Photo by Steve Moore, courtesy of the
San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Remember the Alamo? That infamous 1836 confrontation between thousands of forces led by Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna and 189 Texan defenders galvanized the country and made San Antonio’s Alamo a rallying point in the battle for Texas independence. Today, more than 150 years later, San Antonio has become a central point in the Sun Belt to live, work, and play.

The Battle of the Alamo established a military tradition for the city that still endures, with three Air Force bases and Army outpost Fort Sam Houston pumping an estimated $4.9 billion a year into the local economy. The Alamo City is also becoming a hub of technology with the help of the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative (SATAI). This network of businesses, institutions, and individuals was established to aid startup companies and introduce entrepreneurs to investors in such areas as information technology, telecommunications, and bioscience.

Tourists from all over remember the Alamo — and flock to the site to learn more about the famous battle and the fight for Texas’ independence. Photo by Al Rendon, courtesy of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

On Duty

San Antonio has long been known as a regional leader in healthcare, but today the city is also at the epicenter of bioscience research. Eight of 11 of the latest cancer-fighting drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration were developed in San Antonio. That has helped make the healthcare industry the largest single booster of the city’s economy, employing about 15% of the total San Antonio workforce (roughly 98,000 people) in 2001. The healthcare industry contributed $11.5 billion to the city’s coffers in 2001 — a 5% increase from the previous year. And, San Antonio added approximately 4,100 jobs in 2002, even though the national economy was struggling through a recession.

With that kind of strength, the economic outlook for the city is bright, especially in the healthcare field. “All the segments of the industry will continue to increase, as demand for healthcare grows from the aging population and more public dollars are spent on healthcare and new facilities,” says Mary Stafl, chair of Trinity University’s healthcare administration program.

Those facilities include the $50 million Children’s Cancer Research Institute located on the grounds of the University of Texas Health Science Center. Built with an oncology endowment from the state’s settlement with tobacco companies, the 100,000 square-foot facility features the latest and greatest state-of-the-art equipment. The Heart Hospital of San Antonio, which is scheduled to open in early 2004, will cover 145,000 square feet and employ nearly 300 people. Dedicated solely to the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, the facility will feature a cardiac emergency center, helipad, four operating suites, and four cardiac catheterization labs. Plans call for the 60-bed hospital to eventually expand to 120 beds.

The prime focus of healthcare in San Antonio is the South Texas Medical Center, which is comprised of 10 major hospitals and 80 clinics situated on a 900-acre campus in the northeast part of the city. The 50-year-old facility cares for nearly 100,000 inpatients and around 3.5 million outpatients each year, and employs about 25,000 people. A five-year expansion plan calls for $257 million in improvements on the 300 acres of the South Texas Medical Center that still remain undeveloped.

The Baptist Health System, which was established in 1902, consists of five not-for-profit acute-care hospitals located at strategic points around the city. The network recently forged a partnership with Nashville, TN-based Vanguard Health System, which plans to spend $200 million over the next six years to upgrade and modernize the facilities. Charles Martin, chairman and chief executive officer of Vanguard, says, “As we build this new partnership and advance the Baptist mission, we will also invest significant new capital in the system’s five hospitals and in San Antonio, thereby expanding access to healthcare services for all residents of the community.”

U.S. News & World Report has also ranked the city’s University Health System as one of the country’s best hospitals for the past four years, and San Antonio is home to many more healthcare facilities and research organizations. In addition, 54 nursing homes with 6,722 licensed beds are located in and around the area.

Off Duty

But if the Alamo City is a good place to work, it’s an even better place to kick back and party — one reason why San Antonio is also known as Fiesta City. Nothing underscores that better than the nine-day Fiesta celebration held city-wide in mid-April. The annual gala brings marching bands, auto races, military displays, and other celebrations to the downtown area, including a barge parade on the San Antonio River. The river, which bisects the city, provided a lifeline for early settlers and is now a central focus for much of the city’s entertainment and dining.

The River Walk area is host to many enjoyable festivals and serves up a variety of restaurants. Photo by Al Rendon, courtesy of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The River Walk area is host to several festivals each year, including the River Walk Mud Festival, Mardi Gras Arts & Crafts Fair & Parade, Canoe Challenge, and the Holiday River Parade & Lighting Ceremony. In March, the river is dyed a bright green for St. Patrick’s Day. But gimmicks aside, gastronomes will find they can literally eat their way from one end of River Walk to the other; the tributary is lined with restaurants featuring a wide range of cuisine.

One of the best restaurants is Las Canarias, a romantic destination inside the picturesque La Mansión del Rio hotel that descends to the River Walk on three levels. With gracious service, delicious regional cuisine, and al fresco waterfront dining, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you enjoy the restaurant’s 1852-vintage Spanish architecture. If you’re a fan of more adventurous American fare, Silo is sure to please. Located above a former produce and grocery market, the restaurant has become a favorite for its stylish decor and mouthwatering specialties, such as wasabi crab cakes on sesame noodles and chicken-fried oysters on wilted greens with hollandaise. The downstairs bar features tango lessons on Wednesday nights.

Get a great view of San Antonio from the Tower of the Americas, which is one of the tallest structures in the country. Photo by Al Rendon, courtesy of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

When it’s time to explore, a good place to start is the city’s most famous landmark, the Alamo. Located in the heart of downtown, the mission’s peaceful tree-shaded grounds belie its violent past. Exhibits and a History Channel-produced film recall the famous battle. The Tower of the Americas, one of the tallest structures in the US, is another must-see. Visiting the 750-foot spire’s observation deck is a good way to get an overview of the city, and its lounge and restaurant are great places to enjoy the sunset while you watch the city lights twinkle to life.

Opera and symphony fans will want to visit San Antonio’s amazing Majestic Theater, a mix of Moorish and Spanish Revival architecture. The interior is a gilded jewel, with intricate carvings and ornate turrets and towers set against an azure ceiling that simulates a twilight sky. The theater hosts pop and classical musical performances, Broadway shows, and opera.

The Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum contains a terrific collection of French postimpressionist and early 20th-century European paintings. Photo by Al Rendon, courtesy of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

San Antonio is also home to several world-class museums, including the San Antonio Museum of Art, which is housed in the former Lone Star Brewery downtown. The Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum contains an impressive collection of French postimpressionist and early 20th-century European paintings. And, the Witte Museum features history and science exhibits, major national traveling exhibits, family events, live gallery theater, and overnight camp-ins for children.

Whether you’re going to a museum, a play, or to work, it’s easy to get around in San Antonio. The area boasts 135 miles of expressways, including I-10, which runs east and west; I-35 and I-37, which run north and south; and two loops that circle the city: I-410 and state highway 1604. VIA Metropolitan Transit operates a fleet of 150 brightly colored buses, and San Antonio International Airport features direct service to all major US hubs.

San Antonio’s early history may have been turbulent, but in the 21st century this Sun Belt metropolis has blended the best of its past with a modern aesthetic that attracts many visitors and new residents each year. As the city grows, its leaders carefully preserve that history while planning for the future, making San Antonio an attractive balance of the old and new.