Neighborhoods of San Antonio

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The city of San Antonio, Texas is made up of a number of neighborhoods, spreading out surrounding the central downtown area.

[edit] Downtown

Main article: Downtown San Antonio

The center point of the city of San Antonio, it is a very popular place for tourists due to attractions such as the Alamo, Historic Riverwalk, Tower of the Americas, and much more. It is very popular for the Rivercenter Mall which consists of over 100 stores, 21 restaurants, three movie theatres, and the Rivercenter comedy club.

[edit] Alamo Heights

Located in the north-central corridor about two miles (3 km) north of downtown and laid out roughly down the north-south axis of Broadway, the 78209 zipcode is bordered to the south by Mulberry Avenue, to the north by Loop 410, to the east by Fort Sam Houston, and to the west by US 281. This zipcode contains some of the wealthier neighborhoods such as Alamo Heights and Terrell Hills (Olmos Park neighborhood is entirely located within the 78212 zipcode). This area also includes a large swath of Broadway from Mulberry to Loop 410. Inside this area is also Mahncke Park (the neighborhood and the park), the Witte Museum, Brackenridge Park, Botanical Gardens, San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio Country Club and Japanese Tea Gardens. The whole of 78209 zipcode is sometimes referred to as "Alamo Heights" even though the precise boundaries of the Alamo Heights city and school district are much smaller than the boundaries of the zip code.

[edit] Midtown

Typical Monte Vista street sign.

Bounded by Hildebrand Avenue to the north, Highway 281 to the east, I-10 to the west and I-35 to the south. Midtown features an assortment of neighborhoods ranging from the working class Beacon Hill to the up-and-coming Five Points to the established upper middle class Monte Vista. Each neighborhood has distinctive housing characteristics, from Victorian in Beacon Hill to French Eclectic, Neoclassical and Italian Renaissance in Monte Vista.

Midtown is one of the most historic areas of metro San Antonio, home to Temple Beth-El, the Pearl Brewery, Trinity University, and neighborhoods such as Five Points, Tobin Hill, Monte Vista, Alta Vista, Beacon Hill, University Hill, and Trinity Heights.

[edit] Uptown Broadway - Uptown Loop

Uptown Central consists of a very large area separated by two segments.

Uptown Broadway is home to a concentrated area of "old money" bedroom communities. These communities are Alamo Heights, Olmos Park, Lincoln Heights, and Terrell Hills. Combined the total population of these three communities is almost 16,000 people on 4.2 square miles (11 km²). That is a density of nearly 4,000 people per square mile (1,500 km²).

Famous people that reside in Uptown Broadway include Thomas Gibson (Terrell Hills), Tommy Lee Jones (Terrell Hills), and many others. This area is home to quite a few high-rise residential buildings, with more planned. Uptown Broadway is also home to many trendy boutiques as well as the University of the Incarnate Word and two very prominent museums, the McNay Art Museum and the Witte Museum.

With nearly five million square feet (465,000 m²) of retail and nearly 20 million square feet (1.86 million m²) of office space. Retail in Uptown Loop consists of North Star Mall, San Pedro Towne Center, and the soon to be Park North Plaza at site of what was once Central Park Mall. The new Park North Plaza will include new retail, restaurants a SuperTarget and Washington Mutual. North Star Mall is anchored by Dillard's, Macy's, Mervyn's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. In the summer of 2007, a J.C. Penney will move into the mall as its fifth anchor.

[edit] North Central

North Central is home to many small cities landlocked within the city of San Antonio. Some of these cities are the San Antonio CO-OP district, Castle Hills, Hill Country Village, and Hollywood Park. The area also includes the upscale neighborhoods of Elm Creek, Inwood, Rogers Ranch, and Bentley Manor.

[edit] Far North Central

Far North Central is home to many of San Antonio's most luxurious homes. Such upscale master-planned communities in this area include Scenic Oaks, Sonterra and Stone Oak.

Celebrities in residence include "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Bruce Bowen, Joe Horn, Eva Longoria, Shawn Michaels, Tony Parker, and Malik Rose.

[edit] Northeast side

The northeast side is home to Randolph Air Force Base, Schertz, Converse, Universal City, Selma, Kirby, Windcrest, and Live Oak. Four school districts educate this side of town, including Judson ISD, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD and North East ISD. The northeast side also houses The Forum, which is one of San Antonio's largest shopping centers consisting of a variety of shops and restaurants (located on the corner of Loop 1604 and I-35). Rolling Oaks Mall also serves this area (located on the north side of I-35 at Loop 1604 and Nacogdoches Road).

[edit] Northwest side

The northwest side of San Antonio is home to the South Texas Medical Center; the corporate headquarters of Valero and USAA; the campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio; Six Flags Fiesta Texas; the upscale open air shopping center The Shops at La Cantera, anchored by Dillard's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom; and the 2,000,000-square-foot (190,000 m²) suburban retail center The Rim, anchored by Bass Pro Shops' Outdoor World, and The Palladium, a 19-screen movie theater featuring IMAX screens. This area also includes prestigious neighborhood The Dominion, which is home to David Robinson, many current Spurs players and coaches, and George Strait. The wealthy city of Shavano Park is also on the Northwest Side.

Eastward view of the South Texas Medical Center, some 11 miles (18 km) northwest of downtown San Antonio

[edit] Far West side

This is one of the fastest growing areas in Metropolitan San Antonio. A large part of this area is outside of the San Antonio city limits, but is served by Bexar County Government. Here you will find Sea World of Texas, Northwest Vista College, QVC, Wachovia, CitiCorp and several other large employers. The Far West subdivisions attract many military families who relocate from all over the US due to its close proximity to Lackland AFB. With new homes starting in the low to mid 100's, the area attracts many middle-class families and first time home buyers. Major roads include Loop 1604, State Highway 151, U.S. Highway 90, and Loop 410. Due to the recent real estate boom in the area, numerous businesses including Kohl's, HEB Plus, and Super Wal-mart have moved in as well as many restaurant chains and other specialty stores to the new master planned community of Alamo Ranch.

[edit] West side

Known for its Mexican and Tejano culture, which is showcased in places like the Guadalupe Street commercial and entertainment district and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower, the West side is also home to the historic Our Lady of the Lake University, and St. Mary's University. The west side is a predominantly hispanic neighborhood.

The West side's historic Prospect Hill neighborhood, one of the first communities to be built in this area, is rich in history and is within the original 36 miles of downtown San Antonio. Notable Prospect Hill residents (past and present) include former San Antonio Mayor / 10th US HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, actress Carol Burnett, and Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez. The housing is primarily modest 2- and 3-bedroom homes with a mix of early 1900s and post-WWII houses.

[edit] Southtown/King William

This area is located south of Downtown, south of Durango along South Presa/South Saint Mary's/South Alamo streets and, more recently, South Flores. Southtown includes the King William and Lavaca National Historic Districts, as well as the warehouse district and loft conversions of Blue Star Contemporary Art Center along South Flores/Probandt/Cevallos streets. Once labeled Texas' most eccentric neighborhood by Texas Monthly magazine, Southtown is known for its diverse community, art galleries, restaurants, and Victorian homes. There is a heavy concentration of resident artists and contemporary art spaces, such as those found on emerging South Flores. Restaurants and bars in Southtown include Bar America, Blue Star Brewing Company (adjacent to Blue Star Contemporary Art Center), Rosario's, La Tuna, El Mirador, Oloroso, and Mad Hatters. Art spaces and galleries include Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, UTSA Satellite Space, San Antonio Art League, SAY Si!, Joan Grona Gallery, Cactus Bra Space, Three Walls Gallery, Justice Works, REM Gallery, San Angel Folk Art, Stone Metal Press, and Fiber Artspace. On the first Friday of every month, Blue Star essentially acts as the hub of the downtown art walk known as First Friday. A diverse crowd of art lovers can visit galleries, art spaces, vintage stores, and street vendors selling art and jewelry, all while listening to live music played in the streets. Second Saturday is usually on the following weekend after First Friday but sometimes falls on the very next day. Second Saturday is a monthly showcase of the area commonly known as SoFlo (a trendy abbreviation for the South Flores street where it is located) also known by its inhabitants as the South Flores Arts District. The area is only a few blocks South of the Blue Star District but is popular for those who want a less crowded environment than the one found at First Friday. Art galleries include One9Zero6, FL!GHT, LoneStar Studios, Salon Mijangos, Gallista Gallery, and Triangle Project Space. Artists in the area with studios include Andy Benavides, Justin Parr, Ed Saavedra, Zane Lewis, Thomas Cummins, and Dario Robleto. Once a year in the Fall, the S.M.A.R.T fair is an annual festival held to support the various arts in San Antonio.^[1]

[edit] South side

The South Side encompasses the historical San Antonio missions, Highland Park Neighborhood and a large, close-knit Hispanic community, many of whose families have lived on the South Side for generations. It also includes South Park Mall, Brooks City-Base, City-Base Landing retail center, specialty stores, and many restaurants.

The southern stretches of the city also include such distinct areas as Palm Heights, Lago Vista, Thompson Field, Pecan Valley and other historically significant areas of the city.

[edit] City South

This is the area south of Interstate 410 between Interstate 37 and Interstate 35 and north of Loop 1604 consisting mostly of farmland. It is home to the Toyota manufacturing plant. It has two lakes and the Medina and San Antonio Rivers. The City of San Antonio is aggressively planning this area to become a major hub for master planned communities, and will be home to a new Texas A&M University campus.

[edit] East Side

Home to Saint Paul Square, the Alamodome, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, the AT&T Center and its older neighbor, the Freeman Coliseum. Other northern cities include Windcrest, a northeastern suburb known for its extravagant Christmas light displays. The southeastern suburb of China Grove is located along US 87 and was the subject of a Doobie Brothers song entitled China Grove. The East Side is predominantly an African-American neighborhood.

[edit] References

^ South Flores Arts District upbeat, lively, San Antonio Express News, January 25, 2008.

[edit] External links

[0] South Flores Arts District upbeat, lively, San Antonio Express News, January 25, 2008.

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