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.
It’s seven in the morning, and I can see the sun begin to rise as I stand on my back steps, watching Scarlett, my best friend, run around the yard at top speed, as is her morning routine. Cars begin to race along WW White Road with drivers heading to or from work, all trying to beat the morning traffic rush. It’s still very quiet, though. One of the things I love about living in Dellcrest Forrest.
I grew up on the South Side of San Antonio and moved to Dellcrest Forrest right before the start of the pandemic. A culmination of life events and relationships encouraged my move to start afresh. What I found was a renewal of self, love and food!
You don’t have to drive far before you find yourself near any of the numerous choices of food establishments. While there are a few chain restaurants and fast food joints, my favorites have been the mom-and-pop, not-gonna-find-this-anywhere-else-in-San Antonio eateries like Lung Fung, 2M BBQ, Little Fish Factory, Ruben’s Tamales and let’s not forget Chatman’s Chicken.
Of course, there’s also a plethora of taquerias to choose from. On occasion, you can spot several food trucks set up along WW White Road or nearby Rigsby Avenue offering their specialties. Whatever your taste buds desire, you will be sure to find it and not have to drive across town for it.
So how does one stay active with all these food choices? Thankfully, there’s a gym within walking distance where I can enter a non-judgmental space to work out. Or, if the weather permits and the blazing Texas sun is not too extreme, I can drive to Copernicus Park, Dellcrest Park or one of several trailhead parks that run alongside the Salado Creek Greenway.
These parks include Martin Luther King Park, J Street Park and Comanche Park. Whether you are looking for a place to run, a game of basketball, to set up a volleyball net or hit the trails on foot or on a bike, there is no limit on the type of physical activity that you can partake in.
Dellcrest Forrest is a quaint little neighborhood established in the 1960s with many of the residents being original or generational homeowners. Four of my neighbors, all of whom are retired, welcomed me with open arms and love. This is what community is about. Stepping outside to watch the Juneteenth Parade on WW White, waving at neighbors, chatting about the weather or even moving your trash bin from the street to the side of the house.
During the pandemic, we’d check in on each other, and if anyone needed something, we’d try our best to help. When Winter Storm Uri hit, we’d chat to make sure everyone was doing well to stay warm and had food for the days that followed. And when Scarlett accidentally got out of the yard and ran away for a day, my neighbors helped to get her back home to me.
It would be remiss of me as a social worker to not talk about the socioeconomic impact of development in the area. Growth is good. Development is great. But you can also see the beginnings of gentrification in the area. Home remodels are popping up for sale. New housing communities have started to break ground along WW White. Amid all this, a little pop-up tent belonging to an individual experiencing homelessness was set up right behind the newly built Frost Bank customer building. This is a community that continues to thrive one way or another.
It’s about seven-thirty in the evening, the sun has started to set leaving streaks of cotton candy pink and blue coconut. Scarlett’s chasing butterflies in between fetching her frisbee. Traffic is heavy along WW White but the noise is minimal, allowing for nature’s night sounds to be heard. My neighbor, Mr. Fix-it, is in his backyard putting away his tools and locking his workshed. We give each other a wave and a nod before shutting it down for the night. This is my neighborhood. This is where I live. This is Dellcrest Forrest.
