The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to share your story. If your story is selected and published, you will receive a $250 stipend.
Working for Greater:SATX, our region’s economic and workforce development organization, has made me a huge advocate for downtown San Antonio. While I enjoy spending time downtown, it’s always nice to come home to my amazing neighborhood.
I live in the well-established neighborhood of Colonies North, in the Vance Jackson area of Northwest San Antonio. When we lived in a nearby apartment, my husband and I often took walks around the neighborhood, and that’s all it took to enamor us fully.
When we decided it was time to buy a home, we immediately knew where. Our real estate agent thought we were crazy because we were willing to wait and take our time just so we could get something specifically in this neighborhood.
We love that every house is unique since they were built predominantly in the 1960s and ’70s. They all have a mid-century architecture feel, and you’ll find many ranch-style homes, many of which are filled with wonderful furniture found at the nearby Ironside Antiques Mall.
We all have spacious yards and beautiful, big mature trees. In front yards, you will often see rose bushes and wrought iron benches for welcoming neighbors. We don’t have a homeowners association, but everyone takes pride in their homes and yards and we all come together to mow the lawn at Colonies House, our optional neighborhood club that offers a clubhouse, pool and tennis courts.
On just one walk around the area, you can run into a young professional who works at nearby USAA or in the South Texas Medical Center, an original homeowner who built their house and has had their children and grandchildren attend Colonies North Elementary, and a family who is tending the C.I.E.L.O. Community Garden at the House of Prayer Lutheran Church.
After your walk, you can purchase amazing spices to use for dinner at Man Pasand Indian Pakistani Halal Supermarket or treat yourself to dinner out at African Village Ethiopian restaurant. If you need to work out after those delicious meals, we have the gym at the Jewish Community Center or the trails at Hardberger Park. The next day when it’s time to go to work, it likely won’t take long because we have quick access to almost all major highways since we are right off Interstate 10 and Wurzbach Parkway.
Another favorite in our neighborhood is the Edmund Cody Branch Library, where your kids can attend the after-school hangout events and where the adults can vote during election season. It’s lovely to see the kids walking to and from the many highly rated schools in our area.
Everyone knows that there are two other neighborhood loves, no matter where you live in San Antonio. One is your H-E-B. In my neighborhood, we are lucky to have both the H-E-B at I-10 and Wurzbach and the Alon H-E-B. They are both stellar, and at each visit you are guaranteed to run into someone you know. You’ll get to catch up with the longtime employees, too.
The other San Antonio neighborhood staple is your taco shop. We are lucky to have Taqueria El Rodeo De Jalisco in the Ironside Shopping Center, and you will find no better papas con huevos or burrito Jalisco than there.
The diversity in our area is unparalleled. Our commonality? We all love our neighborhood, and we always care about and have a smile for each other. If you haven’t explored our little gem, please come see where I live.
