History
San Antonio was founded on May 1, 1718 by a Spanish military
expedition from northern Mexico. The site was chosen for the springs welling up within
that is now the sity to form the San Antonio River.
San Antonio is well-known for its missions. On the west side of the river, the Soldiers of
the Spanish military built a small fort, which they called the presidio of Bejar. On the
other side of the river, arose a Fransciscan mission, San Antonio de Valero. In 1731, a
part of settlers arrived and colonized the area near the fort, naming it San Fernando. The
three settlements grew together over time into a pueblo which was called San Antonio de
Bejar. The presidio de Bejar gave its name to the county, and Mission San Antonio de
Valero came to be known as the Alamo, from the Spanish word for "cottonwood
tree."
San Antonio figured prominently in Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain, and
colonization brought a wave of Anglo-American immigration from 1821 to 1836. San Antonio
passed out of the hands of Spain in 1821 with the Mexican Revolution. However, in August
of that year, Stephen F. Austin arranged with the Mexican government for U.S. 300 families
to settle in Texas. Gradually, resentment against Mexican rule grew into armed revolt, and
in 1836 Texas declared its independence. The high point in San Antonio's history was
the Battle of the Alamo during the war between Texas and Mexico. Santa Anna, president and
dictator of Mexico, marched on San Antonio and defeated a small band of Texans at the
battle of the Alamo on March 6th. However, Santa Anna was defeated the following month at
San Jacinto, and San Antonio then came under the rule of the newly formed Republic of
Texas until its annexation to the United States in 1845. During the years that followed,
San Antonio was known as the first city of Texas until Galveston, with emmigrants pouring
into its ports, pushed its way ahead of San Antonio.
San Antonio has many historic sites and points of interest. Of course, the Alamo is the
most notable historic site. There is a small section of the spanish colonial town near the
Alamo which has been restored with later additions; this section is known as La Villita.
The San Fernando Cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop.
The San Antonio River winds unobtrusively below the level of the downtown streets and has
become quite the tourist attraction known as the Riverwalk. Tourists and locals frequent
the many shops, restaurants, cafes, and businesses located along the river.
San Antonio figured prominently in Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain.
Colonization brought a wave of Anglo-American immigration from 1821 to 1836. But
gradually, resentment against Mexican rule grew into armed revolt. In 1836, Santa Anna,
president and dictator of Mexico, marched on San Antonio and defeated a small band of
Texans at the battle of the Alamo on March 6th. However, Santa Anna was defeated the
following month at San Jacinto, and San Antonio then came under the rule of the newly
formed Republic of Texas until its annexation to the United States in 1845.
Geography
San Antonio, the seat of Bexar (pronounced BEAR) County,
occupies an area of 359.5 square miles in South-Central Texas at the edge of the Gulf
Coastal Plains, about 140 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. The average elevation is 701
feet above sea level. The city is shaped around small hills. The Texas "Hill
Country" lies just to the north of the city where larger hills display a magnificent
view of San Antonio.
Climate
The location of San Antonio gives it a modified subtropical climate. While the summer is
hot, with daily temperatures above 90 degrees more than 80% of the time, mild weather
prevails during much of the winter months, with below-freezing temperatures occurring an
average of 20 days a year.
Relative humidity is above 80% during the early morning hours most of the year, dropping
to near 50% in the late afternoon. San Antonio enjoys about 50% of the possible amount of
sunshine during the winter months and more than 70% during the summer.
For current San Antonio weather conditions, click here.
Population
The City of San Antonio population has grown from 785,940 in 1980
to over 1,282,800 in
2004.
The Metropolitan Statistical Area (includes the following eight counties
Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina, and Wilson Counties) has grown from 1.1
million in 2000 to over 1.7 million in 2004. Currently there are an estimated
1.8 million residents in the San Antonio area.
Government
& Taxes
The City of San Antonio
has a council-manager form of city government. The city manager is appointed
by the city council. Ten council members are elected by district, and the
mayor is elected at large. There is no personal income tax in Texas. The
average sales tax rate on taxable retail
is 7.83%.
Utilities
Electricity and gas are provided by
City Public Service, a municipally-owned utility. Several water companies
service the greater San Antonio area, but the majority of service is provided by
San Antonio Water System.
AT&T/Southwestern Bell
Telephone Company serves San Antonio with basic telephone service and
bundled plans.
Transportation
VIA Metropolitan Transit is the local public transportation agency serving the greater
metropolitan area. The city aviation department operates 2 municipal airports. Six bus
lines serve San Antonio, as well as over 42 common-carrier truck lines and 4 railroads.
Housing
A plentiful supply of all types of housing is available in the San Antonio area: homes for
rent or purchase, condos, apartments and retirement complexes.
Education
San Antonio's 15 school districts are independently administered. Children attend school
in the district in which they reside. There is no bussing of students across district
boundaries. A child must be 5 years old on or before September 1st of the year entering
kindergarten. San Antonio also has more than 100 private and parochial schools at all
levels of education.
There is a wealth of institutions of higher education. San Antonio's 19 colleges and
universities offer a wide variety of programs and degrees.
San Antonio also has a wealth of public libraries. For
more information on the San Antonio Public Library, visit their Website
here.
Employment
The San Antonio metro area has seen tremendous growth over recent years. From 1980 to
1990, wage and salary employment increased by 50%. The largest employment sectors in San
Antonio continue to be government, trade, and services. These 3 industrial sectors account
for 75% of the area's payroll jobs. Services remains the fastest-growing industrial sector
in San Antonio. It has grown by 28% in the last 5 years. Manufacturing now accounts for
only 9% of wage and salary employment, and construction accounts for only 5%.
Job availability information can be obtained by contacting the Texas Employment
Commission. The mailing address is PO Box 9205, San Antonio, Texas 78285, and
the phone number is (210)222-8484.
The Greater
San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, serving San Antonio for over 103 years, can be
reached at the headquarters branch at (210) 229-2100 or at the northside branch at (210)
229-2188.
Military
The large concentration of government workers is due mainly of the location of
4 military
bases in the area (Lackland, Randolph,
and Brooks Air Force
Bases as well as Fort Sam Houston Army Base). Kelly Air Force Base has now
become Kelly USA,a
master-planned, world-class, multi-modal port . These 3 air force bases and 1 army post
are major employers in the San Antonio area.
The local military influence is credited with maintaining the stability of the area
economy. Traditionally, San Antonio has not suffered as greatly as most other areas during
recessionary periods. Major employers new to San Antonio include Toyota and
Washington Mutual.
Culture
and Recreation
San Antonians enjoy a wide variety of cultural attractions and entertainment. There are
several community theaters, the San Antonio Musem of Fine Art, the Witte Museum, The McNay Museum, the San Antonio Symphony, a number of
museums, and dance companies. The city administers over 6,535 acres involving 135 parks
and 22 swimming pools. Fiesta, a week-long festival, occurs every April and was originally
staged as a memorial to the heroes of The Alamo. Three parades are held during Fiesta
week, as well as numerous festivals, art shows and other celebrations.
San Antonio is the home of the San Antonio Spurs NBA
professional basketball team (1999 NBA Champions), the San Antonio Missions
professional baseball team, the 1993 Summer Olympics Festival, the San
Antonio Racquets Tennis team. Sunday November 7, 1999 was the 25th
Anniversary of the The San Antonio
Marathon.
Shopping &
Entertainment
San Antonio has a variety of shopping, including unique area
centers and the larger shopping malls. The main malls are provided below. This
listing will be updated shortly to include the centers currently under construction and
other smaller centers.
- Alamo Quarry Market--Hwy 281 North at Basse Rd, in
the old Alamo Cement Plant
- Central Park Mall--Loop 410 & San Pedro in
North-Central San Antonio
- Crossroads Mall--Intersection of Loop 410 and IH-10
in NW San Antonio
- The Forum--Intersection of IH-35 and Loop 1604;
coming soon
- Huebner Oaks--IH-10 & Huebner Rd in NW San
Antonio
- Ingram Park Mall--Ingram Rd & NW Loop 410 in NW
San Antonio
- McCreless Mall--S. New Braunfels & Southcross in
SE San Antonio
-
North
Star Mall--Loop 410 & San Pedro in North-Central San Antonio
-
Rivercenter Mall--849 E. Commerce on the
Riverwalk in Downtown San
Antonio
- Rolling Oaks Mall--Loop 1604 & Nacogdoches Rd in
NE San Antonio
- South Park Mall--SW. Military & IH 35 in South
San Antonio
- Westlakes Mall-- SW 410 & Marbach in SW San
Antonio
- Windsor Park Mall--IH-35 North & Walzem Rd in NE
San Antonio
San Antonio has dozens of movie theaters showing everything
from the most current releases to movies about the Alamo at the giant screen
IMAX Theater located in the beautiful
Rivercenter Mall. For current listings of movies showing in San Antonio
theaters (and in other cities) and their times, visit
San Antonio
CitySearch. Not to be left out
is the excitement at Retama Park
Racetrack, where the ponies fly like the wind!
Points
of Interest
Major tourist attractions include The Alamo,
along with its 4 sister missions, the Riverwalk,
La Villita, The Institute of Texan
Cultures, HemisFair Park and the Tower of the Americas, El Mercado, the San Antonio Zoo, the San
Antonio Botanical Gardens,
Sea World of Texas, a
major marine park, and
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, a larger-than-life musical theme park. There are many other attractions too
numerous to name here.
More information is available from
Convention and Visitors Bureau
PO Box 2277
San Antonio, Texas 78298-2277
Visit the San Antonio Visitor
Information Center at:
317 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, TX 78205
or call 1-800-447-3372.
News Media
There are over 30 radio stations and 8 television stations serving the San Antonio area.
Numerous weekly and bi-monthly publications plus a host of magazines, bulletins,
and military journals can also be found.
Local Radio Stations:
FM Radio Stations:
KPAC 88.3 FM (Texas Public Radio)
KSTX FM 89.1 (Texas Public Radio--Sister Station of KPAC
F.M. 88.3)
KSYM 90.1 FM (San
Antonio College Radio)
KYFS 90.9 FM (Religious)
KRTU 91.7 FM (Trinity
University Radio)
KXXM 96.1FM (Mix 96.1 - Contemporary Music)
KAJA 97.3 FM (KJ 97 - FM Country Music)
KISS 99.5 FM (Hard Rock)
KCYY 100.3 FM (Y100 - FM Country Music)
KONO FM 101 (101.1 FM - Oldies)
KQXT 101.9 FM (Contemporary)
KSRX 102.7FM ("Jack" Radio)
KZEP 104.5 FM (Hard/Classic Rock)
KSMG Magic 105.3FM ( FM Best Mix of the '70s, '80s
& '90s)
KELZ 106.7 FM (Top 40 Hits)
KXTN Tejano 107.5FM (Tejano)
AM Radio Stations:
KTSA AM 550 (News/Talk
Radio)
KSLR AM 630 (Christian Radio)
KKYX AM 680 (Religious)
KTKR 760 AM (Sports Radio)
KSJL AM 810 (Urban Contemporary)
KONO AM 860 (Oldies--Sister Station
to KONO 101.1 FM)
KLUP AM 930 (Big Band/Show Tunes/Talk Radio)
KRDY AM 1100 (Children's Radio)
WOAI 1200 AM Radio (AM News/Talk Radio)
KZDC AM 1250 (Spanish)
KXTN 1310 AM (Tejano)
KCOR AM 1350 (Spanish)
KCHL 1480 AM (Religious)
KEDA 1540 AM (Spanish)
Local Television Stations:
KMOL Channel 4 (NBC
Affiliate)
KENS Channel 5 (CBS Affiliate)
KSAT Channel 12 (ABC Affiliate)
KLRN Channel 9 (PBS Affiliate)
KABB Channel 29 (FOX Network Affiliate)
KRRT Channel 35 (UPN Affiliate)
KVDA Channel 60 (Telemundo)
KWEX Channel 41 (Univision)
KHCE Channel 23 (Christian/Educational)
KPXL TV 26 (PAX)
KJLF Channel 7 (Religious)
Newspapers:
The San Antonio
Express-News--(210) 250-3000
La Prensa de San Antonio--(210) 242-7900
The Medical Gazette--(210) 736-4450
Prime Time Newspapers--(210) 453-3300
San Antonio Business Journal--(210)-341-3202
San Antonio Current--(210) 227-0044
Randolph AFB Wingspread--(210) 945-2055
Recorder Times Newspaper--(210) 828-3321
Image of The Tower of the Americas
courtesy of Medley of Photography |
