Looking to relocate...Where do the liberal/hippies/college crowd/musicians live? (San Antonio: crime, house)

[thefineprint]

Ok, I know Austin is only an hour a way but unfortunately I couldn't find a job there. My husband and I (we are in our mid 20's) are looking to relocate in August and I'm curious to find a liberal minded neighborhood. We aren't too interested in the suburbs and my job is in the North East ISD area. Does San Antonio have any areas w/ an art district/ independent minded people? Hippies, bluegrass musicians, college students...anything but the subarbs (or south San Antonio which I understand has a crime problem)! Thanks for any advice!

[lemonfresh]

Yes, the Southtown area and to my limited knowledge a little bit of Lavaca. An emerging artsy/folksy area is east of downtown, Dignowity Hill.

There's a fun pushcart derby the people of Dignowity Hill do every year, this being the 6th year. http://www.myspace.com/dignowity

[ChrisMP]

Downtown Moderator cut: see comment

[L3XVS]

I don't know where you're coming from, or what exactly your definition of "artistic expression" is, but if you demand more than a monthly "freak-for-all" involving copius consumption of liquor that's teeming with loud, obnoxious people, greasy Mexican food, and tacky home-made trinkets trying to pass itself off as a "cultural" event, I think you may find San Antonio rather disappointing. The said event of course is "First Friday", and it seems to be all the rage here and de facto "event" of the artistically-minded, but again, depending on where you're coming from you may find it to be severely inadequate.

Like everything else here, San Antonio's so-called "art scene" is totally lame, and an embarrassing effort for anyone who's traveled or lived in any reasonably sized city somewhere else. Good luck, but I have a feeling, you'll seriously regret not reconsidering Austin.

[ChrisMP]

Austin will make your life much more better. Do not come to SA. It is a sad town for people like us.

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by ChrisMP

Austin will make your life much more better. Do not come to SA. It is a sad town for people like us.

They said that the job is in SA...couldn't find one in the almighty Austin. . Moderator cut: off topic

[tony78201]

take what you can here then, but dont give up on austin.

[LindaGrace]

thefineprint, admittedly San Antonio doesn't have the same artistic/music vibe that Austin has, but frankly, what other Texas city does have that?

Southtown is a great neighborhood for funky/artistic/un-suburbia. It's also more liberal than the general population of San Antonio.

Here's a great resource for the goings on about town: Joe's List You can sign up for a weekly email newsletter that comes out every Friday morning.

There's plenty of live music and art here in San Antonio if you're looking for it and if you value that.

WELCOME TO SAN ANTONIO!

[perticusrex]

For the OP,since finding " art district/ independent minded people ... Hippies, bluegrass musicians, college students" is more important than being close to your job then you probably should consider Austin over San Antonio. I had plenty of HS and college friends who left the "lameness" that is San Antonio because they chose to define themselves and wanted to be surrounded by clones of themselves, left for Austin and eventually came back to SA. Mostly because they had difficulty finding jobs where they could actually afford their 30K millionaire lifestyles and the "trendiness" wasnt paying the bills. You have to decide what your priorities are and what is important to you.

p/s .... I love the Southside

[CelesteDF]

To the OP... I dont' know what brought on this rash of negativity, but there are actually many pockets of creative/artistic communities around San Antonio. Southtown/Lavaca has already been mentioned, and yes, there is much more to that area than just First Friday.

I happen to live in a neighborhood called Tobin Hill just north of downtown. Planning and Community Development Department-Neighborhoods-Tobin Hill Neighborhood Plan The Pearl Brewery, an amazing urban redevelopment project centered on the concepts of community, education and sustainability, is in Tobin Hill. Pearl features the largest rooftop solar installation in Texas, lots of small green/healthy lifestyle/creative industry businesses, a plethora of live/work spaces plus lots of community activities (weekly farmer's market, river activities, etc.) Pearl Brewery Pearl Farmers Market San Antonio, Texas | Pearl Farmers Market

Tobin Hill is what you'd call a "transitional" neighborhood, with some areas already fixed up and some that have a ways to go. TH is also home to the only part of SA that could be considered a "gayborhood", and also features eclectic one-of-a-kind businesses such as SA's only organic farm/music recording facility. Farm Recorders TH is bordered by two major universities (Trinity University and San Antonio College) and is close to two others (UTSA Downtown, University of the Incarnate Word). We also have a new organization called the Tobin Hill Arts Alliance that is launching a monthly art walk in June.

All in all, this is a very culturally, ethnically, economically diverse and accepting neighborhood in a fantastic location, with lots of beautiful housing stock that is still affordable. TH is also home to the N. St. Mary's Strip, a walkable/bikeable area that features lots of little local restaurants and bars (my favorites are Candlelight, Tycoon Flats and the new Cafe Latino, although Joey's is always a good call). Our relatively new community association is also doing a LOT to bring people together for social events and community-building activities, too.

A previous poster mentioned signing up for Joe Barfield's email list... do that right away. Joe's List He puts out the city's most comprehensive list of musical entertainment each week, plus profiles of unique happenings that don't often get lots of press in the commercial media. He's also a realtor that specializes in the in-town neighborhoods, like Mahncke Park, Tobin Hill, Monte Vista, Woodlawn Heights, Monticello Park, Alamo Heights, etc., so you may want to ask him for advice on local neighborhoods. He's awesome. Disclaimer: I found the house of my dreams via one of Joe's emails, so yeah, I'm a little biased.

btw - to give you a frame of reference, I'm a single 30-something professional, have lived half my life in TX and the rest in other places around the world, and most of my social activities are in the realm of arts/culture, policy/politics, and community service. No, you won't often find me in the Stone Oak bar/nightclub area unless my friends drag me out there (although I must admit, I LOVE LOVE Copa).