San Antonio

San Antonio (SAN an-TOH-nee-oh; Spanish for "Saint Anthony"), officially the City of San Antonio, is a city in Texas, United States. The city is the seventh-most populous in the United States, the second-largest in the Southern U.S., and the second most populous in Texas. It was named by a 1691 Spanish expedition for the Portuguese priest Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day is June 13. San Antonio contains five 18th-century Spanish frontier missions, including The Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. It is home to the five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion San Antonio Spurs. It hosts the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest such events in the U.S. The San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area had a population of 2,601,788 based on the 2020 census estimates, making it the 24th-largest metropolitan area in theUnited States and third-largest on Texas soil. The Texas Triangle is an urban megaregion colloquially known as the Texas Triangle. Downtown San Antonio and Downtown Austin are approximately 80 miles (130 km) apart, both falling along the Interstate 35 corridor. Some observers expect the two metropolitan regions to form a new metroplex similar to Dallas and Fort Worth. 64% of the city's population is Hispanic, making San Antonio the nation's largest majority-Hispanic city with 64% being Hispanic.

History

San Antonio is the primary city name, but also Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of San Antonio. The Payaya people lived near the San Antonio River Valley in the San Pedro Springs area. In 1691, a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon the river and Payaya settlement on June 13, the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua. Father Antonio de Olivares visited the site in 1709, and he was determined to found a mission and civilian settlement there. The families who clustered around the presidio and mission were the start of Villa de Béjar, destined to become the most important town in Spanish Texas. On May 1, 1718, the governor transferred ownership of the Mission San Antonio de Valero (later famous as The Alamo) to Fray Antonio De Olivares. By June 1730, 25 families had reached Cuba, and 10 families had been sent to Veracruz before orders from Spain came to stop the re-settlement. On March 9, 1731, Juan Leal Goraz Jr. marched overland to the Presidio San Antonio of Béxar. 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. It was designated as the capital of the Spanish, later Mexican, province of Tejas. From San Antonio, the Camino Real was built to the small frontier town of Nacogdocdoches. When Antonio López de Santa Anna unilaterally abolished the Mexican Constitution of 1824 in many states of Mexico, a series of battles ensued. In the spring of 1836, a volunteer force marched on San Antonio under the command of James C. A. Milam.

Geography

San Antonio has a total area of 465.4 square miles (1,205.4 km²) The city sits on the Balcones Escarpment. The Edwards Aquifer is the city's primary source of drinking water. The city has a transitional humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) that borders a semi-arid climate with very hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. The area is subject to descending northern cold fronts in winter nights, typically seeing night lows at or near freezing. San Antonio falls in USDA hardiness zones 8 to 20 (15 to 20 °F) in the spring and 8 to 9 °F (20 to 25 °C) in spring and fall. The East Side of San Antonio is home to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, the AT&T Center, and the Freeman Coliseum. The West Side is predominantly Hispanic/Latin American and working class, with pockets of wealth in the northwest and far west. It includes the diverse neighborhoods of Avenida Guadalupe, Collins Garden, Las Palmas, Prospect Hill, San Juan Gardens, Loma Vista, Memorial Heights, and Westwood. In the past 122 years, there have been about 32 instances of snowfall (a trace) or more in the city in the 122 years since the city was founded. The Texas Hill Country reaches into the far northern portions of the city. It is at the westernmost limit for both Cabbage palmetto (Sabal Palmetto) and Spanish moss.

Environment

The native Eastern Subterranean Termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) is a common structural pest here. The Formosan Termite is an invasive pest originally from the Far East. T A&M considers it to be economically devastating. The University of Texas at Austin is home to the American Museum of Natural History. The museum is open to the public on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is open on weekends from 9 to 11 a.M. for special events.

Demographics

The U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 census determined San Antonio had a population of 1,434,625 residents in 2020. 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 the 2010 census, 1,327,407 people resided in San Antonio city proper, an increase of 16.0% since 2000. San Antonio has a large Hispanic population with a significant African American population. The city's median income for a household was $30,444, and the median income. for a family was $53,000. The 2017 estimate for Greater San Antonio was 2,473,974, making it the third-most populous metro area in Texas (after the DallasFort Worth metroplex and Greater Houston) The metropolitan area is bordered to the northeast by AustinRound RockSan Marcos. The two metropolitan areas together combine to form a region of over 4.7 million people known as the Austin-San Antonio Corridor or Austintonio. An estimated 16.8% of the city's population lived at or below the poverty line in 2019. A study in 2015 determined the city of San Antonio and its metropolis was the poorest in the United States, with a mean income of $72,571 and a mean poverty line of $587.

Economy

San Antonio has a diversified economy with a gross domestic product (GDP) of approximately $121 billion in 2018. San Antonio is the headquarters of four Fortune 500 companies: Valero Energy, USAA, iHeartMedia, and NuStar Energy. H-E-B, the 13th-largest private company in the U.S., is also headquartered in San Antonio. Other notable companies that maintain sizable presences in the city include Hulu, OCI, Capital Group, CGI, Kaco New Energy, Marathon Petroleum, Silver Spring Networks, Toyota, Argo Group, EOG Resources, Microsoft, Cogeco Peer1, Wells Fargo, Citi Bank, and Boeing. The city is home to several active military installations: Lackland Air Force Base, Brooke Army Medical Center, Randolph Air Force base, and Fort Sam Houston. The Formosan Termite (Coptotermes formosanus) causes economic devastation here due to the structural damage it causes. It is an invasive pest originally from the Far East. In December 2020, Amazon announced plans to for three new facilities in San Antonio. In 2019, Andeavor (Formerly Tesoro) was acquired by Marathon Petroleum; this merger eliminated the company and the headquarters was moved to Findlay, Ohio. In 1997, Titan Holdings and USLD Communications had sold their operations to larger companies. After a Los Angeles buyout specialist purchased Builders Square, the company's operations were moved out of San Antonian.

Arts and culture

San Antonio is a popular tourist destination. The Alamo Mission in San Antonio ("The Alamo"), located in Downtown, is Texas' top tourist attraction. SeaWorld, 16 miles (26 km) west of Downtown in the city's Westover Hills district, is the number 3 attraction and one of the largest marine life parks in the world. The city is also home to several commercial amusement parks, including Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Morgan's Wonderland, a theme park for children with special needs. San Antonio's Howard W. Peak Greenway Trail System is a big draw. It covers more than 82 miles and has more than 50 trailheads. 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 Fairmount Hotel is in the Guinness World Records as one the heaviest buildings ever moved intact. It was placed in its new location, three blocks south of the Alamo, over four days in 1985, and cost $650,000 to move. The first museum of modern art in Texas, the McNay Art Museum, is located in downtown San Antonio. The oldest children's amusement park in the US, Kiddie Park, was established in 1925 and is the oldest children’s amusement park. The theater The La Cantera, a theater to the children's educational theater, is on the former Hot Wells hotel on the San Antonio River on the south side of the city.

Sports

The San Antonio Spurs are the city's only top-level professional sports team. The San Antonio Missions are the Minor League Baseball affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Valero Texas Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour held at San Antonio since 1922. The city has played host to a number of major and minor league football teams, primarily at Alamo Stadium and the Alamodome. City officials are said to be attempting to lure the National Football League permanently to San Antonio. The City of San Antonio and Bexar County have sold Toyota Field and S.T.A.R. Soccer Complex to Spurs Sports and Entertainment to operate the facilities and field a team that plays in the United Soccer League. In 2018, the Alliance of American Football announced that the San Antonio Commanders would play in the city beginning in 2019. San Antonio has two rugby union teams, the Alamo City Rugby Football Club, and San Antonio Rugby Football club. The University of Texas atSan Antonio fields San Antonio's NCAA Division I athletic teams, known as the UTSA Roadrunners. The university added football in 2011, hiring University of Miami coach Larry Coker as its initial head coach. Since 2018, UIW's football team has won two Southland Conference championships and made two playoffs appearances in the FCS. The team competes in the Southland Football Championship Subdivision (FCS Subdivision) San Antonio University fields a full athletic team, the Incarnate Word Cardinals, who compete in Division I Division I.

Government

The city of San Antonio is operated under the council-manager system of government. The city is divided into 10 council districts designed to be of equal population. All members of the San Antonio City Council, including the mayor, are elected to two-year terms and are limited to four terms. The council effectively functions as the city's legislative body with the city manager acting as its chief executive. Under Texas state law it exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) over much of the surrounding unincorporated land. It pursues an aggressive annexation policy and opposes the creation of other municipalities within its ETJ. Nearly three-fourths of its land area has been annexed since 1960. 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. In May 2010, the city agreed to release thousands of acres of land along Interstate 10 to Schertz. The agreement releases a total of 3,486 acres (14.11 km²) ofSan Antonio's ETJ lands north of I-10 to Scherz. The current mayor is Ron Nirenberg, who was elected in 2017 with 54.59% of the vote. The U.S. Postal Service operates San Antonio's main post office. Other post offices are located throughout San Antonio. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Parole Division Region IV headquarters in 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.

Education

San Antonio hosts over 100,000 students in its 31 higher-education institutions. Publicly supported schools include UT Health San Antonio, Texas A&M UniversitySan Antonio, and the Alamo Community College District. Private universities include Trinity University, St. Mary's University, Our Lady of the Lake University, University of the Incarnate Word, Webster University, Oblate School of Theology, and Southwest School of Art. San Antonio is also home to a campus of The Culinary Institute of America. The city is home to more than 30 private schools and charter schools. The Air Force only has one location for enlisted basic training: the 737th Training Group, at Lackland Air Force Base. Each year, over 35,000 new recruits go through AFBMT. Fort Sam Houston hosts 30 programs and over 24,000 annual graduates. It is the largest medical education center in the world. The San Antonio Public Library serves all of these institutions along with the 19 independent school districts within the Bexar County and Greater San Antonio metropolitan area. The following school districts do not cover the San Antonio city limits but have locations which use San Antonio postal addresses: Lackland, San Antonio Independent School District, and San Antonio City School District. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio operates parochial Catholic schools in San Antonio. The U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training (AFBMT) provides the medical training for the military atFort Sam Houston, which is the world's largest medical training center.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas = 10.9. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 69. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 79. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in San Antonio = 6.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,434,625 individuals with a median age of 32.8 age the population grows by 14.49% in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,875.86 residents per square mile of area (1,110.37/km²). There are average 2.77 people per household in the 464,349 households with an average household income of $43,057 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.60% of the available work force and has dropped -0.03% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 33.34%. The number of physicians in San Antonio per 100,000 population = 267.

Weather

The annual rainfall in San Antonio = 30.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 82. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 220. 95 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 39.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 23, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas which are owned by the occupant = 54.55%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 29 years with median home cost = $123,650 and home appreciation of -3.96%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $19.31 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,923 per student. There are 15.1 students for each teacher in the school, 574 students for each Librarian and 395 students for each Counselor. 6.03% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.91% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.67% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).