The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to share your story.
I’ve often been referred to as the Queen of Vance Jackson. For my entire 42 years in San Antonio, I’ve lived on or off of Vance Jackson Road, except for my childhood when I lived in the Holmes High School area. Now I’ve made it all the way to the South Rim, where I currently live.
Once I graduated high school and moved out, my parents sold their home near Holmes High School and moved into a smaller house near Vance Jackson and De Zavala. I lived in various apartments up and down Vance Jackson, making it easy for me to visit my parents.
Many of my peers couldn’t wait to get out of San Antonio, but I’ve always said that I’m a “bloom where you’re planted” kind of person. I love this city of mine, and having older parents, I knew I couldn’t wander too far from them.
I fall in what’s called “the sandwich generation.” We are the ones who care for our parents aged 65 and older and at the same time we are raising young children, so it was important for me to be near my parents. If my mom had body pains from multiple sclerosis or if my dad fell down and I needed to go help them in the middle of the night, I wanted to be able to do so.
My father passed away in 2017 and my mother passed in 2022, and I’m grateful to have been able to spend time with them and help care for them. I have memories of walking to their house when we lived closer and my boys were younger and just hanging out for hours. If it got late, my parents would insist on driving us home, and sitting in the back seat of my parents’ car as an adult was always a treat.
I’m still here on Vance Jackson, at an apartment complex that emphasizes bringing the community together by hosting events and food trucks and partnering with local businesses like Rock & Brews. Last week, we had Taco Truck Thursday, with the first 50 residents getting free tacos, so my sons made sure to get there early.
When the food trucks don’t come to us, we can always go to The Block SA at UTSA to try something new and support local businesses. Not far from where I live is Jinya Ramen Bar, another personal favorite where the staff greets you enthusiastically when you walk through the door.
We’re near Eisenhower Park, a beautiful green space we like to escape to. The park connects to the Leon Creek Greenway Trail, one of the many trails in the area. Boerne offers another escape just 15 minutes away when we need a break from the city.
While I love the convenient location of my South Rim neighborhood, the construction as the area develops is causing chaos for local wildlife. The view from our balcony right now looks like War of the Worlds with all the cranes and construction. Amidst it all, foxes, raccoons, rabbits and marsupials I don’t even recognize are trying to survive as their environment is transformed.
At my apartment complex, outdoor lights go on as soon as the sun goes down, flooding trees with light and confusing birds who live in them and now don’t have a proper nighttime. I feel guilty as a resident in this area as I see animals being run out and those that stay having to adapt to a new way of life. It’s heartbreaking.
A search for local wildlife rescue organizations only turned up pest control services and left me feeling helpless. But perhaps I need to renew my efforts and rally support from my neighbors to get the attention of elected officials. As our city continues to grow, our local wildlife is getting displaced and disoriented. We need better, more compassionate planning that considers all the lives being disrupted by new developments.
