San Antonio was named for the Italian Saint of Padua, whose feast day coincided with a 1691 Spanish expedition's stop in the area. It is now the second largest city in Texas and the seventh largest city in the United States. Famous for the River Walk and Alamo and for its unique Tejano culture, the city is visited by 20 million tourists each year.
San Antonio has a diversified economy with four primary focuses: financial services, government, health care, and tourism. In addition, the city has a strong military presence-it is home to Fort Sam Houston and Lackland Air Force Base, among others. San Antonio is also home to five Fortune 500 companies and to the South Texas Medical Center, the only medical research and care provider in the South Texas region. Other large companies that operate regional headquarters in the city include: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Kohl's, Allstate, Chase Bank, Wachovia, Toyota and Lockheed Martin.
San Antonio is a popular tourist destination. The jewel of the city is the River Walk, which meanders through the downtown area. Lined with numerous shops, bars, and restaurants, this attraction is transformed into an impressive festival of lights during the Christmas and New Year holiday period, and is suffused with the local sounds of folklorico and flamenco music during the summer. The Alamo, located nearby, is Texas' top tourist attraction. The downtown area also features Cathedral of San Fernando, The Majestic Theatre, HemisFair Park (home of the Tower of the Americas and the Institute of Texan Cultures) and the Spanish Governor's Palace. On the northern side of the Alamo complex, beside the Emily Morgan Hotel, is the San Antonio Cavalry Museum, which features cavalry artifacts and exhibits and is frequented by local re-enactors.
