I left the San Antonio area in the summer of 1980 when I turned 18 and joined the U.S. Air Force. At the time I had just graduated from Lytle High School, just south of San Antonio proper. I grew up on the city’s south west side on a street called Birch Valley in one of the ubiquitous Ray Ellison homes. My parents paid around $18,000 for a new, three-bedroom home with garage and central air conditioning. Quite a bargain. This was back in about 1966. We lived near Kelly and Lackland Air Force Bases and I remember as a child marveling at the huge C5 cargo planes that were always overhead. I also remember the smell of fresh roof tar because the neighborhood was still being built out in those days.
Ironically, I did not attend Air Force basic training at Lackland AFB. I had secured a coveted appointment as a cadet candidate at the Air Force Academy Prep School in Colorado Springs, Colo. I went on to complete prep school and two years of the Air Force Academy itself but did not graduate. But I did remain in the Air Force first in the Air Force Reserve and then on active duty with the Air National Guard.
Over the years, I saw many parts of the country but only a few parts of the world outside the U.S. I can remember on my one deployment to the Middle East watching the NBA finals during the 2002-2003 season and seeing my Spurs win a game at about 4 a.m. No matter where I was in the world or the U.S., my heart was always in San Antonio.
I returned to my old neighborhood for a visit probably about 10 years ago and was very disappointed to see how run-down it had become. This brings to mind a problem that many cities face – how to maintain a neighborhood that, when new, was a beautiful piece of the city. There was a drive-in theater and public pool nearby. Both of which were gone when I returned, replaced with other commercial developments. It’s important for a city to provide neighborhood recreational opportunities for kids, especially in the summertime.
The last time I came to town for a visit was about five years ago and I marveled at how the River Walk was continuing to extend and develop north through the Museum Reach and south through the Mission Reach. I’m pleased to see that San Antonio is activating and maintaining its crown jewel of an urban park. It’s unlike any other in this country.
As someone who is normally barefoot, and participates in barefoot marathons, it was refreshing to be able to enjoy the textures of the city in ways that most people miss. I particularly enjoyed walking along the River Walk and stopping for a nice dinner at one of the colorful Mexican restaurants there, and eating outside without a word being said about my lack of footwear.
San Antonio is somewhat unusual in the way it has grown over the years physically – by spreading out. This has made it difficult, I think, to concentrate more effort downtown and in the urban core. The city is so spread out that it’s hard to imagine how San Antonio would be able to afford to modernize mass transit options with streetcars or even a subway system. I am a big fan of mass transit options like that. I’ve seen them work very well on the East Coast, where I’ve lived for a number of years. Of course, the sheer number of people here makes it more economically viable. As someone who has used the commuter rail to travel to and from work, I am hopeful that the Lone Star Rail District, or some iteration of it, is eventually successful.
I felt that San Antonio was a “city on the rise,” even while I was living here decades ago, I felt that San Antonio was a “city on the rise” and I still feel that way today. It’s obvious that San Antonio is doing a lot of careful planning surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage designation for the Missions and that will certainly draw many more tourists to the area, especially internationally.
I’m pleased to see the redevelopment efforts at Hemisfair Park. This is such an important part of the city and needs to be kept vibrant and alive. It’s also a relief to finally see the funds materialize for the construction of a new federal courthouse.
From what I’ve seen, the only thing that San Antonio “needs” when compared to the East Coast is continued improvements to mass transit. I know there are some ideas floating around for light- or high-speed rail links with other parts of Texas, and perhaps even a streetcar line or two. I say keep pushing in that direction and make sure these alternative transporation options provide a convenient link to downtown destinations. Perhaps many years down the road, when there is enough population concentration within the city limits, even subways can be considered. That’s my favorite way to travel.
I often read about San Antonio’s ongoing competition with Austin. I’ll admit I’m a bit jealous of Austin’s success, but I don’t concern myself with that too much. As long as San Antonio concentrates on what makes it a great city, convention destination and continues its efforts to draw young talent, I think San Antonio will continue to thrive. After all, I understand it’s quite a bit more expensive to live in Austin so I say let them keep their high rent. San Antonio is a charming city, let’s continue to capitalize on that.
But years down the road, I can foresee a metroplex akin to what we see in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area today. San Antonio and Austin both will continue to grow toward each other and, like it or not, these two cities’ futures are tied together in many ways.
That’s my view from afar, anyway. Keep up the good work, San Antonio.
Top image: U.S. Air Force Academy portrait of Victor Palma, circa 1982.
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