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.
The year was 1985 and circumstances had conspired to allow my husband and I to buy our own place, so we were house shopping. We weren’t looking in just any place, you understand; it had to have room for our horses. Also, it had to be in the San Antonio city limits, thanks to a rule at the time for city employees, which we both were. Choices were limited.
Since we kept our horses at the old Bluebonnet Ranch at the corner of Huebner and Fredericksburg roads, just a few minutes away from Oakland Estates, we decided to ride our horses over and check it out. Lo and behold, we saw a “For Sale By Owner” sign placed in a driveway. The gate was open, so we rode in to see what we could see.
We were greeted by an older couple, just as warm as if we had always known them, with “You’re early.” Puzzlement filled my mind at this but we learned later that our realtor had called and was in the process of trying to reach us to set up an appointment. Well, it was perfect. It was a smallish house with plenty of property for the horses — and well maintained. They even had a pair of sheep, so there were pens. We found a way to make it happen.
We settled in with our horses nicely, keeping to ourselves as Oakland Estates residents tend to do. With each house having quite a bit of property, we all have space between us that allows us all the privacy we want. And we were content to be private. Years passed (as they do) and retirement for me rolled around. I enjoyed my many hobbies.
Most residents are here because of Oakland Estate’s one-of-a-kind nature. The first platted subdivision in Bexar County, we were founded almost 100 years ago in 1926. That we are so near the Medical Center is a circumstance that we didn’t create. Cut-through traffic — people on the way to somewhere else — is most of our traffic.
White-tailed deer, raccoons, foxes and coyotes routinely roam our county-like streets. People come here from other neighborhoods to feed the deer and enjoy the “country.” Because of this, our speed limit is 25 miles per hour. We resist city services like street lights, storm sewers and development that is denser than one house per acre. Truthfully, we resist that, but that was the best we could do with the city rules.
In 2003, a zoning sign was placed in the neighborhood, and I didn’t like what I saw. It was for an assisted living center on a street that couldn’t handle the traffic — in a flood-prone area, to boot. Not in my neighborhood, I thought. So I became “The Petition Lady.” And not being a member of the neighborhood association was a plus in many people’s eyes. I was not a “joiner” anyway.
As they say, “no good deed goes unpunished,” and I was made president of the neighborhood association (they joined me, as it turned out). I am still more or less in charge today, but I can’t last forever. I’d like for someone to step up to the plate and learn the ropes.
The next president will need a fair amount of patience and willingness to hear all sides of an issue. They’ll need to do some public speaking and learn about zoning laws, but that’s not as intimidating as it sounds. Building up that knowledge and experience will come with time, and your neighbors will be there to back you up.
Some of our greatest achievements have happened because we had the backing of other neighborhoods who appeared in droves to sign petitions favoring our desire to not be developed. That kind of opposition sends developers packing.
As long as the next leader of the neighborhood association realizes just how unique Oakland Estates is and honors that, they’ll have the support of their neighbors. This is our home, and we all want what’s best for it. For us, that means keeping things the way they are.
