SAN ANTONIO

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, was founded in 1718 as a mission outpost of the Spanish empire and has become the eighth largest city in the United States. The ready availability of water from the San Antonio River helped prompt the Spanish to establish an unusual concentration of five missions in the area, together with a presidio, or military post. Throughout the period of Spanish and Mexican rule, San Antonio served as the capital of Texas. In March 1836 the northernmost mission, popularly known as the Alamo, became the scene of the most celebrated battle of the Texas revolt. Today it remains the most visited tourist site in the state.

After independence in 1836, Texas relocated its capital northward, but San Antonio flourished during the post–Civil War boom in the cattle industry. The arrival of the railroad in 1877 somewhat compensated for the region's loss of preeminence as a national supplier of beef. Beginning in 1885, Mayor Bryan Callaghan II assembled a political coalition that promoted business development over competing interests. One harbinger of later growth was the federal government's establishment of Fort Sam Houston in 1879; it remains San Antonio's largest single employer. World War I brought a major expansion of military facilities in the city, notably with the founding of Kelly Field (later Kelly Air Force Base) in 1917. The growth of the military, especially aviation, was even more pronounced after 1941. Despite the closing of Kelly in 2001, more than 40,000 uniformed personnel remain based in San Antonio, and the military employs more than 31,000 civilians.

In addition, the city has become a major retirement center for veterans and their families, who are attracted by its mild winters, low cost of living, and urban services. The economy is dominated by the service sector, with tourism and government being especially prominent. Along with the Alamo, the nearby Riverwalk, a mixed-use urban park along the San Antonio River, is a leading tourist attraction.

The majority of San Antonio's population is Hispanic (58.7 percent according to the 2000 census) while African Americans comprise a fairly small proportion (6.8 percent) of the population. Ethnicity has been a major factor in the city's politics, intertwined with debates over economic development. The Hispanic population has been concentrated west of the downtown area, with African Americans on the near east side, although residential segregation has declined since 1970. This residential pattern resulted in part from flooding problems. Flood control had long been a major civic issue, but one addressed with considerable success in the last decades of the twentieth century. In the early 2000s management of the city's water supply in a period of economic development and rapid population growth (19.3 percent between 1990 and 2000 to 1,144,646) emerged as a key issue.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Davis, John L. San Antonio: A Historical Portrait. Austin, Tex.: Encino Press, 1978.

Johnson, David R., John A. Booth and Richard J. Harris, eds. The Politics of San Antonio: Community, Progress, and Power. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983.

Poyo, Gerald E., and Gilberto M. Hinojosa, eds. Tejano Origins in Eighteenth-Century San Antonio. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991.

James C.Schneider

See alsoAlamo, Siege of the ; "Remember the Alamo."

San Antonio , city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. The third largest city in Texas, it is one of the nation's largest military centers; Fort Sam Houston and the Air Force Aerospace Medical Center are in the city, and nearby are Lackland and Randolph air force bases, both training command centers, and Brooks Air Force Base, an aerospace medical headquarters. San Antonio is also the industrial, commercial, and financial center of a large agricultural area. Its manufactures include textiles and apparel, computerized mapping equipment, processed foods, motor vehicles, air conditioners, aircraft parts, and beer. Tourism is an important industry as well. The tree-lined river meandering through the downtown, the huge Mexican quarter, the Franciscan missions, and the warm climate attract thousands of tourists annually. In the late 20th cent. San Antonio was one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities. Its outlying suburban area developed significantly in the same period.

Landmarks and Institutions

Points of interest include the Alamo; La Villita, the reconstruction of a 250-year-old Spanish-speaking settlement; the Spanish governor's palace (c.1749); the Paseo del Río, a downtown river walk; the Hertzberg Circus Collection; and numerous old homes. The Hemisfair Plaza, site of the 1968 world's fair, contains the Institute of Texan Cultures and the 750-ft (229-m) Tower of the Americas. A new central library designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta opened in 1995. Among San Antonio's educational institutions are Trinity Univ., St. Mary's Univ., Univ. of the Incarnate Word, Our Lady of the Lake Univ., and the Univ. of Texas at San Antonio. The Southwest Research Institute is notable for its research into the technical problems of the region. The city has artists' colonies, an art institute, and numerous museums including the San Antonio Museum of Art. It is also home to the Spurs (National Basketball Association).

History

The city's site had been visited by the Spanish long before the expedition under Martín de Alarcón founded a mission (San Antonio de Valero) and a presidio (San Antonio de Béjar or Béxar) there in 1718. Other missions were opened along the river—San José (1719), Concepción (1731), San Francisco de la Espada (1731), and San Juan Capistrano (1731)—and the neighboring town of San Fernando (now the heart of San Antonio) was founded in 1731. San Antonio was the most important Texas settlement in Spanish and Mexican days. During the Texas Revolution it was captured by the Texans (Dec., 1835) and was the scene of the Mexican attack on the Alamo in Mar., 1836. Later a group of Comanche were killed (1840) in the "council house fight," and in 1842, San Antonio was taken and held briefly by Mexicans. After the Civil War and especially after the coming of the first railroad in 1877, San Antonio prospered as a roaring cow town with a Spanish flavor, which it still retains.

Bibliography

See J. L. Davis, San Antonio: A Historical Portrait (1978); D. R. Johnson, The Politics of San Antonio (1983).

San Antonio: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1980: 1,089,000

1990: 1,324,749

2000: 1,592,383

Percent change, 1990–2000: 20.2%

U.S. rank in 1980: 34th (MSA)

U.S. rank in 1990: 30th (MSA)

U.S. rank in 2000: 29th (MSA)

City Residents

1980: 785,940

1990: 976,514

2000: 1,144,646

2003 estimate: 1,214,725

Percent change, 1990–2000: 17.2%

U.S. rank in 1980: 11th

U.S. rank in 1990: 10th (State rank: 3rd)

U.S. rank in 2000: 13th (State rank: 3rd)

Density: 2,808.5 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 774,708

Black or African American: 78,120

American Indian and Alaska Native: 9,584

Asian: 17,934

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 1,067

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 671,394

Other: 263,233

Percent of residents born in state: 66.8% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Poplation under 5 years old: 92,446

Poplation 5 to 9 years old: 91,849

Poplation 10 to 14 years old: 89,113

Poplation 15 to 19 years old: 88,951

Poplation 20 to 24 years old: 87,684

Poplation 25 to 34 years old: 177,842

Poplation 35 to 44 years old: 174,810

Poplation 45 to 54 years old: 138,880

Poplation 55 to 59 years old: 46,898

Poplation 60 to 64 years old: 36,811

Poplation 65 to 74 years old: 64,108

Poplation 75 to 84 years old: 41,707

Population 85 years and older: 13,547

Median age: 31.7 years

Births (2002)

Total number: 23,169

Deaths (2002)

Total number: 9,386 (of which, 168 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $17,487

Median household income: $36,214

Total households: 405,887

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 46,058

$10,000 to $14,999: 28,462

$15,000 to $24,999: 61,545

$25,000 to $34,999: 59,989

$35,000 to $49,999: 69,799

$50,000 to $74,999: 72,213

$75,000 to $99,999: 32,724

$100,000 to $149,999: 23,245

$150,000 to $199,999: 5,942

$200,000 or more: 5,910

Percent of families below poverty level: 14.0% (23.1% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 76,777

San Antonio: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

San Antonio's major daily (morning) newspaper is the Express-News. San Antonio has numerous community newspapers, among them the San Antonio Register which serves the African American community, and specialty papers such as Go! 50 + for mature readers and San Antonio Business Journal for the business community. Several local newspapers, including Brooks Discovery, Fort Sam Houston Newsleader, Kelly USA Observer, Lackland Tailspinner, Medical Patriot, and Randolph Wingspread, serve the military community. Additionally, the official trade magazine of the U.S. Airforce, Airman, is published here. Eight medical newspapers and magazines are published in San Antonio, four magazines focus on cattle, and two magazines provide information on local events, entertainment, shopping, and dining.

Television and Radio

Eight television stations broadcast from San Antonio: four network affiliates, one public, one independent broadcasting religious and educational programming, one station affiliated with Telemundo and another with Univision. Additional stations are available via cable. Radio stations number more than 20 and offer a wide variety of formats, including Spanish-language programming.

Media Information: Express-News, PO Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297; telephone: (210)250-3000

San Antonio Online

City of San Antonio Home Page. Available www.ci.sat.tx.us

Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Available www.sachamber.org

San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau. Available www.sanantoniocvb.com

San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. Available saedf.dcci.com

San Antonio Express-News. Available www.expressnews.com

San Antonio Public Library. Available www.sat.lib.tx.us

Selected Bibliography

Harrigan, Stephen, The Gates of the Alamo (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000)

Scott, Bob and Robert Scott, After the Alamo (Plano, Tx.: Republic of Texas Press, 1999)

San Antonio: Convention Facilities

San Antonio's Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, in the heart of San Antonio's historic district along the riverwalk, is the city's largest convention facility. Built in 1968 as part of the HemisFair, it recently underwent a $218-million expansion that increased its square footage to 1.3 million. The convention center has more than 203,000 square feet of meeting space that is divisible in 67 ways, four exhibit halls offering a total of approximately 440,000 square feet of contiguous display space, and three ballrooms. The convention center complex also features the Lila Cockrell Theatre, a performance art theater offering seating for more than 2,500.

The Alamodome, a $186-million state-of-the-art facility that can be used to host large conventions as well as trade shows and other events, opened in 1993. Featuring a Southwestern color scheme, the Alamodome has 160,000 gross square feet of contiguous floor space and configurations for groups of up to 77,000 people. The Alamodome is within walking distance of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and HemisFair Park, the River Walk, the Alamo, and more than 9,000 hotel rooms.

San Antonio's alternate meeting facility is the Municipal Auditorium and Conference, an opulent structure dating to 1926 and lovingly restored with attention to historical detail after a 1979 fire. Its main auditorium offers seating for nearly 5,000. The lobby and two small wings on the main level and approximately 24,000 square feet on the lower level provide additional space for meetings, exhibits, and banquets.

Convention Information: San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau, 121 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205; telephone (210)207-6700

San Antonio

The City in Brief

Founded: 1718 (incorporated 1809)

Head Official: Mayor Ed Garza (D) (since 2001)

City Population

1980: 785,940

1990: 976,514

2000: 1,144,646

2003 estimate: 1,214,725

Percent change, 1990–2000: 17.2%

U.S. rank in 1980: 11th

U.S. rank in 1990: 10th (State rank: 3rd)

U.S. rank in 2000: 13th (State rank: 3rd)

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 1,089,000

1990: 1,325,000

2000: 1,592,383

Percent change, 1990–2000: 20.2%

U.S. rank in 1980: 34th (MSA)

U.S. rank in 1990: 30th (MSA)

U.S. rank in 2000: 29th (MSA)

Area: 407.6 square miles (2000)

Elevation: Approximately 701 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 68.6° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 27.9 inches

Major Economic Sectors: services, wholesale and retail trade, government

Unemployment rate: 4.5% (December 2004)

Per Capita Income: $17,487 (2000)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 94,132

Major Colleges and Universities: University of Texas at San Antonio, St. Mary's University, San Antonio College

Daily Newspaper: Express-News

San Antonio: Health Care

The 900-acre South Texas Medical Center (STMC) includes the prestigious University of Health Science Center at San Antonio, nine major hospitals including a veterans hospital, two physical rehabilitation centers, and two psychiatric hospitals. Approximately 25,000 people are employed at the facilities of STMC, which is recognized worldwide by medical and health care professionals for the impact of its advanced research, patient diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, degree programs, and state-of-the-art physical structures.

The San Antonio area also has numerous medical facilities outside the boundaries of the South Texas Medical Center, including over two dozen general hospitals, two state hospitals, two children's psychiatric hospitals, and two Department of Defense hospitals: Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, one of the Army's largest and considered a premier burn treatment facility, and Wilford Hall Medical Center, the Air Force's largest medical facility, at Lackland Air Force Base.

Health Care Information: Bexar County Medical Society, 6243 West Ih 10, Suite 600, San Antonio, TX 78201

San Antonio: Municipal Government

San Antonio, the Bexar County seat, is administered by a council-manager form of city government. City council members are elected from 10 districts and the mayor is elected at-large. The mayor and city council appoint the city manager.

Head Officials: Mayor Ed Garza (D) (since 2001; current term expires 2005); City Manager J. Rolando Bono

Total Number of City Employees: more than 12,000 (2004)

City Information: City of San Antonio, PO Box 839966, San Antonio, TX 78283; telephone (210)207-7060; fax (210)207-4077