The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the headquarters of the Region IV Parole Division at the San Antonio Metropolitan Parole Complex. Under the leadership of Ben Milam, in the battle of Bexar, in December 1835, Texan forces captured San Antonio from the hands of forces commanded by General Martín Perfecto de Cos, Santa Anna's brother-in-law. However, Germans were drawn to San Antonio in search of work, and many buildings and streets still bear German names, such as Wurzbach, Huebner, Jones Maltsberger and Wiederstein. San Antonio is home to four Fortune 500 companies and the South Texas Medical Center, the only provider of research and health care in the South Texas region.
The natural vegetation of the San Antonio area (where it is not affected by development) includes oak and cedar forests, oak grassland savannas, chaparral thickets, and riverine forests (streams). The new attraction is located inside the Shops at Rivercenter, in downtown San Antonio, and is one of Merlin's Sea Life aquariums. San Antonio grew to become the largest Spanish settlement in Texas; it was designated as the capital of the Spanish, later Mexican, province of Texas. Annual events, such as Fiesta San Antonio (the city's iconic event), Luminaria (a contemporary art festival) and Fiesta Noche del Rio, add a variety of entertainment options to the area and strengthen the economy.
By 1780, San Antonio was the capital of the Spanish province of Texas and had a population of about 2000 inhabitants, a mix of Spanish Mexicans, Native Americans from the missions, African-Americans and Canary Islanders. The smaller population of the San Antonio metropolitan area has so far contributed to the lack of an NFL, MLB, NHL or MLS team. Hearst Corporation, which owns a second newspaper, the San Antonio Light, bought the Express-News from News Corp. City officials are said to be trying to permanently lure the National Football League to San Antonio.
Under the leadership of Juan Leal Goraz, the group marched overland from Veracruz to the San Antonio de Béjar Presidio, where they arrived on March 9, 1731.On the northwest side are the main campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, and the northwest campus of the University of the Incarnate Word, which includes the Rosenberg School of Optometry. San Antonio is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of its neighboring city, Austin, the state capital, about 190 miles (310 km) west of Houston and about 250 miles (400 km) south of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. According to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city receives around 32 million tourists a year.
