Member-only story
On the Map: Where Military Veterans Choose to Live in and around San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio has a long and storied history as “Military City, USA,” and it’s no surprise that between the warm and sunny climate, friendly hospitality and reasonable cost of living so many former service members both male and female make their home in the nation’s seventh largest city. All branches of service are well-represented here, although many service members and family members from other parts of the country may have had their first introduction to San Antonio through one of its many military installations or world-famous military medical facilities.
In terms of extraordinary valor as well as service, many San Antonio veterans are famous for their contributions in theatres of combat, aviation, military medicine, and the list goes on and on. (The list of Medal of Honor recipients approaches three dozen, for instance, with many more Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star and Purple Heart recipients, some included posthumously to address previous discrimination.)
There are also dozens of military- and veteran-oriented nonprofits in the San Antonio area, as well as several veteran-oriented retirement communities.
For health care, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has two hospitals here: one in San Antonio (Audie Murphy) and a smaller VA Medical Center in Kerrville, in the Texas Hill Country nearby.
There are six VA outpatient clinics in San Antonio — Balcones Heights Outpatient Clinic; Frank M. Tejeda VA Outpatient Clinic; North Central Federal OPC; San Antonio Dental Clinic; and Shavano Park Outpatient Clinic — and five community-based outpatient clinics around the city: NorthEast 410 /San Antonio Clinic; Northwest 410/San Antonio Clinic; Pecan Valley CBOC; South Bexar/San Antonio Clinic; and SW Military CBOC.
In addition, for serving mental and behavioral health needs of veterans there are two less-formal Vet Centers (also part of VA, but staffed by veterans and they serve veterans’ family members, once the veteran has registered): one in the Northeast part of the city, off, I35, linked here, and one in the Northwest, off 1604, linked here.
There are even two national military cemeteries in the area, one in San Antonio and one at Fort Sam Houston.
