Pros and Cons, not as bad as the reviews suggest
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10/31/2019
Lots of pure bundles of ranting joy here...
For anyone looking for an actual review and considering moving, here are some Pros and cons:
Pros:
-affordable housing, though this is changing due to demand. Clear sign of how many people choose to move here and stay
-one of the few American cities with a distinctive culture and character you cant get anywhere else. This is where Tex meets the Mex and becomes its own thing. The city also boasts the only UNESCO world heritage site in Texas: the San Antonio Missions.
-great food, and not just Mexican and BBQ
-plenty to do: several theme parks including one dedicated to kids with special needs, Sixflags, Sea World, and Schlitterbahn, a variety of places to hike and bike, and lots of history to get to know if youre a history buff
-if you want to take a day trip or a quick weekend getaway, you have the advantage of being within a 2 hour drive to other places with lots to do. You can easily drive to the coast, Austin, and the Hill Country (which is right outside the city and quite pretty in the spring when the flowers are in bloom).
-low violent crime rate for a city this big
-ive rarely ever encountered rudeness in customer service, just dont radiate elitism and you should be fine. Nobody likes a snob
-if youre into sports, the city goes crazy for the Spurs
-parts of the city are quite nice actually. Because it has grown so much in the past few decades, large portions of town feel a lot newer than some other cities (downtown being a major exception).
- seasonal stuff: riverwalk at Christmas is definitely worth checking out. In April, downtown basically turns into a giant party for a week for Fiesta, and in February there's a large rodeo that's kinda cool. You can also go to a nearby lake or tubing in the Comal during the summer to beat the heat
Cons:
-too hot. Droughts are common and they kill the grass (kinda depressing). . If you garden, plant native. Flash flooding is also something to mindful about when driving
-developers keep cutting down oak trees and replacing them with over-priced, cookie-cutter cardboard boxes. The city should really encourage developers to built up instead of out, downtown could use some more high-rises
-this city feels "stuck," for the lack of a better word. Ambition generally pretty low
-one of the highest property crime rates in the US (better than murder no? Ya can't have it all)
-Striking income inequality. Note that the further you go into loop 410 towards downtown, the less diversity you'll encounter, and you'll be in zipcodes with higher poverty rates (which are pretty high).
-not reliant on downtown to be the economic heart of the city. Most, if not all, the few fortune 500 companies are located outside loop 410, leaving for a somewhat unimpressive downtown. This is gradually changing for the better
-traffic gets worse by the day, and the crazy complicated highway system does not help. Beware of overpasses- lots of confusing exits messily going on top and underneath each other (Impressive, to witness, not to drive).
-awful public transport. You NEED to have car to get around the sprawl. If you prefer to bus, there are park-n-rides around, but you need a way to get to them
TL;DR -Articles often rank SA as one of the best cities to live in the US and there are some clear reasons why. However, for people looking for a cozy suburban lifestyle or a glitzy cosmopolitan one, it might not be the best fit.
M. | San Antonio, TX