Relocating to San Antonio - San Antonio,TX

Updated on March 27, 2008
S.B. asks from Boca Raton, FL
19 answers

Hi!
Our family is relocating to San Antonio soon and I wanted to see if anyone could help me get more info on the city and the activities around. There is a lot on the internet, but maybe too much, so I'm confused. I was getting attached to the idea of moving to the Woodlands, but we found a better job in San Antonio...is there an area similar to the Woodlands around there? Which area is the best within San Antonio to live in - meaning low crime rate, or at least pretty secure, and with lots of things to do for young ones. Also wanted some insight into the schools, I need to know about elementary schools in the city, Pediatricians recommended, OB-GYNs, etc... - help! :)

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So What Happened?

Wow! Thanks to everyone for their help and information! What a great response, I feel at home already!!!! I will be traveling to San Antonio next week to check things out...and then should be coming back home and packing soon! I will definitely take all the info on realtors and areas you guys wrote me to check it all out! Thanks again to everyone!!!!
:)
S.

Featured Answers

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R.

answers from San Antonio on

The two more affordable desirable areas in San Antonio are the Stone Oak area and Alamo Heights. Stone Oak is new and on the north side of town and Alamo Heights is a charming older part of town. If you have big bucks there is also Olmos Heights and Boerne. My family lives in Stone Oak. We have terrific schools here and it is very safe and family oriented. The only down side is the traffic, but all the desireable areas have bad traffic these days. Hope this is helpful.

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S.F.

answers from San Antonio on

So funny, S., we just moved from The Woodlands to here in November, and I like San Antonio WAY more than there! It's way more humid there, way more bugs, and way more crowded there, too.

The atmosphere here is so much more laid back and less stuffy. The Woodlands was beautiful, but I would choose San Antonio to there 100x's over. We already have great friends here, and there's more stuff to do here. We live in the NE side here, but we go downtown a lot to go to festivals, museums, etc. There, we never dared go into Houston much because it was farther, and the traffic was always AWFUL!!!

I'd say Stone Oak and 281N is pretty much most like the Woodlands, but it is so crowded, I wouldn't want to live there. I do use ABCD pediatrics up there, and LOVE them. Once you register, they'll get you in the very day you call, every time. I love it!

My cousin teaches in Alamo Heights, and it is kindof the ritzy, older-but-restored place in town. Their schools are great. I agree, I've heard NE ISD is the best, too, that's where we are.

If I could live anywhere, and didn't have to worry about a little longer commute (only 20 minutes), I would live in New Braunfuls. I love that city! Smaller, but beautiful!! And lots of fun things right there to do.

I've also heard great things about Schertz/Cibolo.

The only thing I don't like about S.A. is the lack of grocery shopping options. In Houston I had an HEB, Randalls, Kroger, Fiesta, etc. Here there's only HEB and super Walmart or Target. I miss all the good sales at the other places.

Good luck and welcome to a great, friendly, laid back place!

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K.M.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi there! My name is Gina Marie and I am extremely happy in the area we live. We're on one acre (there are larger lots) but the crime rate is very low, we have a gaurd at the gate and the people are so much fun!! We all have young kids and we love it! Our kids go to a new school named: Julia Newton Aue - My 3rd grader is VERY happy there!!!

An awesome realtor is:

Patricia Roussin, Realtor
RE/MAX North-San Antonio
###-###-#### (mobile)
###-###-#### (office)

She works with you to make sure that you are taken care.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need anything!!!

____@____.com

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C.K.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi S.,

I live in San Antonio. I have been here almost 2 years now. I moved from Southern California. Its not the same by any means but I like it. The best area is anywhere out I-10 west-outside of loop 1604 (Most Prestigious) this is where I live and we have all of the SA Spurs in are grocery store on a regular basis Our Desperate houswive and her Hubby just built there home here as well, either there or the Stone Oak area which is 281 again outside loop 1604, however the traffic in this area is HORRIBLE! Boerne is also beautiful but a little further from the city and your more out in the country. Just Stay away from the East side and defuinately the south side. As far as a pediatrician cant help you with one of those yet, I am 13 weeks pregnant, so it will be a while, however my OB-GYN is fabulous her name is Virgina Aguilar ###-###-####. I do have my RE License so if there is anything I can send you please let me know. As far as things to do, well there isn't a lot...we have Seaworld, Six Flags, a small zoo, the childrens museum, bu there are a lot of parks and several fairs,fiestas, and seasonal outdoor activities. Not sure how old they are but if they can swim there is always tubing in New Braunfels..oh yeah and there is Shlitterbaum/the water park. Hope that helps a bit, any more questions please email me or feel free to call ###-###-####...Hope you love it here, good luck on the move!

C. King
____@____.com

www.stayinhomeandlovinit.com/C.
www.sanantonioavalar.com

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M.D.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi S.! Some great areas to live in are Alamo Heights, the Lockehill Selma area and Stone Oak. Just depends on how much you are looking to spend on a home.

My OBGYN is in the Stone Oak area and her office is located at North Central Baptist Hospital. Her name is Dr. Tammy Murdock. She is wonderful!! She delivered my first baby via c-section last year. I LOVE her!

We see a pediatrician in New Braunfels (lived there last year) so I am not much help there. I do know that there is a team of pediatricians in the building right next to North Central Baptist hospital, they were recommended by Dr. Murdock.

Our daughter will be 1 next month so I am no help in the elementary school area either!

I don't know how old your kids are but I do parties for kids! I come to your house or party location and show kids how to stuff animals, kind of like BAB but I come to you so you don't have to fuss with traffic and keeping track of your kids at the mall.

My website is www.myhuggableparty.com

I don't know if your family attends church but a great non denominational church is CBC (Community Bible Church)located right at Loop 1604 and Hwy 281 between Redland Road and Gold Canyon (just East of Stone Oak). It is a very big church and there are tons of lifegroups for all ages and every interest. It is a great place to meet people and get involved with other families.

Good luck on the move!

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B.L.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi. I have lived in San Antonio since high school so I am pretty familiar with the area- 20 years is a long time!

With construction abounding on the highways, and poor city planners, I would look at where the job is. That might help you to determine which side of town and you can work on schools and that kind of thing from there.

My husband works for USAA and so we live about 10 minutes from his work. Our daughter is in private school, so we also looked at drive time for me!!!

If you get a chance before the move, come for a couple of days to get a feel for the city. It's a great town, but everyone has different interests and likes. I am not very familiar with the Woodlands, so can't really comment on that.

The Northside of town is just exploding and growing like crazy. It is the most popular area, but if possible, I would avoid Culebra/1604/151/Schaenfield road area. (it's close to Sea World if that rings any bells from looking on the internet) Othere areas of the Northwest side are great and traffic and taxes not so bad. If you are going to go with public school,(NISD- Norhtside Independent School District is well ranked and I have several friends who teach at various elementray schools in the stystem.) However, check first if the school is avalailable for new kids. Very often in popular areas, the schools are already booked and you have to go to another school that can accomidate you.

Sorry, I was so general, but I can be more specific if you need better details. As for a doctors:
Children First Pediatrics. We use Dr. Christopher Gulde, but all of them in the group are great.
OB/GYN Dr. Angline Williams. I have seen her for 15 years and have never waited more than 20 minutes to see her. She is kind, thorough, and talks to you, not at you.

Welcome, you are going to love the city!

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M.S.

answers from San Antonio on

Wow how exciting...welcome to San Antonio!! I have lived here all my life except my college years. So, I have tons of information about the city, places to look for houses, school districts, mom's groups, etc. I am running out the door this morning...I will send you a message later this weekend with an over view of the SA areas.

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S.T.

answers from San Antonio on

Huebner elementary won a national award. Blattman, Braune, and Leon Springs are also quite good.

Our fabulous pediatrician is Dr. Abrams at NW Pediatric Assoc. ###-###-####.

My Ob-GYN is at Seven Oaks Women's Health in the Medical District.

My dentist is at the UTHSC dental school. So is my pediatric dentist, Dr. Adetona (wonderful woman).

My hairdresser is Stephen Gonzalez at Hair Review & Nail Salon‎ - more info »
2363 NW Military Hwy, San Antonio, TX
###-###-####‎. He's great with color AND cutting and is reasonably priced.

Allergist is Dalys Gomez. Great with kids too.

That's all I can think of.

For great parks, check out Landa Park in New Braunfels and TexasTrails.org

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J.G.

answers from San Antonio on

I have a Kindergartener & 2nd grader, and they are in the North East school district (NEISD). Your best bet for lower crime rates is the north side of San Antonio. Both the NEISD and the Northside School District have good qualities, though they are run differently.

The Stone Oak area of town is popular with families because of the convenience of shopping, etc., but I'll warn you that the schools are very crowded and the traffic is a nightmare. Loop 1604 is a huge loop that surrounds San Antonio. Stone Oak is on the north side of town OUTSIDE Loop 1604. For lower traffic and less congestion, homes INSIDE Loop 1604 are a better bet. You might be interested in an area such as Hollywood Park. Many homes are older in there, but some have been renovated beautifully.

Check out realtor.com and look at the zip code 78232 and surrounding areas. Good luck!

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M.D.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi S.,
I've lived here in San Antonio since 1991. By far the best area to live in is North East San Antonio. NEISD (North East Independent School District) is by far the best and right now the traffic is not bad there. San Antonio is growing out on the West side so the traffic is horrible and the freeways are being worked on so there are some delays there too, so I STRONGLY recommend to stay North east of the airport. The crime rate in that area is also less than the other areas. The absolute worst area to move is the southside and the south west side of San Antonio. As for medical, I can't help much there. I'm service connected, so I go to the VA government medical facilities. Sorry! I hope this information helps. Good Luck in your move. God bless your Family and keep you safe!
M. D.

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T.B.

answers from Seattle on

West Creek is on the West Side near Sea World...like 5 minutes away. We have 2 pools, playground, lots of sports activities, a homeschool group, play groups, active community center, some of the best schools around....Galm elementary and Ott elementary in the North ISD. We are close to good shopping, easy to get just about anywhere in SA. The crime is very low. We have brand new housing and older housing developments. It really is a great place to live. I live in Highpoint at West Creek and we bought our house from Lennar housing. My neighbor just up the street is moving to Corpus Christie and their home is for sale. it is BEAUTIFUL!! Message me if interested in more info about anything. I love West Creek and would recommend it to anyone.

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S.M.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi S.!

I have lived here my whole life. It is a nice city to live in. We live off of 1604 and Kyle Seale area. It is in the Northside ISD. We have lower property taxes then NorthEast ISD. The schools are in the top schools in Texas in these two school districts. You can travel to most parts of the city pretty quickly. Since you can do that you can choose doctors in the Stone Oak OR the Medical center. Shopping is great around here. We are really close to La Cantera shopping mall and many shopping centers. There are probably four parks within 8-10 minutes. If you do decide to go to Stone Oak, do not go too far outside 1604. My friend lived in the Heights of Stone Oak and she hated that it took almost 15 minutes just to hit a highway. Traffic in that area is really a nightmare. Wouldn't want to live there and deal with that all the time. Also figure out where the job is gonna be, because it will really influence the time on the road. You can look on realtor.com and type in different zipcodes. Try looking at zipcodes 78023, 78258, 78255, 78248 with your price range of homes. The 78258 zipcode is in the StoneOak area, but look at the map and try to get closer to loop 1604. If you have any other questions send me an email!

Hope this helps

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S.F.

answers from San Antonio on

Northeast ISD is the best school district and the Stone Oak area is THE place to live. Have a hospital, doctors, dentists, banks, cleaners, restaurants, 2 golf courses, etc all within the Stone Oak "planned communitee". Traffic is a drawback, but can't be all perfect. There is a new YMCA close by, some new daycare spots, a new park, new schools. Dr. Vernon Theis is my assitant's OB- she's very happy with him, and Dr. Susie Hayden is a great pediatric dentist.
Happy moving!
S.

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S.C.

answers from San Antonio on

Well, my family and I have been living in San Antonio for about 6 years now and we love it :) I have the best peditriction (Dr. Linda Cook) and OB/GYN (Dr. Richard Lackritz). Also, I worked for 5 years as a teacher in the Northeast ISD and they are by far the best district in SA.

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S.S.

answers from San Antonio on

We live in the NEISD school district and our daughter goes to Huebner Elementary...it is the best school ever! Seriously! We were nervous about her going to public school but all of our fears have turned into complete delight! This school is so loving and nurturing...the neighborhoods in the area are all nice...there are some apartments, but you will probably get that in any area. The traffic is not as bad in this area as it can get in some other parts of the city. There are parks in and most of the neighborhoods have pools that you would belong to by living within the HOA. Hope your move goes well! You'll love SA...it is great! (Stay North-Central to North)

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W.C.

answers from San Antonio on

I just moved 5weeks ago, so I have been feeling my way around. I LOVE the Stone Oak/Canyon Springs area. We just lucked into it. I only have a 3yr old so I don't know for sure about the schools, but we have been told that they are great. We love the children's museum (Which is not the same as the Witte. We found that out the hard way.) The Witte is geared toward adults and much older children. How old is your child/children?

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L.W.

answers from San Antonio on

We are moving to SA as well. However, I grew up there, so we are coming home so to speak. We are looking in the Boerne area. Stone Oak is a huge area, kinda like the Woodlands. Northeast ISD is a great school district. I am hearing good things about Comal ISD as well, but that is Bulverde way. Alamo Heights is a great little area. Good schools, small, expensive and older if that's what you are looking for.
Lots of people recommend ABCD pedi. clinic in Stone Oak but I am not looking for a huge office. Dr. Fitch and Dr. Graham Hall come highly recommended in Alamo Heights.
Welcome to SA!
L.

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A.S.

answers from San Antonio on

Welcome to SA! When we moved here 2 years ago from Dallas, we found temporary housing for 6 months so we could really explore the town, tour & visit schools, and look at homes all over town. Our Realtor, Yvonne Busby with Harper Coldwell Banker, was very accomodating in taking me & the kids to visit literally 100's of properties all over town. I interviewed elementary school principals, counselors & sat in Kinder & 1st grade classes to choose the schools I liked. We also found a church home during this time. Once we had our church, my husbands work, and the schools we like - we mapped them all and looked at houses that offered the shortest and easiest commutes from place to place.

We live inside loop 1604 on the NW side in a neighborhood called Braun Station. There are new & old homes, ranging 1600 - 6000 sqft... So there's lots of variety. And I have found lots of activities for my kids (art classes, swimming, church activities, sports, parks, and playgroups) - they are 6 and 4 yrs old now.

My husband is from SA and his folks still live here - but we still really had to find our own bearing for our own little family's needs. It was a little bit of a hassle to move into a storage facility & temp housing and then turn around and move again into our "real house" 6 months later - but it really paid off... we love our neighborhood, schools, church & new friends.

Best of luck! Give me a shout if I can help you with anything else or any specific questions.

A.

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D.P.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi S.,
I have lived in San Antonio my entire life. It's the best kept secret in the country..well not a great secret anymore. It's a big town with a small town feel. My husband and I and our 3 kids live close to UTSA just inside Loop 1604. We love it in this area. It is just on the northwest/northcentral boundaries of SA. The Northeast is great but it has grown incredibly fast. The traffic is terrible off 1604/281 so I would avoid that area if you can. You may want to look off I-10 just outside Loop 1604 heading towards Boerne.
We have a great Pediatrician named Dr. David Popp who has been with us since our oldest who is almost 13years old.
Good luck on your move and welcome to SA!
---D. P

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