Retire in San Antonio? (Houston, Dallas: new home, university, income)

[BreeBrit]

I've heard from a few people that San Antonio is a great place to retire. My husband is Mexican and I have heard that there is a great Mexican community, that coupled with affordable housing makes it sound very attractive. I live in South Florida and absolutely hate it! I've also heard that it is a very conservative community because of all the military bases around. Is this true? Anything else I should consider? Any help would be so appreciated.
Thanks!

[Steel Man]

Hello BreeBrit,

First of all, I am retired Air Force and retired here in 1998. There is a misconception that the military is very conservative. I, for one, consider myself a moderate where I make my own decisions. San Antonio's current Mayor is considered a liberal and is working on making this city even better.

As for Mexicans, your husband would feel more at home here as this city is very diverse and we even celebrate the different cultures each June during the Folklife Festival. Of course, there are many other celebrations going on during the year.

Housing prices are still affordable, though rising at about 8% this year. You can find nice new homes starting at $130K. Utility prices are also reasonable. The only thing considered high are the property taxes (like most of Texas), though we do not pay any income tax.

San Antonio is centrally located...about 3 hours from the beach at Corpus Christi, from the Mexican border cities of Laredo, Del Rio, and Eagle Pass. Only 1 hour from Austin and about 4 hours from Houston, and 6 hours from Dallas. The best is that you're less than about 15-20 minutes from the start of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Here are some San Antonio/Bexar County websites to check out:

http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/?res=1024&ver=true
http://www.sanantoniocvb.com/
http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/

[hello13685]

Hello,

I can second what Steel Man says about the military influence here. I moved here from CA two years ago to teach at a university. Much to my surprise, I have found that my large number of military students have been some of the most outspoken opponents to the war, as well as to many conservative ideals. But yes, in general, it is very conservative here compared to many coastal areas. Good luck!