Military & Veterans InTransition News

For years, maybe decades, you have lived where the U.S. government has told you to live. So when that discharge paperwork comes through, how do you decide where to go?

Many veterans don’t stray far from the military bases they were assigned to, government data indicates, and some will return to cities where they were previously stationed.

That’s probably a big factor behind a veteran population in San Antonio above 100,000, said Bob Murdock, director of the city’s Office of Military Affairs.

“When they were assigned here at one time or another, they had a very positive experience with the community,” Murdock said. “We are very proud of the moniker that we are Military City USA.”

For Military Times’ first-ever Best for Vets: Places to Live feature, we considered the sorts of military- and veteran-specific culture and services that can lead city vet populations to swell into six figures, as well as economics and livability factors, such as traffic and crime.