The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to share your story. If your story is selected and published, you will receive a $250 stipend.

I am a resident of Dignowity Hill where I have lived for 13 years. I purchased my house in 2007 and spent six years renovating it. I am currently on Dignowity Hill’s Board of the Neighborhood Association as secretary, and have been involved on the board in some manner since 2008. I was president of the neighborhood association from 2014-16, and have watched this community evolve from a blighted area, to one of the best places to live in San Antonio. 

A portrait of Dee Smith and her wife Liz Franklin hangs in the living room of their home in Dignowty Hill. The couple met 39 years ago while active duty military stationed in San Antonio, eventually settling in Dignowty Hill in 2007. Credit: Clint Datchuk for the San Antonio Report

With growth and change come higher prices, which have quadrupled over the past 19 years. I  have seen many changes in demographics and funding that the city has put into this community to bring the average home from $45,000 value to well above $350,000. My property value was  $40,000 in 2007 and now is valued at close to $600,000.

I have watched gentrification take hold and change the demographics and culture of the community. The downfalls of higher priced homes and popularity with the proximity of downtown, we have seen our property taxes  explode to astronomical highs, and contract work costs triple when they see we are in a high  tax bracket and in an historic district. Some residents have to get second jobs to pay the high  property taxes. 

We have four parks within our community, which is a square mile in footage. We have a skate park and a tennis facility which houses 18 Pickleball courts at Fairchild Park — the largest in the city. I am the current President of the San Antonio Pickleball Association and I have watched the sport grow in San Antonio and seen people from all over the city come to Fairchild to play. Players come from out of town weekly to Fairchild to enjoy the amenities of free pickleball play and a great view of the downtown skyline. 

Dee Smith plays pickleball at Fairchild Park, where she plays every morning and hosts classes as head of the San Antonio Pickleball Association. Credit: Clint Datchuk for the San Antonio Report

Dignowity Hill is a great place to live with connections to four freeways within minutes and its  close proximity to downtown. It’s a walking community that has plenty of greenspaces, like three community gardens within a quarter mile, several recreational facilities and activities within a few blocks. The Hays Street Bridge is a spot where we can enjoy the fireworks and have our own party just a few blocks away. 

Dignowity Hill has several Facebook pages and has a monthly Porch Parade, where neighbors go to designated homes in the party route to eat, socialize and get to know each other better. Our neighborhood association is very active and helps keep the residents informed of happenings in our community and all the major and minor projects throughout the city that affect our community. 

Dee Smith and her wife Liz Franklin enjoy a conversation in the living room of their home in Dignowty Hill, where they have lived since 2007. Credit: Clint Datchuk for the San Antonio Report

There are also areas in our community that need to be addressed, such as stray animals and some streets that are in dire need of repair. Some areas of our community do not have any  sidewalks and very bumpy streets, primarily in the non-historic area of Dignowity Hill. I have seen people come into our community to dump boxes of puppies, believing that someone will find and take in the puppies. To remedy this situation with puppy dumps, we have residents who foster stray animals and match them with owners in Dignowity Hill or homes around the city and country.

Another need that we have in Dignowity Hill is restaurants. We have several nearby mom and pop restaurants but most close after lunch. We could use a few of the large chain restaurants that would remain open for dinner meals. Also, we need a better grocery store or more choices and a better quality of grocery items in the HEB. I travel 5 miles or more to a grocery shop in another community. I am retired military, so I also have the option of shopping at Fort Sam Houston, which is another benefit for me, with its proximity. 

Dee Smith presents a binder of photos illustrating all the improvements they have made to their home in Dignowty Hill since purchasing it in 2007. Credit: Clint Datchuk for the San Antonio Report

The railroad yard being housed here in Dignowity Hill is often a nuisance, as the trains sometimes stop on the tracks and block three or four entrances into Dignowity Hill, making it difficult to enter or depart. I sometimes feel locked in and have to go out of my way to enter or depart, depending on if  there is an event at the Alamodome. When there is an event, our main way out is backed up with cars on one of the main thoroughfares out of the community. The railway is my biggest complaint, as it appears that they do whatever they want and the city appears to have no say. 

Overall, moving here was a great decision. I love the parks, the scenery, proximity to  everything and I like my neighbors.

Dee Smith and her wife Liz Franklin relax on the front porch of their home in Dignowty Hill. Credit: Clint Datchuk for the San Antonio Report