Moving to San Antonio from TN...but I don't speak Spanish. Will I be at a disadvantage? (Houston: school district, college)

[girlcitizen]

Hello everyone. My husband and I (we are in our mid 20's) are moving to San Antonio at the end of the summer and I'm concerned that I might be at a disadvantage because I don't speak fluent Spanish. Do most local Texans speak fluent Spanish there? I've heard of the city (endearingly) referred to as 'Little Mexico' by native residents. I took 2 years of Spanish in high school and minored in it in college but have lost it over the years due to non-use. I've visited San Antonio a handful of times and am extremely excited about moving down! But I'm worried that not speaking Spanish may isolate me from co-workers and the community. We are planning on re-locating to the Northwest or Northeast areas, as that is where my job is located. Thanks for any insight or tips!

[lemonfresh]

No. SA is reffered to Little Mexico mostly because of the cultural heritage of the city and a lot of it has been retained. However, in terms of not knowing Spanish, you'll be absolutely fine. Though you might get a few replies saying "why not learn it, it'll expand your horizons." But bottom line you will be fine in SA. SA is no different than Dallas or Houston when it comes to speaking Spanish.

[scuba steve]

Originally Posted by girlcitizen

Hello everyone. My husband and I (we are in our mid 20's) are moving to San Antonio at the end of the summer and I'm concerned that I might be at a disadvantage because I don't speak fluent Spanish. Do most local Texans speak fluent Spanish there? I've heard of the city (endearingly) referred to as 'Little Mexico' by native residents. I took 2 years of Spanish in high school and minored in it in college but have lost it over the years due to non-use. I've visited San Antonio a handful of times and am extremely excited about moving down! But I'm worried that not speaking Spanish may isolate me from co-workers and the community. We are planning on re-locating to the Northwest or Northeast areas, as that is where my job is located. Thanks for any insight or tips!

I moved from the northwest and speak no spanish. Never needed to either... last time I needed to was at a Jack in the Box in Lynnwood, WA. Same at the one in Auburn actually...

ok. You do need to know spanish if you want to order anything at a Jack in the Box in King or Snohomish county, Washington. But in San Antonio you should be fine.

[Kerowyn]

The only time you might feel disadvantage is in the work place if your spanish speaking teammates start to speak spanish around you. That can happen a lot.

remember this is a tourist town as well so being bilingual is a great help and you can make a wee bit more pay in most jobs. As for day to day life it is the same as living anywhere else in the states. In other words we speak English here.

If you are concern once you get here there are plenty of schools that offer spanish. Northside School district offers spanish classes for Adults. I started taking odd classes from them since I was about 27 or so.

[moeowo]

Nope I'm from SA and don't speak Spanish at all. If I've survived this long without it you will have no real problems.

[ashbeeigh]

You'll be fine. Don't sweat it. The only time you may need it, may feel uncomfortable not knowing it is if you happen to be in the parts of town where the population is well over 75% Spanish speakers. And based on where you say you're planning on living that won't happen.

[moeowo]

I'm on the Southside and while there are a lot of hispanics it's mostly the older generations that actually speaks spanish. I rarely hear it spoken over hear unless it's older folks...

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

You'll be fine. Don't sweat it. The only time you may need it, may feel uncomfortable not knowing it is if you happen to be in the parts of town where the population is well over 75% Spanish speakers. And based on where you say you're planning on living that won't happen.

[Paka]

Originally Posted by girlcitizen

Hello everyone. My husband and I (we are in our mid 20's) are moving to San Antonio at the end of the summer and I'm concerned that I might be at a disadvantage because I don't speak fluent Spanish. Do most local Texans speak fluent Spanish there? I've heard of the city (endearingly) referred to as 'Little Mexico' by native residents. I took 2 years of Spanish in high school and minored in it in college but have lost it over the years due to non-use. I've visited San Antonio a handful of times and am extremely excited about moving down! But I'm worried that not speaking Spanish may isolate me from co-workers and the community. We are planning on re-locating to the Northwest or Northeast areas, as that is where my job is located. Thanks for any insight or tips!

Not a problem...I don't speak spanish and have no issues living here...you will be fine.

[WilGar]

I think one of your first trips should be to the Alamo and see how significant was the contribution Tennessee played in this battle. The blood lines between Tennessee and early Texas are thick.

[majormadmax]

Ya ought to worry less about learnin' Spanish, and start worrying more about learnin' Texan!

Cheers, y'all! M2