San Antonio – Remember the Alamo

San Antonio is located in the south central region of Texas in the south central United States. It is the seventh most populous city in the United States, with roughly 1.4 million people. San Antonio is a center of financial services, government, health care, manufacturing, and tourism. San Antonio has a land area of 407 square miles. Variously possessed in its history by Spain, Mexico, and the Republic of Texas before being annexed along with Texas as part of the United States in 1845, San Antonio is the site of the famous Battle of the Alamo. The battle pitted the Mexican forces of General Antonio López de Santa Anna against the outnumbered troops of Texas, led by William Barrett Travis and James Bowie, on February 23 – March 6, 1836. All of the Texas forces were killed in the battle, and “Remember the Alamo!” became a rallying cry for Texans, who would later defeat Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, paving the way for Texas’ independence as a republic. The annexation of Texas by the United States would set off the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848, after which San Antonio became a cattle center. The first railroad reached San Antonio in 1877. Rich in history, San Antonio is the site of many centuries-old Spanish missions, and today is home to substantial military forces as well as a vibrant convention and tourism industry.

The San Antonio Economy: Open for Business

San Antonio is a major business and financial center. The city is home to five companies listed on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S companies. Financial services, government services, general services, health care, manufacturing, high technology, telecommunications, media, education, and tourism are all drivers of the San Antonio economy.

Education in San Antonio: On a Mission

Educational attainment among the San Antonio populace is slightly below that of the U.S. as a whole. As of 2000, roughly 75% of its residents aged 25 and older had completed high school and roughly 22% had completed college. There are numerous colleges and universities in San Antonio. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a well-known state public university system with over 30,000 students across eight colleges. Among other institutions of higher learning in San Antonio are: St. Mary’s University, Texas A&M University at San Antonio, and Trinity University.

The Crime Scene in San Antonio: Safe but Sorry

In 2009, San Antonio ranked as one of the safest large cities in the United States. However, this doesn’t mean someone won’t try to steal your wallet – or your car. While San Antonio has quite low violent crime rates, on par or below other large cities such as New York and Los Angeles, it has substantially higher rates of burglary, and property and motor vehicle theft.

The San Antonio Population and Politics: Growing and Changing

San Antonio has a population of approximately 1.4 million people. Its population has been growing robustly, at a rate of 2.0% per year over the past decade. San Antonio has been mixed in its political preferences over the past few decades as its population has grown and changed. Among the more than 500,000 votes cast in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, San Antonio voters chose Democratic candidate Barack Obama over Republican candidate John McCain by a ratio of 52%-47%.