New to S.A....Commute from Schertz/Cibolo to Brooks City Base vs. Alamo Heights to B.C.B. (San Antonio: home search) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

burneym · 10-01-2008, 04:08 PM

Hi there. I've been digging around in old threads looking for help on this one, but my husband and I are still dead locked. We are moving to San Antonio, where my hubby will be stationed at Brooks City Base. According to hours of research on the internet and casually interviewing some locals we know, we've narrowed our home search to Cibolo/Schertz area or the Alamo Heights/Terrell Hills/Northwood area. Both appear to have very good schools (though I'm open to additional opinions!) and have homes within our price range. Our problem is that we want to keep his commute to 30 minutes or so and based on a map he thinks Cibolo/Schertz will be over that for sure. I think it looks under 30. However, I'm not sure Alamo Heights area will be super short either. So, who's right here? Short of actually coming to the area first and driving the actual commutes ourselves, we'd like to narrow our search before we show up to search for a house. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

ontheedge69 · 10-01-2008, 10:07 PM

I worked at Brooks AFB now City Base for 10 years. It took me about 20 minutes to get there...I live south of San Antonio in Lytle. It's a town of about 2400.
Hope you enjoy the San Antonio Area, and Brooks is a great place to work!

Chaka · 10-01-2008, 10:08 PM

I used to work at BCB and one of my colleagues lived in Alamo Heights. Took him 15 mins max both ways. Even with traffic, Alamo Heights exits before the traffic gets heavy - or at least in the early stage of it.

Another colleague lived in Schertz, always took him 30-45 mins at least, often closer to an hour, depending on accidents and such. Part of that is because to AH, it's a lot easier to get off the highway and take surface roads. To Schertz/Cibolo, you can do that, but it makes for a *much* longer trip.

If I had a choice, I'd choose Alamo Heights/Terrell hills for sure.

smuboy86 · 10-01-2008, 11:52 PM

Alamo Heights hands down. Traffic on 35 out in cibolo is a beast and only getting worse as more people move there. Alamo Heights (the '09) is mature, developed and stable meaning that traffic patterns are pretty much set, roads and services are adequate. You read on these boards about traffic being horrible more often it's in the newer areas of town, where of course traffic is going to be bad because the infrastructure wasn't build to handle it.

elmariachi · 10-02-2008, 01:04 AM

i agree, AH all the way, you can expect 30-45 min commute easy if you live in schertz. Schools are great in AH too, and shopping is much more convenient as is DT SA. good luck. just some fyi, some neighborhoods that are not in AH or TH still attend AH schools, homes in them might be a little cheaper.

burneym · 10-02-2008, 06:16 AM

Thanks to everyone. All of that information is super helpful...although I HATE it when my husband is right! But, at least I know now and can make the appropriate decisions. The only issue in AH I'm struggling with is some the "reviews" I've read of the Jr High and High school that indicate a lot of social pressure, despite great academics. My kids currently attend magnet schools in Louisiana with uniforms and a diverse group of students. I'm a little concerned about them getting smacked with such a different environment. Can anyone speak to this issue? Thanks again for all of the help!

smuboy86 · 10-02-2008, 07:24 AM

I don't think the societal pressures are worse at AH than they are at most schools. I know quite a few normal, down to earth people that went there. If you decide to move to Northwood though you are in NEISD, the Middle school would be Garner, which is diverse and has uniforms, but is also rated recognized. The High school is MacArthur, also diverse but no uniforms, has strong academics and is very well known.