Bandera, Texas

Bandera (Spanish: "flag", ) is a town in Bandera County, Texas, United States. The county seat, it lies in the Texas Hill Country, a part of the Edwards Plateau located at the crossroads of the central, southern, and western parts of the state, The population was 829 at the 2020 census. approximately 40 miles northwest of San Antonio and 90 miles southwest of Austin, the state capital.

Bandera calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the World", a legacy dating to its days as a staging area for what is today known as Great Western Cattle Trail for the last cattle drives of the 1800s.

History
Bandera was founded in 1855 by Polish Roman Catholic immigrants from the Province of Silesia. They built St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, and many local residents are descended from them.

Bandera is the Spanish word for flag. How the town acquired the name is unknown. One theory is that the town is named after Bandera Pass.

Bandera was a staging area on the Great Western Cattle Trail, during the second half of the 19th century.

The Cabaret Dance Hall opened in 1936. Throughout its history the dance hall hosted Bob Wills, Doug Sahm, Ernest Tubb, and others. In 2008, the hall was listed as endangered by Preservation Texas. By at least 2013 the hall was closed. By at least 2015 the hall was demolished.

Bandera hosts a three-day Cowboy Mardi Gras that attracts over 15 thousand people from all over the world to the town of 829 residents.

Geography
Bandera is located in east-central Bandera County at 29.73333°N, -99.06667°W (29.7258, −99.0750). It is 47 mi northwest of downtown San Antonio, on the Medina River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 km2, of which 0.02 sqkm, or 0.55%, is covered by water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 829 people, 240 households, and 118 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, 957 people, 408 households, and 239 families were residing in the city. The population density was 820.2 PD/sqmi. The 488 housing units averaged 418.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.98% White, 0.21% African American, 0.52% Native American, 2.51% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 21.84% of the population.

Of the 408 households, 24.5% had children under 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were not families. About 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.22, and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the age distribution was 21.5% under 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,089, and for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $27,604 versus $17,813 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,502. About 11.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Bandera is served by the Bandera Independent School District and home to the Bandera High School Bulldogs.

Trivia

 * The city is home of Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar, a famous Hill Country honky-tonk, and was included in the 1975 horror film, Race with the Devil.
 * On Sunday mornings, Bandera is a popular destination for motorcyclists from San Antonio, known as the Bandera Breakfast Run.
 * Bandera is home to the Bandera Riverfest that takes place in June each year on the Medina River, offering tubing, kayaking, cookoffs, and live music throughout the weekend.
 * Willie Nelson has an instrumental called "Bandera" on his Red Headed Stranger record.
 * "The Bandera Waltz" was written by Easy Adams in 1949, and has been recorded by the Texas Top Hands, Slim Whitman, and Bruce Robison.
 * Bandera was once home to singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen.
 * Bandera is the hometown of singer-songwriter brothers Bruce and Charlie Robison.
 * The rugged Hill Country State Natural Area is the location of the Bandera 100K trail run and the Cactus Rose 100-mile endurance run, two of the toughest ultramarathons in Texas.
 * The Bandera Downs horseracing facility lies just northeast of town. It is now closed.
 * The Frontier Times Museum, founded by J. Marvin Hunter and named for Hunter's Frontier Times magazine, is located in Bandera.
 * The Frontier Times Museum, founded by J. Marvin Hunter and named for Hunter's Frontier Times magazine, is located in Bandera.

Sister cities

 * 🇵🇱 Strzelce Opolskie, Poland
 * 🇺🇦 Tysmenytsia, Ukraine