At this point, the city was becoming a major commercial center for the for southwest. In 1877, the first railroad was implemented and brought many migrants from the southern parts of America and after the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1910, Mexican immigrants were settling in the area. During both World Wars, San Antonio was a major center for the military and it factored into the domination of the economy is the following decades. The HemisFair (also known as the world’s exposition) was held in San Antonio in 1968. The city was chosen so it could celebrate its cultural ties to Latin American as well as its 250th anniversary. Henry Cisneros was elected to be the mayor in 1981 and he was the first Hispanic mayor since the middle of the 19th century. He was mayor until 1989. Ed Garza was mayor of San Antonio from 2001 to 2005 and was only the second Hispanic mayor in the modern era.

San Antonio: The Contemporary City

The character of San Antonio can be described as a beautiful blend of Texan and Mexican culture. It is only 150 from Laredo and the Mexican border which happens to be one of the most prolific spots to travel to Mexico. About three fifths of the San Antonio population is Hispanic and mostly of Mexican descent. Many of them area also bilingual or speak Spanish. Because of this, much of the historical atmosphere has been conserved because it embraces the diversity of the city. Mixed within the modern office buildings of downtown are the remains of 18th century Spanish structures.

The rapid growth after 1940 can be attributed to the military installations. Inside the city you have Fort Sam Houston which is the U.S. Fifth Army’s headquarters. It is the also location of the Academy of Health Sciences, which is the basic army school for medical personnel and a national cemetery. There are three air force bases located in the area; Randolph, Brooks and Lackland. Randolph is the headquarters for the Air Education and Training command and is located in the suburbs northeast of the city. In the southeastern part of San Antonio, you will find Brooks and is it the location for the School of Aerospace Medicine. Finally, Lackland is a recruit training base that is located southwest of city center. The first air force base that was opened in the area was Kelly in 1917 and it was redeveloped in 1917 to use in business.