San Antonio

San Antonio is Texas’ third biggest city and the seventh largest city in the United States. It is the country’s 24th biggest metropolitan region. San Antonio, Texas, is a magnificent metropolis located on the axis of three distinct geological terrains: Hill Country, South Texas Plains, and Prairie and Lakes. This city offers a wealth of activities, including exquisite art museums, historical missions, and several amusement parks, in addition to excellent cuisine and plenty of drinking. The people and culture are dynamic and fascinating. The downtown area of San Antonio is one of the most vibrant in the country.

San Antonio is regarded as the birthplace of Texan liberty. Its most renowned feature is the Alamo, the location of the epic conflict (1836) that claimed the lives of Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Though it must be said that the majority of tourists’ initial impression upon seeing the Alamo is “Hm, I expected it would be larger.”

San Antonio, more than any other city in Texas, embodies the state’s Spanish and Mexican roots. Hispanics make up a significant portion of the population, as seen in the majority of localities. San Antonio’s Hispanic atmosphere distinguishes it as a really unique metropolis in the United States. This is most visible during Fiesta week, a major celebration that draws 3.5 million people from all over the world to the city’s lovely downtown streets to enjoy parades, music, festivals, fairs, and food and drink.

San Antonio, with a population of over 1.5 million and a metro population of roughly 2.4 million, has a small-town atmosphere despite its busyness. Its residents are pleasant, outgoing, and bicultural, and the city’s population density allows for easy access to almost anyplace within a 30-40 minute drive.

VISITOR CENTERS

• San Antonio Visitor Information Center, 317 Alamo Plaza, 800-447-3372. Visitors to San Antonio should begin their explorations at the downtown Visitor Information Center and Official City Store, which are situated just across the street from the Alamo. It is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge on San Antonio. Representatives there can assist you in obtaining a city map, assisting you in navigating the city, and assisting you with any other needs you may have in San Antonio.

San Antonio has a humid subtropical transitional climate (Köppen: Cfa). Summers are hot, winters are pleasantly warm or moderate, prone to descending northern cold fronts with chilly to cold evenings, and spring and autumn are warm and wet. Summer dewpoints are approximately 68 °F (20 °C).

San Antonio has roughly a dozen subfreezing nights per year, with wintry precipitation occurring about once every 2-3 winters (i.e. sleet/freezing rain), however accumulation and snow are very unusual. Winters may pass without any freezing precipitation, and in the past, snowfalls have lasted up to a decade. The National Weather Service reports that the city has had 31 episodes of snowfall (a trace or more) during the last 122 years, or approximately once every four years. Snow was last observed in the city on February 4, 2011 when 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of snow fell. In 1985, the city recorded a 16-inch snowfall record (41 cm).

San Antonio and New Braunfels, forty miles to the northeast, are located in among of North America’s most flood-prone locations. The October 1998 Central Texas floods were one of the most expensive in US history, causing $750 million in damage and killing 32 people. Between June 30 and July 7, 2002, the San Antonio region received 35 inches (890 mm) of rain, resulting in extensive floods and 12 deaths.

Tornadoes have been detected inside the city borders as late as October 2011, albeit they are very rare. On average, an F2 tornado will make landfall within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the city once every five years. San Antonio has been struck by two F4 tornadoes, the first in 1953 and the second in 1973. Two people were killed and fifteen were injured in the 1953 storm.

July and August are the hottest months on average in San Antonio, with average highs of 95 °F (35 °C). The hottest temperature ever recorded was 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius) on September 5, 2000. January is the coldest month on average. The lowest temperature ever recorded was 0 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) on January 31, 1949. May, June, and October get a significant amount of precipitation. Since 1871, the average annual precipitation has been 29.03 inches (737 millimeters), ranging from 52.28 inches (1,328 millimeters) to 10.11 inches (256.8 millimeters) in a single year.

San Antonio is situated at around 29.5°N 98.5°W. It is located around 75 miles southwest of Austin, the state capital. Additionally, the city is around 190 miles west of Houston and approximately 250 miles south of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan region. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 412.07 square miles (1,067.3 km2) in 2000, consisting of 407.56 square miles (1,055.6 km2) of land (98.9 percent) and 4.51 square miles (11.7 km2) of water (1.1 percent). On the Balcones Escarpment, the city is located. San Antonio is located at an elevation of 772 feet (235 meters) above sea level.

San Antonio’s economy is diverse, with a metropolitan Gross Domestic Product of around $96.8 billion. This places the city fourth in Texas and 38th in the United States. San Antonio’s economy is mostly based on the military, health care, civil service, financial services, oil and gas, and tourist industries. San Antonio has grown to be a prominent destination for American-based contact centers and has added a sizable manufacturing sector focusing on vehicles during the last two decades.

The South Texas Medical Center, located about 10 miles northwest of Downtown, is a conglomeration of several hospitals, clinics, research (see Southwest Research Institute), and higher educational institutions.

Each year, over twenty million people visit the city and its attractions, significantly contributing to the city’s economy, owing mostly to The Alamo and River Walk. Each year, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center alone holds over 300 events attended by more than 750,000 convention delegates from all around the globe. Tourism employs 94,000 residents and contributes more than $10.7 billion to the local economy, according to the Economic Impact Study done every two years by the San Antonio Tourism Council and the Trinity University research team of Dr. Richard Butler and Dr. Mary Stefl. Additionally, tourism generates additional yearly income for the City of San Antonio and other governmental organizations via the hotel and motel tax, sales taxes, and other earnings through hospitality agreements and contracts. In 2012, this figure topped $300 million.

Six Fortune 500 firms are headquartered in San Antonio: Valero Energy Corporation, Tesoro Corporation, USAA, iHeartMedia, NuStar Energy, and CST Brands, Inc. H-E-B, the nation’s 14th biggest private firm, is also based in San Antonio. Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises, Carenet Healthcare Services, Security Service Federal Credit Union, Eye Care Centers of America, Frost Bank, Harte-Hanks, Kinetic Concepts, SWBC, NewTek, Rackspace, Taco Cabana, Broadway Bank, Zachry Holdings/Zachry Construction Company, Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union, and Whataburger are also headquartered in San Antonio.

San Antonio was named No. 50 on Forbes’ 2015 list of the Greatest Places for Business and Careers, with the 15th best employment growth market.