Moving to San Antonio
Berkeley Parents Network >
Reviews >
Housing, Neighborhoods, & Moving >
Moving to San Antonio
April 2004
My husband and I are considering a move to San Antonio TX. We
visited the city and didn't see any real show-stoppers, but we
have reservations. We're agnostic - it was odd to see cruxifixes
prominently displayed in every home we entered (realtor tours).
We're not republican. We, but some fluke it seems, have many
lesbian friends and didn't see much of a gay community in SA.
Most homes are in gated communities which rubs us wrong, we don't
want to live in an enclave that is, or pretends, snootiness. On
the plus-side most of these gated communities had a central park
and pool which would encourage neighborly play, we like that as
kids are in our future. Air quality and crime seem slightly worse
than here but not significantly. A 3-day visit didn't allow deep
assessment of these impressions to see if any warrant greater
concern. Any ex-texans or san antonioians who can give a SF Bay
Area impression of living in SA? Would you return? What do you
or would you miss?
roots might be pulled
Hi, I grew up mostly in San Antonio (ages 1-6, and 10-13, then
moved 1 hour away, to the Canyon Lake/New Braunfels & San Marcos
areas until grad school). I'm 37 now, so it was quite a while
ago, but I must say, it was a nice place to be a kid, at least
then. The heat, or should I say the humidity, was not a favorite
feature of mine, but everything is air-conditioned. We lived in
the Valley Hi area, in what was then a middle-upper class area
near Lackland AFB. The local elementary school was decent, quite
integrated, and walkable for us. I have fond memories of playing
into the evenings in the tree-lined neighborhood; there were a
lot of kids. The summers are all about water--swimming in it,
boating in it, playing in it... There's a nice zoo, Sunken
Gardens, the Riverwalk, Tower of the Americas, Hall of Texan
Cultures, all kid-friendly. Now there's a music-based amusement
park, and I'm sure a lot of other new attractions. In the
''country'' I attended a high school of 600+, with quite a few
Mexicans, a couple Asians, but NO blacks. A good friend of mine
was gay (but not out) and he encountered some slack from the
overwhelmingly macho, cowboy-guys at the school. He does insist
there is a large gay community in S.A., but I don't have memories
of it. I would be happy to answer more questions if you want to
email me. I didn't really appreciate Texas until I moved away.
There is definitely a more Christian, conservative feel there,
but as a kid of agnostic Democrats, I grew up not too affected by
it, and there is a level of openness and friendliness I miss.
Heidi
To the people considering a move to San Antonio, TX: I grew up
in San Antonio from sixth grade through high school. My family
was totally non-religious and Democratic, too. Now I live in
Berkeley with husband, two kids, and many friends who are
gay/lesbian +/- liberal Democrats. Here is my impression of San
Antonio: It is a very nice community to live in. Great place
to raise a family--affordable housing, good weather, great
Mexican food, easy commutes, etc. Politically, it is still
Texas. Besides being conservative and Republican, you will
notice a certain macho-ness that is very Texan. Texans are not
sympathetic to ''weakness'' so there is less tolerence
for ''otherness'' there than here. There is a ''clubbiness'' to the
community, too. It's very small-town in that there are a
limited number of powerful, rich ''founding families'' who
intermarry, throw expensive balls, and run the yearly city-wide
celebration called Fiesta.
Still, there is some funkiness and diversity to be found in
San Antonio, and a lot of my friends from childhood who still
live there love it a lot. Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like
to hear more.
Lauran
Hi. I read your post about San Antonio and I was happy to see
that you were thinking about moving there. I'm what they call a
''Natualized Texan''. In other words, I wasn't born in Texas but
lived there from age 3-19, so I'm almost a native.
Texas is great. Whole Foods started in Texas. Texas can be scary.
George Bush, Dallas, Phil Grahm are all examples of Texas at it's
scariest. Texas is usually both great and scary at the same time.
Texas will never be California. Last year I started thinking
about other places in the US I could live comfortably without
living in California.
Texas did come to mind but I would only consider 3 cities.
My first choice was Houston because it's large, cosmopolitan, and
diverse. It was also the last city I lived in Texas. Then when I
started looking at job opportunities etc. it looks like a long shot.
My second choice was San Antonio. It's beautiful and fairly
liberal. We do still have liberals in Texas even if you don't
believe me, I know it to be true.
My third choice was Austin. Austin has changed so much and most
of it not for the better. The small town quirky Berkeley like
atmosphere isn't there as much as it used to be. Besides, they
are in a tech slump just like we are here.
Suggestions on San Antonio? I doubt everywhere in San Antonio is
gated. I lived in Houston and yes a large percentage of the
houses were gated, but there were other options that weren't
ghetto either.
The crosses. Jesus is a big thing in the south and it's almost as
big as football. However, that doesn't mean that everyone you
meet is a Jesus freak. Like I said before, we do have liberals in
Texas. If you were looking for a diverse and tolerant place in
Texas to live, San Antonio is one of the better choices.
Lastly, as much as I love the Bay Area, by the time I finish
graduate school (next year), I'm going to be up to my eyeballs in
student loans and I want to own a home that's comfortable before
I'm a hundred years old.
That's why I'm looking back south. You might want to check out
this article from INC.
magazine:http://www.inc.com/magazine/20040301/top25.html
Atlanta was listed #1 for large cities, job diversity, human
diversity etc.
San Antonio was listed #7.
Also, check out Craigs List in San Antonio for events etc. It'll
help give you a better idea of what is going on there. The Texas
Monthly is an excellent magazine full of liberal politics,
culture and fun.
Hope this helps.
Beth
-------------------------------------------
San Antonio. Well. I haven't lived there, but my mother has for
about 6 years. She's currently trying to find a job back in
California. I have been there probably 5-6 times to visit and I
would have to say I would never choose to live there. It's
incredibly hot and humid for 6 months of the year and the
winters are not as mild as they are here. The older part of the
city is interesting and a bit charming, but really, San Antonio
is miles and miles of sprawl and strip malls. The Mexican food
is good, but no better than what you find here. And yes, it's
very conservative there. I know we are spoiled living in the
Bay Area in terms of weather, culture, amenities, etc, but I
don't think I could ever recommend San Antonio. I am very
interested to see what kind of replies you receive from SA
natives...
anon
this page was last updated: Mar 26, 2005
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2013 Berkeley Parents Network