Sensing a lot of negativity about the Sea World area (San Antonio: HOA, crimes)

[pr57001]

Seems to me a lot of the complaints on this forum are from people who live out in the county (without city taxes...or services)?

[Mom2Feebs]

Originally Posted by pr57001

Seems to me a lot of the complaints on this forum are from people who live out in the county (without city taxes...or services)?

Really? I haven't gotten that vibe...but maybe I just haven't been paying enough attention...

[TexasRedneck]

It's funny....I was raised in Leon Valley, and lived in San Antonio for 50+ years. Frankly, I enjoy the city, its' diversity and the folks in it. In my mind, too many people nowadays expect the world to come to them and bend to their every whim. For me, I enjoy the give-and-take that I find here. I've been in many other cities in the US and worldwide on extended business trips, and there are very few that can compare, IMO.
Now that San Antonio is finally attracting manufacturers, I hope to see the overall standard of living improve. For too many years, the city council fed the citizenry the BS that tourism is an "industry". Sorry - but the hospitality industry doesn't begin to pay what the manufacturing industry does, nor does it offer the same opportunities.
Having said that....we moved to New Braunfels. Why? Several reasons - one big one being that my Mom's side of the family were among the original settlers here. I've always preferred small towns to large ones, and San Antonio traffic was getting worse. It still doesn't begin to compare to Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Boston, etc. - but in my job I travel routinely, so no matter where I live, I'm going to be on the road. My thought was that living in New Braunfels gives us the small town atmosphere that we wanted, yet close enough to SA that getting there isn't a challenge.
If I were given the choice between SA, Dallas, Houston, Boston, LA, NY, or any other large metro area as my only options, I'd be in SA in a heartbeat - period. All areas will have their problems, but when we were in SA we knew ALL our neighbors on our street (as we do here). In LA, etc, that's pretty much unheard of.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by viking65

Stay between Loop 410 and Loop 1604 in the central area and in the Northeast Independent School District (NEISD) if you have children. This way you eliminate a lot of the KB home sub-divisions and what we refer to as old Ray Ellison neighborhoods who, for the most part have become run down and crime ridden. Many older sub-divisions near military bases were populated by residents using GI Bill with no money down and no concept of property values. I live in a Sitterle built home and find their neighborhoods to be outstanding.

The OP was referring to housing just south of Military Drive and east of 1604. That is not near a military base (Lackland AFB). Also, that is a very broad and disparaging remark about military people. And what is wrong with using the GI Bill to buy a house with zero down??? Also, I have seen many home builders (Centex for one) who offered homes with zero down. Let's not drag the military into this as your criteria can apply to anyone.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by pr57001

Seems to me a lot of the complaints on this forum are from people who live out in the county (without city taxes...or services)?

Not true at all, we live outside the city limits (just) and we love it here!

I'm with Texas Redneck, we've lived all over the country (and outside it) and given the choice, San Antonio is and was our first pick.

I still travel a lot and while I enjoy visiting such places as Atlanta and the NY/NJ and DC areas; it only makes me happier that we live down here in beautiful southcentral Texas!

[Sharpydove]

Originally Posted by viking65

Stay between Loop 410 and Loop 1604 in the central area and in the Northeast Independent School District (NEISD) if you have children. This way you eliminate a lot of the KB home sub-divisions and what we refer to as old Ray Ellison neighborhoods who, for the most part have become run down and crime ridden. Many older sub-divisions near military bases were populated by residents using GI Bill with no money down and no concept of property values. I live in a Sitterle built home and find their neighborhoods to be outstanding.

This is one of the most offensive posts put up in awhile. We are sitting in a neighborhood with many foreclosures and ironically, it's the military people who are NOT running away. Even though many have received orders to move since they bought their now upside down homes, they have rented them out. On the other hand, some of the other homeowners, who never should have been given mortgages because they don't have JOBS, are the one loading up U-hauls in the night and disappearing. That's why drags a neighborhood down and punishes those of us who pay our bills

[svg210]

Originally Posted by HillCountryHotRodMan

I find that people in San Antonio don't laugh enough, are full of themselves, and are generally unapproachable. Cliquish comes to mind. As a long long time San Antonian, I reserve the right to this opinion. But I'm sure that this is not restricted to San Antonio, it's what America has become. Like I say, it's about the same everywhere you go.

I disagree with you, and heres my reason, they might be distracted by their Job, or job search, bills and no money, or just thinking heavily. There is no need or reason to assume people are full of themselves just because they are distracted.

[rd2007]

FYI, the GI Bill pays for school, not housing. A VA loan is something a military person can get, but it also doesn't pay for housing, it is just a form of insurance in case something happens and allows a zero or low down payment.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by m22

I moved from the Detroit suburbs, and yet I am SHOCKED by the property crime I have experienced here. My minivan has been broken into in my own driveway twice. Tons of homes here have been burglarized, even in the middle of the day. We have a home security system that I arm even while I am home. We're a middle class family with nothing really fancy going on, no bells and whistles on our cars or home that would have made me thought we'd be a target. I am never surprised to hear of a break-in here.
Back in Michigan, we could leave the windows open and go for a walk without worry. Forget that here. In my neighborhood in San Antonio, a home was broken into and valuables were taken within ONE HOUR, in broad daylight.
San Antonio isn't a horrible place to live by any means, but I personally will be thrilled when I can return to the Midwest, where my family can feel safe.

Seriously? When was the last time you were in Detroit? The place is a war zone. Heck, things there are so bad that they are actually trying to reduce the size of the city...

Detroit wants to save itself by shrinking

Detroit, the very symbol of American industrial might for most of the 20th century, is drawing up a radical renewal plan that calls for turning large swaths of this now-blighted, rusted-out city back into the fields and farmland that existed before the automobile.

Operating on a scale never before attempted in this country, the city would demolish houses in some of the most desolate sections of Detroit and move residents into stronger neighborhoods. Roughly a quarter of the 139-square-mile city could go from urban to semi-rural...(full story (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100308/ap_on_bi_ge/us_downsizing_detroit - broken link))

Not a good sign by any measure!

Even the worst parts of San Antonio are nowhere near as bad as Detroit, and those "suburbs" you praise so much sound like the very areas that the city wants to bulldoze! This is what constitutes "urban renewal" in Detroit these days...

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100308/capt.86acf2f8d6854d1e8f1836caff958817.downsizing_d etroit_mico205.jpg (broken link)

You sound like Michigan's version of FirstClassFlyer!

[mrstxcop]

Have you considered looking out I-10... In or around the Leon Springs area??? We live just outside Leon Springs, entering Boerne, and we LOVE it here... DH and I are both native SAers and we knew the areas we didn't want to be in and this area is perfect for us... We love being in What is considered the hill country where from our front porch we can see hills around us... You can also do all you need to do in Boerne with no traffic... We are 7-8 miles from the heart of downtown Boerne and you can drive there at peak traffic time, 5pm, and still hit no traffic... Yesterday I went to the feed store for dog food, went to the bank to deposit 7 checks, went to the post office and went to buy groceries at super walmart all in 1 hour 20 mins... Venture out into our neck of the woods... It is definately worth it...