Brand new to the area...tell me about San Antonio! (Houston: apartment, rent)

[Campbell21]

It appears my husband and I may be relocating to San Antonio rather swiftly. I know absolutely nothing about the area...except that my mom always said "San Antone'...without the "io"! (My family is all from Houston, but I've lived all over the globe and I'm currently in the North East.)

What is the weather like?
Is it generally a nice place to live?
Is it family friendly?
Are housing prices decent?

I've heard it's a huge city...is it huge like Houston or smaller than that? Do people tend to live in other places and commute to San Antonio?

I would appreciate any info I can get. This is a very beginning stages search for information!!

thank you!!!

[needsomeinfo]

welcome! this will get you started...

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...index-san.html

[pianoboypinoyJR]

I find it best to appreciate San Antonio when you compare it to wherever you lived before. I, for example, lived in the Washington DC area for 1 year 8 months before moving back to SA. I will address your questions in the order you asked them.

1) SA is located in what is called a "subtropical climate". Summers are hot and humid. Temperatures usually get above 100 degrees a few days, although this year, we crossed the triple digit mark almost 60 days this summer! Fall, especially starting in about mid-October, is a transition time where the weather and temperature will often change drastically with the arrival of cold fronts. It can be humid and in the 80s one hour, and windy and in the 50s the next when a cold front passes through. Winter is usually pleasant, with occasional freezes. It rarely snows here, although it did snow over 1 foot back in 1985. Spring is another transition time, as temperatures warm up. It is not uncommon to have highs in the 90's as early as Jan or Feb. In the spring, as with the fall, it'll warm up, then cool down suddenly with the passage of a cold front. When it comes to rain, it is usually hit or miss here. Either it rains too much (causing flash flooding, especially with all the low water crossings here) or not enough (causing droughts and water restrictions).

2) This is more of an opinion, depending on who you ask, how long they've lived here, and what part of town they live in. It also depends on what kind of lifestyle you prefer. With the exception of the 1 year 8 months I spent in the DC area, I have lived in the SA area since 1987. San Antonio generally has a relaxed, slower, easy-going way of life, especially compared to the East Coast and even other Texas cities like Dallas and Houston. There is plenty to do, from historic sites like the Alamo and the Missions to theme parks like Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Sea World to tourist attractions like the Riverwalk. There is also a lot to do in the surrounding areas, such as the Hill Country to the north and west and the Texas Gulf Coast to the southeast. SA has the usual large city problems, like crime, traffic, urban sprawl, pollution, and so on, but all large cities experience these to a degree.

3) SA, in my opinion, is very family friendly. There are lots of young families, especially military families due to the many bases in the area. School districts such as Northside, North East, Alamo Heights, and the military districts (Lackland, Fort Sam, Randolph) are outstanding. There is plenty for kids to do, like the theme and water parks, Witte Museum, SA Children's Museum, the SA Zoo, and more.

4) Housing prices are very decent, especially compared with the West and East Coasts. For example, when I lived in the DC area, I was paying over $1300/month rent for a 1 bedroom apartment. As a comparison, I'm paying about $1000/month for my mortgage on a 3 bedroom house.

San Antonio (the city itself, not the metropolitan area) is the 7th largest city in terms of population in the country. However, when you consider the metropolitan area, it is much further down the list. It is the 3rd largest metro area in Texas, after the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Houston. Many people in the area live in areas like Helotes, Stone Oak, and the "Randolph Metrocom" (the suburbs on the NE side surrounding Randolph AFB) and commute to work.

[svg210]

Originally Posted by Campbell21

It appears my husband and I may be relocating to San Antonio rather swiftly. I know absolutely nothing about the area...except that my mom always said "San Antone'...without the "io"! (My family is all from Houston, but I've lived all over the globe and I'm currently in the North East.)

What is the weather like?
Is it generally a nice place to live?
Is it family friendly?
Are housing prices decent?

I've heard it's a huge city...is it huge like Houston or smaller than that? Do people tend to live in other places and commute to San Antonio?

I would appreciate any info I can get. This is a very beginning stages search for information!!

thank you!!!

Welcome, and yeah I noticed that people 20miles outside 1604 call it San Antone. but I heard it more often towards the south east side of TX like Floresville, Beeville, Karnes, and Falls around those areas.

[TearsNheaven77]

We just relocated here in November ourselves. I come from a small town in Oklahoma and was in Louisiana before San Antonio (so far all the moves I have been on)-my husband has more under his belt, but so far we love it here. It's really hard to find a neighborhood that will fit you unless you see it for yourself. When I was house hunting I was concerned about Crime rates, Best schools, and a neighborhood kinda on the outskirts-because the city size to me is overwhelming. We settled in the Sunset Vista neighborhood which is located in the Northside Independent School district (which is the best ranked school district) Lots of newer homes and new schools-traffic is not a problem and each neighborhood has their own little shopping areas filled with places to eat and and HEB. My husband is currently stationed at Lackland AFB and it takes him about 15 min to get to work. Many of our friends moved a little farther northeast on the 1604 loop and their commute is not long either and their neighborhoods are very nice.

[amye1158]

Pianoboy really summed it up well.

Only I would add is - I've been told numerous times (being a NE transplant myself) that no true native calls it San Antone. (Although my MIL was from Port Arthur and always called it that.)

[RGJ]

And for the ones living outside of San AntonIO(emphasis added), HEB is the "800lb gorilla" locally owned grocery store. They have a few stores in other Texas cities as well.

[pianoboypinoyJR]

Originally Posted by RGJ

And for the ones living outside of San AntonIO(emphasis added), HEB is the "800lb gorilla" locally owned grocery store. They have a few stores in other Texas cities as well.

There used to be a larger variety of grocery stores here in SA, including Albertson's, Kroger, and Handy Andy. All Albertson's and Kroger stores closed (although Albertson's stores are still operating in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and Kroger stores are still open in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston). There are a few Handy Andy's still open. Other than that, HEB is the "800 lb gorilla" with Wal-Mart SuperCenters and SuperTargets bringing up the rear.