Founded as aSpanish mission and colonial outpost in 1718, the city in 1731 became the first chartered civil settlement in what is now present-day Texas. The area was then part of theSpanish Empire. From 1821 to 1836, it was part of theMexican Republic. It is the oldest municipality in Texas, having celebrated its 300th anniversary on May 1, 2018.[15][16][17]
It was years before any Spanish settlement took place.Father Antonio de Olivares visited the site in 1709, and he was determined to found a mission and civilian settlement there. The viceroy gave formal approval for a combined mission and presidio in late 1716, as he wanted to forestall any French expansion into the area from their colony ofLa Louisiane to the east, as well as prevent illegal trading with the Payaya. He directedMartín de Alarcón, the governor ofCoahuila y Tejas, to establish the mission complex. Differences between Alarcón and Olivares resulted in delays, and construction did not start until 1718.[27] Olivares built, with the help of thePayaya and thePastia people, theMisión de San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo), thePresidio San Antonio de Bexar, the bridge that connected both, and theAcequia Madre de Valero.[5]
The families who clustered around the presidio and mission were the start of Villa de Béjar, destined to become the most important town inSpanish Texas.[28] On May 1, the governor transferred ownership of the Mission San Antonio de Valero (later famous as The Alamo) to Fray Antonio de Olivares.[5] On May 5, 1718, he commissioned the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar ("Béjar" in modern Spanish orthography) on the west side of the San Antonio River, one-fourth league from the mission.[27]
On February 14, 1719, the Marquis ofSan Miguel de Aguayo proposed to the king of Spain that 400 families be transported from theCanary Islands,Galicia, orHavana to populate the province of Texas. His plan was approved, and notice was given theCanary Islanders (isleños) to furnish 200 families; theCouncil of the Indies suggested that 400 families should be sent from the Canaries to Texas by way of Havana andVeracruz. By June 1730, 25 families had reachedCuba, and 10 families had been sent to Veracruz before orders from Spain came to stop the re-settlement.[29]
Under the leadership ofJuan Leal Goraz, the group marched overland from Veracruz to the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, where they arrived on March 9, 1731. Due to marriages along the way, the party now included 15 families, a total of 56 persons. They joined the military community established in 1718. The immigrants formed the nucleus of the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, the first regularly organized civil government in Texas. Several older families of San Antonio trace their descent from the Canary Island colonists. María Rosa Padrón was the first baby born of Canary Islander descent in San Antonio.[29]
During the Spanish–Mexican settlement of Southwestern lands, which took place over the following century, Juan Leal Goraz Jr. was a prominent figure. He claimed nearly 100,000 sq miles (153,766 acres) as Spanish territory and held some control for nearly three decades; this area stretched across six present-day states. San Antonio was designated as Leal Goraz's capital. It represented Mexican expansion into the area. With his robust military forces, he led exploration and establishing Spanish colonial bases as far asSan Francisco, California. Widespread bankruptcy forced Leal Goraz Jr.'s army back into the current boundaries of Mexico; they fell into internal conflict and turmoil with neighboring entities.
San Antonio grew to become the largest Spanish settlement in Texas; it was designated as the capital of the Spanish, laterMexican, province of Tejas. From San Antonio, theCamino Real (today Nacogdoches Road), was built to the small frontier town ofNacogdoches. Mexico allowedEuropean American settlers from the United States into the territory; they mostly occupied land in the eastern part. In 1835, whenAntonio López de Santa Anna unilaterally abolished theMexican Constitution of 1824, violence ensued in manystates of Mexico. which led to many short-lived independent republics.[30] This, in addition to Mexico's abolition of slavery, and cultural differences between the Texians and the Mexicans, led to theTexas Revolution.[31][32]
In a series of battles, theTexian Army succeeded in forcing Mexican soldiers out of the settlement areas east of San Antonio, which were dominated by Americans. Under the leadership ofBen Milam, in theBattle of Bexar, December 1835,Texian forces captured San Antonio from forces commanded by GeneralMartin Perfecto de Cos, Santa Anna's brother-in-law. In the spring of 1836, Santa Anna marched on San Antonio. A volunteer force under the command ofJames C. Neill occupied and fortified the deserted Alamo mission.[33]
Upon his departure, the joint command ofWilliam Barrett Travis andJames Bowie were left in charge of defending the old mission. TheBattle of the Alamo took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836. The outnumbered Texian force was ultimately defeated, with all of the Alamo defenders killed. These men were seen as "martyrs" for the cause of Texas freedom and "Remember the Alamo" became a rallying cry in the Texian Army's eventual success at defeating Santa Anna's army.[33]
Juan Seguín, who organized the company ofTejano patriots, who fought for Texas independence, fought at theBattle of Concepción, theSiege of Bexar, and theBattle of San Jacinto, and served as mayor of San Antonio. He was forced out of office due to threats on his life by sectarian newcomers and political opponents in 1842, becoming the last Tejano mayor for nearly 150 years.[34]
Lithograph of San Antonio in 1886
In 1845, the United States finally decided to annex Texas and include it as a state in the Union. This led to theMexican–American War. Though the U.S. ultimately won, the war was devastating to San Antonio. By its end, the population of the city had been reduced by almost two-thirds, to 800 inhabitants.[35] Bolstered by migrants and immigrants, by 1860 at the start of theAmerican Civil War, San Antonio had grown to a city of 15,000 people.
In the 1850s,Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designedCentral Park in New York City, traveled throughout the Southern andSouthwest U.S., and published accounts of his observations. In his 1859 book about Texas, Olmsted described San Antonio as having a "jumble of races, costumes, languages, and buildings", which gave it a quality that onlyNew Orleans could rival in what he described as "odd and antiquated foreignness."[36][37] Following the Civil War, San Antonio prospered as a center of the cattle industry. During this period, it remained a frontier city, with a mixture of cultures that was different from other U.S. cities.
German immigrants founded smaller surrounding towns such asNew Braunfels,Castroville,Boerne,Comfort,Fredericksburg, andBulverde, all towns far out from San Antonio. However, the Germans were then drawn to San Antonio for work, and many buildings and streets still bear German names such as Wurzbach, Huebner, and Jones Maltsberger, and Wiederstein. The German impact on San Antonio was great, in the early 1900s it is estimated that at least 1/3 of San Antonio was ethnically German. Many descendants of German immigrants in San Antonio spokeTexas German up to the fifth or sixth generations. Texas German is a dialect of German that evolved when the German language was separated from Germany. Texas German is best described as an anglicized-German dialect with a Texas twang. Many older generations in New Braunfels and Fredericksburg still speak Texas German to this day.[38]
In 1877, following theReconstruction Era, theGalveston, Harrisburg, & San Antonio Railroad became the firstrailroad to reach San Antonio, connecting it to major markets and port cities.[39] Texas was the first state to have major cities develop by railroads rather than waterways.[40] In Texas, the railroads supported a markedly different pattern of development of major interior cities, such as San Antonio,Dallas andFort Worth, compared to the historical development of coastal port cities in the established eastern states.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the streets of the city's downtown were widened to accommodate street cars and modern traffic. At that time, many of the older historic buildings were demolished in the process of this modernization.[41]
Since the late twentieth century, San Antonio has had steadypopulation 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, through both population growth and land annexation (the latter has considerably enlarged the physical area of the city).[42] In 1990, theUnited States Census Bureau reported San Antonio's population as 55.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Black or African American, and 36.2% non-Hispanic white.[43]
The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and The Alamo becameUNESCO World Heritage sites in 2015 and the city was designated a UNESCO "City of Creativity for Gastronomy" in 2017, one of only 26gastronomy creative cities in the world.[21]
With the increase in professional jobs, San Antonio has become a destination for many college-educated persons, most recently including African Americans in areverse Great Migration from northern and western areas.[44][45]
Satellite picture of San Antonio by ESA Sentinel-2
San Antonio is approximately 75 miles (121 km) to the southwest of its neighboring city,Austin, thestate capital, about 150 miles (240 km) from theMexico-United States border, about 190 miles (310 km) west ofHouston, and about 250 miles (400 km) south of theDallas–Fort Worth area. The city has a total area of 465.4 square miles (1,205.4 km2); 460.93 square miles (1,193.8 km2) of San Antonio's total area is land and 4.5 square miles (11.7 km2) of it is water.[47] The city's gently rolling terrain is dotted with oak trees, forested land, mesquite, and cacti. TheTexas Hill Country reaches into the far northern portions of the city. San Antonio sits on theBalcones Escarpment. Its altitude is approximately 662 feet (202 m)above sea level.[48]
Downtown San Antonio, the city and metro area's urban core, encompasses many of the city's famous structures, attractions, and businesses. The central business district is generally understood to cover the northern half of the "Downtown Loop"—the area bordered by Cesar Chavez to the south. Due to the size of the city and its horizontal development, downtown accounts for less than one half of one percent of San Antonio's geographic area.[51] The Strip (north of Downtown) houses a concentration of clubs and bars catering to theLGBT community.[52]
North Central is home to severalenclaves and upscale neighborhoods includingCastle Hills, Shavano Park,Hollywood Park, Elm Creek,Inwood,Stone Oak, and Rogers Ranch. The area is also the location of upper-middle-class neighborhoods (Deerfield, Churchill Estates, Hunter's Creek, Oak Meadow, and Summerfield).
The West Side is predominantly Hispanic/Latin American and working class, with pockets of wealth in the northwest and far west. African Americans are also located in parts of San Antonio's West Side.[55] The West Side has undergone gentrification as of 2019.[56] It includes the diverse neighborhoods of Avenida Guadalupe, Collins Garden, Las Palmas, Prospect Hill, Rainbow Hills (Marbach), San Juan Gardens, Loma Park, Loma Vista, Memorial Heights, and Westwood. It is also home to the historicOur Lady of the Lake University andSt. Mary's University.
Natural vegetation in the San Antonio area, where undisturbed by development, includes oak-cedar woodland, oak grassland savanna, chaparral brush, and riparian (stream) woodland. San Antonio is at the westernmost limit for both Cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) andSpanish moss.
San Antonio has a transitionalhumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa) that borders ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification:BSh) towards the west of the city[60][61][62] featuring very hot, long, and humid summers and mild to cool winters. The area is subject to descending northern cold fronts in the winter with cool to cold nights, and is warm and rainy in the spring and fall. San Antonio falls inUSDAhardiness zones 8b (15 °F to 20 °F) and 9a (20 °F to 25 °F).[63]
San Antonio receives about a dozen subfreezing nights each year, typically seeing snow, sleet, or freezing rain about once every two or three winters, but accumulation and snow itself are very rare. Winters may pass without any frozen precipitation at all, and up to a decade has passed between snowfalls. According to theNational Weather Service, there have been 32 instances of snowfall (a trace or more) in the city in the past 122 years, about once every four years. Prior to 2021 snow was most recently seen on December 7, 2017, when 1.9 inches (4.8 cm) of snow coated the city.[64] On January 13, 1985, San Antonio received a record snowfall of 16 inches (41 cm).[65][66] During theFebruary 13–17, 2021, North American winter storm, San Antonio was blanketed with 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) of snow. The cold air which accompanied this storm causedmassive rolling blackouts throughout the city until the 18th. TheFebruary 15–20, 2021, North American winter storm dropped another 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) on the city on the 16th.
San Antonio andNew Braunfels, 40 miles (64 km) to the northeast, are some of the most flood-prone regions in North America.[67] TheOctober 1998 Central Texas floods were among the costliest floods in United States history, resulting in $750 million in damage and 32 deaths. In 2002, from June 30 to July 7, 35 in (890 mm) of rain fell in the San Antonio area, resulting in widespread flooding and 12 fatalities.[68]
Tornadoes within the city limits have been reported as recently as February 2017, although they are uncommon.[69] An F2 tornado lands within 50 mi (80 km) of the city on average once every five years. San Antonio has experienced two F4 tornadoes,one in 1953 and another in 1973. The 1953 tornado resulted in two deaths and 15 injuries.[70] Based on historical data, San Antonio is the safest major city in Texas when it comes to tornadoes.[71]
In San Antonio, July and August tie for the average warmest months, with an average high of 95 °F (35 °C). The highest temperature ever recorded was 111 °F (44 °C) on September 5, 2000.[72] The average coolest month is January. The lowest recorded temperature ever was 0 °F (−18 °C) on January 31, 1949.[72] May, June, and October have quite a bit of precipitation. Since recordkeeping began in 1871, the average annual precipitation has been 29.03 inches (737 mm), with a maximum of 52.28 inches (1,328 mm) and a minimum of 10.11 inches (256.8 mm) in one year.[73]
Climate data for San Antonio (San Antonio Int'l), 1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1885–present[b]
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
Map of racial distribution in San Antonio, 2010 U.S. census. Each dot is 25 people:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Other
TheU.S. Census Bureau's 2020 census determined San Antonio had a population of 1,434,625 residents in 2020. In 2019, theAmerican Community Survey estimated San Antonio had a racial makeup of 88.4% White, 6.6% Black and African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race and 1.7% two or more races. Ethnically, 64.5% were Hispanic or Latin American of any race.[79] In 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 23.4% non-Hispanic white, 63.9% Hispanic or Latin American of any race, 6.5% Black and African American, 3.2% Asian, and 2.3% multiracial or some other race.
According to the2010 U.S. census, 1,327,407 people resided in San Antonio city proper, an increase of 16.0% since 2000. The racial composition of the city based on the 2010 U.S. census is as follows: 72.6%White (non-Hispanic whites: 26.6%), 6.9% Black orAfrican American, 0.9%Native American, 2.4%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander, 3.4%two or more races, and 13.7%other races. In addition, 63.2% of the city's population was ofHispanic or Latino origin, of any race.[78] According to the2000 U.S. census, the city proper had a population of 1,144,646,[80] ranking it the ninth-most populated city in the country. San Antonio has a relatively lower cost of living compared to most Texas and U.S. major cities and a strong job market.[81] However, due to San Antonio's low density and relatively small suburban population, the metropolitan area ranked just 30th in the United States, with a population of 1,592,383 in 2000.[82] San Antonio has a large Hispanic population with a significant African American population.[82]
The 2011 U.S. census estimate for the eight-countySan Antonio–New Braunfels metropolitan area placed its population at 2,194,927.[83] The 2017 estimate for Greater San Antonio was 2,473,974, making it the third-most populous metro area in Texas (after theDallas–Fort Worth metroplex andGreater Houston) and the 24th-most populous metro area in the U.S.[13]
About 405,474 households, and 280,993 families resided in San Antonio. Thepopulation density as of 2010 was 2,808.5 people per square mile (1,084.4 people/km2). There were 433,122 housing units at an average density of 1,062.7 per square mile (410.3/km2). The age of the city's population was distributed as 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 was 32 years. In San Antonio, 48% of the population were males, and 52% of the population were females. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
At the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 512,273 households and 319,673 families.[84] The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.83. Of the local population,[85] 201,960 were married-couple households and 172,741 were female households with no spouse or partner present. An estimated 85,462 households were single-person. Roughly 218,249 residents in San Antonio were foreign-born residents. For every 100 females, San Antonio had 97.1 males.[79]
At the 2010 U.S. census, San Antonio's median income for a household was $36,214, and the median income for a family was $53,100. Males have a median income of $30,061 versus $24,444 for females. Theper capita income for the city is $17,487. About 17.3% of the population and 14.0% of families are below thepoverty line. Of the total population, 24.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[86] In 2019, households had a median income of $53,571 and a mean income of $72,587.[87] An estimated 16.8% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.[88] The city of San Antonio and its metropolis was rated the poorest in 2019.[89][90][91]
AGallup study in 2015 determined 4% of the city and Greater San Antonio identified aslesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.[92] In 2016, San Antonio scored a 90 out of 100 in its treatment of the LGBT community.[93]
The population of Greater San Antonio is predominantlyChristian. Owing in part to San Antonio'sSpanish and Mexican heritage,Roman Catholicism is the largest religious group in the region.[94][95] In addition, American missionary work and immigration into Texas have also resulted in a substantialProtestant population.[96]
The Catholic population forms the largest Christian group in the city and Greater San Antonio.[95] San Antonian Catholics are served primarily by theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio. TheLatin Church's Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio was established on August 27, 1784, under the thenDiocese of Galveston.[97] It was elevated to archdiocese status in 1926.
Crime in San Antonio began to rise in the early 1980s, similar to many urban areas in the US. In 1983 San Antonio had the tenth highest homicide rate in Texas with 18.5 homicides per 100,000 residents.[113] The number of juveniles arrested in San Antonio for violent crimes tripled between 1987 and 1994, according to the Texas Law Enforcement Management and Administration Statistics Program. The number of youths arrested for unlawfully carrying firearms doubled over the same period.
In 1993, San Antonio earned the nickname the "Drive-By City" after theSan Antonio Police Department recorded over 1,200 drive-by shootings, or an average of about 3.5 per day, which overshadowed the number in other Texas cities. A majority of the violence occurred on the east and west sides of the city, especially in areas with high poverty rates. Gang violence led to the deaths of their members and sometimes innocent bystanders, and housing projects such as theAlazán-Apache Courts served as hubs for various groups, which sometimes included rival gangs.[114] By the end of 1993 the city hit a peak in homicides with 230 killings, the highest since 1991 when 211 were killed.[115]
In 2016, the number of murders hit 151, the highest toll in 20 years. A majority of the San Antonio homicide victims were Hispanic and African American men between ages 18 and 29. According to a study, 40% of the killings were either drug-related or domestic incidents.[116][117] In 2020, San Antonio ranked the fourth U.S. city with the biggest increase in homicides.[118] From January to June 2020, there were 71 homicides according to the San Antonio Police Department. In 2019, there were 53 reported homicides in contrast. A total of 105 homicides occurred in 2019 in the city. According toThe Wall Street Journal, homicide rates were relatively low compared to previous decades.[119]
Over twenty million tourists visit the city and its attractions every year, contributing substantially to its economy, primarily due to The Alamo and theRiver Walk.[126] TheHenry B. Gonzalez Convention Center alone hosts over 300 events annually with more than 750,000 convention delegates from around the world. Tourism provided over 130,000 jobs, and it had an economic impact of $13.6 billion in the local economy according to information gathered in 2017.[127] The city of San Antonio received $195 million in the same year from the hospitality industry, with revenues from hotel occupancy tax, sales taxes and others.
San Antonio is the headquarters of twoFortune 500 companies:Valero Energy andUSAA.iHeartMedia had been on the list but fell off,[128] andNuStar Energy was also on the list until it was purchased bySunoco LP in 2024.H-E-B, the 5th-largest private company in the U.S.,[129] is also headquartered in San Antonio.
San Antonio has lost several major company headquarters, the largest being the 2008 move ofAT&T Inc. to Dallas "to better serve customers and expand business in the future."[146] In 2019,Andeavor (Formerly Tesoro) was acquired byMarathon Petroleum; this merger eliminated the company and the headquarters was moved toFindlay, Ohio.[147] After aLos Angeles buyout specialist purchasedBuilders Square, the company's operations were moved out of San Antonio.[148]
San Antonio and Mexico share strong economic ties and engage in important exchanges to the benefit of their business communities. To better strengthen these business and cultural ties, the City of San Antonio opened Casa San Antonio to act as the city's trade and cultural office in Mexico.[150]
TheFormosan termite (Coptotermes formosanus) causes economic devastation in the region due to thestructural damage it causes.[58][59] It is aninvasive pest originally from theFar East.[58][59] First found in the state in 1957, it has since spread into the greater San Antonio area, creating a problem for the region's pecan orchards.[151]
The River Walk with the Tower of the Americas in the background
San Antonio enjoys a vibrant culture which it is known for being a popular tourist destination.[152] TheAlamo Mission in San Antonio ("The Alamo"), located in Downtown, is Texas' top tourist attraction. Because of the mission, San Antonio is often called "Alamo City".[153]
TheRiver Walk, which meanders through the Downtown area, is the city's second-most-visited attraction, giving it the additional nickname of "River City". Extended by an additional 13 miles (21 km) between 2009 and 2013, the landscaped walking and bike path line the San Antonio River from the "Museum Reach" beginning in Brackenridge Park through downtown, "Downtown Reach", past the Blue Star's "Eagleland" to the "Mission Reach" ending near Loop 410 South pastMission Espada.[154]
Lined with numerous shops, bars, and restaurants, as well as theArneson River Theater, this attraction is transformed into a festival of lights during the Christmas and New Year holiday period (except for the Mission Reach), and is suffused with the local sounds offolklorico andflamenco music during the summer, particularly during celebrations such as theFiesta Noche del Rio.
SeaWorld, 16 miles (26 km) west of Downtown in the city's Westover Hills district, is one of the largest marine life parks in the world. TheSan Antonio Zoo is in Brackenridge Park. The British companyMerlin Entertainments developed an aquarium attraction and indoor counterpart to SeaWorld. It is inside the Shops at Rivercenter in Downtown San Antonio and is one of Merlin'sSea Life Aquariums. TheSan Antonio Aquarium features a number of interactive exhibits.
San Antonio is also home to several commercial amusement parks, including Six Flags Fiesta Texas andMorgan's Wonderland, a theme park for children with special needs.[156] Kiddie Park, featuring old-fashioned amusement rides for children, was established in 1925 and is the oldest children's amusement park in the U.S.[157]
The city's five missions, the four in theSan Antonio Missions National Historical Park plus The Alamo, were named UNESCO World Heritage sites on July 5, 2015.[21] The San Antonio Missions became the 23rd U.S. site on the World Heritage list, which includes the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty; it is the first site in Texas. The new Mission Reach of the River Walk was completed in 2013, and created over 15 miles (24 km) of biking, hiking, and paddling trails that connect the Missions to Downtown and the Broadway Corridor.[160]
San Antonio's Howard W. Peak Greenway Trail System is a big draw. It covers more than 82 miles (132 km) and has more than 50 trailheads.[161]
In 2015 work was authorized to begin on the restoration of the formerHot Wells hotel,spa, andbathhouses on the San Antonio River on the city's south side.[162]
Yearly events, such asFiesta San Antonio (the city's signature event), Luminaria (a contemporary arts festival) and Fiesta Noche del Rio, add a variety of entertainment options to the area, as well as strengthening the economy. Fiesta San Antonio alone carries an annual economic impact of $340 million.[163] The city also plays host to theSan Antonio Film Festival every summer in August.[164]
The city's only top-level professional sports team is theSan Antonio Spurs of theNational Basketball Association. Previously the Spurs played at theAlamodome (which was speculatively built in an attempt to lure a professionalfootball team to the region), and before that theHemisFair Arena. They moved into the SBC Center in 2002 (since renamed theFrost Bank Center), built with public funds.
The San Antonio metropolitan area's smaller population has so far contributed to its lack of anNFL,MLB,NHL, orMLS team. City officials are said to be attempting to lure theNational Football League permanently to San Antonio. Former NFL CommissionerPaul Tagliabue stated San Antonio was successful in temporarily hosting theNew Orleans Saints followingHurricane Katrina, and that the city would be on the short list for any future NFL expansions.[165] The city has also hosted theDallas Cowboys andHouston Oilers preseason camps in the past, and the Cowboys practiced in San Antonio through 2011.[166] Cowboys ownerJerry Jones acknowledged his support for the city to become home to an NFL franchise.[167]
San Antonio had a professional soccer franchise when theSan Antonio Thunder played two seasons in theoriginal NASL during the 1975–1976 seasons. Professional soccer returned with the birth of theSan Antonio Scorpions of themodern NASL in 2012. The Scorpions won the2014 Soccer Bowl, the first soccer championship in city history. On December 22, 2015, it was announced that Toyota Field and S.T.A.R. Soccer Complex were sold to the City of San Antonio and Bexar County, a deal which was accompanied by an agreement forSpurs Sports and Entertainment to operate the facilities and field a team would play in theUnited Soccer League Championship.San Antonio FC began play in the soccer-specific stadium,Toyota Field, in 2016, and won the 2022 league championship. As a result, theSan Antonio Scorpions franchise of theNASL was shut down.
Trinity University fields all the typical collegiate sports, but at theNCAA Division III level. Trinity competes in theSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). The Trinity baseball team won the 2016 Division III College World Series, one of six national team and 21 national individual championships won by the school's athletic program in the Division III era.[174] Prior to moving to Division III, Trinity was a national power in tennis, winning five USTA women's championships and one NCAA men's title between 1968 and 1976.[174]Chuck McKinley won the men's championship atWimbledon and was a member of the winningDavis Cup team as a student at Trinity in 1963.[175]
San Antonio hosts the NCAA footballAlamo Bowl each December. The city is also home of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl,[176] played annually in the Alamodome and televised live on NBC. The Bowl is an East versus West showdown featuring the nation's top 90high school football senior players. The game has featured NFL starsReggie Bush,Vince Young,Adrian Peterson, and many other college and NFL stars.
The University of Texas at San Antonio fields the only collegiate men's rugby team in the city. UTSA competes in Division III Texas Rugby Union.
City Hall, San Antonio, Texas (postcard,c. 1906)San Antonio City Hall
The city of San Antonio is operated under thecouncil-manager system of government. The city is divided into 10 council districts designed to be of equal population. Each district elects one person to the city council, with the mayor elected on a citywide basis. All members of the San Antonio City Council, including the mayor, are elected to two-year terms and are limited to four terms (except for those who were in office in November 2008 and are limited to a total of two terms).Houston andLaredo have similar term limits to San Antonio. All positions are elected on nonpartisan ballots, as required by Texas law. Council members are paid $45,722 and the mayor earns $61,725 a year. The current mayor isRon Nirenberg, who was elected in2017 with 54.59% of the vote.[177] Nirenberg was narrowly reelected in2019 against conservative challenger Greg Brockhouse.[178][179]
The council hires acity manager to handle day-to-day operations. The council effectively functions as the city's legislative body with the city manager acting as its chief executive, responsible for the management of day-to-day operations and execution of council legislation. The current city manager isErik Walsh.
The city operates its own electric and gas utility,CPS Energy. The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) is the city's municipal body of law enforcement. The San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) provides the city with fire protection and EMS service.
The city stretches into several national congressional districts and is represented inCongress by:[180]
TheTexas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Parole Division Region IV headquarters in the San Antonio Metro Parole Complex. San Antonio district parole offices I and III are in the parole complex, while office II is in another location.[181]
Unlike most large cities in the U.S., San Antonio is not completely surrounded by independent suburban cities, and under Texas state law it exercisesextraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) over much of the surroundingunincorporated land,[185][186] including planning major thoroughfares and enforcing rules for platting and subdivision. It pursues an aggressive annexation policy and opposes the creation of other municipalities within its ETJ.[187] Nearly three-fourths of its land area has been annexed since 1960.[188]
In the 2000s the city annexed several long narrow corridors along major thoroughfares in outlying areas to facilitate eventual annexation of growth developing along the routes. The city planned to annex nearly 40 additional square miles by 2009.[189]
In May 2010, the City of San Antonio agreed to release thousands of acres of land in its extraterritorial jurisdiction along Interstate 10 toSchertz. The agreement releases a total of 3,486 acres (14.11 km2) of San Antonio's ETJ lands north of I-10 to Schertz. The ETJ lands are in an area bordered by FM 1518 to the west, Lower Seguin Road to the north, Cibolo Creek to the east and I-10 to the south.[190]
Involuntary annexation is a controversial issue in those parts of unincorporated Bexar County affected by it. Residents attracted to the outlying areas by lower taxes and affordable real estate values often see annexation as a mechanism to increaseproperty tax rates (which are primarily driven by school district taxes, not city taxes) without a corresponding improvement in services such as police and fire protection, while the city regards its annexation policy as essential to its overall prosperity.[191]
The city of San Antonio is also served by the following separateindependent school districts (ISDs) which each encompass elementary, middle, and high schools:[199][200]
San Antonio is home to U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training (AFBMT).[201] The Air Force only has one location for enlisted basic training: the 737th Training Group, atLackland Air Force Base. All new Air Force recruits go through the same basic training at Lackland. Each year, over 35,000 new recruits go through AFBMT. In addition, METC (the Military Education and Training Campus), which provides the medical training for the U.S. military atFort Sam Houston, hosts 30 programs and over 24,000 annual graduates. It is the largest medical education center in the world.
San Antonio has one major newspaper, theSan Antonio Express-News, which has served the area since 1865. TheExpress-News circulates as the largest newspaper service inSouth Texas. TheHearst Corporation, which owned a second newspaper, theSan Antonio Light, purchased theExpress-News fromNews Corp. in 1992 and shut down theLight after failing to find a buyer.
Hearst, using theExpress-News brand, also producesConexión, a weekly magazine written by an entirely Hispanic and Latin American staff with a Latino spin on weekly events. TheSan AntonioCurrent is the free "alternative" paper published weekly with local political issues, art and music news, restaurant listings and reviews, and listings of events and nightlife around town. TheSan Antonio Business Journal covers general business news.La Prensa, a bilingual publication, also has a long history in San Antonio. They closed their doors in June 2018.[202]Edible San Antonio, San Antonio's bimonthly food magazine, is published every eight weeks. The 64-page full-color magazine, distributed free across the city, is printed in soy ink on recycled paper and covers the city's food scene with an emphasis on local food and sustainability. TheSan Antonio River Walk Current covers general San Antonio news. TheSan Antonio Observer is the onlyAfrican American newspaper in San Antonio since 1995 and the largest in South Texas.[citation needed]
TheSan Antonio Report, renamed in 2020 from the Rivard Report, is the city's only digital-only news publication.[203] Founded in 2011 by former Express-News editor Robert Rivard, it began as a blog but has since become a non-profit news source covering civic issues.[204]
About 50 radio stations can be heard in the San Antonio area; 30 of them are in the city proper. San Antonio is home toiHeartMedia, the largest operator of radio stations in the U.S. Its flagship,WOAI AM-1200, is known for its local news operation, considered among the best in the country. It is a 50,000-watt clear channel station that reaches most of North America at night. The first radio station to broadcast in South Texas wasKTSA AM-550 in 1922.
The region'sNational Public Radio member isTexas Public Radio,[205] a group of three stations; KSTX 89.1 FM is NPR news/talk, KPAC 88.3 is a 24-hour classical music station, and KTXI 90.1 is a mix of NPR news/talk and classical music broadcast for the West Central Texas Hill Country. KSTX also broadcasts "Riverwalk Jazz", featuring Jim Cullum Jazz Band at The Landing, a fixture on the River Walk since 1963.
KRTU 91.7 is a non-commercial radio station based at Trinity University.[206] Unlike most other college radio stations in the U.S., the station plays jazz 17 hours a day and college rock/indie rock at night. College alternative station KSYM, 90.1 FM, is owned by the Alamo Community College District and operated by San Antonio College students; like KRTU, it plays the Third Coast music network during the day and alternative music at night.
Most Latin American stations in the area playregional Mexican,Tejano or contemporary pop. On January 12, 2006,Univision-ownedKMYO-FM "La Kalle 95.1" changed its format from Hispanic-Rhythmic Contemporary Hits to Spanish Oldies, then named "Recuerdo 95.1". On November 10, 2006,Univision flipped KLTO Tejano 97.7's format toreggaeton in an attempt to reintroduce the format to San Antonio. Then 97.7 was flipped again to feature a rock format. The station no longer broadcasts anything in English. While still owned by Univision, it broadcast music by artists such asLinkin Park, before being sold to theEducational Media Foundation and flipping once again toAir1.
95.1 was then flipped back to the "La Kalle" format again after being flipped to feature a "95X" format. KLTO was acquired and is operated as a simulcast ofKVBH-FM Vibe 107.5. San Antonio radio is diversified, due to an influx of non-TejanoLatinos, mostly from theEast Coast, who serve in the city's various military bases, as well as immigrants from Mexico. Therefore, just like in the rest of the country, radio station conglomerates have been changing formats in San Antonio to reflect shiftingdemographics.
Despite the relatively large size of both the city proper and the metropolitan area, San Antonio has always been a medium-sized market. It presently ranks 33rd in the United States, according tomarketing research firmACNielsen.[207] This is mainly because the nearby suburban and rural areas are not much larger than the city itself.
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is located in Uptown San Antonio, about eight miles (13 km) north of Downtown. San Antonio International Airport is the6th busiest airport based on passenger boardings in Texas and 44th in the United States as of 2015.[209] It has two terminals and is served by 20 airlines, 15 passenger and 5 cargo ones, serving many destinations throughout the United States and Mexico.Stinson Municipal Airport is a reliever airport located six miles (9.7 km) south of Downtown San Antonio. The airport has two runways serving primarilygeneral aviation and is also home to theTexas Air Museum.
In August 2010, VIA Metropolitan Transit unveiled buses that are powered by diesel-electric hybrid technology.[212] The 30 hybrid buses were put into service on VIA's express routes to serve daily commuters across the city. This set of buses follows the introduction of new vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, which were unveiled in May 2010. In the fall of 2010, VIA took delivery of three new buses that are powered by electricity from on-board batteries. These buses serve the Downtown core area, and are the first revenue vehicles VIA operates which have zero emissions.[212]
VIA offers 90 regular bus routes and two Downtown streetcar routes.[213] This includes express service from Downtown to park and ride locations in the south, west, northwest, north central and northeast sides of the city, with service to major locations such asUTSA, Six Flags Fiesta Texas andSeaWorld. VIA also offers a special service to city events includingSpurs games and city parades from its park and ride locations.
San Antonio is served by twoAmtrak routes: the daily Chicago to San AntonioTexas Eagle and the thrice-weekly New Orleans to Los AngelesSunset Limited.[214] On the days that theSunset Limited operates, a section of theTexas Eagle continues west with it, offering Chicago to Los Angeles through service. Theold Sunset Station is now an entertainment venue owned by VIA and neighbored by the current station and theAlamodome.[215][216][217]
San Antonio became the largest American city without an intra-city rail system whenPhoenix, the former largest city without such a system,procured one in 2008. A proposed passenger rail line, Lone Star Rail, would have linked San Antonio to Austin, but was cancelled in 2016 after 19 years of planning.[218]
I-410: Connally Loop—simply called Loop 410 (four-ten) by locals is a 53-mile (85 km) inner beltway around the city.
US 90: Cleto Rodriguez Freeway (West) throughUvalde andDel Rio to its western terminus at I-10 inVan Horn. Prior to I-10 East and US 90 West expressway being built US 90 traveled through the west side via West Commerce Street (westbound) and Buena Vista Street (eastbound) and Historic Old Highway 90 (known as Enrique M. Barrera Parkway from 2015 to 2022[219]). On the east side it traveled along East Commerce Street to its current alignment which runs concurrent with I-10 East toSeguin.
US 281: McAllister Freeway (North) toJohnson City andWichita Falls. Southbound, it runsconcurrent with I-37, then I-410 for 4 miles (6 km), then heads south toPleasanton. Prior to I-37 and McAllister Fwy. being built US 281 traveled through the north side via San Pedro Avenue and the south side via Roosevelt Avenue.
SH 151: Stotzer Freeway runs from US 90 west through Westover Hills which includesSeaWorld to its western terminus at State Loop 1604.
Loop 1604: Charles W. Anderson Loop—simply called 1604 (sixteen-oh-four) by locals—is a 96-mile (154 km) outer beltway around San Antonio.
Other highways include:
US 87: Southbound toVictoria along Roland Avenue then Rigsby Avenue. It runs concurrent with I-10 for 52 miles (84 km) where it goes toSan Angelo northbound.
US 181: Starts 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of I-410/I-37/US 281 interchange and heads towardCorpus Christi viaBeeville. Prior to I-37 being built, US 181 traveled along Presa Street from Downtown to its current alignment.
SH 16: FromZapata, it runs concurrent with I-410 for 17 miles (27 km) along southwest San Antonio, over to Bandera Road toBandera
State Highway 130: Starting at its southern terminus at I-35 South, it travels along East South Loop 410 until I-10/US-90, where it runs concurrently with the interstate until outside ofSeguin, turning into a state toll road.
SH Spur 421: Also known more commonly as "Culebra Road" and "Bandera Road" inside Loop 410.
SH Spur 422: Known as the Poteet Jourdanton Freeway. It was originally planned to have a high speed direct connection to I-35.
Loop 345: Fredericksburg Road by locals; is the business loop for I-10 West/US-87 North.[220]
Loop 368: Broadway and Austin Highway by locals; is the business loop for I-35 North.[221]
State PA 1502 (Wurzbach Parkway): Limited-access, high speed road parallel to north IH-410. It has connections to I-35 (via O'Connor Road) and I-10 (via Wurzbach Road) across the north side of town.
Loop 353: Nogalitos Street and New Laredo Highway is the business loop for I-35 South.[222]
Loop 13: Is the city's inner loop on the south side servingLackland AFB,Port San Antonio, South Park Mall andBrooks CityBase traveling along Military Drive on the south side and WW White Road on the east side to its junction with I-35/I-410. The northern arc of the loop is now I-410.
Also, the city has multiple streets with the same (or similar) names. As examples:
"Military Drive", "Military Highway.", and "Military Drive West"—Military Drive loops around the western and southern parts of the city. Military Highway, also called "NW Military Drive" by the locals, serves the northwestern part of the city. Military Drive West serves the far western portion of the city. None intersect each other.
"Wurzbach Road", "Wurzbach Parkway", and "Harry Wurzbach Road"—Wurzbach Road serves the northwestern part of the city. Wurzbach Parkway, an expressway, is an east–west road serving the northwestern and northeastern parts of the city (and can be considered an extension of Wurzbach Road). Harry Wurzbach Road runs past Fort Sam Houston and Terrell Hills on the city's northeast side, and it does not intersect Wurzbach Road or Wurzbach Parkway.
"Hausman Road" and "South Hausman Road" are two roads servingHelotes and the far northwest side of the city. Hausman is a major road, and a route used by locals of Helotes and NW San Antonio as an alternative to Loop 1604 connecting to I-10. South Hausman is a suburban road that does not connect with Hausman (despite its name).
A large portion of trade between Mexico and the United States passes through the San Antonio area's interstate highway system.[223]
Of the five largest cities in Texas, San Antonio (within city limits) is the largest city in the state without toll roads. (Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth have toll roads.)
San Antonio enjoys less traffic congestion than other large Texas cities. In a 2022 study by TomTom, San Antonio is only the 41st-most congested city in the U.S. and the fifth-most congested city in Texas. By comparison, Houston, McAllen, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth rank higher than San Antonio for traffic congestion.[224]
San Antonio has about 136 miles (219 km) of bike lanes, routes or off-road paths.[225] Off-road trails travel along theSan Antonio River, linear greenways, or city parks. Although largely disconnected, the progress to create a bicycle-friendly environment was recognized when San Antonio was designated a bronze-level "Bicycle Friendly Community" in 2015 by the League of American Bicyclists.[226]
A bike sharing service was approved by the city council on June 17, 2010.[227] The initial program consisted of 140 bikes at 14 locations supported by a "central hub". It is expected to serve both residents and visitors. San Antonio Bike Share, a non-profit, was formed to oversee the operation, locally operated and maintained by Bike World. B-Cycle, the same system used in Denver, supplies the bike share system. It began operation in March 2011.[228]
As of 2021[update],Walk Score ranks San Antonio as the leastwalkable American city a population greater than one million and calls it car-dependent. This is due in large part to its rapid growth afterWorld War II, the prevalence ofsingle-family zoning and thousands of miles of missing or brokensidewalks.[229]
TheHoward W. Peak Greenway is an 84-mile system (135 km) of hiking and biking trails that roughly forms a ring around the city. It is accessible by more than 65 trailheads and connects to dozens of parks. With construction beginning in 2007, the trails consist of theLeon Creek Greenway, theSalado Creek Greenway, the Westside Creeks, and theMedina River Greenway.[230][231]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e., the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for San Antonio were kept at downtown from March 1885 to December 1940, atStinson Municipal Airport from January 1941 to June 1942, and at San Antonio Int'l since July 1942. For more information, seeThreadex
^Chabot, Frederick Charles.San Fernando de Bexar (Archived September 4, 2019, at theWayback Machine). Texas State Historical Association. Uploaded June 15, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
^ab[1]Archived July 10, 2018, at theWayback Machine Spanish Texas, Texas State Historical Society: The Handbook of Texas Online
^Chipman, Donald E."Martin de Alarcon".Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Society.Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. RetrievedJune 23, 2021.
^ab[2]Archived September 4, 2019, at theWayback Machine The Canary Islanders, Texas State Historical Society: The Handbook of Texas Online
^John H. Jenkins, ed.,Papers of the Texas Revolution (10 vols.; Austin: Presidial Press, 973), p.13
^"CONTENTdm".Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. RetrievedDecember 1, 2023.
• Glenn, Grady; Austin, James W.; Gold, Roger (2017). "Efficacy of Commercial Termite Baiting Systems for Management of Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Texas".Sociobiology.S2CID49549585.
^"San Antonio Suffers Worst Snowfall". Schenectady, New York. United Press International. January 12, 1985.Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. RetrievedNovember 20, 2020.
^"Record Snow Buries San Antonio".Associated Press. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A3.
^"Station Name: TX SAN ANTONIO INTL AP".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991−2020). National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Archived fromthe original on December 25, 2023. RetrievedMay 31, 2021.
^"Destination SA Update 2011"(Report).San Antonio Area Tourism Council. March 2012.Archived(PDF) from the original on January 25, 2016. RetrievedAugust 6, 2015.
^"Trails".www.sanantonio.gov.Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. RetrievedOctober 17, 2022.
^John W. Gonzalez;Hot Wells Poised to Spring Alive Again: County OKs First Phase of Improvements for New Park; San Antonio Express-News; October 10, 2015; p. 1, A12
^"Greenway Trails".City of San Antonio. San Antonio Parks & Recreation Department.Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. RetrievedOctober 17, 2022.
Rodriguez, Ismael Jr. (August 2021). "We Wanted to Make it Attractive for all Veterans".VFW Magazine. Vol. 108, no. 10. Kansas City, Mo.:Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. pp. 30–32.ISSN0161-8598.A VFW Post in Texas grew its membership by welcoming younger veterans. Among several projects, Post members pioneered VFW's first-ever state-of-the-art esports cybercafé.
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