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.
There’s nothing like growing up on the South Side of San Antonio. You’re surrounded by people who share your culture and are proud of it. It’s where my husband and I met, became close friends and eventually fell in love and started a family together.
As beautiful as life on the South Side is, it can also feel like being in a bubble. In 2020, we realized we wanted to get out of our bubble and experience something different. The pandemic had also been tough on us, and we wanted a place where we could get away and start fresh.
We certainly got our wish when we moved to New Braunfels.
New Braunfels had everything we were looking for: great schools for our two kids, the convenience of having an H-E-B and Target nearby, and plenty of opportunities for fun in the great outdoors. It was also an underserved market when it came to social media and content creation, which allowed me to build a successful business.
But it was a big adjustment.
Coming from a predominantly Hispanic part of San Antonio to a predominantly white city like New Braunfels was definitely a culture shock. Not only was it hard to find good Mexican food (no problem finding German food, though!), but the comfort and familiarity of being around people who share your culture was missing.
With time, we learned more about New Braunfels and its German culture, became more involved in the community, and learned to navigate this new space without losing ourselves in it.
I was inspired to take a step back from the social media lens and work behind the scenes to create content for local small businesses, which helped me get to know the city and the people who live here. Had I been in a more saturated market like San Antonio when I started my business, I don’t know if I would have enjoyed the same level of success.
I’m grateful to be able to send my kids to good schools and to spend time with them outdoors. We love hiking, camping and fishing, so you’re certain to find us at the rivers all summer. Stopping by Buc-ee’s for snacks is a must, though it’s becoming harder to avoid the crowds of tourists.
The Comal County Fair and Rodeo held in the fall is the largest county fair in central Texas and a new favorite for our family. There’s also Wein and Saengerfest in May, where you can sample beer and wine while enjoying performances by local bands, and Wassail Fest in December, where you can do some holiday shopping while sipping on a warm, cinnamony cider called wassail. But the most popular New Braunfels event has to be Wurstfest. More than 200,000 people attended last year’s 10-day fall festival.
We’re still close enough to San Antonio to visit our old stomping grounds once in a while, and for our loved ones to visit us in our new home. We like showing off New Braunfels’ natural beauty and small-town charm. Visitors expecting a rowdy night out on the town like we used to have in San Antonio might be surprised when last call comes at 11 p.m., but we appreciate how New Braunfels has made us slow down and enjoy each other. It’s definitely been the fresh start we needed.
