Nicknamed “San Marvelous,” San Marcos, Texas, has a lot going for it besides the naturally beautiful scenery. Located in Hays County, this mid-sized college city enjoys a mix of suburban and city-like amenities, with lots of parks, a variety of restaurants and cultural events throughout the year. If you’ve recently moved here, searching for a home and job is probably a top priority for you, but also consider an often overlooked service to help you make the most of your new life in San Marcos: self storage. Let’s take a look at how this service helps you if you live here:
1. Local businesses
Since the city has experienced tremendous growth in the past few years, employment opportunities have also grown. Texas State University, one of the largest colleges in Texas, is one of the region’s main sources of professional talent as well as a great local employer. In addition to jobs in education, San Marcos also benefits from the proximity of the Amazon fulfillment center, which employs a large number of locals. Strip malls and government institutions are other sources of local employment.
Large corporations and small businesses can benefit from self storage by keeping records stored for the amount of time required by law. Brick-and-mortar businesses can put extra stock in storage to avoid overcrowding their premises.
2. Museums
San Marcos is a city where the preservation of culture takes high priority — in July 1997, the San Marcos Activity Center was opened, which marked the debut of a community art gallery on the premises. It was named the Walkers’ Gallery and it features the work of local artists. On occasion, invitational exhibits are on display. You can also visit the Commemorative Air Force Exhibit, housed in a World War II-era hangar, which features historic military aircraft. At the Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum of San Marcos, you can see how LBJ’s life as a college student and school teacher unfolded.
Museum exhibits that aren’t currently on display can sit in a climate-controlled storage unit. This is an ideal environment for items that need special temperature and humidity levels to avoid damage.
3. The local film industry
Perhaps a lesser-known fact about San Marcos — the city has been the backdrop for several television shows and movies. “Friday Night Lights,” “D.O.A.,” “Boyhood,” “American Crime,” “The Tree of Life” and others have been shot here. Additionally, the city plays host to the Lost River Film Festival, named after the fictional river from the movie “Piranha,” also filmed in the city.
Movie producers and others involved in the movie industry can also turn to self storage to help manage their movie props, costumes and other filming-related paraphernalia.
4. Sports teams
The Texas State Bobcats is the football program powered by Texas State University. It brought home the NCAA Division II National Championships in 1981 and 1982 and is now competing in the NCAA I (FBS) Sun Belt Conference. You can watch a home game play out at the Bobcat Stadium, which can seat more than 33K people. Basketball and volleyball games are well represented here and are played at Bobcat Ballpark.
Sports equipment and other sports-related items can sit in a climate-controlled storage unit between seasons, where they can stay protected from extreme temperatures and humidity.
5. Outdoor enthusiasts
With the San Marcos and Blanco rivers flowing through the city, there is ample opportunity to enjoy the outdoors if spending time in nature appeals to you. The rivers are a big part of the city’s allure. With tubing, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding, there are plenty of activities for you to enjoy the rivers.
At an average of 72 degrees year-round, San Marcos is the perfect place to be out and about. Fishing is another outdoor activity you can take up here, with the San Marcos springs being home to several species, some of them endangered, including the fountain darter and San Marcos gambusia.
If hiking is more to your liking, there is no shortage of trails in San Marcos. A beginner’s trail with a perfect spot for picnicking, the Purgatory Creek Natural Area offers scenic views that will take your breath away. For a more challenging hike, head out to Spring Lake Natural Area, offering about seven miles of trails.
When you decide you want to take a break from outdoor adventures, or if you live in a small apartment, you can turn to self storage to put your outdoor gear away until you can use it again. Renting a storage unit in San Marcos can cost anywhere from $30/month to $400 depending on the unit size you need. Turning to self storage in other cities where apartment sizes are less generous can be equally helpful. If you live in Emerald City, this could be a money-saver on your rent – living in a smaller apartment while renting a Seattle unit could help shave off some cash off your living cost. The same goes for renting a self storage unit in New York City or Washington D.C.
Here are some other self storage costs in other cities:
6. Local residents
Self storage can also serve local residents as seen below:
Homeowners
If you’re a homeowner, self storage can be a real boon when you move house. You can put your belongings in storage while you’re in-between homes. A 10’x15’ unit can hold the contents of a small apartment, but if you’re moving to a two- or three-bedroom home, you will need a 10’x20’ unit. For larger homes, such as a four- or five-bedroom home, a 10’x30’ unit is what you need to hold all your belongings. If you’re not sure what unit size you need, this unit size guide can help you make an informed decision.
You might discover that self storage is a service that can be used well beyond moving. You can use it regularly to store seasonal décor and bulky items so that your home can be uncluttered and breezy. Or if you’re taking up a home improvement project, your belongings can sit in a storage unit for the duration of the project to avoid cluttering the rest of your home.
Apartment dwellers
For apartment dwellers, space can come at a premium, especially because they tend to enjoy less of it than single-family homeowners. That means they need to ace space organization to make the most of their living situation. Seasonal and bulky items can stay in a storage unit until they’re ready to be used again. That includes decorations, winter bedding, outdoor gear and more.
Students
Texas State University is the hub of this college town and boasts over a century of existence, having been established in 1899. San Marcos also boasts the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State, one of the few body farms in the United States.
For students living in San Marcos, self storage can be an excellent service, helping them better manage their living space. Seasonal items can sit in a storage unit until they can be used again, allowing students to better enjoy their typically limited living space in the dorms or shared apartments. At the end of the school year, they can put all their belongings in a unit to avoid a costly and logistically challenging move. This way, they can easily retrieve all their belongings when the new term begins without the hassle of a move or maintaining a lease over the summer.
