Where to live in Northwest area of SA? (San Antonio, Alamo: transplants, apartment)

[fengxg]

Hi,
I am thinking of moving to San Antonio. My working place is to the northwest area near Seaworld. I wish to live around good view and friendly neighbors with good schools and low crime, so probably upper middle class area. Is there any neighborhood to recommend? Thanks.

[SA SKOL]

Alamo Ranch area has great NISD schools and tons of shopping.
Westcreek off 1604 and Military is also a good neighborhood.
Quite a few areas off Westover Hills as well near Warren High School.

I used to live off 1604/Potranco before all of the construction etc. was there and it was tolerable. I havent been out near Potranco lately but it used to be kind of a mess near there.

Castroville is also an option if you want a more smaller town feel.

Good luck! That area continues to boom and expand but there are nice spots if you know where to look.

[fengxg]

Thanks for the reply. What is your opinion on Bandera area. I really like the environment there but how about the people? Thanks.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by fengxg

Thanks for the reply. What is your opinion on Bandera area. I really like the environment there but how about the people? Thanks.

The town or the road?

The town is nice. Housing is going up ^$ and more transplants seem to be moving in at a slow rate. Good sense of community. Pretty good schools. Friendly people. Very conservative. I went to the Lowes market and saw a 40 year old lady driving off in a pickup and spitting into an empty beer bottle (she was likely dipping). It was just like that scene in Urban Cowboy when Bud is driving into town.

If you like small towns I would recommend either Bandera or Castroville.

The neighbourhood that is literally right next to Sea World, off of Military is pretty nice although not what I would call upper middle class. More like middle class. Upper middle class is more Helotes, Boerne, and then the area east of your work between 281, I-10, 410, and 1604. Castle Hills (pretty nice), Shavano Park (very nice), and then Hill Country Village (EXTREMELY nice) and then the surrounding areas. This will be a little bit more of a commute but it's a great area to live.

Personally, I would pick Castroville, Bandera, or the neighbourhood next to Sea World, in that order. But, if you are deadset on living around the upper middle class, you might have to "settle" for somewhere between 281 and I-10.

[ashbeeigh]

Living off Bandera road anywhere between Helotes and 410 would be a good fit. The further north, the better the view. It’s actually a pretty great view out in Helotes. But, this aldo depends on budget? What is your budget? Size? Home? Apartment? I don’t know exactly how horrible the traffic is now (last time I drove out that way was over the holidays on a weekend). My least favorite place for traffic in San Antonio (aside from the Alamo Ranch area) is 410/151 which is exactly where you’re looking. I’m sure someone who lives in SA now can provide current feedback. I’d honestly drive around all the areas you like during peak traffic to see how it is.

[SA SKOL]

The town of Bandera wouldn't be a logical choice IMO. That is way too far of a drive to work over by Sea World. It would be over an 1.5 hours to get there including traffic. Bandera/1604 used to be a nice area until they developed the entire town of Helotes. I am old enough to remember the only thing in Helotes was pretty much the strip center where The Cowboy Bar and Handy Andy used to be. Helotes wouldnt be my choice either because the traffic is awful out there. Theres only one way in and out which is Bandera Road.

Again there are many options near Sea World that are upper middle class. Look near Warren High School or the Alamo Ranch area. Newer homes with nice schools and nice communities.

[fengxg]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

The town or the road?

The town is nice. Housing is going up ^$ and more transplants seem to be moving in at a slow rate. Good sense of community. Pretty good schools. Friendly people. Very conservative. I went to the Lowes market and saw a 40 year old lady driving off in a pickup and spitting into an empty beer bottle (she was likely dipping). It was just like that scene in Urban Cowboy when Bud is driving into town.

If you like small towns I would recommend either Bandera or Castroville.

The neighbourhood that is literally right next to Sea World, off of Military is pretty nice although not what I would call upper middle class. More like middle class. Upper middle class is more Helotes, Boerne, and then the area east of your work between 281, I-10, 410, and 1604. Castle Hills (pretty nice), Shavano Park (very nice), and then Hill Country Village (EXTREMELY nice) and then the surrounding areas. This will be a little bit more of a commute but it's a great area to live.

Personally, I would pick Castroville, Bandera, or the neighbourhood next to Sea World, in that order. But, if you are deadset on living around the upper middle class, you might have to "settle" for somewhere between 281 and I-10.

Thanks. That's very informative. When I talk about "upper middle class" all I care are low crime (feel safe to wonder around late night) and good school (I want my daughter's friends the kind of kids like I were). I really like outdoor with mountains and creeks. So I believe the neighborhood you recommend fits my need.

[fengxg]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Living off Bandera road anywhere between Helotes and 410 would be a good fit. The further north, the better the view. It’s actually a pretty great view out in Helotes. But, this aldo depends on budget? What is your budget? Size? Home? Apartment? I don’t know exactly how horrible the traffic is now (last time I drove out that way was over the holidays on a weekend). My least favorite place for traffic in San Antonio (aside from the Alamo Ranch area) is 410/151 which is exactly where you’re looking. I’m sure someone who lives in SA now can provide current feedback. I’d honestly drive around all the areas you like during peak traffic to see how it is.

Hi my budget is around 500K with like 2000sf home. The cost is not what I am asking because I can find out how expensive certain neighborhood is on Zillow etc. I need information about the neighborhood. Thanks for the advice.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by fengxg

Hi my budget is around 500K with like 2000sf home. The cost is not what I am asking because I can find out how expensive certain neighborhood is on Zillow etc. I need information about the neighborhood. Thanks for the advice.

The reason I asked about budget was to offer you appropriate neighborhood recommendations. A 200k budget will offer a different type of recommendation then your budget offers. I wouldn't want to offer you million dollar neighborhoods in the Dominion if you can't afford it. Do you have a realtor? Have you asked them about these specific neighborhoods that you are interested in? Which ones are you interested in? We can offer the insight we do have on them if you throw the names out.

With that budget I'd honestly look into Helotes proper. You'll have some of the best views in the SA area. We don't have "mountains" but do have some pretty big "hills" to look out to. Most of the homes feed into O'Connor High School which is a great school.

FWIW, there was a large contingent of West Creek neighbors on the CD board years ago and there was a lengthy thread about the neighborhood. I think they feed into Warren high school if I remember correctly. Maybe Brennan. Any NISD schools will be some of the better schools in SA, but in ranking the NISD schools on best to worst Warren and Brennan would probably fall in the middle. Top would be Brandeis, Clark and then O'Conner (but I'm a bit biased on putting Clark second since I went there). Based on their feedback there I wouldn't consider the Westcreek area "upper middle class."

Good luck.

[supfromthesite]

Somewhere in the Brandeis or O'connor school zone would probably be best. Clark is good too but a bit further away from Sea World.

Helotes would be a great choice.

If your budget is $500,000 you could afford a pretty damn nice house.