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Exercising and playing games are some of the keys to staying happy and healthy for seniors in the Northern Hills/Valencia neighborhoods. From the Northeast Senior Center to the Northern Hills Golf Course, seniors have plenty of options to stay busy
and thrive in their community.
Fitness, fun and friendship: Seniors thrive in Northern Hills/Valencia
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One woman has made it her mission to keep her Valencia neighborhood looking good. She regularly takes on taggings. Working in conjunction with the city and San Antonio police, she wipes out most graffiti that she sees. Her efforts have earned her the nickname of “The Graffiti Lady” throughout the area.
Woman acts as
self-appointed 'grime fighter' in Valencia neighborhood
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Many Northern Hills and Valencia residents probably don't realize that this part of Northeast San Antonio has a connection to the Mission San Antonio de Valero,
best known as the Alamo.
History shows
Northern Hills/
Valencia has an
Alamo connection
March 21, 2024
By Steve Spriester, Priscilla Carraman, Myra Arthur, Jessie Degollado, Daniela Ibarra, Katrina Webber, David Sears, Avery Everett, Adam Barraza, Adam B. Higgins, Azian Bermea, Eddie Latigo, Matthew Craig, Rick Medina, Robert Samarron, Santiago Esparza, William Caldera, Henry Keller, Rebecca Salinas
Getting Involved
Northern Hills/
Valencia
Just off the side of a fairway and newly planted trees sits a neighborhood that may be most known by
the golf course that bears its name — Northern Hills.
If you ask for directions to a home in this neighborhood, the golf course will likely serve as a guidepost.
It’s hard to believe the community almost lost it.
The Northern Hills Golf Course was once privately owned and about to be sold to apartment developers when the neighborhood came together to fight and eventually persuade the City of San Antonio to buy it. The now-city-owned golf course brings a sense of pride for neighbors, along with the Northeast Senior Center, but it doesn’t mean Northern Hills and its neighbor Valencia don’t have challenges.
The two neighborhoods are separated by Nacogdoches Road and sandwiched between Wurzbach Parkway, Interstate 35 and Loop 1604 on the Northeast Side. They share more than Nacogdoches, though. Whether it’s community events or neighborhood citizen patrols, the aging communities are facing a lack of involvement.
They also have infrastructure challenges of broken water pipes and shifting soil.
The once-major selling point of having a community pool is now a thing of the past: Northern Hills’ pool sits empty and abandoned and Valencia’s pool is filled with dirt. Both are a clear sign of the challenges these neighborhoods face: an aging population with a lack of young families and funding.
People who live here firmly believe the good in these neighborhoods will bring younger families back, but is the commitment to working together gone? In this episode of “Know My Neighborhood,” we explore the good, the bad and the frustrating in Northern Hills/Valencia, and the neighborhoods’ desire to have community involvement now and in the future.
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Northern Hills is a close-knit community. Neighbors say crime is minimal, and they watch out for each other to prevent others from becoming victims. Still, police say car break-ins are some of the most common crimes affecting the neighborhood.
Northern Hills residents stay on alert even with minimal crime
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With both Northern Hills and Valencia only having volunteer homeowners associations, neighborhood leaders say participation is low. They’re looking to bring newer and younger families to the forefront to help secure the neighborhoods’ futures.
Northern Hills/Valencia neighborhood leaders look to increase involvement through voluntary HOA
