San Antonio Neighborhoods, Old and New - Part 1: The King William District

San Antonio, Texas, the Alamo City,  is made up of hundreds of diverse neighborhoods, both old and new.  In the next few posts, I want to explore a few of those areas and their current real estate market information. 

The new home construction in the last half century or so in SA has been mostly concentrated to the north and northwest of downtown, but the older neighborhoods near downtown are becoming trendy and in some cases, much more expensive.  Many of these homes are 80 to 100 years old, and are being lovingly restored by families who want to live close to where they work, or are attracted to the many downtown sites and events.

In his blog titled "Building San Antonio: Living Inside the Loop",  David Matiella calls the midtown San Antonio neighborhoods of King William, Lavaca, Monte Vista, and others, the now "hot real estate". I want to focus on one of those, the King William neighborhood,  a 25-block area near downtown on the south bank of the San Antonio River. In the late 1800's the King William District was the most elegant residential area in the city.

According to the San Antonio Conservation Society,
 
"The King William District occupies land that was once irrigated farm land belonging to the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo.  When the mission was secularized in 1793, the lands were divided among resident Indian families from the mission or sold at public auction.  The area called the King William Neighborhood of today was subdivided into lots in the 1860's and laid out with the present streets.  It was about this time that a great many Germans who had immigrated to Texas in the 1840's began to settle in this area and it became known as "Sauerkraut Bend" to the rest of San Antonio.... In 1967 the King William District was designated the first Historic Neighborhood District in Texas." 

Available King William Homes:
Currently in King William, there are 14 homes for sale, ranging from $142,000 for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with 1059 square feet, to $2,630,000 for a 6000+ square foot home / guest house / studio that's been totally updated and is situated on the river.  Most are priced below $500,000.  To get more information on any of these homes, contact me.

2009 Sales in King William:
So far in 2009, there have been 8 sales, ranging from $112,500 for a fixer-upper, to $580,000 for a 3784 square feet updated home.  Sales ranged from $48 per square foot to $197 per square foot.  The updated homes sold in the mid to upper $100's per square foot, and the homes not updated sold below $75 per square foot.

Coming Events in King William...

The next free concert in the King William Park is coming up Sunday, Oct. 11 at 6:30 pm. with the Viva Tango Quartet and the Puro Tango Argentino Dancers.  This is the sixth and final concert in 2009.

Saturday, December 5, 2009 is the annual King William Holiday Home Tour which showcases the historic preservation and renovation of the district.  The tour is held yearly on the first Saturday of December, and allows visitors to view private homes in the neighborhood.

The annual King William Fair helps kick off the San Antonio Fiesta week next year on April 24, 2010.