I have not been to Padre, but have heard that it's the nicest beach in Texas. It's on our list of places to go.

I understand your aversion to so called "planned communities" many of which are IMHO really just eyesores waiting to happen a few years down the line. In your price range of up to 300K you should have little problem finding a place to meet your requirements, but to get the kind of lot size you want it may be good to stay away from the developing fringes and look in areas like Castle Hills, Olmos Park or Alamo Heights. There is quite a bit being built in the Northeast off I-35 as well as in North Central/ NW but it's overall not the best part of town.
As to Padre beaches - it is a long barrier island and the nicest beaches are on the southern end which is a quick flight but considerable drive (6 hours) from SA. Beaches on North Padre are not as nice but there are some decent ones, and you can reach them in just under 3 hours by car. Lots of SA/central Texas folks have a condo or beach house there, while South Padre's best properties are increasingly owned by affluent Mexicans because it is closer to them.

Ok now am more curious about property..why would you avoid the outlying areas in the North ? i have been looking on the net specificallly in the north, hill country area kind of not too too far out) (i would be working in the Wamu buliding off the 281(....do you think the newer homes or homes in that area will "crash" in value at some point (overbuilding? or?)..is this why suggesting the areas of Alamo Heights, etc..? i know i need to fly out and will do as soon as possible..thanks again!!!

My aversion to the northern sprawl is based on both quality of life (cookie cutter McMansions with underdeveloped surrounding infrastructure) as well as real estate value. Even if the area properties don't outright crash, rate of appreciation is pretty low in SA (except for the areas previously mentioned) especially in the fringes because it seems there is always a developer who can offer the lure of a new house with more attractive terms than you can offer with your "used" property.

kinsocal, there is a great deal of construction going on in the 281 / 1604 (north) area. Traffic is terrible as the roads don't meet the needs of these budding areas and there's a huge debate going on as to whether or not 281 should be made a toll road. From what I have seen of 281, north of 1604 between 281 & I-10, it has become a sea of houses and shopping centers--some people enjoy those conveniences. The real estate market is very active on that side of town--prices are higher than in other parts of the city because it is a popular place to live. I believe a PGA golf course / community is on the books for the area? I suspect buying a house there would be a good investment.

I've lived in Texas all my life and have lived in San Antonio for the last 5 years. I absolutely love it here. I'm surprised no one has suggested (and actually said to stay away) from the gorgeous hill country. Since it's at a higher elevation, humitidy usually isn't as bad (neither does the heat) as it is in the city. I had a friend who's parents bought a house out at Medina Lake and it was great. When they sold it a few years after they bought it, it sold for almost double what they paid for it originally. Recently a real estate expert in Texas said that water property in Texas is pretty cheap, relative to other places, but is really expected to increase within the next few years. The oaks, the views and the people are great. I also recommend Olmos Park, Alamo Heights and Terrell Hills.

thank you, since i'd be working off the 281 north of the 1604..this is why i was hoping to find property even farther north or northeast/northwest of this area..and avoid the actual city..don't need Mc Mansion but like to have 1/2 acre minimum , lot's more if doable.. suggestions?

kinsocal, then I think you are fortunate because you can move north of the construction, congestion. One of my girlfriends and her husband live in Cordillera Ranch on Hwy 46. http://www.cordilleraranch.com/ There are other communitites in the area but I'm unsure of the names--Spring Branch may be one. Although there are huge homes there they built theirs and it is under 3,000 sq ft on 6 acres. He commutes south on I-10 to Huebner and she commutes south on 281 to Basse.

If I had my druthers, I'd do one of two things and can't decide which would be better. Alamo Heights (or King William district): I love the convenience of being close to town and all that it offers. I love the look of the neighborhoods. Lots of character. We looked there but didn't find what we wanted. Unfortunately I also love the conveniences that a newer house offers...big closets, new cool kitchens (without me making it that way! :) )

And if I didn't move close in, it'd be way out, like where AnnMarie is describing, off the 46 loop somewhere. It's beautiful out there. Hillier, homes with land and often terrific long views. Many of the areas are offering 1-3 acre lots, but...they are often gated too which you don't want. I don't know...the gates aren't that big a thing really. They don't imply attitude. It's just the way so much is being built now you sometimes don't have a choice further out especially, and it can be beneficial too. With neighborhood covenants, you are never going to have to look at your neighbor's big travel trailer parked in his driveway and I haven't found them too restrictive otherwise.

With your office north of 1604, you are on the right track, IMHO, looking further out. Grocery stores are fewer and further between (now) and you'll go into town for the restaurants and entertainment, but what a trade-off...to live in that area with lots of land and natural beauty.

Our search was also in the 1604/281 corridor initially, and fortunately, there was something wrong with every house we saw so we did not end up there. (Most were too close to each other--the one thing my husband insisted on was not having to look at his neighbor's rooftop.) We moved northeast, between San Antonio and New Braunfels, not convenient for you kinsocal, probably, with the location of your office. Our area is terrific too, with 1 acre lots, but I see development approaching and I worry it will become another 1604 one day, with a sea of rooftops. How far do you have to go to get away from it I wonder. My husband was told the I-35 commute was "the worst" in the area, but he thanks his lucky stars that that's where we ended up, and not around 281/1604, simply because of his commute downtown alone. It takes him a half hour to get to town from this area, and when he returns in the evening, it's to a 1+ acre lot with too many old oak tress to count and deer that come through several times a day feeding (on our landscaping material LOL). He's really left work behind.

You will miss the ocean more than you realize, yes. After almost a year, we do as much as ever, and lament the fact that on a nice Sunday afternoon, we can't just go out to the beach for a walk, or down to the marina for a quick sail. That was so much a part of our lives, and has been my biggest adjustment--and not completely successful yet. I guess like most of the rest of the world, I'll have to resign myself to visits to the water periodically...no more 1/2 hour drive to a beautiful beach. It's hard to give up.

We are hikers also, have done some here and there's plenty more to explore. Hiking is a fall, winter, spring activity here so we are both going to have to work something else out for summertime!

Agree with the lovely Fodorites above that by going well out beyond the 1604 loop you should be able to find something that you like. As Malesherbes notes, there's never a guarantee that future development won't pop up next to you but that's just life.