San Antonio

San An·to·nio

geographical name \ˌsan-ən-ˈtō-nē-ˌō\

Definition of SAN ANTONIO

1

river ab 200 miles (322 kilometers) S Texas flowing SE into Gulf of Mexico

2

city S Texas on San Antonio River pop 1,144,646

— San An·to·ni·an \-nē-ən\ noun

San Antonio

geographical name    (Concise Encyclopedia)

City (pop., 2000: 1,144,646), south-central Texas, U.S. It is situated at the headwaters of the San Antonio River. Founded in 1718 by the Spanish as a mission on the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian village, it was laid out as a town in 1731. The mission, called the Alamo, became a military post in 1794; it was the site of a historic siege in 1836. In the late 19th century, as the starting point of the Chisholm Trail, the town became a major cattle centre. Military installations, especially for aviation and aerospace, spurred the city's rapid growth after 1940. The economy is now diversified—government, business, manufacturing, education, and tourism are all important aspects of San Antonio's growth.