San Antonio - Retirement Living With A Cultural Mix
San Antonio is truly an interesting and exciting place to live…here one finds a diverse mix of cultures and lifestyles seamlessly blended into a vibrant and growing community. New arrivals quickly discover a highly satisfying quality of life, with affordable housing, a reasonable cost of living and an outstanding array of cultural and entertainment opportunities.
The city has played an important role in the history of the development of the American Southwest. Today, this rich heritage and old-world charm has been preserved and can be seen in such venerable structures as the Alamo and other historic missions found throughout the city, as well as 200-year old adobe houses that rest in the shadows of skyscrapers along the San AntonioRiver which winds through the heart of downtown.
In its bustling downtown is one of San Antonio's most notable modern landmarks and its entertainment center…the Riverwalk, or Paseo del Rio. With areas of lush, subtropical foliage and cobblestone walkways, this two-and-a-half stretch is a hub of activity, with sidewalk cafes, nightclubs, restaurants and hotels. At night, the Riverwalk is ablaze with a dazzling display of lights and river taxis.
Adjacent to the Riverwalk is La Villita, a historic district that has been transformed into a beautifully landscaped arts and crafts community with shops and restaurants. Befitting a city of its size, San Antonio has an abundance of fine museums and galleries, as well as an excellent symphony, ballet and opera. As is to be expected with its proximity to Mexico and its strong Hispanic influence, the city takes pride in its heritage, and a rich ethnic feel infuses every aspect of life, including the unmatched collection of Latin American art found in the Museum of Art.
With housing prices that are $50,000 below the national average, new arrivals have an ample range of homes from which to choose. Where price is not a consideration, there is a wide selection of historic homes that have been updated and preserved in older historic districts of the city, as well as new and reasonably priced homes in several of the planned communities that have sprung up around the outer edges of metropolitan area.
For someone in search of more luxurious waterfront or golf course executive living, a number of prestigious, gated developments have been built around the lakes and hills spread across an arc just north of the city. Featuring some of the country's finest golf courses, this area is rapidly gaining a reputation throughout Texas and the entire U.S. as a prime second-home and retirement destination. Several of these are less than an hour from the center of the city.
