About the City

On the edge of the Texas Hill Country, the City of Shavano Park is located in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area in northwest Bexar County, approximately 12 miles north of downtown San Antonio. Shavano Park is surrounded by the City of San Antonio to the north, east, south, and west. Generally, the City’s boundaries are Loop 1604 on the north, Huebner Road on the south, Lockhill Selma on the west and Salado Creek on the east. Bexar County is the fourth largest County in the State of Texas and San Antonio is the largest City in the County and second largest City in the State. Geographically, Shavano Park is located in the south central Texas region at the edge of the Gulf Coastal Plains. The best way to learn about the City, our history, our character and our values, is to read the City's Town Plan - found here.

1950s Beautiful Shavano Advertisement

City Size and Population - 2020 Census

   Area  Population
Shavano Park  3.3 sq. mi  3,524
San Antonio   460.93 sq. mi.  1,544,672
Bexar County  1,239.82 sq. mi.  1,991,779

Historical - City's Digital History

The City of Shavano Park (originally known just as Shavano) is located in northwest Bexar County at the edge of the Texas Hill Country, approximately twelve miles north of downtown San Antonio, and along the Olmos and Salado Creeks. In the 1800’s, A. De Zavala operated a general store just west of our city limits. In 1881, the U.S. Postal Service opened a post office nearby, with De Zavala as the first postmaster. In 1884, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway established a small rail station and switch. During that period, Shavano was a stagecoach stop between San Antonio and Boerne. The original town had a saloon, carpenter, grocer and fifty residents. By 1896 the population grew to nearly 100 residents, before beginning a gradual decline.

1958 Cattle Drive on NW Military HighwayBy 1903, the Postal Service closed the post office and the site of the later township of Shavano Park became part of the Stowers Ranch. George Arthur Stowers came to Texas in 1889 and opened several successful furniture stores. The land Stowers acquired was originally part of a Spanish land grant. In 1947, Wallace Rogers and Sons purchased the land with plans for additional development. At that time, the road system consisted of only NW Military Highway and De Zavala Road, and residential development had begun in the Cliffside subdivision east of NW Military Highway. On June 19, 1956, the City of Shavano Park was incorporated as a General Law City. In the mid-1960s, additional roads were added, including Loop 1604 to the north, Lockhill Selma Road to the west and Huebner Road to the south.

Shavano Park Volunteer Fire Department in 1952Today, the City of Shavano Park is completely surrounded by the City of San Antonio. The City’s boundaries are generally Loop 1604 to the north, Huebner Road to the south, Lockhill Selma to the west and Salado Creek to the east. The City encompasses approximately 3.3 square miles of land and has an estimated 3, 793 residents. The City has come a long way from the rural cluster of homes east of NW Military Highway, as can be seen in this 1948 property plat of the original homes.

In 2018, the City adopted "City Living with Country Charm" as its official slogan to celebrate this history.

BiblioTech, Bexar County’s all-digital public library, worked with the 26 suburban cities of San Antonio, to create individual digital anthologies. Together, these anthologies reflect and preserve the rich, diverse histories found in Bexar County. The project launched in 2018 to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio.  To see the rich history of Shavano Park visit http://bexarbibliotecharchive.org/. This project was a joint effort by City Staff and volunteer residents. It includes sections on the City’s military influence, personal histories written by residents, newsletters from 1966 to present, photographs, and the Shavano Park Women’s Club.

City Organization

The City of Shavano Park is a Type A General Law City operating under a Council/City Manager form of government consisting of five council members and an elected Mayor.

City Services

Today, the city maintains its own water system, provides fire and EMS services, police protection, street maintenance, public works, code enforcement, building inspections, municipal court, and twice a year brush and bulky item pick-up. The City provides twice a week curbside residential garbage service and once a week curbside recycling collection service to its residents. Commercial areas in the City receive service 6 days per week. Residents may also participate in the Bexar County Household Hazardous Waste Program at no cost. The home pick-up is on an on-call basis.

Water Service

The City's source of drinking water is pumped from the Edwards Aquifer and the Trinity Aquifer.  Water is secured from four operational wells.  One of two inoperable wells is being utilized by the EAA for water quality monitoring. The Trinity aquifer lies below the Edwards Aquifer along the northern part of our City. The neighborhoods of Old Shavano Park and the Shavano Estates receive City water service.

Residents of the neighborhoods of Bentley Manor, De Zavala Estates, Huntington, Shavano Creek, and Willow Wood as well as all the commercial areas on Loop 1604 and Lockhill Selma receive water and sewer services from SAWS.