Posted on 07/02/2009 5:54:44 AM PDT by Spacetrucker
I am currently considering relocating to the San Antonio area as my company is doing some shuffling with business that leads me in that direction. If anyone who is from that area and/or is very familiar with the "topography" or crime/schools/etc of the area, please respond - I have been to the area several times over the years but have never spent any appreciable time exploring.
You want in a northern or northwestern suburb. YOU DO NOT want on the southern side of the city. Urban areas are questionable as well - lots of problems they won’t tell you about. And you definitely don’t want in San Antonio proper. I35 is always a problem, but western freeways and 287 aren’t bad. Lots of nice areas up 287.
Now, I don’t know how your credit is, but there are foreclosures of homes less than 10 years old, which can be picked up for a fraction of retail.
If it were me, I’d rent for about 6 months, then buy. But if you have to buy, those are my thoughts.
Also, check out the city blogs. City-Data.com is a good one. It’ll help. Just be prepared for dry weather and hot weather in the summer. But poinsettas and palms dot the area, and it’s nice in the winder.
Welcome to the area.
The SA police chief used to hold the same position in Minneapolis.
He’s clueless......
When I was on orders during Operation Jump Start, I was in Austin, and I really enjoyed San Antonio...they were more conservative and have a nice drinking district. Austin is just plain full of weirdos....
I have a friend that went down there to visit a friend 4 years ago and never came back. He loves it.
And in some of the neighborhoods, I'd recommend it. There's some bad ones there!
I want to move there too placemark! LOVE THE AREA..
San Antoni is every bit as hot as Houston, but with an almost refreshing dryness to the air in summer.
+1 for the area N and NW of the city. My folks live up that way. The hill country is beautiful. There is everything from condos close in to nice acrerages farther out.
As someone who “escaped” San Antone 17 years ago, I would say don’t go.
But if you Must, “Go North” that is all I can say, If you can find a place around Bandera or Helotes, jump on it.
There were certain areas inside SA that were holding out, Olmos Park, Windcrest a few others that have escaped me now, but most areas have been overrun, and left in a dubious state..
I’m going to visit friends in Spring, TX in 2 weeks. I’ve been down a few times and love it. Now that my youngest is finished with school, my husband and I are probably going to move to Texas. Can’t wait to get out of NJ and move to a free state.
San Antonio is GREAT! Stay on the North side of town though. You’ll love it here. Big town with a small town feel. I have lived here for 17 years, and would live no where else! Good luck!
Another thumbs-up for the Bandera or Helotes area.
Purchase a GPS system! SA has a confusing street system (I think that they move all the roads around while you are driving on them).
San Antonio is a great area. If you can hack the commute, try living in the far north suburbs, like Schertz or Universal City. The closer you are to the city itself, the more potential for crime trouble, etc. I lived there for four years (1984-88) in the Northeast section of the county. It’s a great place to live; you’ll enjoy it.
Get thee to a bar called “The Midnight Rodeo” it is “One Acre of Dancing and Glancin’”.
Best Bar and Dance I have ever been to.
Everyone is advising you to stay north, and I would concur.
West and south is gang-ridden. You don’t want to go there.
If you move to the suburbs (people are correct in saying the Helotes area, Pipe Creek, Bandera) be sure and visit the city center. San Fernando cathedral is the oldest sanctuary cathedral in the US, started in 1736, the missions are fantastic, and the riverwalk is a splendid experience.
But rent or buy something to the north, and you will be okay.
Some good advice in the previous posts. We loved San Antonio and would advise to find property north of the loop. We ended up years latere with 80 acres North and West about 100 miles in the Hill country near the town of Dripping Springs. Beuatiful countryside. and people are incredibly friendly. You will love San Antonio.
We xsferred to TX in early “79” from San Diego. We were given directions to the great state of Tx ... goe east until you smell it, south until you step in it.
down side:
I love Texas ..... diary.
Moved to Texas! Now this is a state that knows how to live!!
Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! It is beautiful. I’ve finally found my home. I love it here.
June 14th:
Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car.
What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I’m turning into a sun worshipper.
June 30th:
Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain.
No more mowing the lawn for me.
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
July 10th:
The temperature hasn’t been below 100 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat?
At least, it’s kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.
July 15th:
Fell asleep by the community pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body).
Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do.
I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol’ sun in a climate like this.
July 20th:
I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning.
By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag, then popped like a water balloon.
The car now smells like Kibbles and $hits. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat. Good ol’ Mr. Sun strikes again.
July 25th:
The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!! And it’s hot as hell.
The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.
July 30th:
Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now, $225,000 house and I can’t even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one.
Why did I ever come here?
Aug. 4th:
It’s 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.
Aug. 8th:
If another wise a$$ cracks, ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I’m going to strangle him.
D@mn heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!
Aug. 9th:
Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when I sat on the seats in the car, I thought my a$$ was on fire.
My skin melted to the seat. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and a$$ . . .
Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried a$$, and baked cat.
Aug 10th:
The weather report might as well be a d@mn recording. Hot and sunny.
Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny.
It’s been too hot to do $hit for 2 d@mn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.
Doesn’t it ever rain in this d@mn state? Water rationing will be next, so my $1700 worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over.
Even the cactus can’t live in this d@mn heat.
Aug. 14th:
Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 today. Cactus are dead.
Forgot to crack the window and blew the d@mn windshield out of the car.
The installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? “Hot enough for you today?”
My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas.
What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here??
Will write later to let you know how the trial goes.
I love San Antonio, but when I lived there we had the liberal and old Henry B Gonzales in congress. He once was arrested for assaulting a constituent who called him a communist. He got off because, in Texas, “Those are fight’n words.”
Great place to live. Take the Northwest or Northeast side and live just outside or inside Loop 1604. I went to John Marshall High School, which was relatively crime free. Clark and Churchill High Schools were in relatively good neighborhoods when I lived there too. They are Northeast side.
They have a road called Culebra, that crosses itself at least twice. Culebra is the Spanish word for snake.
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