Why is San Antonio not considered a COOL city by relocatees? (Houston: taxes, live in)

[ryneone]

Originally Posted by Kristiecsu

Having moved here recently and been to both Austin and S.A. I feel like I can nail it down pretty well. "Cool" is something that young urbanites use to define a city. San Antonio is pretty unattractive with a few exceptions. There are IMMENSELY obese people everywhere in this city, and it makes it seem like a city that has just given up. The streets are lined with signs on sticks, and it's just hideous. It looks like one giant truck stop. The sidewalks in many areas are just completely neglected, cracked, weeds sprouting, etc. There are packs of dogs that roam the streets, even in the very nice neighborhoods. All the nice areas are within walking distance of really crappy areas. I LOVE the Quarry district, Alamo heights, and parts of Stone Oak, but those are small minorities compared to the larger areas of suck that inflitrate every other part of the city. This place may have potential, but it seems wasted by a population that is largely poor, overweight, and...sweaty. Ugh.

Austin, by contrast, seems to encourage outdoorsy activities, arts, sidewalk cafes (and no, having the Riverwalk doesn't cancel out the rest of San Antonio's seeming aversion to beauty), and youth. It seems like a culture that has embraced Honda Hybrids, Apple electronics, organic lifestyle, and music. In other words, it's just a way better place to be for young people who care about health of both the earth and their own bodies.

That's my general impression. I honestly think it'll be difficult to spend the next two years in San Antonio, mired under the weight of a super-sized community that spends most of their lives in traffic in a pickup, knowing that Austin is so close. But alas, that's the tough part of being a military couple. We go where we're told and we suck it up.

Ok well here goes. Cool is an adj. often used by young people as myself and others. When I hear San Antonio I think of home. I think of great food. A unique atmosphere. A lot have described it as a laid back place but it seems to be quickly changing. I really don't know where this San Antonio is not cool thing came from. I will say everywhere I have lived and/or interacted with the locals I seem to find most people are bored with their home towns. Their is nothing to do here is usually the phrase yet me not living there am amazed at all the new things.

As for fat rant do you think people base coolness or where they will move next by the "fatness" of the city? BTW we are a fat nation so take your rant and put it forth to the whole country.

Check the Austin demographics as it is quickly changing into a smaller San Antonio. Seems like you are going to be miserable everywhere after the larger people move in and take over.

[spamatdan]

Good points! I would also like to add, I have had more friends and family visit me in SA then I ever did when I was living in California..why??? There is more stuff to do! Hell, my Mom who moved from California to Colorado comes to visit more often because there is..what was that again? Oh yes...More stuff to do! I talked to a lady friend who lives in Austin last night and she asks me why I chose SA over Austin. I said, cost of living is much less. And she goes, OMG no kidding! It is so expensive to live there...but that is just one's opinion. Looking through other threads kristiecsu is on a budget...looking for a Cadillac place to live on a Hyundai budget. The lofty ambitions for housing are going to be a lot easier to meet here then Austin..or maybe just commute?

[AnthonySA]

I can explain our sweatiness... check the Weather Thread

I don't know who doesn't sweat when its over 95

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by spamatdan

I suppose I am not grope-able material...haha But it sucks to have a bad experience. I probably will not go again because I am not big on crowds, but the folks I saw were pretty well behaved.

Well I'm not sure of my own "grope-ability" these days.

Still, I am not a fan of Fiesta. I have lived near downtown for the last few years and Fiesta ALWAYS impedes my traffic for normal life things, like getting to work or the grocery store... and it is always, IMO, unaffordable to do anything fun. We have 3 kids. Fiesta would break us were we to participate. I suppose there are people that save up all year for it but I'd rather spend money on other things. Just me though. People do LOVE it, more power to 'em.

[carlitasway]

Originally Posted by fierce_flawless

Well I'm not sure of my own "grope-ability" these days.

Still, I am not a fan of Fiesta. I have lived near downtown for the last few years and Fiesta ALWAYS impedes my traffic for normal life things, like getting to work or the grocery store... and it is always, IMO, unaffordable to do anything fun. We have 3 kids. Fiesta would break us were we to participate. I suppose there are people that save up all year for it but I'd rather spend money on other things. Just me though. People do LOVE it, more power to 'em.

Word. Not a fiesta fan here either.

[SanAntoQT]

I love Fiesta! I would take the whole week off when I lived in SA to attend every festivity possible. Now, I fly in for the last four days.

As for SA's "coolness," or the lack thereof, what exactly would make it "cool?" What makes SA "uncool?" I mean, besides "negative collateral." *lol*

[littlewonder]

Originally Posted by hello13685

TxyHwyMan,

I kind of get your point about SA being two cities, but the lower socioeconomic influence in some of those areas I mentioned outside of 410 (like the Babcock and Huebner areas) counter that, in my opinion. Areas like that, that still look quite nice judging from the exteriors, were the "Stone Oak" of only 15 years ago, and now walking through their H.E.B. and strip malls you bump into all kinds of cast members of Night of the Living Dead Now, if I were to suggest there were two San Antonios, it would be the one inside 1604, and the one outside 1604, and only in select areas.

I'm sorry, but what?

You've lived in San Antonio for a couple of years and you think what SA was like 15 years ago? First off that wasn't the Stone Oak of 15 years ago. Not even close. 15 years ago that area was filled with older upper middle class neighborhoods from the 70's and 80's and early 90's that had a bunch of new subdivisions being built.

Stone Oak is a master planned community that itself is quite small compared to the off shoot development it has spawned around it.

Also, who are you to judge people by the way they look? I have a relative that dresses like a blue collar worker, who looks like he works some type of service job. Only problem, he owns his own company and is a millionaire.

[mikey1984]

My friend that moved to San Antonio from Manilla never heard of Austin. He has heard of the San Antonio Spurs and the Riverwalk. San Antonio is far more known internatioanlly than Austin, Texas. Just the Military presence puts it on the world map. The world renown Burn unit at BAMC, largest medical school in the world.

[Will210]

Originally Posted by manthechange

this is correct...just look at the differences in posts from the SA board to Austin board. For example, the post I made earlier on biking to work turned into a post on driving cars vs scooters.

San Antonio - Family, Conservative, Stuck in it's ways.

Austin - Single, Liberal, Forward-thinking.

Don't forget lack of shopping. In San Antonio you want to go somewhere you have to drive clear across to 1604, businesses are moving out of the city like a hurricane hit it. In Austin you have Southpark Meadows, Shops on Lamar, Mueller Development, Lakeline, Arbor Trails, SoCo. HEB, Fiesta, Walmart, Randalls, Whole Foods.

In SA, HEB, Walmart, Whole Foods, Quarry, South Park Mall, North Star, La Canterra (way out there) Rivercenter, Ingram and Rolling Oaks (closing????) Rolling Oaks as is about as busy as Highland Mall in NE Austin.

If you work retail and do not have a job in insurance, health care or military/ government San Antonio is not the place to relocate. Also the Jobs that pay $7 an hour in San Antonio pay $9 in Austin with the rent not to much cheaper. Austin has cheaper electricity for low income and as of now, the bus face is 50 cents or $1 for day pass. If you are disabled or Medicare receipiant you can ride the capmetro bus for $2.50 a year plus the $1 it takes to go out to capitol metros ride store on 2nd and congress, with via their day passes are 3.75 plus a $1 to get downtown or to a ride store to purchase one as day passes cannot be purchased on the bus itself. For Monthly Medicare or Disabled reduced fare via charges 12.50 a month for their paper monthly passes. Austin has better financial resources and more jobs then San Antonio yet Austin is a smaller city. SAWS is the most expensive water system in Texas (I might be wrong I haven't seen a Dallas bill) and every tax increase is voted for by the voters. Don't rent a car or stay in a hotel in San Antonio the taxes will eat you alive. The clubs and bars are not spread out. More police presence in Austin, and the low unemployment rates makes it safer. Austin is more diverse you have white, black, hispanic, and asians. If you are white you stick out like a sore thumb in San Antonio I am not kidding. There is a lot more black people down there since Katrina but those are my observations of the town. I just feel more comfortable in racially mixed areas vs areas where just one class of people are at rather it be black, white, yellow, or brown, and because I am mixed myself.

[Will210]

Originally Posted by LovelyShopper

Well, Austin may have a slightly lower HS dropout rate, but you have to take into consideration the population in Austin vs. San Antonio too.

did you include Johnston?