While San Antonians are known for never leaving the 2-1-0 (and coming back if they do), there’s a fair share of natives that move on from the Alamo City. For those who depart San Antonio, there’s lots of things left behind that will definitely make the heart grow fonder.

Having so many spots that know how to make delicious pan dulce Trust us, we’re picky about where we get pan dulce. San Antonio definitely has its spots that just do it better. Now imagine living in a city that maybe has one panaderia. We think it’s terrible, too. Photo by Jessica Elizarraras Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Going honking after the Spurs win What do Spurs fans outside of SA even do when the team wins a playoff game? Photo via Pinterest / Ruthann Hildebrand
Nobody ever rents a moving truck – like, ever We’ve all seen the pictures on social media of trucks wildly packed to unsafe heights, without rope and stacked in daring ways. This may happen in other cities, but it’s definitely a regular thing here in San Antonio. Photo by Sarah Martinez Credit: Sarah Martinez
The one-of-a-kind experience that is Fiesta Not all cities can shut down and party for 10 days straight. San Antonio keeps it real. Photo by Samantha Serna Credit: Samantha Serna
Las Nieves Multiple locations, lasnievesfruitcupssa.com With locations on Blanco and Hildebrand and a fleet of trucks, you’re always near a Las Nieves treat. Their sorbets are silky soft, and the raspas can be as decadent as you want. Get there early because they tend to draw a line. Photo via Instagram / lovebriecheese
All the public art unique to SA’s landscape Many major cities have their own public art, but San Antonio’s public art just has a lot of heart. From highlighting the city’s Latino culture to quirky bits of art that can be seen across town, San Antonio’s art scene is worth remembering fondly during an art stroll in other cities. Photo by Bryan Rindfuss Credit: Bryan Rindfuss
How there’s so many state parks and swimming holes within driving distance In San Antonio, you get to enjoy city life while getting to be so close to beautiful nature sights in literally every direction. From Garner State Park to Calaveras Lake, there’s so much for you to enjoy with just a short drive. Photo via Instagram / touchetstravels Credit: Instagram / touchetstravels
Going to the store and knowing Big Red will be in stock Believe it or not, Big Red isn’t sold nationwide. While it’s easy to come by in San Antonio, it was originally only sold in markets in Texas, Kentucky, and southern Indiana. It’s widely known throughout the South today, but there’s still parts of the U.S. that don’t know about Big Red. Photo via Instagram / drinkbigred Credit: drinkbigred / Instagram
Blanco Lavender Festival Free, Fri Jun 8-10, Blanco, (830) 833-5101, blancolavenderfest.com Blanco City is nestled on the banks of the Blanco River and is home to the beautiful Blanco State Park. This June the city will welcome festival-goers who wish to visit local lavender farms, sample speciality foods and attend gardening seminars on lavender growth and bee keeping. The festival is perfect for horticulture lovers within the Texas Hill Country. Photo via Instagram / aftpgallery
How haunted San Antonio is – if that’s your thing With all of the shady shit that’s happened in SA (aka history), it goes without saying that the city is haunted. From spooky sites to singular ghosts, there’s lots of scary stuff to get into. Seriously, there’s not another city in the U.S. that has such a concentration of ghostly matters. Photo via Instagram / sniperv
Having endless options for breakfast tacos (or any kind of tacos for that matter) What do people outside of Texas even eat for breakfast? Photo via Facebook / The Original Donut Shop Credit: Photo via Facebook / The Original Donut Shop
The cost of living Despite what your bank account might indicate, San Antonio is actually one of the most affordable places to live in the country – and is a major city at that! From average income to the housing market (which is getting worse, but not as bad as other places), living in San Antonio is definitely missed for that alone. File photo
Wait til the last minute to order your seasonal tamales While most families have a tradition of making tamales, there’s plenty who order to supplement their tamal needs or rely only on local small businesses. Wherever you fit in as a tamal customer, order early. A Christmas without tamales is a Christmas we don’t want to have. Photo via Instagram / roninreckless
People understand why you’re so proud of where you went to high school (even if you graduated 20+ years ago) Because “where did you go to high school?” is only a conversation starter (and maybe even the start of a fight) in the 2-1-0. Photo courtesy of Northeast Independent School District Credit: Northeast Independant School District
Credit: JPL PRO – Julián P. Ledezma
The greatness that is H-E-B if they leave the Lone Star State H-E-B does have some locations in Mexico, but otherwise the beloved supermarket chain is only found in Texas. And that is why Texas is #blessed. Photo courtesy of H-E-B Credit: Courtesy of H-E-B
The city shuts down in the rare occurrences when roads freeze Laugh (or roll your eyes) if you will, but you have to admit that it’s pretty great that San Antonio can’t handle its shit when it “snows” here. With ice on the roads, most places can’t help but have to cancel school or work. Those days are slim here, but appreciated when you just want to stay home (because we can’t function in the cold). Photo via Instagram / lutherscafe Credit: lutherscafe / Instagram
Being cultured during First Friday in Southtown Sure, other cities have their own pick of cultural events and artsy happenings, but Friday nights in Southtown are definitely something to be missed. Artwork by Josie Del Castillo Credit: Artwork by Josie Del Castillo
Going to any Mexican restaurant downtown and being serenaded by mariachis Tourists may not totally get it, but locals definitely appreciate the beauty of mariachi music – even if you pretend to be a hater. Coming back to SA and hearing the mariachis play is pretty magical – especially if you’re on the River Walk. Photo courtesy of Pearl Brewery Credit: Pearl Brewery
The weather is basically perfect if you can handle the heat We’ll be the first to say that the heat and humidity here absolutely sucks. But would you rather put up with having to shovel snow, hide out during tornadoes and hurricanes, or have all your stuff ruined thanks to an earthquake? We didn’t think so. Photo via Instagram / texashumor
How everyone respects the military and service members With a name like Military City USA, would you expect any less? Patriotic folks definitely miss this aspect of living in SA. Photo via Shutterstock Credit: Shutterstock
Free chips and salsa at all the local Mexican restaurants Did you know that some Mexican spots charge for chips and salsa?! How dare they! Living outside of Texas sounds rough – and expensive. Photo via Instagram / cat_velazquez
Having a Bill Miller Bar-B-Q at basically every major intersection BM opened its first restaurant in San Antonio in 1950 and has grown exponentially in the decades since. Though there’s 74 restaurants in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Austin, the fast-food barbecue chain hasn’t expanded outside of South and Central Texas. What a shame for those who move away. Photo courtesy of Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Credit: Courtesy of Bill Miller Bar-B-Q
All the history embedded into the city’s culture Sure, the history isn’t always good, but you have to admit that it’s cool that San Antonio is the heart of Texas’ history. From the San Antonio Missions to the Texas Revolution, the Alamo City has been a happening place for centuries (hence the city’s tricentennial). No matter what sort of stuff you’re into, being able to rep SA for these historical tidbits alone is pretty damn cool. Photo courtesy of the City of San Antonio Credit: City of San Antonio