Where To Live

If you’re looking for a house or an apartment convenient to Lackland and Port San Antonio, there are many options.

Alamo Ranch, at the intersection of 151 and 1604, is currently one of the most common place for military members to look for housing. Housing developments there, and North and South along 1604, are extremely new and can be affordable for a range of incomes. The area is served by the Northside Independent School District (ISD), which is considered one of the better school districts in the area. The area feels very suburban, with easy access to the country. Commutes are generally 30-40 minutes to Lackland and Port SA.

Near Sea World and Alamo Ranch, along 151, is another extremly common place for military to live. Apartments are common in here, as are housing developments. The area is very suburban, with quick access to the I-410 outskirts of urban San Antonio. The intersection of I-410 and 151 has exploded with commercial developments over the last decade and offers good restaurants and shopping. Commutes are 10-30 minutes to Lackland and Port SA.

New housing developments stretch through the rural areas West between Alamo Ranch and Highway 90, and you can find a nice house for a range of incomes. This is a fairly rural area still. Commutes can vary widely, 20-40 minutes.

There are few nice areas to live closer to Lackland and Port SA, although there are certainly pockets and communities that are great.

The Stone Oak area just outside 1604 near 281 is one of the more expensive places to live in San Antonio, but often called one of the nicest. It is served by North East ISD (NEISD), which is considered one of the better school districts in the area. It is a mixed suburban and rural area. Commutes from Stone Oak to Lackland/Port SA would be over 40-50 minutes currently, but as construction on 281 clears up should fall to 40 minutes. Commutes to Randolph AFB are 30-40 minutes. Fort Sam commutes are about 30 minutes.

Near the airport around 281 there are many areas to live, and home and apartment prices vary widely. It is also served by NEISD. Castle Hills, near Hollywood Park, and near McAllister park are very nice places to live. The area is suburban. Access to downtown is only 15 minutes, and commutes to Lackland and Port SA are under 30 minutes. Randoph commutes are about 40 minutes, and Fort Sam commutes are about 20 minutes.

“Medical center” is the name of the stretch of I-10 between 1604 and I-410, because of the hospitals and UTSA’s Health Science Center. I-10 is painful to commute on, with times varying widely in this stretch. The feel in this area is urban and suburban, with widely-varying house prices and qualities, and many apartment complexes. Some of the city’s more varied small restaurants are in this area, and even if you don’t live here you need to stop by for that.

Alamo Heights is a fairly urban area just north of downtown. Access to downtown is extremely easy, Fort Sam Houston is in the backyard, Lackland and Randolph can be easy reverse-commutes compared to the rest of the commuters (20 minutes for Lackland, 30 for Randolph). The area is served by a mix of Alamo Heights schools, NEISD, and San Antonio ISD (often not a well-loved district).

Houses in this area are generally extremely expensive or old. Apartments and condos are more reasonably-priced. This is one of the most fun places to live in town. I recommend this area highly to single people that like a more urban lifestyle. In this area there are several shopping and restaurant centers, many parks and outdoor areas, city parties, college-aged and recently-college-aged people, young adult sports leagues, and nightlife. Not to mention easy access for all of downtown’s nightlife with public transit or cheap rideshare.

These small cities on the border of San Antonio have a very suburban feel, on the border of the country. Housing prices are reasonable, many nice apartment complexes exist for reasonable prices, and the area is served by Judson ISD, and Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (reasonable reputation). Commutes are very fast to Randolph, and would be fast to Fort Sam except you must take I-35 and it can be a parking lot (30 minutes). Access to downtown is fairly slow, considering the distance is not great. Access to towns like New Braunfels is easy though, and you have the quickest shot to Austin while still being a reasonable commute in San Antonio.

The reputation of the South side of San Antonio among the military community is poor - undeservedly. There are many nice parks, restaurants, and pockets to live on the South side. The South side varies greatly though, and you must do some research on any place you consider living in that area. As usual, consider the school quality if you’re purchasing something, consider crime rates, and consider the look and the feel of the area (Google Street View helps).

Few talk about the East side of San Antonio - that is, just East of downtown. Fort Sam is just north of the area, which fades from urban downtown to industrial area and the Spurs’ stadium (also where the rodeo is held), to the countryside quickly. I know of no place I would recommend living in this area.

I’m not terribly familiar with base housing on JBSA… I’ve seen old-but-nice housing for CGOs and FGOs on Fort Sam, and FGO housing on Lackland is newer and nice. Reasonable-looking housing is available on Lackland and the Chapman annex.

People generally think well of the Lackland schools.

Information is available at the JBSA housing webite.

I’m not at all familiar with the dorms where junior Enlisted members live.

• JBSA’s Housing Site - links to info about base housing