2011-2012 District Budget - San Antonio Independent School District

COMMUNITY PROFILE *
San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States and encompasses 368.6 square miles
in South Central Texas. San Antonio is in the region of 140 miles northwest of the Gulf of
Mexico and 150 miles northeast of the city of Laredo along the Mexican border. The city of San
Antonio first got its name when Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon a river in 1691.
It was the feast day of St. Anthony so they decided to name the river “San Antonio.” Today the
San Antonio Independent School District exists in the heart of the San Antonio metropolitan
area.
Living in a school district as diverse and historically rich as the city whose name it shares,
SAISD residents enjoy easy access to a variety of activities. Those pursuing cultural outings will
find major museums such as the Museo Alameda, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute
boasting the nation’s largest Latino collection; the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Witte
Museum; art galleries; ballets; libraries; the Botanical Center; the Institute of Texan Cultures;
Scobee Planetarium; the Southwest Craft Center and the Spanish Governor’s Palace, to name a
few. Enjoy a performance by the San Antonio Symphony or catch a Broadway show, opera or
concert in the splendour of one of downtown’s impeccably-restored historic theatres. Also a
shopper’s paradise, the city’s vibrant downtown offers options ranging from the ultra-modern
Rivercenter Mall, to the historic La Villita, festive Market Square, El Mercado, and along the
Riverwalk, or explore the eclectic offerings in Southtown on the fringe of San Antonio’s central
business district.
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