Hello San Antonio Folks, I'd like your 2 cents (Houston, Dallas: houses, job market)

[Gal On The Move]

Hello,

My husband and I are Northern Californians considering a move to San Antonio. We absolutely love California, but we are just not sure if it's a good idea (economically speaking) to stick around. The home's here are ridiculously over-priced. I'm talking 300G's for a shack in a crappy neighborhood.

We are both educated and in our early 30's. My husband is separating from the military and I just finished up a graduate degree. I'm also bilingual (Spanish). I've heard that San Antonio has a growing job market. Is that true?

Is San Antonio a beautiful city? In California we tend to get spoiled on the beauty (San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Napa Valley). I know San Antonio won't look like California, but does it have its own unique beauty? Are there nice shopping areas? How about Lakes? Oh, and hiking trails? I love outdoor activities.

Any opinions you have to offer would be appreciated, negative or positive. It's such a big decision and I've already consulted all family and friends, so now I'm enlisting the help of strangers! Why not. I know that leaving Cali is the smart thing to do; I just want to make sure we end up somewhere that will make us happy.

Thanks

[Hyun-Soo]

There is the Hill Country nearby which is nice!

There are plenty of places to shop in SA.

La Cantera Mall [it's new] has hundreds of upscale shops and there is a new Bass Pro Shops nearby.

[chipsndip]

There's a post around here somewhere with photos of San Antonio. I think it's a very pretty area in regards to nature, and there are a LOT of state parks nearby which are great for camping, hiking, boating, fishing, etc. We've been to several city parks that have decent hiking and biking trails, as well. The views are definitely different than Northern Cali, but are beautiful in their own way. And if you get out to places like Kerrville, there are some stunning drives and hikes.

Shopping is coming along. There's a lot of new developments, especially up north of 1604, with lots of big, nice, new shopping possibilities. It's getting crowded there, and you don't want to be ON 1604 during rush hour, but that's no surprise coming from Cali.

San Antonio is a city with a large town feel to it. It's got lots of people, lots of different areas and lots to do, but doesn't feel huge and crowded. It doesn't have ALL the resources of a bigger metropolis (ie comparing it do Dallas / Houston), but doesn't feel as massive as those towns either.

The roads aren't keeping up with the growth, and there's LOTS of construction all around the city. The roads are probably my biggest complaint... I think the road infrastructure is years behind, and with the new growth will fall even further so. There's talk of adding toll roads just to get some new roads up quick, and it's almost the only choice.

Hope that helps!

[adtobias]

sa is a nice town but nothing like san fran but san antonio has its own qualities unlike any other town I have lived in. I think you would love it here. and 300 6's buys you a nice house in a nice area

[winst0n]

Let's just say, for the budget that you have, you can have great views right in your backyard, how about that?

Originally Posted by Gal On The Move

Hello,

My husband and I are Northern Californians considering a move to San Antonio. We absolutely love California, but we are just not sure if it's a good idea (economically speaking) to stick around. The home's here are ridiculously over-priced. I'm talking 300G's for a shack in a crappy neighborhood.

We are both educated and in our early 30's. My husband is separating from the military and I just finished up a graduate degree. I'm also bilingual (Spanish). I've heard that San Antonio has a growing job market. Is that true?

Is San Antonio a beautiful city? In California we tend to get spoiled on the beauty (San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Napa Valley). I know San Antonio won't look like California, but does it have its own unique beauty? Are there nice shopping areas? How about Lakes? Oh, and hiking trails? I love outdoor activities.

Any opinions you have to offer would be appreciated, negative or positive. It's such a big decision and I've already consulted all family and friends, so now I'm enlisting the help of strangers! Why not. I know that leaving Cali is the smart thing to do; I just want to make sure we end up somewhere that will make us happy.

Thanks

[ShaneSA]

I lived in Sacramento for a few years. It was nice and close to all those nice places like SF and Tahoe. San Antonio is better to me. The traffic jams are shorter, smaller and fewer inspite of the construction trying to keep up with the growth.
Considering the price difference between the two cities, you can buy a great place in a great area and not have to worry about the price.
And there are lots of places to go and things to do. It's different than California. Keeping that in mind, it's a whole new world.
There's parks, small towns, downtown has lots of culture and history. easy access to museums, and hill country that can have a California remote feel to it. There's even a few good vinyards.
COME ON DOWN!!!!!
I love living here and would not go back to California(not to live anyway)

[doss1]

you guys forgot the most important thing: PEOPLE HERE ARE NICER!

5 out of 6 doctors agree.

[210]

Gal, here are some picture threads of San Antonio.

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...sence-san.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...-pictures.html

[Gal On The Move]

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for your advice. I really value the information you've shared.

210,

Your pictures are awesome. I've looked online for pictures of San Antonio, and it's always the same two things Riverwalk/Alamo. I feel like your pictures gave me a glimpse into what San Antonio really looks like...and I like it.

[rd2007]

gotta be careful with pictures. on the tourist pamphlets and sites they can make anything look good.

San Antonio is definitely not San Fran, but in a good way. Only thing I liked better about San Fran when I visited there from Monterey was the weather, I love it cold. It's definitely far from cold here, except right now it's actually 70 which is unbelievable for this time of year...

the northern parts of San Antonio will remind you a LOT of California (as far as the traffic, shopping, houses etc). The southern parts probably won't....

you'll definitely get to test your bilingual skills here though...