River Walk/Downtown
The heart of the city’s tourism business beats along the River Walk and in the downtown area. Densely packed with hotels of varying price ranges, attractions, restaurants and bars, a visitor could conceivably spend his entire trip in one area of town. The area bustles with activity nearly every night of the week and almost all year long, with locals and tourists alike enjoying mouth-watering cuisine at Boudro’s or Paesano’s River Walk, singing their hearts out at Howl at the Moon, dancing the night away at Polly Esther’s or knocking back a few brews at the Houston Street Alehouse. Not your average tourist trap, the River Walk entices many locals to brave the crowds and enjoy their own city.

King William/Southtown
If San Antonio gets funky, this is where it happens. Once primarily residential and neglected, the area has seen a resurgence of interest and an infusion of capital. Urban professionals are snatching up historical homes and refurbishing them, entrepreneurs are launching hip new businesses, and the locals are taking notice. Wander just a few blocks from downtown and discover Espuma Tea & Coffee Emporium, the City Market and Rosario’s. If you can, check out the area during a “First Friday” celebration. Aptly named, this community-wide celebration held the first Friday of each month draws crowds from all over the city for art openings, theater productions, dining and shopping.

Alamo Heights
One of the original suburbs of San Antonio, the original developers nearly went bankrupt trying to develop this then remote area. Now, Alamo Heights is its own city with its own school district and zip code. “09,” as the area is referred to (stemming from the zip code 78209), harbors some of the city’s finest dining establishments and upscale shopping opportunities. And with good reason, as a huge portion of the city’s wealth resides in this neighborhood. For dinner, locals flock to Paloma Blanca or Cappy’s. Beer and pool preside at the Broadway 50/50, and one of the city’s best wine lists calls Niles Wine Bar home. For a gift for that special someone, you can’t go wrong at Sloan-Hall, Timbuktu, or Sunset Ridge Home and Hardware. At Twin Sisters, pull up a chair and get your daily dose of neighborhood gossip over breakfast or lunch.

Monte Vista/Olmos Park
This area neighboring Alamo Heights vacillates between very well-to-do and woe-is-me. Home to some of the most exquisite mansions in the city, at the very least it is worth driving through just to gawk. But then turn the corner and find a once-elegant home standing in disrepair. Improvement is creeping through the area, but slowly. Regardless, you will find some wonderful neighborhood secrets, such as the thick chocolate shakes at Olmos Pharmacy, the city’s best breakfast tacos at Panchito’s, superb deli take-out at WD Deli and goofy gifts at On Main.

North East
Boundaries: East of IH-281, South of Anderson Loop (Loop 1604), West of I-35 and North of Loop 410.

Description: Neighborhoods include Universal City, Live Oak, Alamo Heights, Lincoln Heights and Olmos Park. Major employers in the area include Randolph Air Force Base, and Fort Sam Houston. Shopping includes HEB Grocery, Quarry Market Shopping Center and the Windsor Park Mall. This area of the city is very convenient to the airport and downtown.

North Central
Boundaries: East of I-10, South of Anderson Loop (Loop 1604), West of IH-281 and North of Loop 410.

Description: Neighborhoods include Hollywood Park, Castle Hills, Shavano Park, Stone Oak and Hill County Village. Major employers in the area include World Comm, US Long Distance, North Star and Central Park Malls. This area is very convenient to San Antonio International Airport and is also the most convenient to all areas of downtown. This area is experiencing rapid growth and offers a wide range of apartment selections from new to more established properties.

Northwest/Medical Center
Boundaries: West of I-10, South and East of Anderson Loop (Loop 1604), North and West of Loop 410, and North of IH-90.

Description: Neighborhoods include Leon Valley, Balcones Heights, and San Antonio Medical Center Facilities. Major employers in this area include USAA, Santa Rosa Health Care Corp., UT Health Science Center, Baptist Memorial Hospital System, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World, Citicorp, Lackland, Kelley Air Force Installations and Wilford Hall Medical Center. This area is convenient to all major thoroughfares and arteries. There is a tremendous amount of new growth and construction in this area and therefore offers a large selection of choices from new, higher priced communities to more affordable, established properties.

The medical industry is big business in San Antonio; therefore this area continues to grow at a steady pace. Sort of a hodgepodge of strip shopping centers, restaurants, residences and office complexes, the atmosphere of the neighborhood seems a bit disjointed. Still, you can find great dining at Fratelli’s, Casa Real, Carraba’s and Hui’s Chinese. Shopping is somewhat limited to chain stores, with the delightful exception of Elements gifts. For a fun night out in this part of town, you can’t beat Jewels or Joe’s Volcano.

Far Northwest
When big money folks are tired of paying city taxes, they flee outside the city limits. In the 80s and 90s, they fled to the Dominion and Fair Oaks Ranch housing developments, and beyond to the towns of Leon Springs, Boerne and Comfort. Locals that feel the need to escape the city head out this way to dine at Macaroni Grill or Rudy’s BBQ and then dance the night away at Leon Springs Dance Hall. The next day, they may shop at all the antique stores in Boerne or spend the day at Six Flags Fiesta Texas or Sea World.

What began as a small settlement of missionaries, priests and local Native Americans has swelled into a metropolis of nearly one million citizens of varying ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds.

Native Americans originally occupied this area—many lived along the stream that is now known as the San Antonio River, some as early as 9000 B.C. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Spanish settlers migrated north from what is now Mexico to settle along the banks of the stream, claim the area for themselves, and Christianize the peaceful tribes inhabiting the area. As decades passed, the Spanish colonists dominated the area agriculturally, spiritually and culturally. In 1718, Mission San Antonio de Valero was established along the river; the chapel and its grounds would later be known as the Alamo. Over the next few years, the Spanish culture and the Catholic faith would come to play an integral role in the settlement’s development.