For various reasons (mainly not being paid), I’m now seeking a different job. Next week I have an interview in San Antonio, TX. On Monday I’ll schedule another interview in Huntsville, AL. So, Dopers, what are your opinions on these two places? Would you advocate one vs. the other? Or merely have strong feelings for one? I’d like to know!
Thanks!
GES
I’m in San Antonio right now. My parents have lived here for the past 10 years.
It’s a nice, livable city. Yesterday, we all went down to the Alamo and caught the daytime holiday festivities. There were bands, a Christmas tree and stuff for kids to do.
It’s got several two- and four-year colleges, lots of museums and cultural activities, and it’s beautiful. There are also sports teams like the Spurs (NBA) and the Missions (minor-league baseball). The Cowboys practice here in the summer, or at least they used to.
Not sure about Huntsville, but you should give San Antonio a try.
Good luck!
Robin
This bit interests me (the highlight is mine), as we have three kids, ages 7, 4, and 2. Is San Antonio kid friendly? How are the schools?
Thanks for the reply.
Huntsville has Space Camp - 'nuff said.
The food is better in San Antonio.
I like San Antonio. It has a nice easy going vibe to it; almost small town like. It really only seems crowded during the rush hours and only in certain parts of the city. There is always something to do with the kids- plenty of parks, as well as festivals and events. All the museums have free days. Housing is relatively cheap and according to the news the recession has not affected SA as much as other places (the economy is based on tourism, medical services, and the military). Although SA does not have significant problems with racial and ethnic conflict, some parts of the city have strong racial/ethnic divisions in population. The quality of the schools can vary greatly. Some of the alleged desirable schools where all the new houses are being built on the North Side are super crowded.
Huntsville - you have to include Madison County as well. It’s smaller on a city scale.
Sports are minor league - AA baseball, arena football, minor league hockey, minor league basketball. The University of Alabama (at Huntsville) plays ice hockey as the major sport. This was my first clue that Huntsville is really different from the rest of Alabama. Heck, they were in Division I when I first moved there in the mid-80’s. Lots of golf if so inclined - part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
Shopping/Food/Entertainment - You have all the chain stores/restaurants. There is also a small assortment of local flavors - see “Valley Planet” on the web for night life/eating local. If you like southern cooking - they have all the bacon grease, BBQ , and briskets you can stuff down. Music like the Big Spring Jam is all over the map. Blues over in Muscle Shoals. Nashville is a couple hours north for country. Regular touring entertainment at the Von Braun Civic Center.
Education - Schools are excellent. Huntsville has second highest density of PHDs per capita after the area around Sandia Labs. Lots of corporate representation due to NASA and the Defense Department. Redstone Arsenal has the Aviation and Missile Command, Lab Command, Army Material Command (coming soon), Ballistic Missile Defense office, Logistics Command, and others in residence. Lots of rank, educated civilians/scientists, who demand good schools. There was a lot of concern (in St Louis) when the Aviation and Troop Command was being moved to Huntsville in the early 90’s. They heard the stories about Alabama schools and culture. Early arrivers sent back favorable impressions and the masses followed to generally positive conclusions.
Housing - Lots of space, cost of living is reasonable. Need more houses because a new command is moving to the Arsenal? Just plow down some additional cotton fields and forest out in Madison County. Large assortment of McMansions and a old town district as well. Income tax and sales tax but property tax is not bad. Traffic outstrips the ability to build roads fast enough - not any different than any other growing location.
Weather - Probably not as hot - more humid. You’ll see some snow flakes in winter but that’s about all. Tornadoes and hail are a concern. Weather channels are all over the coverage though.
Historical events. Spent more time in Northern hands during the Civil War. This section of Alabama considered seceding from the rest of the state in the build up to the war. Many of the old families/houses sported competing Union/Confederate flags flying during the war. Became the Rocket City after WWII with the influx of German scientists and Goddard’s group.
Huntsville is very progressive (especially compared to the rest of the state). Want to build a regional airport to take a load off Atlanta? Me, me, me - we have the land. Good local government - pro-growth. A supercollider? Nuclear Power? Moon base? Rest of the state just rolls their eyes!
Summary - probably similar but on a smaller scale. Depends on what’s important to you and family. No family - I’d pick Texas.
I just wanted to echo what smithsb said about Huntsville. I have lived here for two years. The cost of living is very low relative to the rest of the US. I believe I heard not long ago that Huntsville/Madison County was one of the best places to live with regard to the local economy, cheap and available housing, schools, etc. They just built an upscale mall and there are plenty of places to eat and lots of minor league sporting events. Plus if you are an engineer, there are tons of places to work. So if you decide you don’t like where you are working, you can easily find another job without relocating your family.
I don’t know a lot about San Antonio. With that said, if I had a family I think Huntsville would be a great place to raise them. If I was single with no kids (which I am) I would think San Antonio would be the better choice. But like I said, I don’t know a lot about San Antonio other than what I can google.
I just wanted to say to not let “Alabama” put you off. Huntsville REALLY is different. According to wikipedia:
Source: Cummings Research Park - Wikipedia
You can check out Huntsville housing here to see what your money will buy you.
I moved to San Antonio at 21…I am now 30 and even though I’ve dumped the guy who brought me here, I remain.
I don’t know anything about Huntsville, so I can merely tell you what I think of San Antonio.
I think of it as the World’s Smallest Big City. The population of San Antonio–if you include the “cities” inside it like Alamo Heights–is over 3 million.
And yet it doesn’t feel half that big. My parents live in Houston and they marvel at San Antonio’s idea of “traffic.” There are a lot of parts of this city that are generic, but that depends on where you live in the city; there are also lots of places that are beautiful and unique and–as a kid coming here on vacations–almost magical. The summers are hot and the winters are mild; the natives are friendly and–contrary to popular beliefs about Texas–the grass is usually green. San Antonio is situated in the basin of the Texas Hill Country, which means that we get a lot more rain than you would think. We also flood from time to time–sometimes spectacularly–but we don’t get hurricanes or even tornadoes. Actually we don’t even get snow…unless you were here in 1984. (It does happen and we get all excited about it every quarter-century when it does.)
I love this city. I would have to be offered a shitload of money to even consider leaving it. My boyfriend, who is from Connecticut and full of opinions about Texas–he moved here over two years ago–will admit that he adores this city also and would hate to leave it. If you do decide to move here, feel free to ask me/PM me any questions about where you want to live/what you are looking for, etc…because a city like this can offer you just about anything you want.
Thanks for the replies everybody. I appreciate it. dgrdfd, smithsb you both basically said to do Texas without family. Was there a reason for this, or just gut feelings?
I live in Kansas right now, tornadoes and hail are a concern, I would think Alabama not so much 
I also lived in south Louisiana for 4 years, so I’ve seen hot and humid too.
Thanks again.
Just more opportunities in San Antonio; 3,000,000 vs. ~750,000 in Huntsville/Madison county if you’re single. Sheer numbers would favor the larger area.
Tornadoes - Huntsville, Oklahoma City, Wichita trade off the dubious title of Most Tornado Prone City depending on the previous year’s weather. We’re not talking every weekend or something like that but there storms throughout the south just like tornado alley in the Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas region. The season is the same as Kansas, spring and fall when the weather fronts start swinging through. One area of Huntsville is on the back side of Green Mountain and is more protected.
Definitely visit both and check out areas. Both would be good for families based on my experience and the Texas opinions. Education and job opportunities seem about equal based on the input so far.
I live in Nashville which is about an hour and a half from Huntsville and I’m crazy about it. There is an active performing arts community that is responsible for bringing in some world-class entertainment.
On of the things that I like about Huntsville is that it is one of the greenest cities in the country. (Top ten, so I am told)
And I love the mountains around Huntsville. Monte Sano is a personal favorite.
By the way, I also like many other parts of Alabama – Eufala, Auburn, Montgomery – the pines, the magnolias, the red earth, the sugar white sand along the coast – the beauty of the dialects and the warmth and humor of her people. In general it gets a bad rap that it doesn’t deserve.
Huntsville’s nice if you prefer a smaller city. I do love San Antonio. There’s just so much more to do than in Huntsville. There are Six Flags and Sea World. It’s not too far to Austin, not too terribly far to Houston. South Padre Island is about a 4 hour drive (I’ll admit the beaches aren’t quite as nice as lower Alabama, but nice none the less). Plus, it’s TEXAS!
Not to mention, SanAntone is right outside the Texas Hill Country, which is God’s Own Land™. In fact, if you work on the outer northwest side of the city, you can live in Boerne, and have a 20-or-30-minute commute into town, and still live in the Hill Country itself. Trust me - if you can pull this off, you will be the envy of most people who live in Texas, and nearly everyone who lives in Houston…
Well you guys are no help You’ve pretty much confirmed that both places would be nice. Anyway, I fly to San Antonio today, then Huntsville on Thursday. I don’t know that I’ll have much time to see either city, but I’ll do what I can.
Thanks again.
When Texans can’t afford a vacation out of state–we go to San Antonio!
I’ll just add to the sentiment to not let “Alabama” put you off Huntsville. I visited there this past weekend for Thanksgiving and it’s a lovely city.
I’m actually from Birmingham which has its share of problems, but I love the city anyway. I guess all I’m saying is don’t go in with a preconceived notion of what Alabama is. Because it’s probably not.
I work in Huntsville’s research park. Just the other day I was listening to my boss talk about the difficulty of getting people from outside the South to consider moving to Huntsville, because it’s located in Alabama. He says that phone interviews don’t go well - he has to convince people to fly down here and see for themselves that we’re all wearing shoes, live in actual houses, etc.
My only problem with Huntsville is that it’s too cold! I was raised south of Birmingham, and there’s often a 10-degree difference in temperature between here and there. I can feel every one of those 10 degrees.
I lived in Huntsville in the 70s, & have been back once or twice.
Great place to live.
I live in Huntsville as well.
I enjoy it a great deal. I doubt you can go wrong with either choice. The housing market is nice right now, and the taxes are not to bad.
Osip