The Benavidez family in front of their home in Helotes. Credit: Stephanie Marquez / San Antonio Report 
Ruby Martinez-Berrier walks down the front steps of her home in Lavaca. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report 
Beatrice and Sam Briseno wave from their porch in Roosevelt Park. Credit: Stephanie Marquez for the San Antonio Report
Many of us will remember 2020 as the year “home” took on a whole new meaning. Dining rooms transformed into classrooms and home offices, neighbors became support systems, and shopping local took on even greater importance as small businesses struggled to stay afloat.
In Julie Silvius Magadance’s Oak Haven Heights neighborhood, the creek became a place for neighbors to gather at a safe distance; Christian Reed-Ogba’s neighbors at The Baldwin dropped off goodies at each other’s doors; and Jonas Crafts joined his neighbors for socially-distanced cocktails from his Alteza Residences balcony.
Julie Silvius Magadance, Steve Magadance, and their dog Clay stand on the porch in their backyard. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report 
Christian Reed-Ogba stands on her balcony at the Baldwin. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report 
Jonas Crafts takes a photograph overlooking downtown San Antonio from the pool area of the Alteza Condos.
Proximity to parks was a perk for many residents seeking a safe way to get out of the house. Amanda and Tony Infante enjoyed strolls around Woodlawn Lake with their dog, Bella; Catalina DiBaggio and her family walked from their home in the Great Northwest neighborhood over to Cathedral Rock Park for some outdoor playtime; and Shea Daniel-Youngblood headed to Lady Bird Johnson Park in her Northeast Park neighborhood for picnics and painting.
Antonio “Tony” and Amanda Infante stand in front of their home in Woodlawn Lake with their dog Bella. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report 
(Clockwise, from left) Adrianna, 9 mo., Catalina DiBaggio, Greg DiBaggio, Elena, 2, and Lily the dog stand in front of their home in Great Northwest. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report 
Shea Daniel-Youngblood paints her surroundings in the Northeast Park neighborhood where she has lived since 2007. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report
With local shops and restaurants hit hard by the pandemic, supporting local businesses became a priority for many. Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia got menudo for her parents at Taqueria El Charro de Jalisco on the Southwest Side, Gabby Gonzalez picked up CBD-infused drinks and treats in the drive-thru at DAB House of Hemp in her Five Points neighborhood, and N. Geremy Landin added to his music collection at Janie’s Record Shop in Prospect Hill.
Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (left), with her son Steve outside of their home on the Southwest Side, just miles from where she grew up. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report 
Gabby Gonzalez stands in front of her home in the Five Points neighborhood. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report 
N. Geremy Landin stands in front of his Prospect Hill home. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report
Jonquil Wilson’s dormant green thumb sprouted in quarantine and soon her Thousand Oaks apartment was filled with plants, Sarah Baade’s lucky North Central San Antonio neighbors taste-tested the new recipes she’s developed with added time in the kitchen, and a box of letters in Patricia Shoemaker’s Eden Roc garage that her parents wrote back and forth to each other during World War II finally got sorted.
Jonquil Wilson walks through McAllister Park, where she likes to ride bikes and enjoy nature. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report 
Josh, Eleanor, 4, and Sarah Baade are photographed outside of their neighborhood pond and walking paths in North Central San Antonio. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report 
Patricia Shoemaker and her daughter Joy Shoemaker look through letters written back and forth between Patricia’s parents during the war. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report
Neighborhood roots run deep for several residents who shared their stories this year. In Denver Heights, Karla Vasquez purchased her first home a block away from the house where she and her mother both grew up, Jonathan Scott Melendrez embraced their country roots while spending more time in their Floresville home, Teri Castillo jumped at the chance to rent a home in the Historic West Side neighborhood where her family has lived since the late 19th century, and Blanca Luna is raising the fourth generation of children in her Beanville home.
Karla Vasquez (right) and her fiancé John Gurgiolo walk down their front porch in Denver Heights. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report 
Jonathan Scott Melendrez stands in front of their house in Floresville with over 30 acres of land. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report 
Teri Castillo and her husband Thomas Dean sit with their dogs Axel and Pebbles. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report 
(Clockwise, from left) Phillip Luna, Delain Diem, Amara Diem, Blanca Luna, Lucy, Violet Luna, and Indy stand in front of their home. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report
Thanks to the San Antonians who invited us to their neighborhoods, we’ve gotten to know our city a little bit better. We look forward to continuing to explore San Antonio in 2021 and sharing more stories from readers. If you’d like to see your neighborhood featured in the “Where I Live” series, get in touch here.
