1. UTSA Apartment Locators

Information for on-campus and off-campus housing is found on the Housing and Residence Life web site.

2. Utilities

• Gas, Electric, and Trash Pick-up Services:
• City Public Service, also known as CPS:  (210)353-2222

CPS is the energy company that you need to call to turn on your electric and gas service in San Antonio. They also provide trash pick-up services.

B. Water Services: There are two companies that provide water services in San Antonio. San Antonio Water System, which is the largest in the city, and Bexar Met, which is only in limited areas. (To find out if you fall under the Bexar Met service area, go to the Bexar Met website.)

•  San Antonio Water System, also known as SAWS: (210) 704-SAWS.  SAWS provides water and sewer services.
• Bexar Met : (210)922-1221.

C. Local and Long-Distance Telephone Services and Internet Access Options: Visit these web sites for more information on how to establish a home telephone for local and long-distance calling, as well as Internet and Wireless Services. You can also compare prices at www.phonedog.com and www.abtolls.com.

  AT&T : This used to be known as SBC, but is now AT&T. Visit their web site for information on how to establish your home phone for local and long-distance calling.
Verizon : 1800-483-4000. Verizon offers multi-lingual Customer Service in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese.
Grande Communications : (210)320-4600. This company does have limited service. To find out if you fall within their service area, please visit their web site.
Qwest : 1800-860-2255.

D. International Calling
Depending on your frequency of calling home, it may be cheaper to use a calling card purchased online or at a local store. To use these cards, simply purchase the card and begin calling! There are several web sites online that sell calling cards. The following web site can help you compare rates for different calling cards. Some local stores in San Antonio sell international calling cards as well. Here are some examples of locations that sell calling cards: Wal-Mart, Dollar General, and Target.

E. Cable Television

• Time Warner Cable: the most popular cable company in San Antonio. Read their web site for information on how to sign-up.
• DirectDigital TV : this service requires a Dish and receivers. Check out their web site for special offers.

3. LAUNDRY FACILITIES

 Most washing machines only have three temperatures: hot – for whites and very dirty clothes, cold – for delicate clothing and colors that run, and warm – for everything else! Drying machines have three temperatures as well: normal – for regular clothes and towels, permanent press – to reduce the wrinkles in clothes, and low – for delicate clothes.

• On-Campus Facilities: There are laundry facilities available for students living on campus. If you are living in Chaparral Village, there are five laundry facilities with one located in each of the neighborhood centers. University Oaks offers three laundry facilities, and Chisholm Hall offers four – one on each floor!

B. Off-Campus Facilities: There are private laundry facilities all over town that require coins to use the washers and dryers.

Here is a partial listing:

• Kwik Wash Laundry: 8810 Huebner Rd., San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-696-6883
• Kwik Wash Laundry: 12831 Cogburn, San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-697-9200
• Pilgrim Launderers & Cleaners: 5802 Babcock Rd., San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-697-7150
  
  

4. Grocery Stores

        A. Grocery stores near campus

• Wal-Mart Super center Store : 5555 De Zavala Road, 558-2007, 24 hours, Bus #603 or UTSA Shuttle (Saturday only, after classes begin)
• H. E.B. : 121777 IH10 West, 210-558-3027, Bus #603 or UTSA Shuttle (Saturday only)

UTSA offers a SHOPPING SHUTTLE every Saturday from noon to 4pm. The shopping shuttle is for all UTSA students and will run every Saturday when classes or exams are in session. The route will be as follows: Chisholm Hall Stop - Chaparral Village - University Oaks Phase III - Wal-Mart (in front of the Garden Center) - Huebner Oaks Shopping Center (in front of Border's Book Store) - HEB on De Zavala (left entrance).

B. Specialty grocery stores

San Antonio is a diverse city and therefore you will be able to find a variety of markets in and around town. This link will provide you information on ethnic food markets in San Antonio.
                                                                                                           
                                    Below are some markets that we’ve already received reviews on.

•  Chockdee Oriental Market: 119 E. Lindbergh Blvd, Universal City, TX. Tel. 210-566-2210
• India Bazar: 8450 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-692-3885
• India Store: 5751 Evers Rd, San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-681-3100
• Busan Market (Korean): 6019 Rittiman Plz, San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-829-0299
• Ali Baba International Food Market: 9307 Wurzbach Rd., San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-691-1111

 C. Other Shopping Areas near campus:

This is just a partial list of shopping areas. To find more in San Antonio, visit: http://www.sanantoniocvb.com/visitors/things_shopping.asp

•  The Shops at La Cantera: La Cantera Pkwy, Loop 1604 & IH10, San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-582-6255      . Bus# 94 from UTSA 1604 campus parking lot #3.
• The Rim Shopping Center: 17703 IH 10W, San Antonio, TX. Bus# 94 from UTSA 1604 campus parking lot #3.
• Huebner Oaks Shopping Center, 11745 W. I-10, San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-697-8444. Bus# 603 from UTSA 1604 campus parking lot #3.
• North Star Mall: 7400 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX. Tel. 210-340-6627. Bus# 93 from UTSA 1604 campus parking lot #3 to Crossroads Park/Ride Terminal and transfer to #550. Get off the bus at Rector & Ahern which is opposite North Star Mall.

5. CHILD CARE

You do have the option to find a private childcare facility off-campus. When looking for a facility, be sure the one you select is licensed and accredited by the State of Texas.

See City of San Antonio Child Care for contact information on some of the facilities.  

UTSA Child Development Center
The UTSA Child Development Center provides child care services for UTSA students, staff, and faculty. The Center is licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and is accredited by The National Association for Education of Young Children.more information, please visit their webpage.

6. DRIVING IN TEXAS

For information on how to obtain permission to drive in the State of  Texas, see the Texas Department of Public Safety web site. Generally, a person 18 to 75 years of age with a valid out-of-country driver’s license in their possession may drive a private, non-commercial motor vehicle in the State of Texas for up to one year from date of entry into the United States, if their home country has reciprocity with the U.S. In order to check for reciprocity agreement status, click on Reciprocity In Driver Licensing or you may contact License Issuance at (512) 424-5089 or by e-mail at
license.issuance@txdps.state.tx.us.

7. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

If you don’t have a car and need to get around, you should familiarize yourself with VIA Metropolitan Transit. Known as VIA, this is the local bus service that will help you maneuver your way around the city. You can go online and look at bus schedules and you can even use their Personal Trip Planner to find out which route to take to get to the location you want to go to.

Welcome | Before you leave | Arriving in San Antonio | Settling in San Antonio | Settling in at UTSA | Orientation Information | Helpful Websites