Southtown or The King William Historic District is located south of downtown and bounded by Durango, South St. Mary’s, Eagleland and the San Antonio River. The district encompasses land that was once irrigated farm land belonging to the Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as the Alamo. When the mission was secularized in 1793, the lands were divided among the resident Indian families from the mission or sold at public auction. In the 1860s the area was subdivided into lots and laid out with the present streets.

In the early 1900s the King William area began to wane as a fashionable neighborhood, and by 1920 many of the original homebuilders had died and their children moved to other parts of San Antonio. During the 1930s and 1940s the neighborhood declined. Many of the fine old homes were converted into apartments, and only a few of the earlier settlers remained.

Known for its ornate 19th-century mansions, the residential King William neighborhood is also an indie arts hotspot with relaxed coffeehouses. Overlooking the San Antonio River, the Blue Star Contemporary complex includes exhibition spaces and artists’ studios in airy converted warehouses, plus eclectic restaurants, gift shops and a craft brewery. Just west, vendors at SoFlo Market sell handicrafts and vintage goods.