San Antonio by the mid-1990s had become the ninth largest city in the United States. Its economy historically was based on providing commercial, manufacturing, and financial services for an agricultural area extending to the south and west of the city. With plentiful attractions and pleasant weather when much of the nation is experiencing cold winter weather, San Antonio has also become a frequent convention host and tourist destination. Manufactures include refined petroleum, processed food, apparel, microprocessors and semiconductors, agricultural equipment, aerospace equipment, and eyewear. San Antonio has also relied economically on a strong military presence. Located near the city are Fort Sam Houston, the headquarters of the Fifth Army and home to the huge Brooke Army Medical Center; Randolph Air Force Base, headquarters of the Air Education and Training Command; Brooks Air Force Base, home to the School of Aerospace Medicine; and Lackland Air Force Base, a major training center for recruits. In 1995 a federal commission voted to close Kelly Air Force Base, home to the San Antonio Air Logistics Center and a major employer in the city.
While national reductions in the size of the military during the 1990s damaged the city's economy, during the same period the tourist industry increased in importance. The health service sector also grew, as San Antonio emerged as the center for health care for the Río Grande Valley and northern Mexico. Biosciences-related research, as well as applied engineering and physical sciences research and development, is being carried out in San Antonio at the Southwest Research Institute and the Texas Research Park. A major spur to the economy has been the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which allows the area to draw upon its historic links to Mexico and to solidify its credibility as an international financial center. It was chosen, for example, as the site of the North American Development Bank.
