Moving to San Antonio! (Atlanta, Howe: apartments, rent, crime rate)

[drakelivingston11]

I recentely got a really good job offer in San Antonio and I'm kinda nervous. But it's an offer that I'd be dumb to pass up, especially in this economy!

Rent(the biggest thing on my mind!)- Here in Atlanta, I pay $900 a month utilities included. It's nothing fancy but it's nice and in a nice location. How's the price of renting in SA? Should I be expecting to pay more, less, or about the same for a nice one bedroom? And location. Job is going to be on San Pedro Ave north of I410. Under an hour commute would be great!!!

the city itself - From the things I've heard, SA isin't all that bad on crime. I'm keepin my fingers crossed! But at the same, Im from Atlanta, so not too many cities can compare lol. I love Atlanta and even though the rate is declining, it is kinda bad on crime! What are the "safer" parts of San Antonio? Just curious.

traffic - My comute from work to home is about an hour and that sucks! How is traffic like compared to Atlanta? I have a car so i don't really use public transportation.

nightlife! - I'm into the more upscale clubs and lounges with the more young-professional atmosphere. And the girlfriend didn't work out so I'm newly single, that's a plus!

Really any advice about the city would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Soviet]

First off, welcome to San Antonio! Second of all, one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you: don't double post.

That being said, San Antonio's traffic is nowhere near as bad as Metro Atlanta's, but it will get worse with all the newbies moving in. Not necessarily a bad thing if it encourages smart growth and smart planning, but those are two things that aren't very prevalent here.

And again, welcome to San Antonio!

[Soviet]

What's your field of work? Urban Planning? Do some research on Julian Castro's 'SA2020' initiative. San Antonio is in sore need of some serious overhauls. However, not gonna happen: people move to Texas because there's tons of space, environment be damned!

[Z06Girly]

Originally Posted by Soviet

What's your field of work? Urban Planning? Do some research on Julian Castro's 'SA2020' initiative. San Antonio is in sore need of some serious overhauls. However, not gonna happen: people move to Texas because there's tons of space, environment be damned!

I kinda read into that wrong based on the "smart" word used, but I have heard that the lack of educated people there is rather high, but I could be wrong...

I work in the Automotive Industry, Finance Director for a large high volume dealership.

Read your post rather fast and I'm tired, LOL

[Soviet]

Originally Posted by Z06Girly

I kinda read into that wrong based on the "smart" word used, but I have heard that the lack of educated people there is rather high, but I could be wrong...

I work in the Automotive Industry, Finance Director for a large high volume dealership.

Read your post rather fast and I'm tired, LOL

Oh, okay, haha. Never mind, then. And you work for Honda North America, eh? Good on ya!

[elmariachi]

Hi and welcome to SA,

As to your questions, the range of rent can vary a lot here, but just like anywhere else, it really depends on where you rent and the amenities you want. However, I'm sure you will find that rent here is a bit less than in Atlanta. My wife and I just moved into a new apartment in an older, but very nice complex and will be paying about $750 for almost 1000 sqft. Our previous apartment was about the same price but about 700 sqft, however the buildings were a lot newer, about 5 years old as compared to 25 years old as is our new place. I am almost positive you could probably find a 500-600 sq ft apartment in the $600 range. Keep in mind that most apartments do not include utilities. Depending on your electric usage, you could be looking at about $100-200 during the summer months. Water should run you about $25-30, and internet about $30-50, I can't speak to the cable prices as we dont have cable though.

Since you will be working in the San Pedro/410 area you will be in very close proximity to many apartments, shopping, and entertainment. Our new apartment is actually very close to there and you would probably be looking at about a 15-20 min commute in rush hour. Our commute from our apartment to downtown runs about 15 mins at peak times.

Since you like the upscale type place, you might also look into living in the Stone Oak (281/1604) area, your commute might be a lot longer though.

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions please dont hesitate to ask.

[DexterCat]

Originally Posted by drakelivingston11

I recentely got a really good job offer in San Antonio and I'm kinda nervous. But it's an offer that I'd be dumb to pass up, especially in this economy!

id take it if the offer is good enough.

Rent(the biggest thing on my mind!)- Here in Atlanta, I pay $900 a month utilities included. It's nothing fancy but it's nice and in a nice location. How's the price of renting in SA? Should I be expecting to pay more, less, or about the same for a nice one bedroom? And location. Job is going to be on San Pedro Ave north of I410. Under an hour commute would be great!!!

chingau! thats insane! i pay 575 a month for 1100 sqft in the historic area near downtown san antonio. im close to everything i need. nothing is more than a few miles from my location (78209 zip code)

the city itself - From the things I've heard, SA isin't all that bad on crime. I'm keepin my fingers crossed! But at the same, Im from Atlanta, so not too many cities can compare lol. I love Atlanta and even though the rate is declining, it is kinda bad on crime! What are the "safer" parts of San Antonio? Just curious

.


you heard wrong. stay away from the south/east/west sides if you value your posessions. if you move to the north sides, get a good car alarm and home alarm. the crime rate is probably lower here vs atlanta, but it DOES exist here and despite reports claiming otherwise, its on the rise. just watch the local SA news or read our online paper. the vast majority of violent crimes come from the south/east/west sides of town.

safe sides of town - northwest, north central, northeast. anything else is at your own risk.

traffic - My comute from work to home is about an hour and that sucks! How is traffic like compared to Atlanta? I have a car so i don't really use public transportation.

traffic probably isnt nearly as bad as atlanta. we have 4-6 lane highways all over town, making commutes a lot easier (im from austin where the main highway was 2 lanes in each direction. dont ever move to austin).

nightlife! - I'm into the more upscale clubs and lounges with the more young-professional atmosphere. And the girlfriend didn't work out so I'm newly single, that's a plus!

Really any advice about the city would be appreciated. Thanks!

all i can say is, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be responsible and dont drink and drive. San antonio has a huge DUI problem that is meeting a lot of 'cultural resistance' and those that do it refuse to stop or educate themselves until they kill someone and end up in prison.

[DexterCat]

Originally Posted by Z06Girly

I kinda read into that wrong based on the "smart" word used, but I have heard that the lack of educated people there is rather high, but I could be wrong...

I work in the Automotive Industry, Finance Director for a large high volume dealership.

Read your post rather fast and I'm tired, LOL

you heard correctly, there is a huge base of uneducated workers here, many of them illegal aliens.

[DexterCat]

Originally Posted by elmariachi

Hi and welcome to SA,

As to your questions, the range of rent can vary a lot here, but just like anywhere else, it really depends on where you rent and the amenities you want. However, I'm sure you will find that rent here is a bit less than in Atlanta. My wife and I just moved into a new apartment in an older, but very nice complex and will be paying about $750 for almost 1000 sqft. Our previous apartment was about the same price but about 700 sqft, however the buildings were a lot newer, about 5 years old as compared to 25 years old as is our new place. I am almost positive you could probably find a 500-600 sq ft apartment in the $600 range. Keep in mind that most apartments do not include utilities. Depending on your electric usage, you could be looking at about $100-200 during the summer months. Water should run you about $25-30, and internet about $30-50, I can't speak to the cable prices as we dont have cable though.

Since you will be working in the San Pedro/410 area you will be in very close proximity to many apartments, shopping, and entertainment. Our new apartment is actually very close to there and you would probably be looking at about a 15-20 min commute in rush hour. Our commute from our apartment to downtown runs about 15 mins at peak times.

Since you like the upscale type place, you might also look into living in the Stone Oak (281/1604) area, your commute might be a lot longer though.

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions please dont hesitate to ask.

OT i know, but youre getting ripped off if youre paying 750 for 1k sqft

/pays 575 for 1100 and lives in a much nicer area.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by DexterCat

.

stay away from the south/east/west sides if you value your posessions.
safe sides of town - northwest, north central, northeast. anything else is at your own risk.

When I lived on the north side, my apartment and vehicle were broken into a total of five times in eight years. I had to move to a different area so I could sleep at night. Nothing has happened like that at my house on the southwest side. I have no idea how the apartments out here are though...I think it's apartments on any side of town that are risky.