The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by putting its many vibrant neighborhoods in the spotlight. Each week, a local resident invites us in and tells us what makes their neighborhood so special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to tell us your story.
Of all the things I love about Hollywood Park, I appreciate my neighbors the most. They are gray-brown and have tails and hooves. Some have antlers, some are spotted. They roam in herds, sometimes stopping to nibble on my potted flowers, sometimes lounging in my front yard, sometimes moving to another yard. Although some find them a nuisance, I find they add beauty to my neighborhood.
When I cross the street, often in family groups, they make me slow down and reflect on the inseparable bond between two-legged and four-legged creatures, a model for humans to rethink their relationship with the rest of the animal kingdom. I know I’m not alone in this way of thinking.
In 2010, as part of a population control effort, the Hollywood Park City Council floated the idea of capturing the deer, transporting them, and releasing them in Mexico. To the council’s surprise, the proposal was met with such widespread opposition that the plans were quickly scrapped. It goes without saying that Hollywood Park values and protects all of its residents.
Aside from my four-legged neighbors, I really appreciate my human neighbors. When my family and I moved to the neighborhood in 1995, some of the original residents were still living there. Now, the neighborhood has grown and welcomed new residents, some of whom are children or nephews and nieces of the original residents. This new generation has brought a needed and welcome diversity to the neighborhood in terms of racial and ethnic representation, political affiliation, family composition, and more.
Over the decades, and especially since I returned last year to care for my aging mother, I have witnessed the changes and growth of my neighborhood. While change can sometimes be unsettling, if not unwelcome, overall I have been pleased with how the older generations of residents have adapted to such demographic shifts and, for the most part, readily welcomed their new neighbors. If Hollywood Park, a neighborhood often — and usually unfairly — considered elitist, can find space for a diversity of families and opinions, then I like to think that the rest of San Antonio, which struggles to blend the new with the old, can, too.
At a time when homes in new suburban developments all too often look identical, Hollywood Park stands out. My neighborhood has single-story homes, multi-story homes, and multigenerational homes—often complete with a granny flat, additional living unit, or casita.
There is currently a discussion about whether rooms or living spaces can be rented to potential non-family residents. While I understand the reluctance to potentially allow Hollywood Park to become a rental property, I hope that we come to a decision on this matter with the utmost sensitivity and patience. I believe that the neighbors I love and have loved for years will rise to the occasion.
