San Antonio was the first to be colonized by the Spanish. Several battles were fought during the Texas War of Independence but it was the dramatic Texan loss at the Battle of Alamo that helped the Texans win their freedom. It also created the famous cry ‘Remember the Alamo.’  San Antonio or the Alamo City has been able to retain its small-town flavor while serving as the headquarters for five of the country's major military installations. San Antonio, the Alamo City, is often regarded as the Heart of Texas, for its illustrious past and its cosmopolitan present have come to symbolize the rich heritage of the state.. The coexistence of the old and new is one reason San Antonio is viewed as an attractive place to relocate or visit.

San Antonio is commonly known as "the place where the sunshine spends the winter." San Antonio is situated in south central Texas between the Edwards Plateau to the northwest and the Gulf Coastal Plains to the southeast. The city's gently rolling terrain is dotted with oak trees, mesquite, and cacti, which flourish under the clear or partly cloudy skies that prevail more than 60 percent of the time. Precipitation is mostly in the form of light rain or drizzle. Annual rainfall is nearly 28 inches, enough for production of most crops. May and September are the wettest months. The city's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, however, can bring San Antonio some severe tropical storms.

Area: 407.6 square miles (2000)

Elevation: Approximately 701 feet above sea level

Latitude: 29.45 N

Longitude: 98.51 W

Average Temperatures: January, 49.3° F; August, 84.9° F; annual average, 68.6° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 27.9 inches

Population: 1,256,509 as on 2005

Attractions:

• Alamo
• Paseo del Rio
• Mission San Antonio de Valero
• La Villita
• Long Barracks Museum and Library
• Tower of the Americas
• Steves Homestead
• Japanese Tea Gardens
• Sunken Garden Theatre
• San Antonio Zoo
• Army Medical Department Museum
• History and Traditions Museum
• San Antonio Botanical Gardens
• Six Flags Fiesta Texas
• Jose Antonio Navarro State Historical Park

Festivals

• Fiesta San Antonio
• River Walk Mud Festival
• Cinco de Mayo
• Tejano Conjunto Festival
• Arneson River Theatre
• San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo
• FotoSeptiembre
• Fiestas Navidenas