political reasons
The funds put in to grow San Antonio weren’t encouraged solely by the railroads, and the to build the railroads certainly wasn’t encouraged by solely San Antonio’s past. It’s because of where San Antonio was placed that San Antonio grew so much. Originally, San Antonio was built by the Spaniards by the San Antonio River in order to be a halfway and restock point for people traveling from the Rio Grande to the French forts. The Spaniards built their fort next to a river so that water was easily accessible. This later became a very important part of San Antonio’s growth. After Texas’ succession into the United States, more people immigrated into Texas, giving San Antonio a larger population, and therefore a larger workforce. The strongest industry in Texas, at the time, was agriculture, and San Antonio being placed next to a river greatly strengthened that industry, resulting in San Antonio’s impact on the US economy. This greatly influenced the growth of the railroads, which in turn influenced the growth of San Antonio.