San Antonio, Texas’ Next Big City

San Antonio is a rising star in Texas  after a history of being overlooked

By Scott McGrath
SAN ANTONIO GAZETTE WRITER




What comes to mind when someone mentions Texas?


Often, people think of cattle, the old west, Dallas, Austin, and even Houston. All of these are iconic in the great if somewhat short history of Texas.


Texas was and continues to be a large contributor to the cattle industry in everything from food, leather, and even blood and genetic material for scientific testing and education.


Dallas had its own television show, multiple major sports teams, and big oil money.


Austin the weird city often people forget she is the capital of this great nation state. It also sits a major center for education and artistic creativity with a font of youthful energy that is regularly tapped for new ideas and inspiration pumping new life into old and tired ideas.


Houston is a scientific wonderland! With the phrase “Houston, we have a problem” she is forever etched into the psyche of this land. She also boast her multiple sporting teams and centers of scientific research excellence a place where one can truly succeed and climb the ladder with their own merit.


Often when people think of San Antonio it is in passing or when the Spurs have snatched away another victory over their favorite basketballs team.


However, when you peel away the layers, San Antonio has a deep and dark secret.


It is one of the best little big cities in Texas. Many people ask why she is over looked and it’s a fair question. We have a major sports team that, in the past years, has won five national championships.


Not into sports? What about education? The city has multiple colleges each with multiple special areas of study. That, along with a comparatively low cost of living, one would expect the city to have grown by leaps and bounds.


Education is not your thing, okay how about medicine? BAMC is the premier medical center noted for more than a dozen specialized fields of medicine from burns to traumatic brain injury to prosthetic limbs and even ears; BAMC is your one stop shop.


Another major point for San Antonio is historical sites. You have, to name a few, the Alamo, the mission trail, any number of haunted streets and locals, the Spanish Governor’s Palace, The Rose Gardens, and the King William District.




For entertainment, you have the Riverwalk, two major theme parks, Ripley’s Believe it or not, The Majestic Theatre, the Ultimate Mirror Maze, Enchanted Springs Ranch, and the seasonal Rodeo. There are just too many to name.


The flux and flow of people in and out of San Antonio is incredible. San Antonio sits on I10 which connects coast to coast which allows tourist and traffic to pass through without much difficulty.
But San Antonio also has her dark side, drugs, gangs, and the homeless; like any major city.. On any given day if you need smack or blow, a hooker or just a guy who knows a guy all you have to do is walk down to your local Kwik-E mart and wait 20 minutes and they will find you.


Need something harder or bigger? It might take time but I have heard stories of people buying assault rifles with "custom modification's" as art pieces.


But the bad doesn’t outweigh the good? With all that this wonderful city has to offer one has to question why it is so often over looked. When the real-estate market took a hit San Antonio remained fairly stable. When NFL teams go shopping for new homes they ignore San Antonio, the same is true of major industry. The real question is why? Do the city officials not make deals and offers trying to attract new growth? Do other cities simply have more to offer? Does San Antonio not have the population to support another Major sports team? Does San Antonio not have the traffic and transport infrastructure to move large amounts of Cargo? Or is there some other unknown group or factors that have an interest in keeping others out of San Antonio?
While this writer can’t answer these questions, I do feel they bear a second look. Is it time to “clean house” politically? Do we need to take San Antonio back for ourselves and show the world what we have to offer?
Is it time for San Antonio to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight to be the sunny star she is? Most assuredly!


So take heart San Antonio! Take charge San Antonio! Take off to the future San Antonio!


 ~Excelsior!