Moving soon -- info from the San Antonio, TX people

[NVRENUFBOOST]

My girlfriend and I are looking to move as early as next summer to the San Antonio, Tx area. Her grandmother lives there and is getting up there in years. She would like to spend some time with her before her grandmother's time is up. I have lived in No. VA my whole life and am ready for a change. It's very scary at times to think about moving that far, but, she has lived there before and like I mentioned before I am ready for a change. I need to know some basic information from the Texas crowd. What is the job market like? Where are the best places to live? Where is the cool places to hang out? Where are the drag strips and road courses, if any?

I have two kids from a previous marriage so I have to think about places to hang out with them and the local airport to fly them in.

I plan on visiting the area starting around late winter/early spring to look at houses, look for jobs, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks if advance.

 

[NVRENUFBOOST]

I guess I forgot to add that I'm looking for any and all information about the area. I trust her judgement but need some input from an unbiased group.

thanks

 

[TnPaulMan]

I have visited there 2 times and I love, I mean love, San Antonio. Just a beautiful city. I like the atmosphere. I may consider moving there too after I graduate.

Paul

 

[05 Roush]

They make lots of salsa by people who know how. :thumbsup:

 

[racerat]

Originally posted by 4Mustangs
What is the job market like?
Where are the best places to live?
Where is the cool places to hang out?
Where are the drag strips and road courses, if any?

I have two kids from a previous marriage so I have to think about places to hang out with them and the local airport to fly them in.

Job Market- What kind of work do you do? Salaries here will be low compared to VA, but the cost of living is a lot less too.

Places to live- Northwest/Northeast, outside or just inside loop 1604. TONS of new housing and developments. This city is growing at a crazy rate.

Cool places: You'll find plenty to do here. What exactly are you looking for?

Track: San Antonio Raceway is one of the nicest dragstrips in the south. It's less than 6 years old and very well maintained. No road courses in SA, but there is an active AutoX club.
http://www.sanantonioraceway.com/

San Antonio airport is small for the population of the city, but really easy to get around.

Get on line and find a realator you click with. They will be of enormous help! That's what we did when we moved here and found a house and job in one weekend.

Links:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/
http://www.alamocity.com/

 

[NVRENUFBOOST]

thanks for the info. Right now I'm in the dealership/service industry. I work for a Ford dealership in VA. I'm not limited to that though. I was a Systems Engineer for the Washington Post and a large law firm for years but I am willing to do other work as well. I know that I will not make as much $$ as up here but really don't care at this point. I figure that it's all relative to where you live. Houses that cost around $150,000 run roughly about $400,000 up here. After my divorce I got all of my financial issues in order so I am willing to take a pay cut.

I plan on going to San Antonio for a visit in a couple of months. That's when I'll get a general idea of where I want to live and how much it's going to cost. What I really want is a 4br/2.5 bath house w/ roughly 2 acres or more. The land does not have to be that close to where I work -- right now I commute almost 70 miles each way to work.

Anyways, just trying to get some information to think about.

Thanks.

 

[ampstang]

I'm not sure about the job market. There are all kinds of jobs available there. It depends on your qualifications. My friend lives off of Nacadoches. There are pretty clean neighborhoods around there and a big, nice mall.

There are plenty of awesome places to hang out there. The Riverwalk is awesome. Around that area there are plenty of good bars and clubs. If you feel like floating down a river drinking beer, New Braunfels is pretty close with the the Comel river. That's where Schliterbaun is located.

I lived in Seguin for a while which is about 30 minutes away from SA. The San Antonio raceway is about 10 minutes down I10 from there. So probably around 20 minutes from the east side of town. It's a pretty nice track and it's open I think Wed and Fri for anyone in the evening.

You do see a lot of lowriders because there is a huge population of mexicans there. Some parts of town, like every big city, you want to stay out of.

 

[racerat]

Originally posted by 4Mustangs
I want to live and how much it's going to cost. What I really want is a 4br/2.5 bath house w/ roughly 2 acres or more. The land does not have to be that close to where I work -- right now I commute almost 70 miles each way to work.

Boerne, Helotes, Hwy 16 and Hwy 10 North of 1604. Beautiful Hill Country land outside of city limits, but still less of a commute than you're doing now. Price range would start at 175-200K for what you're looking for.

 

[ampstang]

Originally posted by racerat
Boerne, Helotes, Hwy 16 and Hwy 10 North of 1604. Beautiful Hill Country land outside of city limits, but still less of a commute than you're doing now. Price range would start at 175-200K for what you're looking for.

Those are pretty nice areas to live.

 

[poopnut2]

Hold on to your wallet if you're in downtown San Antonio. Last time I was there there were so many people being arrested with stolen shit in their hands. Even little kids were in cuffs. I thought it was nasty the last time I was there. Maybe they've cleaned it up in the last 7 or 8 years though.

Plus the riverwalk smells like crap now.

 

[poopnut2]

Hold on to your wallet if you're in downtown San Antonio. Last time I was there there were so many people being arrested with stolen shit in their hands. Even little kids were in cuffs. I thought it was nasty the last time I was there. Maybe they've cleaned it up in the last 7 or 8 years though.

Plus the riverwalk smells like crap now.

 

[NVRENUFBOOST]

I, of course, worry about crime but living and working just minutes outside of the former murder capital of the US, know how to protect myself and keep a keen eye on my surroundings. Really the only things to do around here are work, sleep, and go to bars. Now I don't have anything against the bar scene but I'd like to explore new places. After living in one place for three decades I'm ready for a change. Plus it's not like I can't come back. My family lives here in No. VA and it's always an option to come back or move on to a new place.

 

[ampstang]

You won't have much trouble finding stuff to do in SA. The riverwalk area is really nice. Your girlfriend will love walking down the riverwalk with you at night. Last time I was there, I didn't notice any bad smells from the water. They usually keep it pretty clean around there since it is a huge tourist attraction. There is a lot of history there with the Alamo and everything. I am really into visiting historical places, I don't know about you. That is why I enjoyed living around that area. Also, Austin is about 1 hour away. New Braunfels is closer and is a beautiful town.

 

[NVRENUFBOOST]

It also seems like alot of people are from that general area here on the board. There are alot of people up here on the board but meeting up is a hassle, especially with my schedule.

 

[01svtL]

I think the most beautiful areas are around the 1604/i10 (la cantera) and 1604/281 areas. Those are the northwest areas of the city. Definitely the areas to live in.

 

[NVRENUFBOOST]

thanks for all the responses. we're now talking about moving there next summer. everything depends on how much we can save up and visiting there this spring to look for housing and jobs.

thanks again for the info.