What's it like to live in San Antonio? (Houston, Austin: how much, home)

[Steel Man]

I was born and raised in Southern California. There you could go to the beach, mountains, or desert within one hour and there was always lots of things to do. Then I joined the Air Force and spent half of my long career overseas. There were always people who did not like being stationed overseas and would complain about their current environment, instead of going out into the local area and soaking in a new and different culture. Then there were others who loved being stationed there and really enjoyed their tour (some even extended their tours voluntarily). Yes, we were all away from our extended families, but it made our immediate family stronger.
Now, Texas, though some think of as another country, is a lot closer to families and friends than being overseas. It is also easier/cheaper to travel "back home" or to call than being stationed overseas. When I retired from the Air Force I could have chosen to go back to Southern California where my parents still live, but decided to stay in San Antonio as this is my home now. And, apparently, I am not the only one that believes this. San Antonio is unique, and I believe it will grow on you the longer you stay. To slightly change the song hit by CSNY, if you can't live in the place you love, then love the place you live in.

[KY Filly]

Originally Posted by chiaraelisa

Hi,

II am not sure I have all the answers simply because I haven't lived here long enough.

"still have not met a friend or someone I consider a friend". As far as things to do: there are some things to do... at parks, and the zoo, one or two musems... but honestly, I am still in shock. And I am sorry to say that no matter how great Texans believe SA is, it cannot compare to living on the East coast, where you have TONS of culture available to you.

I am thoroughly disappointed in SA and can't wait to leave and go back to Princeton, NJ.

If you do decide to move to SA, be ready for some serious weather change from the East coast. The landscape is different, more desert-like, the neighborhoods are like small suburbs in NJ only difference there is no main street... in order to get anywhere in SA, you will need to be on a highway. The traffic is hideous and so are the drivers. Winters are mild and snow-free, so there's a plus. There are very few organic markets, few restaurants that aren't Mexican, playgrounds (and I've seen 6 so far) are not as well-kept as the ones I used to take my daughter to in Princeton or Long Valley NJ. The closest I've come to seeing a body of water (and I'm not talking about the Riverwalk) is when we visited the Guadalupe State Park and got to splash in the river. It was a fun day... but... nothing like Cape May, NJ. I've not been to the coastline of Texas so I can't say how nice it is. I am sure it's very nice but 3 hours away.

I am very biased to NJ, I have family there, too and no one here, but also because so far, in the past 4 months, I haven't really found something that I can say: "oh, yeah, this is so much better than it was back east." Which makes living everyday life here pretty hard.

Chiaraelisa - I feel compelled to respond since I am very new to San Antonio also. Actually, I've been here even less time than you - only two weeks. We moved from Louisville, KY; certainly not the mecca of the world (but then, where is the mecca anyway?), VERY different in most ways to S.A., but Louisville is an awesome city with a huge cultural community, MANY beautiful parks (several designed by Patirck Law Olmstead who also designed Central Park in NYC); wonderful annual events (the Kentucky Derby + Festival); host to the Breeders Cub several times; the PGA tournament in 2002 (I think) and upcoming again in 2009; incredible independent fine dining restaurants and so on and so on.....I say this to point out that Louisville has a lot to offer as do many cities when we take the time to get to know them. Having lived in Louisville for 38 years of my 56 here on earth, I consider Louisville my "home town" and I love it. All of our family resides there with the exception of my step-son who lives in Chicago.

I share all this with you as a preface to what we expected when moving to S.A. We came to this city (my husband had the opportunity to open an office for the company he works for, and he is an office of one, himself, with not even any co-workers with which to interact) with, what I believe, an open mind and an adventurous attitude. We knew that it would be different; we knew we would have to be pro-active in making friends (real friends take a long time to develop relationships); we knew that we would have to find the short-cuts to everywhere (in Louisville we could get ANYWHERE and knew all the best routes); we knew we would need to take time to adjust to the cultural differences; it would take time to learn all that S.A. and the surrounding area has to offer; the climate would be different (a huge plus IMO!) and we sure knew that we were leaving our support system (family and friends) behind in a physical sense (e-mail and phones are great!)....I could go on about all this. We did do a lot of research before arriving (City-Data members, Thank you!)....so we've been prepared with what to expect.

No city and nothing is perfect and so many things I cannot control. What I can control however is an open-mind and my desire to embrace the differences and broaden my perspective on how other cities/people live. I am confident we will find wonderful friends; new things we've never seen experienced before; "stuff" I can't find in Louisville and that my life will be greatly enriched by a different experience. I know you are probably homesick (I'm not yet...but am fully prepared for the temporary illness! LOL) and it's especially difficult for you to leave so much behind especially when another beautiful child on the way.....I would ask, however that you just give yourself a little more time to adjust.

A friend of mine relocated to the DFW area four years ago (born and raised in Louisville) - she told me it took her one full year to adjust to Texas and now she just LOVES it. She worked hard at putting herself in situations to meet folks and has made a ton of new friends, is very active etc., etc.

One last thing - as far as stuff to do.....from what I've read and learned it will take us at least a year to scratch the surface of all there is to do in this area! But then again - some never adjust to a new place and that's ok too....different strokes for different folks. I, for one, could never see myself actually living in a number of other places - but there are others who live there and love it.

I hope you understand that I'm not a "Texan" (yet)....I think my opinions and perceptions are unbiased - I truly wish you and your family the best. Give yourself a little more time. God Bless.

[doaks]

Originally Posted by trnmeon

The culture in San Antonio is from my experience unique to San Antonio. That's my opinion, and I'm not going to continue to debate the subject. And has it ever occurred to you that slow paced can also mean lack of newness, diversity, education, and progressive attitudes?

A few Fortune 500 companies are not going to change the vibe of the city.

Totally agree with your post.

[manthechange]

For me, living in San Antonio is kinda like living in Dinsneyland.

Families rule here, so if you've got kids, I would assume that it's a great place to live. I don't have kids, so I'm not so keen on restaurants closing at 9:00 PM, and everything having the "family-friendly" tag applied to it. Kids are everywhere...

A lot of people talk about the "lower cost of living" associated with San Antonio. I don't think the cost of living is actually lower here, at least for the things I buy.

If you're a Wall-Mart shopper who wants to live in a cookie-cutter nieghborhood with a 30 minute drive to work and feed your family on hamburger helper every night...it's probably a lower cost of living.

But, if you like a nice neighborhood close to the city, eat out at nice restaurants, enjoy good grocery stores etc...well, there's less of that to go around, so it's much more expensive than doing something like that in a less family-oriented city. This is probably exacerbated by the "Disneyland" thing.

Also, for entertainment, shows, good shopping (for self, home, etc...), you'll need to drive an hour or two (Houston or Austin)...

However, San Antonio is a very diverse place with very friendly people, the weather (sans summer) is great...but watch out for those allergies!

[firstclassflyer]

We love cookie cutter neighborhood..hamburger helper too! Now, get in my belly!

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Steel Man

I was born and raised in Southern California. There you could go to the beach, mountains, or desert within one hour and there was always lots of things to do. Then I joined the Air Force and spent half of my long career overseas. There were always people who did not like being stationed overseas and would complain about their current environment, instead of going out into the local area and soaking in a new and different culture. Then there were others who loved being stationed there and really enjoyed their tour (some even extended their tours voluntarily). Yes, we were all away from our extended families, but it made our immediate family stronger.
Now, Texas, though some think of as another country, is a lot closer to families and friends than being overseas. It is also easier/cheaper to travel "back home" or to call than being stationed overseas. When I retired from the Air Force I could have chosen to go back to Southern California where my parents still live, but decided to stay in San Antonio as this is my home now. And, apparently, I am not the only one that believes this. San Antonio is unique, and I believe it will grow on you the longer you stay. To slightly change the song hit by CSNY, if you can't live in the place you love, then love the place you live in.

Can I just say ditto? Except for the military part (I lived/worked overseas but not part of the military), the above describes my experience as well.

If you're always comparing a place to the place you left behind, you'll never be happy where you are. Appreciate the things that make the place unique. That was part of the reason I chose to live downtown rather than in suburbia. I figured if I was going to live in SA, I might as well live in a place that made SA what it is rather than 'anywhere USA.'

Is SA my favourite place on earth? No. Is it a wonderful home? yes.

[ASouthernRebel]

Stay in Jersey Yankee... We don't need your type in Texas!

[AnthonySA]

Originally Posted by ASouthernRebel

Stay in Jersey Yankee... We don't need your type in Texas!

So much for southern hospitality.

[angison44]

LOL I have to agree with first class flyer...As someone who lived in NJ for 35 years I coouldn't wait to get the hell out..How someone could contemplate moving to a state that is completely overcrowded, grossly expensive and full of the rudest people in the country is beyond me lol...... We are actually thinking of moving to san Antonio ourselves!!! :0)

[jeffutsa2001]

SA is growing and becoming more diversified with cultures and ways of thinking. I welcome these changes as they will only make SA a better place to live and work. I can say that SA is moving in the right direction. We still have ways to go but it's an improvement from 2000. The last 10 plus have been growing years. Now if we can concentrate on "urban renewal" and lessen the urban sprawl that has taken place. Downtown is where SA was born. We have some amazing history and architecture that we need to capitalize on.