A former farm town on the outskirts of San Antonio
Located on the northwestern edge of San Antonio, Helotes was originally a corn-farming community named after the Spanish word “elote,” meaning “corncob.” Since its days as a farm town, it has transformed into a modern suburban city with direct highway access to San Antonio. Many residents commute into the metro and work in San Antonio’s healthcare, finance and energy industries. Just over 9,000 people live in Helotes, and the population has grown by 23% in the last 15 years. Highly rated local schools, community events and a growing shopping and dining scene contribute to the city’s expansion.
The city of Helotes retains a rustic and peaceful atmosphere.
As of 2020, Helotes has a total population of 9,952.
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Spread-out neighborhoods in Helotes
Neighborhoods are spread out due to Helotes annexing some unincorporated neighborhoods from San Antonio, which have changed the city's shape over time. Many of the most popular properties in town are newly constructed houses in planned communities like San Antonio Ranch. Helotes's median home price is $475,000, compared to the San Antonio median of around $293,000.
Modern traditional homes are common in Helotes.
Brick modern traditional homes from the early 21st century
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A-rated education at O’Connor High School
The city is part of the Northside Independent School District, which receives a B-plus rating from Niche. The local high school, Sandra Day O’Connor High School, has an A rating and features over a dozen career technical programs, including one of the top-rated agriculture science magnet programs in the country. “If your kid wants to be in an AG program and raise a goat or sheep, you can’t bring it to your regular neighborhood, but the high school has their big barn where they can do that,” says Rhonda Howerton, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker who has lived in Helotes for 20 years. Helotes is only 4 miles from The University of Texas at San Antonio, the city’s largest college.
Bennie L. Cole Elementary School offers plenty of fun after school activities.
Students are the highest priority at Brennan High School.
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Floore’s Country Store and the Cornyval
Helotes’s history as a corn-farming community is honored in May when the Cornyval Parade comes to town. This celebration includes four days and three nights filled with food trucks, rodeo events and live music. For music and dancing the rest of the year, the city’s most famous music venue is the John T. Floore’s Country Store. The historic dance hall opened in 1942, and performers like Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and Elvis Presley have all graced the honky-tonk stage.
Boutique shopping in Old Town Helotes
Bandera Road has been a gathering place since the days when cattle drivers would set up camp along the main street. Today, this section of the city is known as “Old Town” after the dozen historic buildings that line the road. Modern boutique shops and barbecue restaurants have popped up between the 19th-century cottages on Bandera Road. “They’re very small business-oriented, so Old Town Helotes has lots of small businesses and wineries,” Howerton says. “You can’t have big signs and lights, and part of that is so big chains don’t draw attention away from local businesses.” Vendors selling clothes, food and arts and crafts come to Old Town on the first Saturday of every month for The Helotes Marketplace.
El Chaparral is the best restaurant in Iron Horse Canyon.
The country nature of Bella Vista is embodied by the Talley Food Mart.
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Canyon State Natural Area follows dinosaurs’ footsteps
Helotes is next to the Government Canyon State Natural Area, a nature preserve filled with hills, canyons and a display of 110-million-year-old preserved dinosaur tracks. The Senator Frank L. Madla Natural Area is another local hiking destination with beginner-friendly trails through wild cherry trees. In the middle of the city, the Helotes Fitness Park offers outdoor exercise equipment and a disc golf course.
Iron Horse Canyon has various parks and outdoor areas that residents enjoy.
Stillwater has many country wonders hidden through out the area.
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Less than 20 miles from downtown San Antonio
Downtown San Antonio and the San Antonio International Airport are within 20 miles of Helotes. Bandera Road, also known as Texas Highway 16, is the city’s main thoroughfare. The highway connects to Interstate 410 nearer to San Antonio. While VIA Metropolitan Transit has bus routes throughout San Antonio, these routes do not extend to Helotes.
Year-round sun and heat in Bexar County
Helotes is sunny and hot most of the year, with below-average rainfall and barely any snow. During the spring and summer, Bexar County is prone to tornadoes and heat waves. According to a 2022 report from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Helotes’s crime rate was 1,857 crimes for every 100,000 people, one-third of the rate in San Antonio. In 2022, theft accounted for 78% of the city’s reported crimes.
Written By
Delaney Murray
Photography Contributed By
Adam Michaud
Video By
Houston Knight
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GreatSchools:
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On average, homes in Helotes, TX sell after 74 days on the market compared to the national average of 50 days. The median sale price for homes in Helotes, TX over the last 12 months is $500,000, up 14% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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