HOUSING IN SAN ANTONIO

The 10 million tourists who visit San Antonio each year only get a taste of what natives are able to enjoy year-round. For when it comes to quality of life, the Alamo City consistently ranks among the most livable cities in America.
A favorable climate, affordable housing, low cost of living and a thriving, diverse economy all help to create an attractive lifestyle for a city that has forged ahead with a clear vision of its future while carefully pveserving the elegance and charm of its colorful past.
Whether they be tourists, shoppers or retirees, one thing they can all count on is mild weather year round. San Antonio enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine annually -- the average temperature in January is 52 degrees and, in July, it is 86 degrees.
Environmentally, San Antonio is among the cleanest and the greenest. In fact, the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C., awarded the city its top environmental ranking in the nation for 1993.
The award, based on eight environmental criteria -- two air pollution measurements, quality of drinking water, toxic chemical releases, energy use, Superfund sites (toxic waste sites designated for cleanup by federal Superfund monies), mass transit and motor vehicle use -- scored San Antonio high in all categories, enough to bump two-time winner Honolulu to fourth place.
San Antonio also ranks among the least congested cities in the nation when it comes to traffic, thanks in part to the city's extensive highway system. According to the Roadway Congestion Index, a report developed by the Texas Transportation Institute, San Antonio rated near the bottom -- 39th out of 50 -- on a list of major U.S. cities in terms of traffic congestion, even though the city ranks 10th in population. At #1, Los Angeles rated the most congested.
Another important "quality of life" factor is housing. San Antonio's real estate market is among the hottest in the nation. In April of this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked San Antonio the No. 1 housing market in America. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median cost of a home in San Antonio for 1993 was $77,000, which is 28 percent below the national median of $106,800. Homes in San Antonio are available at less than half the cost of comparable housing in some cities in California.
Education is a vital ingredient in San Antonio's future. With five accredited universities and one accredited college offering degrees in all major fields of study, the city has a diverse roster of institutions of higher education -- Incarnate Word College, Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary's University, Trinity University, The University of Texas Health Science Center and The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Three colleges -- Palo Alto College, San Antonio College and St. Philip's College -- make up San Antonio's Alamo Community College District, the second-largest district in the state and 11th-largest in the nation with more than 35,000 students enrolled each semester.
The city's vast public school system includes the recent creation of three magnet high schools: Health Careers High School, Business Careers High School and the International School of the Americas.
In San Antonio, you'll not only find the state's top two tourist attractions -- the Alamo and the River Walk -- but also an abundance of museums, sporting events, and dining establishments to enjoy.