Alamo Heights' housing stock reflects more than a century of development: preserved early-20th-century cottages and bungalows sit beside Colonial Revival and Mediterranean-influenced houses and a smaller number of estate properties on larger lots. Architecture is one of the community's defining traits, with homes retaining original detail alongside renovated interiors. Lots tend to be larger and more shaded than in surrounding San Antonio, and mature oak trees and landscaped streetscapes shape the character. The 78209 zip code covers the city and its neighboring enclaves.

Alamo Heights is compact, and its identity is defined less by large subdivisions than by its historic grid of shaded residential streets. The Brackenridge estate and its former mansion grounds anchor the city's history, while the area around Broadway forms the commercial and civic center. The city borders the adjacent enclaves of Olmos Park and Terrell Hills, which share the school district and form a connected cluster of established neighborhoods just north of downtown San Antonio.

Life in Alamo Heights revolves around Broadway, where local restaurants run from Thai and French bistros to Texas barbecue, alongside coffee shops, boutiques, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. The city maintains its own police, fire, and civic services and a strong community identity within San Antonio. High school football at Orem Stadium is a local institution, and the preserved streetscape and mature trees give everyday errands and neighborhood walks a distinctive, established feel.

Alamo Heights is served by the Alamo Heights Independent School District, a single-district system with about six schools and roughly 4,700 students. The district also serves the nearby cities of Olmos Park and most of Terrell Hills, plus a small portion of San Antonio. Alamo Heights High School and Cambridge Elementary are among its campuses. The district's reputation is a central reason families choose the area.

Alamo Heights lies about five miles north of downtown San Antonio, reachable via Broadway and connecting routes, and about three miles south of San Antonio International Airport. Broadway, US 281, and Loop 410 provide access to the wider metropolitan area. Most daily needs stay within the immediate vicinity, and the city's central, enclosed position places major employment centers and regional highways within a short drive.

The headwaters of the San Antonio River run near Alamo Heights, and the area's parks and shaded green spaces reflect its history as preserved Brackenridge land. Nearby Brackenridge Park and the San Antonio River's upper reaches offer trails and open space just beyond the city's borders, while the city's own tree-lined streets and community fields anchor local recreation. Neighborhood pools and Orem Stadium round out local amenities.