SAN ANTONIO – The City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation is hosting community meetings to consider the creation of the Silk Road Cultural Heritage District.
The area near Wurzbach Road between I-10 and Fredericksburg Road is known for good food, rich culture, and thriving businesses with owners from all over the world.
In 2022, District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez proposed that the area be considered a Cultural Heritage District named Silk Road.
“Located largely along the Wurzbach corridor near the Medical Center, the Silk Road Cultural Heritage District will highlight and celebrate the rich traditions of the area’s Middle Eastern, North African, and Asian immigrants,” a city news release said.
Many of the children in the community attend Colonies North Elementary School. Principal Norma Farrell said the campus greatly represents what’s happening in the community.
“We have between 20 to 30 languages spoken. Most of our kids are from Afghanistan, so they speak Pashto. After that, I would say we have a group that’s growing more and more from the Congo, so they speak Swahili,” she said.
Given how diverse the community is, Farrell supports the idea of giving the area a special designation.
“We have kids from all over the world. I think this is a prime area, the perfect area for this designation,” she said.
The first of several meetings for the designation consideration is scheduled for Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Bob Ross Senior Center on Babcock Road.