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.
For some, a 30-minute drive may seem long, but for me, it’s my usual commute into San Antonio for work and classes at Our Lady of the Lake University. As a senior journalism major, it’s a drive I enjoy taking from my home in Eagle Creek Ranch in Floresville.
Maybe it’s the long winding roads or the variety of oak trees that engulf the mass of land surrounding most houses, but Eagle Creek Ranch makes it hard for me to ever say goodbye to the quiet, rural scenery.
For 23 years I have called this place home. My sister was born in 1999, and I was born a year after. At the time, my dad was doing well, moving up in his career with CPS Energy. Because of his hard work, my parents were able to move out of my grandma’s small house on the Southwest Side of San Antonio and make a new life for themselves in Floresville. Here, my mom became a teacher at Floresville North Elementary School. My parents made a better life for me and my sister in a community of 7,500 residents.
Memories were made on 5 acres of land. Our property provided all the space two little girls could need to run around and use their imaginations. Whether our house was a boat sailing the vast waves of the ocean, or we were fairies making potions with all the leaves and grass we could collect, there was never a boring moment. Since the houses aren’t too close to each other in my neighborhood, we had plenty of privacy.
If one of us got hurt, we had paramedics at the fire station down the street. This would be the same fire station that, years later, delivered water to our neighborhood when our water system shut down during the freeze in 2021. When we needed a quick snack, the Valero gas station was three minutes away. And if we were feeling up to it, a short drive in the bed of my father’s Dodge truck led us to the Eagle Creek community pond, where my sister and I would squeal at the slimy worms my dad used as fishing bait.
Maverick Grill and Saloon is a popular place to dine in this area. With its Western ambiance, it is a great place for locals to grab some Texas barbecue and enjoy a nice meal. Their Texas toast grilled cheese has always been my favorite.
Since Eagle Creek Ranch is tranquil, walking and running through the community is refreshing. It is a 3-mile jog that offers the perfect escape from reality. You can get lost in nature — the sight of deer roaming, cows and goats staring at you as you pass by and, my favorite, horses carrying their owners down the street. On occasion, dogs tend to stray from their homes. I have had to outrace a few a couple of times.
As I grew older, and circumstances changed, I found myself rarely venturing outside to enjoy nature. I got busy with school, my older sister moved out and my relationship with my dad deteriorated, along with the close dynamic our family had, so I spent most days in my room.
Today, however, when I am leaving early for work or taking a breather outside, I am reminded just how privileged I am to live here. The morning fog shuts out the rest of the world. The evening sun setting over the oaks makes you stop in your tracks. It is easy to get lost in the beauty. Eagle Creek Ranch will always be my home. Even when I move to San Antonio and start my own career, I will savor the memories, the long drives and the scenery that makes Eagle Creek Ranch so special.
