Alamo Heights vs Stone Oak Parkway + Downtown (Dallas, Austin: highrise, smog)

[Sampaguita]

I know - vastly different areas.

I lived in Alamo Heights for 4 years in the late 80s-early 90s and had always loved the area. I remembered quaint, well-kept homes with lots of character. Charming shops & eateries. I always thought that I'd want to live there if I ever moved back to SA and told my husband so.

I was back there this past weekend & I have to admit that I was rather disappointed. I thought the roads were horrible, the houses not as well kept & in general, thought it had a worn look and lacked the charm I remember.

Am I totally off my rocker? I asked a few of the managers of some of the new developments out by 1604/Stone Oaks Pkwy & they all agreed with me but I'm not sure if could be completely objective given their jobs (to sell the new developments).

I had also thought when I left in 1993 that downtown was going to be experiencing a lot of development but I didn't really see much change.

For some reason, I had it in my mind that SA was more beautiful than San Diego (where we live now). I got off the plane here yesterday & immediately realized I had it, um, kind of wrong.

However, we can't argue with SA having more to offer as far as a future for us & our children. The schools in SD are not the greatest (especially where we live now). We also will need to add on to our house or buy up. We can't really afford to buy up in San Diego and adding on means no longer having a yard.

I did find a development that I like out by Stone Oak Parkway but don't really know anything about the area.

Can anyone share insights or thoughts on that?

Many thanks for reading this!

[210]

I go confused with the title of this thread. I thought it was a thread about a city versus a road. lol

As for your assessment of Alamo Heights. May I ask which area of Alamo Heights you saw?

You make have comfused it with Terell Hills or not Alamo Heights altogether.

And as for Stone Oak, you won't go wrong with buying a home there.

And downtown SA hasn't experienced too much building downtown since the late 80's/early 90's because cheap land in the suburbs drew builders there.

However recently a lot of housing and hotel projects have begun construction that will reshape the downtown skyline.

Also, the downtown population is set to triple within 2 years.

[Sampaguita]

Oh, sorry! I guess I should have left "parkway" out of the title.

Thanks for the info on downtown. Where did all the businesses decide to build? Out by 1604? I remember when I lived in SA that driving out to 1604 was "driving out to the boonies". Now I hear there will be a lot of building going out towards Canyon Lake. LOL - that was a weekend trip to us back then!

The areas we drove around in Alamo Heights were between Austin Hwy & Jones-Maltsberger & both sides of N. New Braunfels & Broadway (over by Cambridge Elementary).

We had been resisting the idea of moving out to the 'burbs & building because I just HAD to be in Alamo Heights. We currently live in San Diego in a 1929 Spanish Revival in an area that is up & coming. The area & surrounding homes have a lot of character with walkable shops & eateries so that is what we've always been drawn too - kind of semi-urban.

I realized as we were driving around & looking at some homes I'd seen on-line that we'd have to spend quite a bit to buy a house in the area, update it, expand and renovate to ADA requirements (my husband is in a wheelchair).

We also drove around Mahncke Park but that was even more up & coming than where we live now (we've done up & coming 2x in the last 5 yrs). With DH in a wheelchair, we have to hire all home improvement projects out which gets quite expensive. I've heard that most of the homes in Mahncke Park need work and are small so it doesn't seem like a feasible option for us.

Buying/building in Stone Oak area allows us to work with the builder/architect from the very start & build according to DH's needs which seems to make more sense for us.

I've never lived in a suburb area so it will be an interesting change.

[Sampaguita]

Oh, sorry! I guess I should have left "parkway" out of the title.

Thanks for the info on downtown. Where did all the businesses decide to build? Out by 1604? I remember when I lived in SA that driving out to 1604 was "driving out to the boonies". Now I hear there will be a lot of building going out towards Canyon Lake. LOL - that was a weekend trip to us back then!

The areas we drove around in Alamo Heights were between Austin Hwy & Jones-Maltsberger & both sides of N. New Braunfels & Broadway (over by Cambridge Elementary).

We had been resisting the idea of moving out to the 'burbs & building because I just HAD to be in Alamo Heights. We currently live in San Diego in a 1929 Spanish Revival in an area that is up & coming. The area & surrounding homes have a lot of character with walkable shops & eateries so that is what we've always been drawn too - kind of semi-urban.

I realized as we were driving around & looking at some homes I'd seen on-line that we'd have to spend quite a bit to buy a house in the area, update it, expand and renovate to ADA requirements (my husband is in a wheelchair).

We also drove around Mahncke Park but that was even more up & coming than where we live now (we've done up & coming 2x in the last 5 yrs). With DH in a wheelchair, we have to hire all home improvement projects out which gets quite expensive. I've heard that most of the homes in Mahncke Park need work and are small so it doesn't seem like a feasible option for us.

Buying/building in Stone Oak area allows us to work with the builder/architect from the very start & build according to DH's needs which seems to make more sense for us.

I've never lived in a suburb area so it will be an interesting change.

[Steel Man]

I was born and grew up in Southern California (Pomona/Claremont area) and my parents still live in LaVerne. However, last time I went back last year I was disappointed with the area, and especially the mountains (Mt. Baldy...couldn't even get to the top..closed). The weather was nice in S. California, but smog wasn't. San Diego is nice, but it has become too expensive (as is the case for most of California). And, it seems many Californians are moving East.

As for downtown, 210 is correct. I have also read that a couple of highrise condos will be built on Broadway...just north of downtown and I believe another highrise condo will be built just east of I37. No doubt, this is where the population will increase.

[210]

A 27 story condo highrise is being built right next to the Kress building downtown. It's being built on a surface parking lot, which is great.

[mydemo09]

couldnt resist , lived in the sa area now for 48 yrs., graduate from alamo hts.,however brother was a macarther grad, northeast isd, much much better, probably all of the school dist , especially san ant. ind. is very good , more personal attention to indiv. children , etc. However , ahts. is also quality too, but just doesnt offer any high sch. voctional occupational courses like northeast etc. THe biggest con of living in alamo hts. or even san antonio city limits but in the heights school dist. ( and especially if there are no kids in school for sure ) ARE THE OUTRAGOUS PROPERTY AND SCHOOL DIST . TAXES YOU HAVE TO PAY , ONLY BECAUSE YOUR IN AHSD. ITS A DEFINATE BUMMER. WE LIVE ON THE CORNER OF THE BORDER BETWEEN ALAMO HTS. AND THE NORTHEAST SCH. DIST. OUR YRLY. TAXES ARE PRACTICALLY 3 X MORE THAN THE NEIGHBORS DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM US. ITS NOW GONE UP AGAIN , AND AT APPROX. $7,000 A YR. , BECAUSE OF THE SCHOOL DIST WE LIVE IN. MANACKE PARK , LEARY OF THAT , LOTS OF YOUNGER COUPLES SEVERAL YRS. STARTED BUYING UP ALOT OF THE HOUSES AND RENOVATING THEM , QUITE NICELY AND YES A DIFFERENCE INDEED, HOWEVER IF YOU GO ANY FURTHER THAN FUNSTON, PARLAND ST. AND FUNSTON ARE THE STREETS THAT SIDE WITH THE ACTUAL PK. ON BROADWAY, THEN YOUR IN TROUBLE AND WILL PROBABLY HAVE CRACK DEALERS, PROSITUTES DOING IT IN YOUR FRONT YARD, DO I NEED TO GO ON. ITS NOT SO BAD BETWEEN HILDEBRAND AVE. AND FUNSTON THOUGH , THATS WHERE MOST OF THE NEWLY RENOVATION STREETS ARE ANYWAYS... I USED TO LIVE ON CLAIRMONT AVE, ONE BL. FROM THE PARK , AND WOULD WALK MY DAUGHTER MOST DAYS TO THE ELEMENTARY SCH. THERE,"LAMAR ELEM." ON PARLAND AVE. UNBELIEVABLY I WOULD BE APPROACHED ,EVEN WITH MY DAUGHTER IN HAND , BY JOHNS LOOKING TO BUY SERVICES, SO TO SPEAK.... IT WAS ACTUALLY SCARY AND THEN I NOTICED THAT BESIDES THE FOURPLEX I LIVED IN ON CLAIRMONT ALL THE OTHERS WERE CLOSE OR SHOULD OF BEEN CONDEMNED ,IN MY OPINION. SO THE PARKWAY , WHICH IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY AS FAR IM CONCERNED, BUT MY HUSBAND WHO TRAVELS WITH OUR PIANO AND MOVING CO. QUITE REGULARLY JUST THREW IN HIS FEW THOUGHTS. HE SAYS GO TO PARKWAY ESPECIALLY IF YOU ENJOY SITTING IN TRAFFIC REG. , IT REMINDS OF DALLAS , THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF SAN ANTO. , NOT A GOOD THING . COME TO THINK ABOUT IT , THESE DAYS IT SEEMS THERE IS TROUBLE IN EVERY AREA , ONE WAY OR ANOTHER , CRIMINAL, DIRTY , ETC. THOUGH ITS ALL A MATTER OF WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT , OR ANYTHING FOR THAT MATTER. YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY MEET THE NEIGHBORS AND ESPECIALLY IF YOUR BUYING , WILL YOU LIKE THEM , FOR YRS, OR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE ? ARE THE SOCIAL , SOMEWHAT DECENT , OR ARE THEY TRASHY , DRUGGED OUT , LOUD , FRIENDLY , ETC. PERSONALLY HAVING GOOD NEIGHBORS CAN MAKE EVEN SOME OF THE WORST LIVING CONDITIONS SEEM LIKE HEAVEN, I KNOW PERSONALLY HAVING LIVED NEXT DOOR TO MR. AND MRS HELL BEFORE AND ITS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU LEAVE , AND LEAVE EVERYTHING YOU OWN AND NEVER TO RETURN , DUE TO THE BAD NEIGHBOR SITUATION, VERY IMPORTANT TO ME , MAYBE NOT THAT DRASTIC FOR MOST , BUT I LIKE TO FEEL COMFORTABLE AND SAFE AND AT EASE WITHOUT HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE BS OF THE NEXT DOOR HELL FAMILY...MARY

Originally Posted by Sampaguita

Oh, sorry! I guess I should have left "parkway" out of the title.

Thanks for the info on downtown. Where did all the businesses decide to build? Out by 1604? I remember when I lived in SA that driving out to 1604 was "driving out to the boonies". Now I hear there will be a lot of building going out towards Canyon Lake. LOL - that was a weekend trip to us back then!

The areas we drove around in Alamo Heights were between Austin Hwy & Jones-Maltsberger & both sides of N. New Braunfels & Broadway (over by Cambridge Elementary).

We had been resisting the idea of moving out to the 'burbs & building because I just HAD to be in Alamo Heights. We currently live in San Diego in a 1929 Spanish Revival in an area that is up & coming. The area & surrounding homes have a lot of character with walkable shops & eateries so that is what we've always been drawn too - kind of semi-urban.

I realized as we were driving around & looking at some homes I'd seen on-line that we'd have to spend quite a bit to buy a house in the area, update it, expand and renovate to ADA requirements (my husband is in a wheelchair).

We also drove around Mahncke Park but that was even more up & coming than where we live now (we've done up & coming 2x in the last 5 yrs). With DH in a wheelchair, we have to hire all home improvement projects out which gets quite expensive. I've heard that most of the homes in Mahncke Park need work and are small so it doesn't seem like a feasible option for us.

Buying/building in Stone Oak area allows us to work with the builder/architect from the very start & build according to DH's needs which seems to make more sense for us.

I've never lived in a suburb area so it will be an interesting change.

[01Snake]

Wow! Tell us how you really feel!!

There is a lot of road construction going on in the tricities right now. That probably explains why you felt the roads looked bad - because they are, currently! For example, in Olmos Park we have roads that are waiting for the final milling and look horrific. They will look great, though, once they are all finished.

I'm not seeing the unkemptness of the homes in Alamo Heights. They look about the same to me as they always do. There are always a few eyesores in every community that doesn't have an HOA with enforcement powers - Olmos Park has three houses that I can think of that even me, with my well-acknowledged anti-teardown bias, can admit are doomed to the wrecking ball.

[martinez4]

We moved just north of Stone Oak three years ago and we love the area. With the new centers being complete and more in the planning stages this area is really growing!! The traffic on 281 can be bothersome but there are quite a lot of short cuts to get around. We also lived in CA....Orange County.... and would never move back!!!!

Good luck to you:-)