Moving to San antonio (Alamo, Terrell: fit in, apartment, rental)

[annadowling]

Hi, we are currently thinking of relocating to San Antonio from the uk. My husband would be employed by Rackspace, Where would be the best area to live, we would be looking at renting with a budget of $1500 per month and moving with 4 children, ages 14,12,10 and 2. What are schools etc like? Am a little worried about them fitting in! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks..

[Pancho-Villa]

You should read this first...this will help you a lot.



//www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...etro-info.html

[annadowling]

Thank you, i will.

[TexasRedneck]

Thanks to the high population of military families within the greater SA area, your kids will likely fit in about anywhere you might choose to live. Your rental budget would allow you to choose from a wide variety of locales - I WOULD suggest you find a decent Realtor to assist you in your search, however - the immediate area around Rackspace is not one that I'd choose to live in - you'll likely want something that's about a 10-20 minute commute, IMO.

[smuboy86]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

Thanks to the high population of military families within the greater SA area, your kids will likely fit in about anywhere you might choose to live. Your rental budget would allow you to choose from a wide variety of locales - I WOULD suggest you find a decent Realtor to assist you in your search, however - the immediate area around Rackspace is not one that I'd choose to live in - you'll likely want something that's about a 10-20 minute commute, IMO.

The area around rackspacr has done a total 180. I would have no apprehension recommending the city of windcrest for living in or even Camelot I and you can even get a 12,000 rebate from the city from living there.

[pobre]

You need to factor in the schools, too, with 3 school-age kids.

[TexasRedneck]

Originally Posted by smuboy86

The area around rackspacr has done a total 180. I would have no apprehension recommending the city of windcrest for living in or even Camelot I and you can even get a 12,000 rebate from the city from living there.

I'm quite familiar with the area around Rackspace. Windcrest continues to hold its' own - but by and large the rest of the area I'd continue to avoid. It's evolving - but I'd certainly NOT consider it to have done a 180.

[TXsurburbanmom]

I believe the schools for Windcrest are Windcrest El, White MS, and Roosevelt HS. Since schools are important you can check those. I'm a fan of Greatschools and even though others aren't, I like that it includes test scores and parent/student reviews. I've talked to a lot of new parents at my son's school who said they utilized it in choosing a neighborhood. A few other elementary schools did come up when I used Windcrest Tx for the search so you can also check the other ones in the general area that way.

[annadowling]

Great thanks guys, We certainly have a lot to consider. We have done a lot of research but i wanted to get some advice from the people who live there. Is there any other info you guys could give? For instance whats the grocery prices like?

[Chaka]

Rackspace has fairly decent relocation specialists, so definitely work with them. Be specific on the *type* of environment you want, though - urban vs. suburban, house vs. apartment, walkability, etc.

Pretty much everything will be cheaper here than in the UK, San Antonio in particular is a low COL city.

Are you coming from the city? (Are you currently with Rackspace in the UK?)

How many bedrooms do you want? Americans tend to think 1 bedroom/child, but a 5 bedroom house is not so common in the UK so I'm guessing you're not aiming for that. It's not that common here either, though 4 bedrooms is not unusual in suburbia.

Loads of Rackers live in Southtown (with kids), though houses tend to be smaller (3 bedrooms max) and more expensive. It's an easy commute to Rackspace and great walkability and about as close to urban as you'll get in San Antonio, if that's what you like. If you want suburban and are willing to drive, anything in Alamo Heights/Olmos Park/Lincoln Heights/Terrell Hills is a reasonable distance.