San Antonio : Texas
San Antonio is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Bexar County.6 As of the 2000 census, San Antonio had a resident population of 1,144,646, and was the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in Texas. As of January 2005, it had an estimated population of 1,282,800, greater than that of Dallas; it is now ranked as the 8th largest city in the U.S.
Originally founded by Canary Islanders in 1731 (although a small Indian community had already been established in the San Pedro Springs area called Yanaguana), San Antonio de Béxar was an early Spanish settlement in the Americas. The Battle of the Alamo took place nearby in 1836, and eventually the town would grow to encompass the embattled mission. Today, the Alamo is near downtown San Antonio, although is now surrounded by parking lots.
Famous for its Riverwalk and the Alamo, the Spurs basketball team, the Tower of the Americas, and being home to SeaWorld and Six Flags theme parks, San Antonio is visited by 20 million tourists per year.
The city is home to Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base and Brooks City Base.
San Antonio is home to the state’s first art museum (Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum).
SBC Communications, Valero Energy Corp, United Services Automobile Association, Tesoro Petroleum Corp, Southwest Research Institute, H-E-B supermarkets and Clear Channel Communications are headquartered in San Antonio.
