Castle Hills

Castle Hills is a 2˝-square-mile city with one foot inside and one foot outside San Antonio’s north central Loop 410. It also is bisected from north to south by Northwest Military Highway, but one rarely hears it called “a city divided.” It is a cohesive little village with a strong sense of self. It is one of those unique neighborhoods that for more than 50 years has defied our no-deposit, no-return society. It has managed to hold onto the vision of its founders.

“We are a small, friendly community just minutes from the Medical Center, the San Antonio International Airport and the San Antonio River Walk. North Star Mall and the new Park North Mall are less than five minutes away,” says Mayor Marcy Harper, who has been at the helm of the city for 6 years.

A community of mostly rambling ranch-style houses sitting on oak-shaded lots that average a half acre, it is known as “the City of Beautiful Homes,” a denomination not taken lightly by its residents. One of the residents was so concerned about the appearance of a dilapidated house two doors from him that he bought it and demolished it. In addition to its residents, Castle Hills is home to more than 600 medium-to-small businesses, including retail specialty stores, restaurants hair salons and other personal service establishments. The city has a variety of churches and public and private schools.

The Castle Hills area was occupied from the years 1600 through 1875 by Native American tribes—Coahuiltecans, Apaches and Comanches. In the 1920s, a smattering of Anglo families, many of whom were connected to the oil business, invested a chunk of their profits in the construction of masonry homes in the pristine oak-studded countryside. One of the most notable was Chester A. Slimp’s two-story rock “castle,” which rose like a beacon in 1929 on 44 acres near what is now the intersection of Lockhill-Selma Road and West Avenue. Only 2.5 acres of original estate are still intact. The Lodge, a Triple-A Four Diamond Restaurant, occupies the Slimp house at 1746 Lockhill-Selma Rd.

In the 1940s the war-weary GIs returning from World War II were ready to settle down and claim the American dream for which they had fought. Some of them found the oak-shaded country north of San Antonio an ideal place to do it. As the area became more populated, the residents decided it was time to incorporate their little city. With the City of San Antonio breathing down their necks, they hurriedly incorporated on July 3, 1951, before their rapidly expanding neighbor to the south could succeed in annexing them. As a salute to one of the area’s founding families, they named their city “Castle Hills.”

With few exceptions Castle Hills’ 1,550 homes were built in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Today, the city has its own Police, Fire and Rescue, Public Works/Animal Control and Sanitation departments. Electrical power is provided by San Antonio’s City Public Service.

The fire station, centrally located at 209 Lemonwood Drive, and the police department, located next door in City Hall, both are manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The city has 20 fire fighters and 20 police officers. Their average emergency response time is two minutes.

“Our city offers association with the Castle Hills Woman’s Club, which has 200 members, the Castle Hills Homeowners’ Association and the Castle Hills Garden Club,” the mayor says.

According to U.S. Census figures, the city’s population peaked in 1970 with 5,278 residents. As the young people grew up and left home, the 2000 census tallied 4,100 residents; 34 percent are 65 or older. But that process is beginning to shift,” the mayor says. “We still have many original homeowners, and as these older residents leave their homes, the majority of the properties are being bought by young families looking for good value in a solidly built home.”

Many of the adults who grew up in Castle Hills and moved away are learning that you can go home again. “There are numerous families who are relocating within blocks of their parents and even their grandparents. In some cases, we have three generations, each with their own home in Castle Hills,” Harper says.

“We are surrounded by the City of San Antonio, and we take great pride in our small-town atmosphere within a metropolitan area.”

Web site: www.cityofcastlehills.com