UTSA faculty/staff -- best places to live? (Alamo, Terrell: best neighborhoods, houses)

[finzup2]

Totally unfamiliar with the city beyond the touristy stuff and am considering applying for a job at UTSA. What are the best neighborhoods for reasonable * under 45 min* commutes to UTSA, homes around 250,000 and good schools. Safety a must :-). Multicultural a plus, too!

[JuneOf48]

It depends upon what kind of neighborhood/housing style you're looking for! Old? New? Historical? Big lots? Proximity to downtown vs. proximity to new shopping centers?

I commute to UTSA 1604 from just north of downtown. The drive itself usually takes around 20 - 30 minutes, sometimes less. (And I drive right before 8am!)

You could save some cash on a house/neighborhood and send your kids to a great prep/private school, too.

[finzup2]

Thanks. I prefer homes in established neighborhoods with decent landscaping and mature trees where the homes aren't cookie cutters. Regardless of where we move, I'll probably put my kids in Catholic schools, but it seems like they are everywhere in SA. I want schools for resale as much as anything

[smuboy86]

Terrell Heights, Northwood, Bel Meade are all neighborhoods I would be looking at. You will probably be miserable outside of 410, and anything outside of 1604 would be intolerable.

[finzup2]

Thanks! I'll give those areas a gander!

[TXRose]

Hunters Creek, Whispering Oaks, Shavano Creek, Oak Meadow, Deerfield (will be over $250K), Churchill Estates.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by TXRose

Hunters Creek, Whispering Oaks, Shavano Creek, Oak Meadow, Deerfield (will be over $250K), Churchill Estates.

All pretty cookie cutter IMO. I say try and stay inside the loop.

[hello13685]

In don't think that Whispering Oaks, etc., is cookie cutter, it's just kind of boring and dated in that 1970s and early 80s brown wagon wheel chandelier kind of way. But that may be the price to be paid to get good schools if one can't get into Alamo Heights.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by hello13685

In don't think that Whispering Oaks, etc., is cookie cutter, it's just kind of boring and dated in that 1970s and early 80s brown wagon wheel chandelier kind of way. But that may be the price to be paid to get good schools if one can't get into Alamo Heights.

Guess we have differing definitions of cookie cutter.

Terrell Heights with AH schools should be do-able for under $250,000 no problem and how ADORABLE are those houses!?!?! (IMHO, of course) No comparison to the others mentioned, but it depends on what your tastes are I guess. I just spent a week working in the Shavano Park and surrounding areas and I thought I'd poke my eyes out from seeing homes that make me hum the "Little Houses made of ticky-tacky" song. Older Shavano park was a bit better but much of that whole zip looked like the same house over and over again to me, with a few exceptions.

Nice trees in much of the Shavano area though, and big lots. I'll give it that.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by TXRose

Hunters Creek, Whispering Oaks, Shavano Creek, Oak Meadow, Deerfield (will be over $250K), Churchill Estates.

If you're going for non-cookie cutter in the 10/1604 area try older Shavano Park, like the "Post Oak Way," "Powhatan," "Bike Trail," etc. streets. Shavano Creek, which started in the early 90s is even a tad bid cookie cutter. Stay away from Bentley Manor if you don't like cookie cutter. Those are horribly cookie cutter. The older Shavano Park (60s-late 80s) is beautiful and within a ten minute drive to UTSA. Everything is close and I hghly recomend the elementary and high schools in that area. I don't believe the middle schoolers go to Rawlinson, though. They still go to Hobby. Hobby is still a good school, just not as new. Definitly take a look at Shavano Park.

I didn't hear anyone mention Elm Creek either. I don't know much about the price range there, it may be a bit pricey, but that's probably about 10 minutes as well and is nice as well. That's about the same age as older Shavano Park.

You'll be able to get something under 250K in the Alta Vista, Monte Vista, Olmos Park area that are nice as well. I don't know about the private schools though. i know they're close though. These neighborhoods are all about a 20 minute drive without traffic and then you may have to deal with the 1604 traffic. But those are also worth a look.