Population

2010: 1,327,407, #7 in U.S., #2 in Texas

1950: 408,442, #25 in U.S.

2010 Metropolitan Area: 2,142,508, #25 in U.S.

1950 Metropolitan Area: 500,460, #37 in U.S.

Setting

San Antonio was founded in 1718 as a fort on the San Antonio River. Today, the River Walk follows the river, one level below the city’s streets, and there are boat rides on the river. The University of Texas at San Antonio has a campus just west of downtown.

Buildings

Tallest buildings: Tower of the Americas, 750 feet (1968), and Marriott Rivercenter, 546 feet (1988)

List of tallest buildings

The Tower of the Americas, built in Hemisfair Park for the 1968 World’s Fair, is an observation tower.

Stores

Rivercenter Mall (1988) has a Macy’s department store. Market Square and La Villita have a variety of shops, galleries, and restaurants.

Trains

Amtrak's Sunset Limited serves San Antonio three times a week in each direction, going west to El Paso and Los Angeles and east to Houston and New Orleans. The Texas Eagle goes north to Fort Worth, Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago. Amtrak uses a small, new (1998) downtown station. The adjacent Southern Pacific Station, or Sunset Station (1902), is now used for special events.

Museums

The Alamo, the Institute of Texan Cultures, and the Buckhorn Museum and Texas Ranger Museum are downtown. The San Antonio Museum of Art is just north of downtown.