San Antonio Travel Forum

Our family is seriously considering a major re-location move to San Antonio from Orange County, Southern California. Primary motivation is to lower lifestyle pace and live a simpler life. Our son is 11 years old, and a good school is vital. I am looking to transit from a technical account management position in the aviation industry, into any job market I can transfer my many skills into.
We do know about the heat, we made it a point to visit last August for evaluation. The people all treated us with a warm demeanor, our neighbors here in So. Ca don't really want to take the time (or maybe have the time) to get to know one another.

Any real advise would be appreciated.

PS, If you know of a more appropriate forum, please let us know.
Thank you.

Howdy,

Living in Texas will be a huge cultural difference for you compared to California. If you embrace our culture, you will be able to benifit from it, and enjoy it. We are a welcoming and friendly people to those who wish to adapt to their enviroment, instead of adapt their enviroment to them. We Texans are very proud of our state, and consider ourselves Texans first, and Americans second. Many people come here from other places only to complain how we don't do things like it's done where they come from. When these complainers are confronted with the question of why did they come, why do so many others come, and why don't they go back, you usually find that where they came from is not so great.

Since your already familiar with the heat, I'll skip that part.

There is a blend of ethnic cultures in and around the San Antonio area:African Americans, Anglos, Czechs, Germans, and Mexican Hispanics, with the Mexicans being the predominant culture. It is a very old city with roots that stretch back to the Spanish explorarion of the new world. The people are friendly, and you should find it much easier to meet your neighbors, and new friends than you have experienced in California. There is a slower paced lifestyle in San Antonio than what your used to, and you'll find they also driver slower and more courteously than in California.

The economy and job market in San Antonio have not always been the best, but that is changing. In the past, San Antonios economy was based on tourism, service industry, agriculture, and food and beverage manufacturing and processing. Now you can find jobs in the finace industry, energy, construction and manufacturing. Some of the success that Austin has experienced in high tech manufacturing is starting to spill into San Antonio as well. If you have experience, or a college education, you shouldn't have any problem with finding work. You won't be paid as much as in California, but the cost to live in Texas is so much less, that it's possible you may have more disposable income. San Antonio is the least expensive of all the big cities in Texas.

I can't really answer you question about the schools. Usually, big city school districts should be avoided, so try not to live in the SAISD district. There should be good schools outside the inner city area. The Texas department of education web site should be able to help you out with this.

Happy trails,

Marc

There's plenty to do, particularly family activities. We get the major touring shows. I've got tickets for Lion King and Cirque. We have several large event venues with home and RV and boat and car shows. We host many national conventions. We're a huge tourist destination with the Alamo, The Riverwalk, Sea World, and A Six Flags theme park. We are a tourist destination, so downtown has the requisite chains - Hard Rock, Howl at the Moon, Pat O'Brien's. Coyote Ugly, etc. But SA is not a 24/7 party city like New Orleans (was) or even Austin. I like the dichotomy of SA large city small town feel. We have an underground bumper sticker here that I think sums it up well, it proclaims "Keep San Antonio Lame."

There's Fiesta in the spring and rodeo in the winter. Just north is the Hill Country with rivers and lakes, many of the new housing areas are moving in that direction. We're a shopping destination for wealthy Mexican Nationals with two upscale malls and outlet shopping about 30 minutes north.

SA is fairly conservative, but quite diverse. Large Hispanic population, large Catholic population, lots of military (active duty and retiree) from all sorts of backgrounds. People in general are working class folks, down to earth. We have our enclaves: the Dominion, Alamo Heights with expensive (multimillion dollar) homes.

Our economy is pretty diversified: tourism, military, biomedical, and now manufacturing are the top employers. Texas in general and SA in particular, is pro business, right to work. We have few restrictions on businesses. For example we are just now discussing an ordinance to protect trees, where Austin has had one for at least a dozen years.

Total cost of living is one of the best things for me. San Antonio is a working class town, as such we have a hard time supporting things like professional sports, classical music, fancy restaurants. The flip side is lots of down-to-earth establishments. The blend of the Mexican and American cultures is an attraction for many also. I like the proximity to other cities - Austin, Houston. Now proximity in Texas is different from proximity in other areas of the country. Houston is a three hour drive, reasonable (here) for a day trip

Arts are not the top priority here, I feel because so many folks are in the working class with less disposable income. Austin is much more liberal and artsy, about a 90 minute drive. So it’s certainly accessible.

Sports - we're a one horse town Go Spurs Go. We do have others, we’ve had the final Four College Basketball a couple of times. We have the Alamo Bowl. We've had regional Olympic competitions. There's a (2A?) baseball team. And of course, high school football is king in Texas.

Weather is hot for about 6 months, warm for about 2 or 3 months, with a hint of winter. So far this year, I think we've had about six nights where we went below freezing. As I've stated before, air conditioning, beer, rivers and lakes are our saviors, folks quickly learn to cope.

I moved here when I was 26 over 20 years ago. Married with two girls, we loved raising our children in SA. Still do, have a third one, a boy, almost 16. He is able to do many of the types of things associated with small town life here, like hanging out at the schools' playgrounds in the evenings. We live in SA but Alamo Heights School District, near north east inside loop 410. My two cents - Older home inside the Loop (410) Think about it. Monte Vista area (if you don't need a good public school) or Alamo Heights area if you do. Lot's more soul in these areas than out in the burbs.

It's no secret that school districts affect the prices of homes. You'll pay more for a home in Alamo Heights because of that. Some areas to look at: Mahncke Park, Jefferson High School area, Monte Vista area, just south of Alamo Heights school district. All of these areas are in the less desirable SAISD.

All in all, I love SA - might not be my very first choice for living, but with all things considered it's been my home for more than 21 years now. I guess I would have moved by now, if I really wanted to.

In terms of good schools.

Northside ISD (NISD), North East ISD (NEISD), East Central ISD (ECISD).

NISD is the second fasting growing school district in Texas adding some 5,000 students each year.

NEISD is growing pretty fast too, some 3,000 students a year.

East Central is a small district in far east San Antonio.

The San Antonio ISD (SAISD) is the third largest school distict in San Antonio and porbably the worst. However, it was strange when San Antonio recieve all those hurricane evacuees and a lot had to go to an SAISD school, they all praised the schools which I think reflects on how bad they had it in New Orleans.

I'd advise you to the area of far northwest San Antonio, Stone Oak, Sonterra, Shavano Park, the Westplex as areas to live. I believe you'd really enjoy them.

Go to google.com and type "Stone Oak homes" you will like what you see.

[quote]Sports - we're a one horse town Go Spurs Go.[/quote]

Don't forget the WNBA Silver Stars, the AHL Rampage, the baseball team the Missions.

I have lived in four major cities and moved here in san antonio half way through high school and am finishing up college here. I think that San Antonio is the best city in the US and love the place. All very friendly people and nice scenery with good outdoor life and with a since of a small town still retains a large amount of things to do. If you are worried about education than north east independent school district is your choice. I graduated from an american blue ribbon school (winston churchill) but really all of the schools in that district are great and another great high school is Clark high school, very comendable. Business in san antonio is supposedly great ( I am about to graduate with a major in mgt. and follow the business around the south)and since you are coming from Cali you will love the cost of living. Actually many people are moving here from cali and love it. I hope this helps.

I moved from Redondo Beach, Ca in September of 2004 with my wife but at the time my fiance to Reno, Nv. My wife if originally from San Antonio, Texas and we are wanting to move to San Antonio.
Just curious if you made the move and what were some of the "road blocks" you encountered. I was born and raised in Southern California and I love the Texas hospitality. Sounds like you do as well.
Hope everything worked out for you, I'd love to hear from you.

Jason

We moved into the NEISD Reagan High School in April, 2006. Our daughter is dyslexic and 504. At the previous school in Boerne, Texas, their special Ed / 504 program was outstanding and our daughter was really doing extremely well. We moved into San Antonio because our daughter is a swimmers and swims with the AAAA club. Round trips were 100 miles 5 times a week. So we moved to the Reagan school district. Met with the school counslor and handed over all the Special Ed / 504 paperwork. The counslor asure us that Reagan would follow her 504 plan (Its a federal civil rights law, title 34). However, the teachers during the fall semester never once provided the accomodations and modofication she was entitle too under federal law. The school was in non-compliance for 6 months, our daughters grades suffered and she became ineligibile for the high school team. She is a freshman and would have easily had won the 5A State Title in the 100 Fly and Free had she been able to compete. We had to hire a lawyer to fight the school in order for our daughter to be able to get her accomodations and modifications provide by her 504 plan. Once the school started given her oral testing, her grades went back into the high B's & A's. We're currently waiting on the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to do their investigation before moving into a law suit with the school over their violations. The Federal law states that if a transfer student is to be re-evaluated or the school excepts the 504 plan. In our case, Reagan did nothing and provided nothing. When questioned, the principle said the Boerne school system was at fault??? Yep, he is educated but without any common sense. In the meantime, we've gone into the school choice program and going to transfer to Winston Churchill High School. My daughter will lose a year swimming high school. It doesn't really matter, she is gearing up for the US Olympic Trials next year and concentrating on making the US Junior Team that will compete in Australia next January. She'll be back for her junior and senior year.

As for you moving to San Antonio, check out the schools. What they say is one thing, what they do is another thing. The schools here do a lot of Scantron testing. It makes teaching so easy. All the teacher has to do is press a button and she/he gets a lesson plan and test. I guess we will all be robots one day.

My daughter swam at Junior Nationals at Irvine, Ca. She had a wonderful time. Our cousin lives in Laguna Beach and we ate at Rio's on the PCH. She loved it so much that she wants to go to college somewhere in Cailfornia. Isn't that ironic!

Good Luck

PS: I work all over the world. People are basically the same all over. They have their agenda and as long as you don't in their way, you'll be ok.