The Westside Community Area includes the diverse neighborhoods of Avenida Guadalupe, Collins Garden, Prospect Hill, San Juan Gardens, and West End Hope in Action in the more historic areas close to Downtown, as well as Community Workers Council, Loma Park, Loma Vista, Memorial Heights, and Westwood Square in more recently developed areas west of General McMullen Drive.

San Antonio’s Westside community embodies Mexican-American history and helps define the city’s role as a national epicenter of Hispanic culture. Established over 30 years ago, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center helps preserve and promote Chicano heritage and culture, while the historic Plaza Guadalupe is home to many community events and has hosted numerous dignitaries including Pope John Paul II.

The former Kelly Air Force Base is located just southwest of the Westside Community Area. It was a major employment center for the City (25,000 jobs at its peak in 1989) and helped provide upward mobility for generations of Westside families between 1917 and the closure of the base in 2001. Although the base closure had a tremendous impact on the City, the continuing role of Lackland Air Force Base as part of Joint Base San Antonio, and the redevelopment of portions of the former base as Port San Antonio has helped recapture many of the lost jobs.

The Westside was home to several important “firsts” in the City. Our Lady of the Lake University was founded in 1895 and became the first San Antonio institution of higher education to receive regional accreditation. The Alazan-Apache Courts were the first public housing community constructed in San Antonio and have been home to multiple generations of Westside families.