Bandera, Texas

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 late 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.

Bandera hosts a three-day Cowboy Mardi Gras that attracts over 15,000 people from all over the world to the town.

Geography

Bandera is located in east-central Bandera County, 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 (about 5 acres or 0.55%) is covered by water.

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Bandera had a population of 829. The median age was 51.1 years, 16.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 30.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80.9 males age 18 and over.

0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 397 households in Bandera, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.0% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 496 housing units, of which 20.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.7% were owner-occupied and 43.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 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.

Sister cities

• Poland Strzelce Opolskie, Poland
• Ukraine Tysmenytsia, Ukraine

Gallery

First Baptist Church of Bandera, TX Picture 093.jpg|The First Baptist Church of Bandera Frontier Times Museum, Bandera, TX Picture 091.jpg|Entrance to the Frontier Times Museum in Bandera Cowboy mural in Bandera, TX Picture 099.jpg|Outdoor mural reflects the theme of Bandera as the "Cowboy Capital of the World" Motorcyclists in Bandera, TX Picture 095.jpg|Motorcyclists in Bandera Bandera Courthouse 5 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Bandera Courthouse Bandera General Store.png|Old downtown store Bandera water tower and bank.png|Old bank on Main St. and an older water tower BRONCO.jpg|Cowboy statue File:Bandera town center historic sign.png|Historical marker for the town center

References

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a discussion of different citation methods and how to generate footnotes using the and tags

References

1. "Bandera City Government Page".
2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. "U.S. Census website".
4. {{GNIS. 2409781
5. "Discover Bandera, Texas: History, Economy, and Tourism".
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
7. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bandera city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
8. [https://www.travelandleisure.com/bandera-texas-town-cowboy-capital-of-the-world-hill-country-7369477#:~:text=In%20Texas%20Hill%20Country%2C%20about,cattle%20drives%20of%20the%201800s. "This Small Texas Town Has Less Than 1,000 Residents — and It's the 'Cowboy Capital of the World"] travelandliesure.com, March 23, 2023
9. (1963). "The Polish Origins of Bandera, Texas". Polish American Studies.
10. Horne, Justin. (21 October 2021). "Bandera: How did it get its name?". KSAT.
11. Romero, Gabriel. (15 March 2022). "'It doesn't make sense:' Exploring Bandera, the 'Cowboy Capital of the World'". MySanAntonio.com.
12. Shetron, Tamara H.. (23 November 2017). "Cabaret". Texas State Historical Association.
13. Ferguson, Wes. (27 August 2020). "The Spirit of a Bandera Dance Hall Lives On".
14. Wilonsky, Robert. (8 February 2008). "Ain't Life Grand? It Is, At Least According to Preservation Texas.". Voice Media Group, LLC.
15. . (November 2015). ["Scatter Shots"](https://actionmagsa.com/wp-content/uploads/issues/2015/1115.pdf).
16. "Hill Country town puts a Texas twist on Carnival season for 18th annual Cowboy Mardi Gras - CultureMap Austin".
17. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
19. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
20. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
21. "Honky Tonk Texas, USA".
22. "Interactive City Directory". Sister Cities International.
23. "Bandera Historic Town Center Historical Marker".
24. ,