Relocating: San Antonio?

[Wapp]

I might be moving in the next few years and I'm looking at San Antonio as a possibility. The housing market seems a lot better than it is here(NoVa), there should be a decent amount of jobs in my arena(gov't contractor), and the commute would be a heck of a lot better(three hours a day currently).

I've visited San Antonio plenty of times and attended basic training there but I never talked to any civilians that lived there. So anyone that lives there or has lived there what are your thoughts? Do you like it, hate it, or just "meh"? What are some decent neighborhoods in the area.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Safeway]

It really depends on what area of San Antonio you will be looking at. A lot of SA is very 'meh'. There are a few good neighborhoods, but they are much more expensive, etc.

I am from Dallas, and currently reside in Austin ... but several of my friends are from SA.

 

[mattg1981]

Its a great city, moved here when I was 10, been here 15 years now. Just like any other city I have visited, it has streets, houses, grass and trees. Traffic is terrific for a big city, nice mass transit (VIA buses), even though our major roads are constantly under contruction. Just like any other city, it has its nice spots and its shady spots. The nicer areas, that I would recommend (I just bought a house myself) .. stick to the Northern part of the city, ie. look for homes in North Side ISD or North East ISD (school districts).

All and all great city ... moved here from Miami, FL and I still go back there yearly to visit family .. would never move back there after living here.

 

[tfinch2]

I lived in SA for the first 21 years of my life (22 now)

There are some sh1thole places, but there are also some nice neighborhoods. My main complaint of the city is that it is too spread out. It takes so long to get anywhere if you live on the outskirts of the city (around 1604)

Stick to the 1604/281 area if you have the $$

 

[LS20]

everytime ive driven by or visited the city all that i could seem to find are really, really shady neighborhoods. i mean REALLY shady. all the euro students i met during school loved it because it has more history and has less of a suburban hub feel like those of houston and dallas.

 

[Wapp]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
I lived in SA for the first 21 years of my life (22 now)

There are some sh1thole places, but there are also some nice neighborhoods. My main complaint of the city is that it is too spread out. It takes so long to get anywhere if you live on the outskirts of the city (around 1604)

Stick to the 1604/281 area if you have the $$

Commute isn't that big of an issue since I'm already commuting 3 hours a day as it is.

So as far as housing goes stay away from the southside.

 

[MiniDoom]

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: tfinch2
I lived in SA for the first 21 years of my life (22 now)

There are some sh1thole places, but there are also some nice neighborhoods. My main complaint of the city is that it is too spread out. It takes so long to get anywhere if you live on the outskirts of the city (around 1604)

Stick to the 1604/281 area if you have the $$

Commute isn't that big of an issue since I'm already commuting 3 hours a day as it is.

So as far as housing goes stay away from the southside.

My dad just retired to Hollywood park in the north side from NoVA. You can get a nice house with a pool for the price of a small condo here. I really considered moving from NoVA to SA myself, just because of the real estate thing. NoVA is my home so I just decided to bite the bullet and buy a 500k shack. Good luck Wapp.

 

[gwrober]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
I lived in SA for the first 21 years of my life (22 now)

There are some sh1thole places, but there are also some nice neighborhoods. My main complaint of the city is that it is too spread out. It takes so long to get anywhere if you live on the outskirts of the city (around 1604)

Stick to the 1604/281 area if you have the $$

Yup. BUT, SA is going under massive construction/growth right now - I live in the 1604/Potranco area, and there are new super-stores going up, restaurants, etc. Very busy these days.

What area of gvmt contracting are you in? Drop me a PM, I may be able to help with job placement (I'm a gvmt contractor)...

SA is a nice place to live - there are some slummy areas, and crime is what you'd expect for a city this size. Toyota just opened their Tundra plant here, and Microsoft is looking at opening a datacenter here. Lots of large employers.