Neighborhoods to live in or around San Antonio (Alamo, Terrell: 2015, houses)

[supfromthesite]

That really makes me question what these "rankings" are based on.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by TXStrat

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It was never my intention to infer that the schools in NISD, or NEISD were bad schools, they are all good schools. Boerne ISD just has the additional benefit of smaller class sizes, and a smaller overall district when compared to the much larger NISD and NEISD, respectively.

Do they really have smaller class sizes? I just assumed that Boerne schools were equally as large as any NISD or NEISD school.

https://www.uiltexas.org/files/align...alpha_post.pdf

Welp. It’s a smaller school per UIL rankings, but give it 3-5 years it’ll bounce up to 6A. I kind of put Boerne in the same classification as Leander...it was out once, but not anymore. And it’ll catch up with itself eventually.

[geo33]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Do they really have smaller class sizes? I just assumed that Boerne schools were equally as large as any NISD or NEISD school.

https://www.uiltexas.org/files/align...alpha_post.pdf

Welp. It’s a smaller school per UIL rankings, but give it 3-5 years it’ll bounce up to 6A. I kind of put Boerne in the same classification as Leander...it was out once, but not anymore. And it’ll catch up with itself eventually.

Depends on which high school in Boerne ISD youre talking about. Champion is 5A(Division 2 or the "small" school division for football) and would likely become 6A in 5 years since the attendance zone covers the southern part of Boerne/Fair Oaks Ranch and outlying areas with newer developments along I-10.

Boerne high is a 4A school(Division 1 for football) which a class below and the student population would probably go no higher than 5A. North of 46 is old town Boerne with little if any of the newer residential areas that are booming on the southern end.

[Tree Frog]

Be aware that if the school you choose is in an area that is growing, the catchment area for the school may change in NISD. I don't know if that's the case in other school districts in the area, but when Harlan High School was built, many students were moved from O'Connor to Harlan. I believe it happened at Garcia Middle School, too.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Tree Frog

Be aware that if the school you choose is in an area that is growing, the catchment area for the school may change in NISD. I don't know if that's the case in other school districts in the area, but when Harlan High School was built, many students were moved from O'Connor to Harlan. I believe it happened at Garcia Middle School, too.

That’s an issue in all growing districts. I would assume that would happen in NEISD as well. It’s been like that for years. I remember losing a few friends in kindergarten when Leon springs elementary opened and then seeing them again in high school. And, NISD doesn’t allow transfers, to better or newer schools. I’ve learned this is a game some districts in other areas play to encourage people to come to their districts.

[trekwars2000]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

You can get into the Alamo Heights school district for under 350k. You will live in one of the more middle class areas, but it is possible. I see houses in zillow right now in your budget. Not a lot, but some.

Probably your best bet if you refuse to live in a new neighbourhood. The AH neighbourhoods are 50-60+ years old.

In my very biased opinion, it is the best public school in town. Other places I would look at are the areas that encompass Johnson High school, Reagan, New Braunfels (there are two schools), Boerne (also two schools), Smithson Valley, O'connor and maybe Clark too. Like I said, lots of these houses are new though

I was going to bring this up. While it won't be in the city of AH, if you are closer to 410/281 you are still in the AHISD and homes are much cheaper. We just moved here and were in the same boat looking for the best schools. The AH district actually goes to a small area NW of 410/281 called Crownhill Park. 3/2 homes in there are ~$250K. Be careful though, if you get too far west in Crownhill Park then it won't be in AHISD. There is a weird dividing line.

District Map* - Alamo Heights Independent School District

FWIW, the home we bought in the cottage district is 94 years old.

[aen935]

Ya'll are so helpful! And it's interesting to catch up on the school stuff. Thanks for all the input!

Honestly, we'd like good schools but that is not our top priority. I would say location to outdoor activities, walkability/things to do, cost of living, and safety are more important for us. We both work from home so commuting isn't a huge concern. We aren't in the greatest school system now so really, most things would be an upgrade. Haha.

One thing I am concerned/confused on are taxes. I've read all over the internet that Texas property taxes are insane! (I thought ours were A LOT here in Farmington, MI, but TX is even higher! Sadness, since that's a huge complaint I have about where we live now.) Is living in "San Antonio" proper even more expensive with taxes because of a city tax? What does paying those extra taxes get you besides being "close to the city"? If we're not in the "San Antonio" proper, will we be missing out on anything?

We pay a lot of taxes where we currently live, but we also have A LOT of things they pay for. I can put literally anything to my curb as garbage and it will be picked up. Great, safe water. Clean streets. Plows come and clear the snow immediately (I know that won't be a concern in Texas). Quick service if power goes out. Nice parks within walking distance. An adorable downtown area within walking distance. Our own police (which I think is totally unnecessary but whatever). Our own library. (I say our own because our town is tiny and is basically a town within a town, where Farmington Hills is huge and has all a library and police within a mile or two from where we live).

All that to say, I'm a little concerned with the expensive property taxes and other taxes we may not even know about. Could someone shed some light on property taxes, city vs not "city" living and what would change if we don't need to pay city taxes? Etc.

Oh! Also, I heard HOA's are very common in the area (correct me if I'm wrong). I've never lived in an HOA so I have no idea what to expect or how much is a "normal" amount to pay. Could someone give some info on that?

Thanks so much! I appreciate y'all!

[trekwars2000]

I can't answer a whole lot as I'm new here. I do know property taxes vary from city to city and county to county. Where I live in Alamo Heights its about 2.3%, which seems a little cheaper than SAT proper or some of the other small cities. That said, there is zero state income tax so that certainly offsets it from your MI state taxes. I came from NV, so I didn't have that difference or advantage, so yes - I notice the much higher property taxes.

What I do know about the property tax is there is a locality portion and a ISD portion as well as other things. See here: https://www.bexar.org/3331/2020-Offi...tes-Exemptions

For instance, Alamo Heights is ~17 cents cheaper than San Antonio (38 vs 55 cents). Additionally, AHISD is 30 cents cheaper than SAISD (1.20 vs 1.50). To me the other things are going to be the same for the county between the two but those differences together mean AH is about 50 cents cheaper. Which on a 300K house would be $1500 per year.

[TXStrat]

Originally Posted by aen935

Ya'll are so helpful! And it's interesting to catch up on the school stuff. Thanks for all the input!

Honestly, we'd like good schools but that is not our top priority. I would say location to outdoor activities, walkability/things to do, cost of living, and safety are more important for us. We both work from home so commuting isn't a huge concern. We aren't in the greatest school system now so really, most things would be an upgrade. Haha.

One thing I am concerned/confused on are taxes. I've read all over the internet that Texas property taxes are insane! (I thought ours were A LOT here in Farmington, MI, but TX is even higher! Sadness, since that's a huge complaint I have about where we live now.) Is living in "San Antonio" proper even more expensive with taxes because of a city tax? What does paying those extra taxes get you besides being "close to the city"? If we're not in the "San Antonio" proper, will we be missing out on anything?

We pay a lot of taxes where we currently live, but we also have A LOT of things they pay for. I can put literally anything to my curb as garbage and it will be picked up. Great, safe water. Clean streets. Plows come and clear the snow immediately (I know that won't be a concern in Texas). Quick service if power goes out. Nice parks within walking distance. An adorable downtown area within walking distance. Our own police (which I think is totally unnecessary but whatever). Our own library. (I say our own because our town is tiny and is basically a town within a town, where Farmington Hills is huge and has all a library and police within a mile or two from where we live).

All that to say, I'm a little concerned with the expensive property taxes and other taxes we may not even know about. Could someone shed some light on property taxes, city vs not "city" living and what would change if we don't need to pay city taxes? Etc.

Oh! Also, I heard HOA's are very common in the area (correct me if I'm wrong). I've never lived in an HOA so I have no idea what to expect or how much is a "normal" amount to pay. Could someone give some info on that?

Thanks so much! I appreciate y'all!

Taxes are a diverse issue. In Texas, property taxes are high, but there is no state income tax. You can save some on your property taxes by living outside of city limits. For example, I live in unincorporated Bexar county. I have a Boerne mailing address, and my children attend Boerne ISD schools. Several years ago, the City of San Antonio launched an aggressive annexation program. I live in the primary area they were planning to annex. If this would have succeeded, it would have added an additional $2K to my existing property taxes. Fortunately, the Texas legislature passed a law requiring cities above a certain population to put all potential annexation measures to a ballot for those living in the proposed annexation areas. In my area, along I-10 West near Fair Oaks Ranch, the measure ended up with 96% voting against annexation.

PM me if you would like some specifics on tax rates per property valuation. It is high, but again, no state income tax, so it's a trade off. I grew up outside Toledo, OH, and my sister, and brother in law currently live in Grosse Pointe, so I can offer some SA to Detroit comparisons.

[WilGar]

Originally Posted by aen935

Ya'll are so helpful! And it's interesting to catch up on the school stuff. Thanks for all the input!

Honestly, we'd like good schools but that is not our top priority. I would say location to outdoor activities, walkability/things to do, cost of living, and safety are more important for us. We both work from home so commuting isn't a huge concern. We aren't in the greatest school system now so really, most things would be an upgrade. Haha.

One thing I am concerned/confused on are taxes. I've read all over the internet that Texas property taxes are insane! (I thought ours were A LOT here in Farmington, MI, but TX is even higher! Sadness, since that's a huge complaint I have about where we live now.) Is living in "San Antonio" proper even more expensive with taxes because of a city tax? What does paying those extra taxes get you besides being "close to the city"? If we're not in the "San Antonio" proper, will we be missing out on anything?

We pay a lot of taxes where we currently live, but we also have A LOT of things they pay for. I can put literally anything to my curb as garbage and it will be picked up. Great, safe water. Clean streets. Plows come and clear the snow immediately (I know that won't be a concern in Texas). Quick service if power goes out. Nice parks within walking distance. An adorable downtown area within walking distance. Our own police (which I think is totally unnecessary but whatever). Our own library. (I say our own because our town is tiny and is basically a town within a town, where Farmington Hills is huge and has all a library and police within a mile or two from where we live).

All that to say, I'm a little concerned with the expensive property taxes and other taxes we may not even know about. Could someone shed some light on property taxes, city vs not "city" living and what would change if we don't need to pay city taxes? Etc.

Oh! Also, I heard HOA's are very common in the area (correct me if I'm wrong). I've never lived in an HOA so I have no idea what to expect or how much is a "normal" amount to pay. Could someone give some info on that?

Thanks so much! I appreciate y'all!

Steer as far away from an HOA as you can. AHISD has none that I can think of. Many have neighborhood associations, a completely different entity.