San Antonio, Texas
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- San Antonio directs here. For other uses, see San Antonio (disambiguation)
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San Antonio is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Bexar County.Template:GR As of the 2000 census, San Antonio had a resident population of 1,144,646, and was the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in Texas. As of January 2005, it had an estimated population of 1,282,800, greater than that of Dallas; it is now ranked as the 8th largest city in the U.S.
Originally founded by Canary Islanders in 1731 (although a small Indian community had already been established in the San Pedro Springs area called Yanaguana), San Antonio de Béxar was an early Spanish settlement in the Americas. The Battle of the Alamo took place nearby in 1836, and eventually the town would grow to encompass the embattled mission. Today, the Alamo is near downtown San Antonio, although is now surrounded by parking lots.
Famous for its Riverwalk and the Alamo, the Spurs basketball team, the Tower of the Americas, and being home to SeaWorld and Six Flags theme parks, San Antonio is visited by 20 million tourists per year.
The city is home to Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base and Brooks City Base.
San Antonio is home to the state's first art museum (Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum).
SBC Communications, Valero Energy Corp, United Services Automobile Association, Tesoro Petroleum Corp, Southwest Research Institute, H-E-B supermarkets and Clear Channel Communications are headquartered in San Antonio.
San Antonio is served by San Antonio International Airport.
The Fairmont Hotel, built in 1906, is in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the heaviest buildings ever moved intact. It was placed in its new location, three blocks south of the Alamo, over four days in 1985, and cost $650,000 to move. Template:US City infobox
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Tourism
San Antonio is a popular tourist destination. The jewel of the city is the Paseo del Rio, or River Walk, which meanders through the downtown area. Lined with numerous shops, bars, and restaurants as well as the Arneson River Theater, this attraction is transformed into an impressive festival of lights during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
The downtown area also features HemisFair Park (home of the Tower of the Americas and the Institute of Texan Cultures), La Villita, El Mercado, and the city's most widely recognized landmark, the Alamo.
Other places of interest include Brackenridge Park (home of the San Antonio Zoo), the missions of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the Witte Museum, the McNay Art Museum, SeaWorld of Texas, and the Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park.
Every April, San Antonio hosts Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day celebration of the city's diverse cultures and of the heroes of the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, featuring over one hundred events held throughout the city. Visitors can also experience something of the cowboy culture every February at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo; year round, they can also see the 40 ft. tall cowboy boots at North Star Mall.
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 also has no shortage of 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 Central Texas is both necessary and easily manageable.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,067.3 km² (412.07 mi²). 1,055.6 km² (407.56 mi²) of it is land and 11.7 km² (4.51 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.09% water. The city sits on the Balcones Escarpment.
Weather
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San Antonio's weather can be described as somewhat dry air, hot in the summer, cool in the winter, and rather comfortable in the spring and fall. Only a few freezes occur each year and snow is almost unheard of.
Monthly Averages (in degrees Fahrenheit):
- Jan 62 High, 39 Low
- Feb 67 High, 43 Low
- Mar 74 High, 50 Low
- Apr 80 High, 57 Low
- May 86 High, 66 Low
- Jun 91 High, 72 Low
- Jul 95 High, 74 Low
- Aug 95 High, 74 Low
- Sep 90 High, 69 Low
- Oct 82 High, 59 Low
- Nov 71 High, 49 Low
- Dec 64 High, 41 Low
In San Antonio, July is the average warmest month. The highest temperature ever to be recorded was 111°F in 2000. The average coolest month is January. The lowest recorded temperature ever was 0°F in 1949. May, June and October have quite a bit of precipitation.
Note: These are averages provided from www.weather.com.
Demographics
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According to the 2000 census, San Antonio is the 9th largest city in the United States and the third largest in Texas. There are 1,144,646 people, 405,474 households, and 280,993 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,084.4/km² (2,808.5/mi²).
There are 433,122 housing units at an average density of 410.3/km² (1,062.7/mi²). According to Texas.com, the current racial make up of San Antonio is: 32% non-Hispanic White, 7% African-American, 2% Asian, 1% Native American; 58% of the population is Hispanic. Whites tend to settle on the North and Northwest side, Blacks generally on the East side, Hispanics in the West, Central and South sides.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. In San Antonio, 48% of the population are Males, and 52% of the population are Females. For every 100 females there are 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $36,214, and the median income for a family is $41,331. Males have a median income of $30,061 versus $24,444 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,487. 17.3% of the population and 14.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Government
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San Antonio operates on the council-manager form of government. Voters elect 11 representatives. This includes 10 district representatives and 1 mayor to pass laws and establish policies for the city. San Antonio politics is non-partisian. Representatives are paid $20 dollars a meeting, while the Mayor earns $4040 dollars a year. The council hires a City Manager to serve as the City's chief administrator.
Transportation
The San Antonio International Airport is located in north central San Antonio, approximately eight miles from downtown. It has two terminals and is served by 12 airlines serving 28 destinations including 3 in Mexico. An extensive bus and trolley system is provided by the city's metropolitan transit system, VIA. (http://www.viainfo.net|) VIA offers 78 regular bus routes and four trolley routes, including express routes from downtown to the theme parks. VIA also offers a special service to city events, including Spurs games and city parades, from its Park and Ride locations.
San Antonio serves as the southern terminus for Amtrak's Texas Eagle train service, originating in Chicago. From there, the Sunset Limited travels west to Los Angeles and east to Orlando three times per week. The old Sunset Station (http://www.sunset-station.com|) is now an entertainment venue owned by VIA and neighbored by the current station and the Alamodome.
Communication
Newspaper
San Antonio has one major newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News, which has been in service since 1865. The Express-News currently circulates as the largest newspaper service in South Texas. A second newspaper, the San Antonio Light, existed, but it went out of business in 1993.
Television
While the city may be one of the largest in the country, San Antonio is only the 37th largest television market in the United States, according to Neilsen. The following list are the major affiliate television stations in the city.
| Broadcast television in the San Antonio market | ||
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| KBEJ 2 (UPN) - WOAI 4 (NBC) - KENS 5 (CBS) - KJLF 7 (Ind) - KLRN 9 (PBS) - KSAT 12 (ABC) - KNIC 17 (Ind) - KTDF 18 (TV Azteca) KHCE 23 (TBN) - KEVI 25 (Ind) - KPXL 26 (PAX) - KABB 29 (FOX) - KRRT 35 (The WB) - KWEX 41 (UNV) KQEV 46 (DS) - KFTO 47 (UNV) - KVDA 60 (TEL) | ||
Radio
There are about 40 radio stations that can be heard in the San Antonio area with 30 of these located inside San Antonio. Perhaps the most visible station in San Antonio is WOAI AM-1200 (affiliated with the TV Station), who are the radio home of the San Antonio Spurs.
Education
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San Antonio hosts several institutions of higher education offering associate's degrees or higher, including:
- Our Lady of the Lake University [1] (http://www.ollusa.edu)
- St. Mary's University [2] (http://www.stmarytx.edu)
- Trinity University [3] (http://www.trinity.edu)
- University of the Incarnate Word [4] (http://www.uiw.edu)
- The University of Texas at San Antonio [5] (http://www.utsa.edu)
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Alamo Community College District. [6] (http://www.accd.edu)
- ITT Technical Institute. [7] (http://www.itt-tech.edu)
- Hallmark Institute Of Technology [8] (http://www.hallmarkinstitute.com)
- Also home to 6th Largest School District in the State. Northside I.S.D [9] (http://nisd.net/)
And many other institutions that offer courses and trainings for individuals.
Libraries
- Central Library Of San Antonio [10] (http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/LIBRARY/central/)
Sports Teams
The city's only top-level professional sports team, and consequently the team most San Antonians follow, is the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. The Spurs have been playing in San Antonio since 1973 and have won two NBA Championships. Previously, the Spurs played at the Alamodome, which was built for football, but the Spurs built and moved into the SBC Center in 2002. One of the immediate consequences for the SBC Center is the creation of two new teams, The San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League and the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA. San Antonio is also home to the Double-A Minor League affilate of the Seattle Mariners, the San Antonio Missions who play at Nelson Wolff Stadium on the west side of the city.
- San Antonio Missions, Texas League Minor league baseball
- San Antonio Rampage, American Hockey League
- San Antonio Silver Stars, Women's National Basketball Association
- San Antonio Spurs, National Basketball Association
Nightlife
San Antonio has a robust nightlife that centers on several key areas:
- The Riverwalk is home to several night clubs, all with a 2am or later closing time, depending on what night it is. Notable clubs in this area include the Hard Rock Cafe, the DANCEPLEX (formerly Polly Esther's), Club RIVE/TABU and Dick's Last Resort.
- Downtown San Antonio, away from the river, has several clubs, including the popular Coyote Ugly franchise bar, gay nightspot The Bonham Exchange, and the Rivercenter Comedy Club.
- San Antonios Underground Hip Hop Culture is best represented by the Prhymemates Crew and infuses local clubs and bars with an urban feel through, DJing, Breakdancing, and MCing, that only a big city can evoke.
- Away from downtown, a strip of Main Street near San Antonio College includes predominantly gay clubs, such as The Electric Company (for younger crowds), The Saint, The Silver Dollar Saloon (a country-western themed nightspot), and the Heat.
- Also in the area is the North Saint Mary's Strip, located to the east of main street. On this strip, several bars can be found, such as Paparay's, Joey's, the Mix,Tycoon Flats, small coffee shops such as The Candlelight, and the latino-themed video bar, Arriba.
Neighborhoods
San Antonio has several neighborhoods of interest:
- The Monte Vista National Historic District is located one and a half miles north of downtown San Antonio and is home to approximately 3,000 people. Its distinguished residential architecture, primarily from San Antonio's "Gilded Age," defined as extending from 1890 to 1930, forms the most extensive and intact neighborhood of this era in Texas.
- The King William Historic District is just south of the central business district of San Antonio. It comprises parts of some twenty-two blocks with seventy-nine historic structures, most dating from the second half of the nineteenth century.
- The northeast suburb of Windcrest is known for its tradition of elaborately decorating homes with lights every Christmas.
- The North Central side of San Antonio contains some of the most valuable residential property in the city. The city of Alamo Heights is populated with historically wealthy families. Castle Hills is a little further North, located around Loop 410 and Blanco. Castle Hills is another upscale community with houses dating around the 1950's era. Inwood just inside Loop 1604 is where many newly upper class residences are located.
- The southeastern suburb of China Grove has a song written and sung about it by the Doobie Brothers entitled "China Grove."
- Downtown has a growing residential population. It is surprisingly affordable to live in the downtown area, although there can be a waiting list for an apartment to open up. Another benefit is that rush hour traffic is generally going in the opposite direction. The only thing missing is a grocery store! While the bus system (VIA Metropolitan Transit (http://www.viainfo.net)) is not ideal, it is far better than most mass transit systems in the US.
Notable Natives
Henry Cisneros was the mayor of San Antonio from 1981 to 1989. He was the first Hispanic mayor of a major U.S. city, and later went on to serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton.
NFL players from San Antonio include Keith Cash and Kerry Cash (Holmes High School), John Hagy, Priest Holmes and Ndukwe "N.D." Kalu (Marshall High School).
Shaquille O'Neal graduated from Robert G. Cole High School, having led his team to a 36-0 record and a state championship his senior year.
Professional wrestler Shawn Michaels grew up on Lackland Air Force Base, where his father, an Air Force colonel, was stationed.
Olympic gold medalist swimmer Josh Davis was born in San Antonio on September 1, 1972, the same day Mark Spitz won one of his seven 1972 gold medals and made Olympic history.
Native actors include Carol Burnett, Ann Prentiss, Hal LeSueur, and Joan Crawford.
While not a native of San Antonio, actor Tommy Lee Jones makes his home just outside the city on a 3,000-acre cattle ranch.
Syndicated advice columnist Heloise was born in San Antonio and still resides there.
American Juniors runner-up Jordan McCoy, who is now signed with Sean Combs, also hails from San Antonio.
External links
- San Antonio official website (http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/)
- San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau (http://www.sanantoniocvb.com/)
- San Antonio Golf by Bunkershot.com Golf Magazine (http://www.bunkershot.com/sanantonio/)
- San Antonio International Airport (http://www.sanantonio.gov/airport/)
- Fiesta, San Antonio (http://www.fiesta-sa.org/)
