Universal City

Universal City is at the north gate of Randolph Air Force Base on State Highway 78, Loop 1604, State Highway 218, and the Southern Pacific Railroad on the northern edge of San Antonio in northeast Bexar County. It was named by the developer, A. Milner, to designate the universal importance of the air base. Randolph Field opened on October 25, 1931, and the first business to open outside the gate in 1932 was a service station. Other businesses during the 1930s were Randolph Cleaners in 1932 and Kneupper's Garage in 1935. Pat Booker Road (SH 218), which is the main street and the entrance to Randolph AFB, was built in 1936 and named after Capt. Francis O. Booker, a pilot who served at Randolph and was later killed in an airplane crash at Montgomery, Alabama. The first restaurant, Beaty's, opened in 1939. Until 1960 the town grew slowly; the population after thirty years was only 1,800. Read more at TSHA