True Top 5 Places to Live in San Antonio

There are a lot of articles and videos that claim to know “the best places to live in San Antonio,” but they don’t have the added knowledge that comes with living and working here for a substantial amount of time. I’ve been here for 11 years now, working as a police officer and real estate agent, and I'm here to share with you the information I wish I had when I moved here.

 

Throughout this process I did a lot of research to find a resource that had good and accurate information about various communities. Niche is a reliable website that grades cities based on a detailed report card, which is why I have used their ratings to support why these are the best places to live in San Antonio. To make the decision a little easier, I have categorized these 5 places to live into four categories: population, schools, safety & crime, and nightlife. These four categories are important things to know when picking the best city for you and your family.

 

No matter what season you are in your life, choosing the right place to live is important, so let's explore the best areas in San Antonio that I recommend! 

 

 

• Terrell Hills, Alamo Heights, and Olmos Park

 

Population 

Terrell Hills, Alamo Heights, and Olmos are three little towns that take up a small percentage of San Antonio. Combined they have a population of around 15,000 people, which means there are about 5000 people in each city. It is located east of the downtown San Antonio area, and the median house price in that area is $600,000.

 

Schools 

On average, the schools in these towns average an A+ according to Niche.com. That I can personally vouch for since most of my real estate clients from this area have really good reviews for the schools. 

 

Safety & Crime 

Niche graded their crime and safety a B- which is probably because it is still located in the inner city. In any inner city there is bound to be crime, and it is most likely associated with nightlife activities and dense foot traffic in those areas. 

 

Nightlife 

A city's nightlife can encompass a wide variety of things like bars, restaurants, movies, clubs, outdoor activities, etc. Since there is so much to do within these towns and there’s also the convenience of downtown San Antonio, these towns average an A rating. 

 

• Garden Ridge 

 

Garden Ridge is technically not located in the city of San Antonio, but it is just North of it. It’s pretty much a rock throw from the San Antonio city limit, so I decided to add it to the list. 

 

 Population 

Garden Ridge is one of the smaller cities on this list with a population of only 4000 people. It is not a densely populated city, and the nightlife and crime ratings reflect what one would expect from a smaller town. 

 

Schools 

As a parent, it is important to move to a city that has a good school district where their children are getting a quality education. Garden Ridge averages an A+ which is awesome for a smaller city. 

 

Crime & Safety 

Crime and Safety scored an A-, and that could be because of the vast amount of space between people and the lack of businesses and shopping places in the area. 

 

Nightlife

If you like partying in the country, riding around the ranch, hanging out with your friends, and drinking in the backyard then a C- could be way off. Like I said before, websites like Niche only give you certain information and from there you choose what fits your lifestyle. If you like dense crowds and crowded places, then Garden Ridge might not be the town for you—Sorry. 

 

 

• New Braunfels 

 

Population 

The city of New Braunfels has a population of 80,000 people, which is a lot considering it’s a city that has a multitude of places to go and things to do. 

 

Schools 

Their schools average an A-, which is a good rating for schools in an area with 80,000 people! 

 

Safety and Crime 

C+ is a low safety and crime rating considering the median house price of $400,000. Since New Braunfels is known for having festivals, gatherings, touring, and floating on the river these things could be a contributor to its low rating. It is such a unique town with a cluster of events, so crime is something to consider if you move here. 

 

Nightlife 

Like I mentioned previously, New Braunfels has a lot of events that cater to almost any interest, so they got an A-. For a small, German town there’s a lot of things to do and several activities that aim at getting the community involved. 

 

3. Shavano Park and Hollywood Park 

 

Shavano and Hollywood Park are both located in a very centralized and specific location on the northwest side of San Antonio. Unlike the other cities on this list, this pocket has its own police and fire department, so it is not incorporated into the city of San Antonio’s Municipality Services. 

 

Schools: 

The schools average an A- with Hollywood Park with an A and Shavano Park with a B+. This area has its own elementary, middle, and high school so they pay a lot of money in property taxes to be in that area

 

Safety & Crime

They both average around a B average when it comes to safety and crime, which is decent for a city that has a high rating in nightlife and things to do. 

 

Nightlife: 

Shavano and Hollywood Park are pretty much in the heart of the medical center and they’re in between the rim and 10&1604 so there is a lot to do there. There is pretty much a nightlife for anything you like to do there, which is why it received an A. 

 

 

• Schertz 

 

Schertz is located on the northeast side of San Antonio and, just like some of the other cities, it is not within the city limits of SA but just a few minutes away.  

 

Population

According to Niche, there are a combined 40,000 people that includes the Schertz, Ciblo, and the Selma area. These three towns are very close together, so they lumped the populations together. 

 

School 

The Schertz Independent School District got an A- rating which is good for the median house price of $300,000

 

Safety and Crime 

It is a quiet town, since it is considered a suburb, so I was surprised that they got a B- when it came to Safety and Crime. 

 

Nightlife: 

Schertz is more of a suburban town that would emit more of a family feel rather than a place known for their nightly gatherings, so that is why it received a B-. 

 

 

• Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch 

 

Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch has become a popular place to live because it has access to pretty much anywhere in the city, with a median house price of $325,000. These two towns are really close together, and they are located outside of what we like to call IH 10 (interstate highway 10) and 1604. Boerne started off as a small river town that had a lot of big lots and had that traditional, old town Texas feel.  Fair Oak Ranch was the suburb of that town back in the day, but now there’s a ton of developments around the I-10 corridor that has made it very popular around the San Antonio suburb area. Commercial real estate has also beefed up a lot of nightlife activities, schools and thoroughfares making it easier to get around. The total population for both towns is around 25,000 people, and all those people pretty much share one highway that is three lanes in and three lanes out which can get a little congested. 

 

School: 

Both school districts got an A+, which is a good rating for that area. 

 

Boerne’s Crime and Safety 

Both cities have two different ratings for the two towns, so I broke them up into their own respective sections. Boerne received a C+ rating for their safety and crime, and that could be for several reasons. The two things that come to mind are because it’s the main thoroughfare for everywhere and because there’s a lot of shopping districts in that area. 

 

Fair Oaks Ranch’s Crime and Safety  

On the other hand, Fair Oaks Ranch received an A- probably because it’s further away from the main corridor in Boerne. That may explain the difference in rating but who really knows.  

 

Nightlife: B-

A B- in Nightlife is not too bad but in Boerne you have a lot more things to do, while Fair Oaks Ranch is more of a suburb feel where there’s not a lot to do at night. This also supports the fact that Boerne has a lower crime and safety rating than its counterpart. 

 

Out of these five places to live I’ve got to say that each of them has different pros and cons that attract a wide variety of people and their families. 

 

Check out Niche websites and my website. If you have any questions shoot me a message