Moving to San Antonio TX(Bad Areas)?

Question

I will be moving to SA tx in October can anyone tell me what areas to avoid looking for housing and why. What shoudlI consider close to downown? or away? please help, and I dont have a job yet so location close to job would not apply..is October a good month to move there? ie looking for a job, weather ect.Please help. Thank you

Answer 1

October should be a great time to move to San Antonio. The weather is usually very nice, and is nice for outdoor activities most of the time.

Where to live you will find is a very controversial issue among the people of San Antonio. Everyone on this site has their favortie areas. It is normally based on what they know and not always a complete view of the other areas.

I will try to give a balanced view.

First understand that San Antonio is the 7th largest US city and the second fastest growing major city in the US (according to census estimates). That which is called the San Antonio Metropolitan Area is 7, 340.5 sq. miles, and includes all or part of 8 counties. 16 cities and several small towns and residential communities. The metropolitan statistical area has a population of approximately 2 million people and increase 2.8% from 2005-2006. The North Central area of San Antonio is the most rapidly developing area growing between 50-60% in the past 5 years based on census estimates (includes parts of Comal County) Current projections indicate San Antonio will increase in population by approximately 1 million people in the next 20 years.
Average home is between $100,000-$160,000 with the largest number of these houses (65%) being 2-3 bedroom homes.

There is crime all over the city. ffperki will tell you to look at one site that says his area is safest, I have seen the national and city crime statistical data showing that it really is not based on the type of reported crimes. The overall truth is it is a large city and you will have to carefully evaluate where ever you look to live.

There is a lot of development going on all around the city (primarily on the Northeast, North Central, Northwest, and Southsides, and a lot of rebuilding and rehabilitation of the areas in the inner city areas.

I have lived in several parts of the mettorpolitan area and all were fine, but some had more problems than others. If you need public transportation, there is minimal service outside Loop 1604, so that may be a concern. The VIA bus system in SA is very clean and runs very close to schedule most of the time. For those in areas not served by metrotransit, there are park & rides stations around the city.

The downtown is really rehabilitating a lot of buildings into condos and they are very nice, but seem to be a little pricey.

The three best school districts in San Antonio are Alamo Heights, Northeast and Northside (in no particular order) my children have attended schools in all three and we have been very satisfied. The school districts in the inner city areas are not as good statistically, but there are some fine private and parochial schools if you are interested. We also were satisfied with the Comal ISD just north of the city.

There are several nice small communities south and north of town which have their own advantages and are an easy commute into the city.

The areas I would recommend from personal knowledge would be. Monte Vista, Terrell Hills, Alamo Heights, Castle Hills, Olmos Park, North West San Antonio- Sea World area, and the I 10 corridor north of Loop 410, any where between I 10 (may be Bandera Rd) and 281 north of 410, the 281 corridor north of 1604 through Bulverde, Canyon Lake, the Schertz area. I have read there are some very fine neighborhoods being developed on the Southside though my knowledge of this area is limited. As with Kevin, I spend the bulk of my life in the 1604/281 area and don't get down past Durango (except Southtown) often.

As a note, when I first returned to San Antonio, after retiring from the Army, I stayed in a month to month apartment for about 3 months. Keeping my furniture in storage was not difficult. This gave me time to see the changes (I had been out of SA for 5 years) and to decide where I felt was best for my family.

Overall this is a great city, and while there are areas to avoid, there is beauty and a great feeling to the whole city.

Edit: just a quick note for Beatrice, my last clinic was in Southtown, I loved the area and I loved the restaurants, when I quote crime data, it is just data, not a judgement on the whole Southside. :-)

Note for ffperki I will get the Statistics website and include it later, I don't want to mislead anyone, I used to keep an office on the west side also and had a house off Culebra at one time. I have literally lived in every part of the city except the Southside, but I did keep a clinic in Southtown. I love every part of this city, and think every part of it has some very nice areas, I just want people to realize that sometimes the numbers are distorted.

Final EDIT (I promise): In reference to gang activity which is much debated on the San Antonio posts. There are gangs in San Antonio, every major city has them. I remember in the early 90s there was some issues around town, but it was not centered on any one part of town. I have not heard or seen a lot of issues related to gang activity in a long time and the crime rate is significantly better than it was 20 years ago. San Antonio is a major city, ther is crime, but it is one of the nicest major cities I have been to, and I have travelled all over the US and outside the US. I don't think gangs are a major issue. There is some "tagging" in some areas, but you see it an know to avoid that small area, THIS CITY IS GREAT!!!!

When I chose to retire early and gave my family the choice of moving anywhere in the country we all chose this city. I don't often go to the Southside because I live outside 1604 on the Northside, I love the area I live, but all the city is nice. I just chose the area I live in because I wanted my kids to go to the schools here.

Answer 2

San Antonio is beautiful. You can live downtown and if you have children you can send them to private schools. Actually the little ones will have a good time at Lamar Elementary which is very close to the zoo if you live in that area. Alamo Heights is nice. My kids went to Lamar when I lived in Mahnke Park and they loved it. I was concerned of the middle school and moved to the NEISD. But I quite honestly think if it is children you are concerned about, out of town a bit is wiser. If children are not in the equation, I would definitely get a loft over the river. It's beautiful, there are no problems with gangs. I have spent many evenings downtown without any problems, not once ever. I have lived in San Antonio since I was 20. That's 27 years now. Between teaching and being a part of this great city in both school and my media relations positions, I have come to know this entire city and if I had the money, I would move over the riverwalk in a heartbeat.

Answer 3

San Antonio City Data

Answer 4

City Data San Antonio

Answer 5

ALOT of folks will tell you to avoid the south side, but the SE side of town is very nice... I've lived here all my life, and have never seen a single act of violence in my area... It's kind of a perfect mix of country meets city... We are like 15 minutes from downtown, and we have a HEB, a new strip mall and wal-mart less than 5 minutes away.
I work at a convenience store and know almost everyone around here, and they are all good people. Cost of living in SA is very reasonable. I live in a 4 bedroom 2 bath (2500 sq ft) house that was built on an acre of land for $81,000.
As far as the moving date goes, October is a fairly nice time, it has some hot days (highs around low 90s) but esp. towards mid-late Oct it's really cool. It's been exceptionally rainy this year so pack umbrellas... As far as jobs go, i would suggest going to mysa.com and job searching that way. Good Luck!!!!

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Moving to San Antonio TX(Bad Areas)?
I will be moving to SA tx in October can anyone tell me what areas to avoid looking for housing and why. What shoudlI consider close to downown? or away? please help, and I dont have a job yet so location close to job would not apply..is October a good month to move there? ie looking for a job,...

Answer 7

I guess it all depends on your price range. There are good and bad areas of San Antonio. I am a Realtor here and would love to help you find a great home. I would just need to know what your needs are and I could begin searching for you right away. My email address is [e-mail]. I hope to hear from you soon.

Answer 8

First off, Stay away from the south side, It' s a must. Also avoid the west side, east side, southwest side, and parts of north east side.

In the south side you'll find gangs, vandalism, wellfare abusers, sex offenders, and uneducated people. It's not a good part of town. Same goes for the above mentioned parts of town.

The northside is where everyone moves because it's the safest part of town with the only 2 good school districts in the city, North East ISD and Northside ISD. I don't know if you're buying or renting, but the rent range around the 281 @ 1604 area is about $650.00 - $1,100.00. The home purchase range is about $110,000 - $300,000 brand new or pre-existing. I grew up on that side of town and my parents still live there, and they love it. I attended North East ISD schools K-12 and they were all wonderful schools. I don't know if you have children but I thought i'd add in that extra info just in case. Around here we have the Northwoods shopping center which has everything: groceries, movie theatre, shopping, cell phone utility, banks, and my favorite grocery store Sun Harvest. It's close to North Central Baptist hospital, and plenty of medical doctors. The neighborhoods are existing to brand new and they're beautiful. They have community pools, and recreation rooms. You can rent a home for about $1,100 per month which isn't bad considering all the amenities you get. There is plenty of new apartment complexes, all very nice. There isn't a vandalism/grafiti/gang problem around there so you won't have to worry about anything like that.

The problem with living near downtown is the neighborhoods. There is only 3 safe neighborhoods close to downtown, but they are very pricey. Alamo Heights, Olmos, and Terrel Hills. Some of those neighborhoods are in bad school districts (San Antonio ISD). The homes are in the $500,000 - $1,300,000 range in those neighborhoods. Apartments are in the lower thousands to upper two thousands per month.

I'd say your safe if you live anywhere outside loop 410 between I-10 and I-35 especially near loop 1604.

October isn't really a bad month for moving or job hunting. I'd say give it a try. As for weather San Antonio has some of the most beautiful weather during October.

good luck.

Answer 9

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You are confused on a number of points. San Antonio is one of a kind we mix well with one another and live side by side There are few few exclusive "white neighborhoods" or for that matter Hispanic Neighborhoods. I have lived in this part of San Antonio for 35 years and my neighbors are from a flag of every nation and every hue. Unlike some other parts of the United States. Demographics of San Antonio Hispanic of any race is 58.66% Not hispanic or latino is 41.34% this consists of White, Black, Indian, and Asian. You have your facts wrong

Answer 10

I can't help you on the bad areas to live...I spent a week there recently and I can tell you that MOST of the town is gorgeous.

But I live in Texas and I can tell you, we were there in February and the weather was lovely. The weather on this side of Texas is usually wonderful from March to October, with February and November being the marginal months.

Early November here we had a hideous weather front come in that dropped the temperature from 80 degrees to 40 degrees in less than an hour, but two weeks later it was 70 degrees and we had Thanksgiving dinner outside.

Answer 11

You have to understand that San Antonio is a great place to live, but you are going to get answers in here that aren't as factual as they really don't tell the whole truth. According the Express news the number one school district is the Northside Independent school district not the NEISD. The safest and most crime free area is the Sea World area. Others will tell you that we have a bunch of killing here, but that simply is not true go on line and look for yourself. The north side (San Antonio) for some reason well beyond me thinks that they are the only San Antonio but there is almost a million people that don't agree. Don't believe me look on line for yourself. City-data.com is a real good source to start out with and then type into the search bar murders in San Antonio you won't find 78245,78236, or 78253. Another thing that folks from the North side want you to believe it that we have a real traffic problem, again this is not so north of these zip codes this is true and it goes all the way from Culebra Road to I-35 on to North East side on 1604. The Sea World area is one of the very fastest growing parts of the city and has already many fine opportunities, Microsoft service center, New Medical Center, HEB Plus (super store)Super Wal-mart, Kohl's many banks n many places to eat, auto parts places, car washes, You don't have to buy here but give it a fair look, ask your real estate person about all areas of this city. After you have had a good look for yourself then you decide where is best for you and your family. In any case welcome to San Antonio

Note; to US_DR_JD I have asked you in the past to provide us the web sites that you are attaining your information from and not just because you think so and it sounds good to say it. I wasn't born here or raised here, but I have lived here for 45 years and I have also lived all over this city, I am a retiree also, and now in more ways than two. I have no problem with the north side it is no cheaper or more expensive than the far west side (Sea World) I just like to see it reported out correctly Kevin started to put down this part of town and has never lived here and knows nothing about it. He isn't even sure where he lives, part of the time he says he lives in the north side and the rest of the time he says that he lives in Austin. He has also said that he works for the NEISD, If he lives in Austin he must have a heck of a drive back and forth. His answers are really a little bit disingenuous.