 |
Sponsored LinksTravel reviews & great deals at
TripAdvisor:
San Antonio, Tex.
|
Mayor: Phil Hardberger (to May 2009)
City Manager: Sheryl L. Sculley
2000 census population (rank): 1,144,646
(9); % change: 22.3; Male: 553,245 (48.3%);
Female: 591,401 (51.7%); White: 774,708 (67.7%);
Black: 78,120 (6.8%); American Indian and Alaska
Native: 9,584 (0.8%); Asian: 17,934 (1.6%); Other
race: 221,362 (19.3%); Two or more races: 41,871 (3.7%);
Hispanic/Latino: 671,394 (58.7%). 2000 percent population
18 and over: 71.5%; 65 and over: 10.4%; Median
age: 31.7.
2005 population estimate (rank): 1,256,509
(7)
See
additional census data
Land area: 408 sq mi. (1,057 sq km);
Alt.: 700 ft.
Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 49.3° F; July,
85.0° F
City-owned parks: 193 (15,546 ac.);
Radio stations: AM, 20; FM, 22;
Television stations: 9
Civilian Labor Force (MSA) April 2006:
907,800;
Unemployed: 40,400,
Percent: 4.4;
Per capita personal income (MSA)
2004 $28,946
Chamber of Commerce: Greater San Antonio
Chamber of Commerce, 602 E. Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78205
|
San Antonio, the third-largest city in Texas and the seat of Bexar
County, is located in the south-central part of the state, on the San
Antonio River.
The site of San Antonio was first visited in 1691 by a Franciscan friar
on the feast day of St. Anthony and was named
San Antonio de Padua in his honor. San Antonio was permanently settled on
May 1, 1718, when the Spanish governor of Coahuila and Texas, Martin de
Alarcón, founded the presidio (a fort) of San Antonio de Bejar
(Bexar) and the mission of San Antonio de Valero (later called the Alamo) on the site of a
Coahuiltecan Indian village. San Antonio remained almost continuously
under Spanish rule until 1812, when Mexico won its independence from
Spain.
During the outbreak of the Texas revolution (1835) against the tyranny
of Mexican dictator General Santa Anna, San
Antonio was captured by a small band of rebels who occupied the fortified
mission of the Alamo in Dec. 1835. The
historic battle of the Alamo was fought there (Feb. 24 to March 6, 1836),
and its 183 besieged defenders were massacred by Santa Anna's troops.
Their heroism aroused the anger and fighting spirit of Texans and led them
to shout their famous battle cry “Remember the Alamo!” and
defeat the Mexicans six weeks later (April 21, 1836) at the battle of
San Jacinto. Texas became
an independent republic in 1836, and San Antonio was incorporated as a
city on Jan. 5, 1837.
After the Civil War, with the arrival
of the railroad in 1877, San Antonio prospered as a major shipping point
for cattle. The city has been an important military center since World War
II and is the home to five of the largest military installations in the
nation, including Fort Sam Houston, constructed in 1876. San Antonio is a
leading livestock center and one of the largest produce exchange markets.
The city's industries are highly diversified, and tourism is also
important to the economy.
See also Encyclopedia: San Antonio.
Selected famous
natives and residents:
-
Carol Burnett
comedienne;
-
Cody Carlson
football player;
-
Henry G. Cisneros
secretary of HUD;
-
Joan Crawford
actress;
-
Cito Gaston
baseball manager;
-
George Gervin
basketball player;
-
Ann Harding
actress;
-
Jesse James Leija
boxer;
-
Emilio Navaira
Tejano music singer;
-
Oliver North
military officer and government official;
-
Suzy Parker
model and actress;
-
Paula Prentiss
actress;
-
Kyle Rote
football player;
-
David R. Scott
astronaut;
-
Patsy Torres
Tejano music singer;
-
Edward H. White
astronaut.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
More on San Antonio Tex from Infoplease:
- Texas - Information on Texas — economy, government, culture, state map and flag, major cities, points of interest, famous residents, state motto, symbols, nicknames, and other trivia.
- Fort Sam Houston: meaning and definitions - Fort Sam Houston: Definition and Pronunciation
- Chisholm Trail: meaning and definitions - Chisholm Trail: Definition and Pronunciation
- San Antonio: meaning and definitions - San Antonio: Definition and Pronunciation
- San Antonio - San Antonio San Antonio , city (2000 pop. 1,144,646), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the ...
|
|
