The Good, Bad and Ugly about San Antonio (Houston, Dallas: to rent, house prices)

[Shaun Minh]

Looking for any and all information about living in San Antonio. I was in the AF and stationed down there back in 1999 and really loved the weather and the atmosphere. Currently living in MN and working as an RN. Really want to get my family out of the cold and looking at lots of places in TX to settle down. Currently exploring Dallas area and El Paso, but my heart keeps bringing me back to San Antonio. I work in the medical field and already have a TX nursing license; are nursing jobs readily available and whats the usual hourly wage? Really wondering what neighborhoods are good and which ones to stay away from; I heard that the north and west sides of town are very good and safe. Schools are also very important because of my young ones and looking for schools with reasonable ratings. Also whats the traffic situation; I remember the 410 loop being very helpful to navigate the city? I also know property tax is expensive but how about over all cost of living? Appreciate any and all info.

[erickz623]

There are plenty of nursing jobs in San Antonio. I found one easily after switching jobs from Marble Falls. Wages are somewhat lower than other cities in the country, but you make more the more experience you have. I have 3 years of nursing experience and I average around $29/hour.

Northside ISD AND NEISD are highly rated school districts in San Antonio, so I’d stick to neighborhoods zoned for those areas. Northwest, North, and Northeast side of San Antonio are good areas to stick to.

Cost of living has risen over recent years. Rents are starting in just under $1,000 for a 1 bedroom in good areas. What is your budget?

Good luck. You’ll find what you’re looking for here.

[GEM-Texas]

If you could buy a lower cost starter house, do it. It is comparable in the cost to rent, nowadays. There are new homes starting in the $200k in the NW regions of town and not far from the Medical Center. New schools, too.

[Bob Buford]

Seems the whole Nation is moving to Texas, especially San Antonio, so what's one more? [Mod cut: off topic]

With that, home pricing is continuously growing and definitely a sellers market. Our neighborhood has homes selling within a couple of days of listing if they are aren't ridiculously high priced. Buyers get into bidding wars for homes and they're either going for asking price or more.

[JH6]

We bought a new house near Alamo ranch this year.

The drive downtown is 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The northwest is booming but the roads haven't been built up enough to keep up.

[supfromthesite]

Northwest, North Central, or near downtown are the best areas. Most of the town is pretty safe I think. Decide if you will want to live near the Northside or near downtown, because if you live in one it will be sort of inconvenient to get to the other. I live in Alamo Heights and go to the Northside pretty often but it's getting crazy traffic wise.

Personally I think you should consider El Paso or another smaller city. Maybe Victoria or Corpus or Tyler or something. San Antonio is getting too big. I will definitely leave once my partying days are over.

[Turtle92]

Nursing in SA is a challenge. Having moved here from out of state I feel like I've gone back in time healthcare wise. Coordination of care, rounding, education, seems behind what I'm used to up north. San Antonio ranks high in percentage of people in poverty and Texas did not take Medicaid expansion. The result is we have a lot of uninsured patients and this takes its toll on the system.

House prices and cost of living in general is cheap compared to much of the country. I'm also very happy not shoveling snow. Traffic is bad, but compared to Houston or Austin it's better. Can't speak to El Paso, but I'm guessing SA is much worse from what I hear.

SA has a laid back, funky feel, unique from other Texas cities. I like that.

But for something completely different, you may want to check out San Angelo. Much smaller but a pretty lively community that seems like a good place to raise kids. Just a thought.

[Shaun Minh]

Originally Posted by Turtle92

Nursing in SA is a challenge. Having moved here from out of state I feel like I've gone back in time healthcare wise. Coordination of care, rounding, education, seems behind what I'm used to up north. San Antonio ranks high in percentage of people in poverty and Texas did not take Medicaid expansion. The result is we have a lot of uninsured patients and this takes its toll on the system.

House prices and cost of living in general is cheap compared to much of the country. I'm also very happy not shoveling snow. Traffic is bad, but compared to Houston or Austin it's better. Can't speak to El Paso, but I'm guessing SA is much worse from what I hear.

SA has a laid back, funky feel, unique from other Texas cities. I like that.

But for something completely different, you may want to check out San Angelo. Much smaller but a pretty lively community that seems like a good place to raise kids. Just a thought.

I understand what your saying about "going back in time healthcare wise". I currently work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester so I know we are pretty spoiled up here when it comes to pay, nurse to patient ratio, and overall healthcare coverage and education. For our family its more about getting out of the freezing cold and having more things to do. I realize I will be taking a pretty good pay cut, im currently getting paid almost $43 an hr and I only have an ADN.

I was briefly stationed in San Angelo for a while and agree its a nice town, the problem is that the schools are all ranked very low. Its essential that my kids have better opportunities when it comes to schooling. The NW side all seem to be 7,8 and 9 ratings where everywhere else is sitting at 3,4, and 5s.

Could you tell me which hospitals are the better ones to work for and what the starting pay might be? Thanks

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Shaun Minh

I understand what your saying about "going back in time healthcare wise". I currently work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester so I know we are pretty spoiled up here when it comes to pay, nurse to patient ratio, and overall healthcare coverage and education. For our family its more about getting out of the freezing cold and having more things to do. I realize I will be taking a pretty good pay cut, im currently getting paid almost $43 an hr and I only have an ADN.

I was briefly stationed in San Angelo for a while and agree its a nice town, the problem is that the schools are all ranked very low. Its essential that my kids have better opportunities when it comes to schooling. The NW side all seem to be 7,8 and 9 ratings where everywhere else is sitting at 3,4, and 5s.

Could you tell me which hospitals are the better ones to work for and what the starting pay might be? Thanks

Do you mean San Antonio? The thing about rankings is that they are objective. They measure test scores. What is a "good school" for you could be completely different for another family. Don't judge a book by its internet reviews. Read it yourself.

[Shaun Minh]

No. Turtle92 mentioned San Angelo at the end of his post as possibly another option. I was stationed there for tech school after I left San Antonio. I was agreeing that the town was nice but when I looked at the schools the scores were low.

For me a "good school" is one that prepares your kids for college. Since I don't get to do a virtual tour of every school in the large city of San Antonio I kind of have to look at the ratings. Unless you know a better way, that's why I am on this site.