A massive urban renewal project that’s reviving plaza culture. An Alamo fight centuries in the making. Avant-garde Mexican food inspired by Maya trade routes. From billionaire Kit Goldsbury to artist Ana Fernandez to former NBA All-Star Tim Duncan, seventeen San Antonians talk about why the historic city might be the most interesting place in America right now. Read them in our collection below.
San Antonio at 300

The Alamo at dawn.
Photograph by Tamir Kalifa
Stories

Artists Ana Fernandez and Cruz Ortiz on finding inspiration in their hometown.

Rapper Marco Cervantes, who performs as Mexican Stepgrandfather, and Álvaro Del Norte, founder of the accordion-powered punk rock band Piñata Protest, discuss their inspirations.

The future Hall of Famer hangs with his buddy, Jason Pena, at their joint venture, BlackJack Speed Shop.

How San Antonio handles the Alamo Plaza redevelopment will say a lot about what kind of city it wants to become.

The city that gave birth to the republic continues to nourish the traits that distinguish the state’s character.

From Tejano to punk and hip-hop, there's so much great music coming out of San Antonio today.

How an African-American family managed to rise to prominence during the height of Jim Crow-era segregation.

The poet Naomi Shihab Nye pays tribute to Maury Maverick, Jr., one of San Antonio's greatest sons.

Native Nicki Longoria offers up her favorites from before the city’s big culinary boom.

San Antonio barber Rob Ferrel on the origins of his famous hair designs.

Hairdresser and local celebrity Karlos Anzoategui, known as Karlos With a K, on throwing the most memorable parties in town.

Kit Goldsbury made his fortune in Pace Picante sauce, and Graham Weston in the cloud computing company Rackspace. Now the billionaire philanthropists are leading ambitious urban renewal projects.

Former state senator Leticia Van de Putte and Representative Diego Bernal discuss the childhood experiences that shaped their priorities for San Antonio’s—and the state’s—public schools.

Chefs Rico Torres and Diego Galicia have earned national acclaim for their newfangled takes on age-old dishes.

Though the city’s Tricentennial Commission has thus far been a dismal failure, creative residents have found a way to celebrate their complex history and promising future.