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Renting an Apartment in San Antonio
What You Should Know
San Antonio is the second-most populous city in the state of Texas after
Houston and seventh-most populated in the United States. As of the 2005 U.S.
Census estimate, the city had a population of over 1.2 million. Its eight-county
metropolitan area has a population of over 1.8 million, the twenty-ninth
most-populated metro area in the United States. San Antonio, which is the county
seat of Bexar County, covers over 400 square miles on the northern edge of the
South Texas region and southeast of the Texas Hill Country.
San Antonio was named for the Portuguese Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day
it was when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. The city has a
strong military presence—it is home to Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force
Base, Randolph Air Force Base, and Brooks City Base. San Antonio is home to the
South Texas Medical Center, the largest and only medical research and care
provider in the South Texas region.
Famous for its River Walk, the Alamo, Tejano culture, and being home to SeaWorld
and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, the city is visited by 20 million
tourists per year. San Antonio is also home to the first museum of Modern Art in
Texas—the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum.
San Antonio has a diversified economy with four primary focuses: financial
services, health care, national defense, and tourism.
Located northwest of the city center is the South Texas Medical Center, the
largest medical research and care provider in South Texas, which is a
conglomerate of numerous major hospitals, clinics, and research and higher
educational institutions. The center is responsible for a $12 billion biomedical
industry. It employs some 27,000 persons with a combined total budget of
$2.5 billion. San Antonio is the only city in the United States hosting three
Level I Trauma Centers within the city limits (2 military, 1 civilian)
The city is also home to one of the largest military concentrations in the
United States. Fort Sam Houston on the city's northeast side hosts Brooke Army
Medical Center, focus of the U.S. Army's medical command and training functions.
Lackland Air Force Base on the city's west side is one of the world's largest
training complexes. While it is known for hosting the U.S. Air Force's basic
military training, it also hosts follow-on technical training for many other Air
Force specialties, as well as other operations. Randolph Air Force Base on the
far northeastern outskirts is the headquarters of the Air Education and Training
Command, headquarters for Air Force personnel management and also hosts pilot
training. Additionally, Brooks City-Base on the city's south side and KellyUSA
adjoining Lackland still have significant military presences as well as defense
contractor businesses. Over 150,000 people, military and civilian, are employed
in defense-related work.
Twenty million tourists visit the city and its attractions every year,
contributing substantially to the city's economy. The San Antonio Convention
Center alone hosts more than 300 events each year with over 750,000 convention
delegates from around the world.
San Antonio's corporate profile includes AT&T (formerly SBC), Clear Channel
Communications, Frost National Bank, H-E-B, Rackspace Managed Hosting,
Southwest Research Institute, Tesoro Petroleum Corp, USAA, Valero Energy Corp,
and Zachry Construction, which are all headquartered in the city. Companies not
headquartered in San Antonio but which have a strong presence in the city
include Bank of America, The Capital Group Companies, Citibank, InfoNxx, QVC,
NSA, Washington Mutual, and West Corporation. Other industries such as Toyota
Motor Corporation are establishing plants in the area, as the city's economy
continues to grow.
Like many American cities in the Southwest, San Antonio experiences healthy
population growth. The city's population has nearly doubled in 35 years, from
just over 650,000 in the 1970 census to an estimated 1.2 million in 2005.
The city has also grown substantially in area. Unlike most large cities in the
U.S., San Antonio is not completely surrounded by independent suburban cities
and under Texas law exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) over much of
the surrounding unincorporated land, including directing growth and zoning.
It pursues an aggressive annexation policy and opposes the creation of other
municipalities within its ETJ. Nearly three-fourths of its current land area has
been annexed since 1960. In recent years, the city has annexed several long
narrow corridors along major thoroughfares to facilitate eventual annexation of
growth developing along the routes. The city plans to annex nearly forty
additional square miles by 2009.
San Antonio has a vibrant art community that reflects the rich history and
culture of the area. This unique city offers some of the best cultural
institutions, events, restaurants and nightlife in South Texas that both natives
and visitors enjoy.
Beyond taking in the sights and sounds of San Antonio, tourists can sample some
of its world famous Tex-Mex cuisine at the many fine restaurants located
throughout the city. San Antonio is (to residents, former residents, and many
visitors) the undisputed home of authentic Tex-Mex. Mexican restaurants are
abundant in virtually all parts of town, and most — except for those in the
"nouveau riche" Far North and some of the Uptown enclaves like Alamo Heights —
are relatively inexpensive. Jacala Restaurant on West Avenue, Los Barrios on
Blanco Road, and Karam's and Salsa Mora Restaurant on the West Side are just a
few examples of the outstanding Tex-Mex eateries San Antonio offers. San Antonio
also has establishments offering Texas style barbecue, and for the truly
intrepid barbecue aficionado, a day trip to some of the more renowned barbecue
pits and smokehouses of South Texas is both necessary and easily manageable.