Bandera is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, United States, in the Texas Hill Country, part of the Edwards Plateau.

Several stories exist regarding the origin of the name “Bandera”. One says that in the 19th century, a flag was placed at the top of a path that came to be called Bandera Pass, due to Bandera being the Spanish word for flag.

Founded:

Bandera was founded by Polish Roman Catholic immigrants from Upper Silesia. Those immigrants built St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, and the church is one of the oldest in Texas. Many of the residents are descended from those original Polish immigrants. The Polish people arrived from Panna Maria, located more than 100 miles away on the other side of San Antonio, to work in the sawmills that turned out cypress shingles for that booming city. They established the sturdy and atmospheric Saint Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church, the second oldest such parish in the U.S.

Geography

Bandera is located in east-central Bandera County at 29°44′N 99°4′W (29.7258, −99.0750).  It is 47 miles (76 km) northwest of downtown San Antonio, on the Medina River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km 2 ), of which 0.008 sq mi (0.02 km 2 ), or 0.55%, is covered by water.

Famous Facts

 Bandera is featured in the 1980 CBS unsold pilot Jakes Way, which starred Robert Fuller, Michael Jaymes, Andrew Duggan, Slim Pickens, and newcomers Lisa LeMole, Stephen McNaughton (credited as Steven McNaughton), and Ben Lemon, and was produced by Disney Television Studios and Barry and Enright Productions.

 Willie Nelson has an instrumental called “Bandera” on his Red-Headed Stranger record.

 Bandera was once home to singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen.

 Bandera is the hometown of singer-songwriter brothers Bruce and Charlie Robison.