San Antonio

Members of the Northeast Pasco County concerned citizen's group are quick to tell you about two endangered species in and around San Antonio, Florida: the first is "citrus sinensis," otherwise known as the orange; the second is "bos taurus," otherwise known as—the cow. Concerned citizens are acting now to maintain what they can of their rural lifestyle in the face what seems to be inevitable progress.

To the folks in San Antonio and surrounds, rural is…

San Antonio, by those criteria, is still perfectly rural—an oasis of gently rolling hills, orange groves and pastureland far from the hustle and bustle of the Greater Tampa metropolitan area, of which San Antonio is a part. The city itself, situated on just 1.2 miles square in the northeastern part of Pasco County, is about 30 miles northeast of Tampa—a 30 minute drive down I-75. With a population of just 913 in 2004, up to approximately 5,000 in 2005, San Antonio is experiencing growth, although, for now, very slowly. Being just a few minutes away from its larger neighbor Dade City to the north and east, and within driving distance of Tampa, this small city still offers country living near enough to big city amenities—which is what's got people worried about growth in the first place.

According to William G. Dayton, who wrote a brief history of the area, San Antonio was first settled post-1845 by Judge Edmond Dunne who, hurt by the anti-catholic sentiment endemic to the times, envisioned the land as a "Catholic Colony, a settlement dominated by Roman Catholics and a center of Catholic civilization in Florida." He named his carefully laid out town, which included schools, a monastery, a convent and a home for orphans, San Antonio in honor of St. Anthony of Padua. When the rail came through in 1887, many new settlers arrived—and with them, new ways of life. In 1926, in an effort to modernize, the town was renamed "The City of Lake Jovitall," its borders were greatly extended, and Dunne's obviously Catholic street names were changed: Sacred Heart Street became Rhode Island Avenue; Pius X Avenue became Curley Street. After the Great Depression though, the borders were redrawn to their original standards and the city was again renamed San Antonio. The streets however, kept their "modernized" names.

Homes in San Antonio

San Antonio has thus far managed to keep master-planned communities and subdivisions at bay—although plans have been approved for the Pasco Town Center and Belle Verde golf community, which together sit on more than 3,000 acres and offer the potential for 9,000 new homes and millions of square feet of retail and office space. The new Pasco Town Center is slated to open in 2008; and after several delays, Belle Verde is expected to be competed in 2011. If it happens, which some people still doubt, Belle Verde will be a 2,000-acre, 27-hole golf community with 6,700 homes.

Today, the only community-type game in town is the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club, a gated community nestled among 730 rolling acres with peaceful nature preserves, lakes and 27 holes of golf. A 3/2, beautifully landscaped golf course home goes for $300,000; a 2/2 for $155,000. Outside of the community, however, are many rolling acres in areas of low density homes; at this writing, you can buy five acres of pasture with oaks, creeks and a paved road for $200,000.

San Antonio Schools

San Antonio is served by the Pasco County Public Schools system, which serves 64,680 students in 73 schools. Children in San Antonio attend Quail Hollow Elementary, San Antonio Elementary or Wesley Chapel Elementary, the latter two of which are "A" schools, as well as Thomas E. Weighton Middle, another "A" school, and Wesley Chapel High. San Antonio is also home to the James Irvin Education Center, an alternative school for children grades K-12 who need special help with behavioral, social and academic issues, as well as St. Anthony's Parochial School, which serves children from K-8. The private St. Leo University is also nearby.

Until the promised Pasco Town Center arrives, residents of San Antonio take a quick jaunt to Dade City, just minutes away, for most shopping and dining requirements. Since Dade City is home to a mall and all the chain restaurants and big box retail outlets, and since Tampa is just 30 minutes away by the Interstate, San Antonio residents still have plenty of options.

Locals, however, do rave about Pancho Villa's Mexican restaurant on Curley Road—word has it that the place is packed at dinnertime, and that the food is authentically authentic and muchas delicious! Another local favorite is Al's Famous Pizza, also on Curley.

Leisure and Play in San Antonio

Rural doesn't mean boring! Quite the contrary: there's plenty to do in and around San Antonio. The annual San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival is the area's top attraction; held the 3^{rd Saturday in October since 1967, the Festival offers, naturally, snake shows, gopher races, food, entertainment, arts and crafts, pageants and lots more. Another popular attraction is Pioneer Days, held at the nearby Dade City Pioneer Florida Museum and Village. The museum started back in 1961 when a prominent San Antonio resident gifted 37 vehicles and tools of yesteryear to the Pasco County Fair Association. Since then, the Museum also houses the restored Overstreet House, a one-room school house from Lacoochee, a church from Enterprise, a rail depot and a train engine.}

The Museum is also host of the popular County Christmas each December, which features cane grinding, syrup making, garden tractor pulls, live entertainment and a decked-out holiday décor. In February the Museum hosts its annual Farm Festival and Quilt Show, featuring the draft horse pulling competition, traveling quilt collections, quilts and quilt supplies, quilt appraisals and the People's Choice Quilt Award.

Another San Antonio treasure is the old Train Depot, the last remaining depot on the Orange Belt Railway. The Depot today serves as a community building for parties and events, and houses a museum with authentic railroad memorabilia including a rare, restored caboose.