for you...

[slaleman]

Like Chaka said, it's a matter of what you're looking for...different strokes. Some people prefer what San Antonio has to offer, others prefer Chicago. For me, it was San Antonio...living in Chicago for 3 years was enough for me.

[Beretta]

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