From Rockland ME to San Antonio (Houston, Spring: apartments, rentals, how much)

[jeff1981]

Our family (3 adults) is looking to move to San Antonio by April 2012. We are currently in the Rockland, ME area.

Biggest questions-
I work from home, and need access to high speed internet, landline phone, and a decent airport.

We have a small cat and a large, well behaved German Shepherd.

We are looking to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom apt or townhouse in a safe area. Would prefer to be on the north side, but not essental.

I'm looking for thoughts on what neighborhoods to look for rentals in, and to get a sense of the cost of living.
Also, how much "culture shock" will there be? We are fairly quiet, conservative people.

Thanks

[TXsurburbanmom]

The cost of living in San Antonio will be less then Rockland ME. Food will be substantially cheaper--trust me on this. You will have absolutely no problem finding multiple companies for high speed internet and landlines. San Antonio has an International Airport (although small for International it's still an airport in a big city) on the North side of town. Since an airport is important it would probably best to live on that side of town to decrease your travel time. I'm not sure what price range you are looking for but the northside of SA is very large with apartments and townhomes at many different pricepoints.

Not sure how much culture shock there will be. SA is different from any other place I've lived, however, if you don't want loud parties just avoid Fiesta, Spurs Games, Folklife, etc. SA is a friendly family town so I don't think you will have a problem fitting in. As far as conservative, except for the far northside of town, SA is less conservative then some parts of Texas but it's still TEXAS so I'm guessing it tends to be more conservative then the NE overall on politics, religion, etc.

[CarlB328]

Texas is a lot different than the northeast so you will have to adjust a bit. It's an ugly, searing desert compared to Maine, but some people like moving to a place that's different from where they're from, and some don't. I'm leaving finally after 8 years and am eager to go, but I'm I will miss a few things about it.

The main cultural difference from the north is that Texas is all about cheapness, which often means low quality, or few choices for things. If you want to find someplace inexpensive to live it's a good choice.

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by jeff1981

Our family (3 adults) is looking to move to San Antonio by April 2012. We are currently in the Rockland, ME area.

Biggest questions-
I work from home, and need access to high speed internet, landline phone, and a decent airport.

We have a small cat and a large, well behaved German Shepherd.

We are looking to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom apt or townhouse in a safe area. Would prefer to be on the north side, but not essental.

I'm looking for thoughts on what neighborhoods to look for rentals in, and to get a sense of the cost of living.
Also, how much "culture shock" will there be? We are fairly quiet, conservative people.

Thanks

I'll send you a DM regarding San Antonio. Sadly, we lived there for 3 years.

[Azure110]

Jeff1981

I am not a "homer" defending my town as FCF may accuse some of us to be but I strongly recommend that you not just use his input. Its a bunch of crap.

Anywhere you go, you are going to find pros and cons. Problem is, some just tell you the cons. Not sure why. I think you have to be bitter and angry to get to that point.

With that being said, you did not mention a budget for your housing. San Antonio is fairly cheap compared to other parts of the country. I don't think you will have any problem finding a decent rental on the Northside. I do strongly recommend that you rent first as you stated.

[ged_782]

Originally Posted by firstclassflyer

I'll send you a DM regarding San Antonio. Sadly, we lived there for 3 years.

Just to let you know, this is the type of response this particular poster gives to any future prospective resident posting a query about San Antonio. I don't know exactly what he says in his DMs, but I would suggest seeking some opinions from individuals who have spent more than three years here.

[L210]

Originally Posted by jeff1981

Our family (3 adults) is looking to move to San Antonio by April 2012. We are currently in the Rockland, ME area.

Biggest questions-
I work from home, and need access to high speed internet, landline phone, and a decent airport.

We have a small cat and a large, well behaved German Shepherd.

We are looking to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom apt or townhouse in a safe area. Would prefer to be on the north side, but not essental.

I'm looking for thoughts on what neighborhoods to look for rentals in, and to get a sense of the cost of living.
Also, how much "culture shock" will there be? We are fairly quiet, conservative people.

Thanks

I live near 281 and 410 right next to the airport and I love my location. I'm just 10 min. from downtown, not too far from 1604, and I'm near IH-35 too. Just don't settle east of Starcrest on 410.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by firstclassflyer

I'll send you a DM regarding San Antonio. Sadly, we lived there for 3 years.

But things have improved so much since you left!

Jeff, it will take some time to acclimate to the hot weather, but other than that you'll probably love San Antonio. The vast majority of folks do, and while there may be a few that don't usually they're the types that find blame in everything but themselves.

The cost-of-living in San Antonio is noticeably cheaper than most parts of the country. It is considerably cheaper compared that such overpriced and overhyped places such as California. Plus, we aren’t suffering from a failing economy, broken government and the dillusional nativity of the people in that state.

High speed Internet won't be a problem anywhere in this area, nor will finding a place to rent. Most landlords will allow pets, just be sure to ask beforehand. Our airport is nicely sized and one terminal was recently renovated. I travel though it a lot and have never had a problem (unlike many other airports in this nation). You usually have to go through a hub (Houston, DFW, etc) to get to most places (especially overseas), but there are many direct flights because of the strong tourist industry of our city. San Antonio is a very popular place, due to the many things to see and do here, so traveling to and from the city isn’t usually a problem.

As for "culture shock," we've moved here twice (both times from Europe) and never really experienced it. You might see a "cultural change" in that the history of this area is considerably different from where you live now; but that is to be expected when moving such distances.

As a matter of fact, we really like the strength of the Hispanic culture and heritage in San Antonio; it gives this city character. Some complain that it isn't as ethnically diverse as some large cities, but that shouldn’t be considered a negative as you wouldn’t put down Paris for being “too French” or Tokyo for being “too Japanese” (I was going to say London for being “too British,” but anyone who has been to that great town knows it is probably one of the most culturally-diverse cities in the world!).

There is a secondary ethnic influence in this area thanks to the Germans who settled here in the mid-1800s. It is really evident in towns like Fredericksburg, Gruene, and Boerne, as well as others.

Lastly, San Antonio (and most of Texas) has a reputation for a “live and let live” mentality. Folks are very friendly here, and it is family-oriented town; but you are expected to mind your own business and others will do the same. As long as you don’t bother your neighbors, you shouldn’t expect to be bothered by them. Of course there is the occasional exception, but for the most part we have found that to be very true.

Good luck with your decision and if/when you do move here I hope you love it as much as we (and the vast majority) of people who either live or visit this great city!

Cheers! M2

[Stabart47]

There are also some people who will cut down anyone who has anything negative or even just unbiased to contribute about San Antonio. Many times it comes from those who have never lived or experienced any place else. Other times, it's from people who try to bully and take over the forum with their viewpoints. Truthfully, this is my least favorite assignment for many reasons. I can only compare it to D.C., Colorado Springs, the Ozarks, Delaware, Seattle, Scott AFB, and another TX city. You might love it and I hope you do!! I imagine you will find summers opressive and miss having a fall.

[jeff1981]

Thank you so much for all the replies everyone. Keep the info coming! I really appreciate the willingness to share opinions both for and against the area, but it's worth mentioning that we have decided to move to the San Antonio area next april (2012) it's just a question of exactly where. I'm starting to gather my information early, as we plan to make two seperate trips before moving- the first to see some general areas and narrow down where to live, and the second to actually put down 1st months rent, security, etc, get the keys, arrange utility hookups and so forth. Then, we will return here, load the moving van, and move down.
It may seem like I'm "jumping the gun" in doing all this research so early, but when we moved to Maine we did it in too much of a hurry, and wound up living in an area that was not a good match for our family. Thus, we moved after only 3 months to where we are now. I'm trying to avoid that problem in our move South.
Again, thanks for all the advice, and I'm interested in hearing more. It is our hope to make San Antonio our home for the long term- not just a stop along the way. We have done a lot of traveling and research and have concluded that the San Antonio area is where we want to be for the climate, economy, and social reasons.

One of the biggest things I worry about is how hard it will be to adjust to big city living. The largest town in our area, Rockland, is only about 10 thousand people. One of the big reasons for moving is to be near a good quality airport and more business services, as I work from home and travel a good bit.