San Antonio
On the 13th of June 1691, a Spanish expedition led by Domingo de Terán and Alonso de León stumbled upon the San Antonio River. They named the river and the surrounding land San Antonio in honor of Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day it was that year. The Payaya people lived near the river in an area they called Yanaguana, meaning refreshing waters. It took nearly thirty years for any permanent settlement to take root there. Father Antonio de Olivares visited the site again in 1709 with a determined plan to establish both a mission and a civilian community. The viceroy approved this combined effort in late 1716 to block French expansion from Louisiana and stop illegal trade with local tribes. Construction delays caused by disagreements between Governor Martín de Alarcón and Father Olivares pushed the start date back until 1718. On the 5th of May 1718, the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar was commissioned on the west side of the river, one-fourth league away from the mission. Families began clustering around these structures to form Villa de Béjar, which would eventually become the most important town in Spanish Texas. By the 9th of March 1731, Juan Leal Goraz led a group of 56 Canary Island settlers overland from Veracruz to join the military community established thirteen years earlier. These families formed the nucleus of the first regularly organized civil government in Texas.
In December 1835, Texian forces under Ben Milam captured San Antonio from Mexican troops commanded by General Martin Perfecto de Cos during the Battle of Bexar. Santa Anna marched on the city in early 1836 after abolishing the Mexican Constitution of 1824. A volunteer force led by James C. Neill occupied and fortified the deserted Alamo mission before leaving command to William Barrett Travis and James Bowie. The Battle of the Alamo raged from February 23 to the 6th of March 1836, ending with the death of every defender. This defeat became a rallying cry for the Texian Army that later defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Juan Seguín, who fought at multiple battles including Concepción and San Jacinto, served as mayor until political opponents forced him out in 1842. He remained the last Tejano mayor for nearly 150 years. By 1850, Tejanos no longer constituted a majority of the population, though they would regain that status only in 1968. The Mexican-American War devastated the city afterward, reducing its population to just 800 inhabitants. Migrants and immigrants helped rebuild the city to 15,000 people by 1860 when the American Civil War began.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported San Antonio had 1,434,625 residents in 2020, making it the seventh-most populous city in the United States. Population growth has been steady since the 1970s when there were just over 650,000 people. In 1990, Hispanic or Latino residents made up 55.6% of the population, rising to 63.9% by 2020. About 23.4% identified as non-Hispanic white while 6.5% were Black or African American. The median household income reached $53,571 in 2019 according to census estimates. Roughly 16.8% of the population lived at or below the poverty line that same year. The metropolitan area housed approximately 2.76 million residents, ranking third-largest in Texas after Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. Over 218,000 foreign-born residents called the city home in recent surveys. The average age was 32 years with a nearly even split between males and females. For every 100 women aged 18 and older, there were 89.7 men. These demographic shifts reflect both natural growth and significant land annexation policies adopted since 1960.
San Antonio hosts Lackland Air Force Base where over 35,000 new recruits undergo basic training each year through the 737th Training Group. Fort Sam Houston houses METC, the largest medical education center globally with 24,000 annual graduates across 30 programs. The city is home to four Fortune 500 companies including Valero Energy Corporation and USAA headquarters. Tourism generates more than 130,000 jobs and contributes $13.6 billion annually to the local economy according to 2017 data. Approximately 32 million visitors arrive each year drawn by attractions like The Alamo and the River Walk. The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center alone hosts over 300 events annually with 750,000 delegates from around the world. H-E-B ranks as the fifth-largest private company in the United States while headquartered locally. Other major employers include Microsoft, Boeing, Toyota, and Amazon which announced three new facilities in December 2020. The Formosan termite causes economic devastation due to structural damage affecting pecan orchards found throughout the region since first appearing in 1957.
The River Walk meanders through downtown San Antonio extending between Brackenridge Park and Loop 410 South past Mission Espada. This landscaped path lines the river with shops bars restaurants and the Arneson River Theater hosting folklorico and flamenco music during summer celebrations like Fiesta Noche del Rio. Five Spanish frontier missions including The Alamo were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites on the 5th of July 2015 becoming Texas's first such site. The Fairmount Hotel built in 1906 holds a Guinness World Record as one of the heaviest buildings ever moved intact costing $650,000 to relocate three blocks south of The Alamo in 1985. SeaWorld west of downtown remains one of the largest marine life parks globally while Six Flags Fiesta Texas offers commercial amusement rides nearby. The McNay Art Museum opened as Texas's first modern art museum and the Witte Museum preserves regional history. Annual events like Fiesta San Antonio carry an economic impact of $340 million according to city data. The new Mission Reach completed in 2013 created over 15 miles of biking hiking and paddling trails connecting Missions to Downtown.
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Common questions
When was San Antonio founded and by whom?
San Antonio was founded on the 5th of May 1718 when the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar was commissioned. The Spanish expedition led by Domingo de Terán and Alonso de León first discovered the river on the 13th of June 1691.
What happened during the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio?
The Battle of the Alamo raged from February 23 to the 6th of March 1736 ending with the death of every defender including James C. Neill, William Barrett Travis, and James Bowie. This defeat became a rallying cry for the Texian Army that later defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto.
How many people live in San Antonio according to the 2020 census?
The U.S. Census Bureau reported San Antonio had 1,434,625 residents in 2020 making it the seventh-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area housed approximately 2.76 million residents ranking third-largest in Texas after Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Which military bases are located in San Antonio?
San Antonio hosts Lackland Air Force Base where over 35,000 new recruits undergo basic training each year through the 737th Training Group. Fort Sam Houston houses METC the largest medical education center globally with 24,000 annual graduates across 30 programs.
When were the Spanish missions in San Antonio designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites?
Five Spanish frontier missions including The Alamo were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites on the 5th of July 2015 becoming Texas's first such site. These missions include Mission Espada which is part of the River Walk extending between Brackenridge Park and Loop 410 South.