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 Cofran's Texas . . . Hill Country Portal A Powerful Information Database & Gateway Service for the Texas Hill Country BANDERA, Texas Pronounced: "BAN-dare-ah" "The Cowboy Capital of the World" Population (2008): 1,217 COL Index (2008): 80.1
Elevation: 1,258 ft Area: 1.2 smCounty: Bandera
Zip Code: 78003 Area Code: 830Time Zone: CST
Coordinates: 29° 43' 33" N, 99° 4' 30" W Location: 40 mi NW of San Antonio; 25 mi SW of Boerne; 25 mi S of Kerrville; 13 mi SE of Medina Highways: 16, 173 Creeks: Rivers: MedinaLakes: Hiawatha
Quick Link To: Directory Listings in Bandera REFERENCES 
CITY:
CITY OF BANDERA: 830-796-3765 511 Main Street, Bandera, TX 78003 Web: www.cityofbandera.com CHAMBER & TOURISM: BANDERA COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Ofc: 830-796-3280, Fax: 830-796-3970 331 Main Street, PO Box 2445, Bandera, TX 78003 Web: www.banderatex.com; Email: cowboy@banderatex.com 
BANDERA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU: 800-364-3833, 800-364-3822, 830-796-3045, 210-796-3045 Hwy 16 & Mainstreet Intersection, Bandera, TX 78003 Web: www.banderacowboycapital.com; Email: cowpoke@banderacowboycapital.com CELEBRATE BANDERA: www.celebratebandera.com, Email: cowpoke@banderacowboycapital.com BANDERA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION: 830-796-3616; www.banderabusinessassociation.com KEEP BANDERA BEAUTIFUL: www.keepbanderabeautiful.org ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES: Nothing formal. SMALLER NEIGHBORING TOWNS: Camp Verde, Pipe Creek, Tarpley PRINCIPAL BUSINESS: Ranching, tourism, dude ranches and camps, motorcycling MAJOR ATTRACTIONS: COWBOY CAPITAL: Bandera goes all out with cowboy festivals, events and even cowboy actors on the downtown streets dressed as they did in the old dusty days (complete with six-shooters and real horses), who mingle with the visitors on the streets and in the saloons and venues. With the live entertainment and open concept, this town is so much fun that it is very popular with motorcyclists and every tourist. Ye-Haa! DUDE RANCHES and HORSEBACK RIDING: Texas Travel Video. Hitch a hayride to breakfast, rustle up some grub and live the cowboy life. See full list at Dude RECREATION: See our Portal focus pages on: Hunting & Fishing, Tubing & Paddling, Motorcycling. FLYING L GOLF COURSE: See detail in Directory section below. SCENIC DRIVES: On all the roads around Bandera. FRONTIER TIMES MUSEUM: See detail in Directory section below. BANDERA MUSIC HISTORY PROJECT HALL OF FAME PROJECT: Bandera, TX 78003. Project has produced a computer "juke box" of Bandera area musician's music from the old to the current. The goal of the project is to maintain, preserve, and promote Bandera's rich heritage of all types of music. The "juke box" is located in the Kronkosky Library of Bandera County on Main Street Bandera. No Charge. Mon-Fri 10a-6p and 9a-1p on Sat. LOST VALLEY RESORT RANCH GOLF COURSE: See detail in Directory section below. POLLY'S CHAPEL: Built in 1882 by Jose Policarpo Rodriguez, this picturesque church still stands in the tree-covered hills of Bandera County on Privilege Creek. Rodriguez, known as "Polly," was born in Mexico and came to Texas with his father as a child. He became famous as a scout for the U.S. Army, a guide, a hunter and a minister. He joined the Methodist Church and was licensed as a Methodist preacher. He built this tiny chapel with his own hands. A short distance from the chapel is a well-tended graveyard where Polly is buried. Chapel usually open. Off Hwy 16 about 6 mi SE of town. NEARBY & HILL COUNTRY-WIDE ATTRACTIONS: See Attractions. Some of the very nearby attractions include: BOERNE: AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER; CASCADE CAVERNS; CAVE WITHOUT A NAME; CIBOLO NATURE CENTER; ENCHANTED SPRINGS RANCH; HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BOERNE; GOLF CAMP VERDE: CAMP VERDE GENERAL STORE MEDINA: APPLE CAPITAL MEDINA LAKE AREA: LAKE RECREATION PARKS: There are many state parks in the greater area as profiled on the Parks page. These nearby parks include: HILL COUNTRY STATE NATURAL AREA: Opened in 1983, this remains as an undeveloped and secluded retreat. Approximately 40 mi of multi-use trails wind up grassy valleys, cross spring-fed streams, and climb steep limestone hills. Backcountry setting for activities such as primitive camping, backpacking, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, flora and fauna observation, and limited swimming (3 designated swimming areas are on West Verde Creek). Moderate fishing opportunities. Various adjacent ranches offer horse rentals, tours, and other accommodations through the Natural Area. For information call Bandera County Convention and Visitors bureau: 800-364-3883; www.banderacowboycapital.com. 830-796-4413; At 10600 Bandera Creek Rd, Bandera, TX 78003 GARNER STATE PARK (Concan) LOST MAPLES STATE NATURAL AREA (Vanderpool) Local city parks include: Mansfield: Hwy 16, just W of downtown; Bandera City Park: 1102 Maple St. EVENT CALENDAR: For full details on each event see Chamber web site and Festivals & Events Year: http://banderatex.com/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=63, EVENT SUMMARY: http://banderatex.com January: COWGIRL ROUND-UP AND SHOW-DEO January: BANDERA COUNTY JUNIOR LIVESTOCK SHOW January: BANDERA WINTER BULLRIDING SERIES February: BANDERA COWBOY MARDI GRAS WEEKEND March: WILD HOG EXPLOSION April: BANDERA SPRING FLING April: RANCH HERITAGE WEEKEND May: ST. STANISLAUS PARISH FESTIVAL May: ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW May: LAKESHORE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT SPRING FEST May: PRCA PRO RODEO & FRONTIER DAYS PARADE: MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, Mansfield Park. "GET YOUR COOK-ON" BBQ COOK-OFF: Sat, with performances at 8p all 3 nights. www.banderarodeo.com. Events include bull riding, barrel racing, bareback riding and more! Activities for the kids include mutton bustin', calf scramble and stick-horse races. June: BANDERA RIVERFEST July: NATIONAL DAY OF THE AMERIICAN COWBOY September: CELEBRATE BANDERA; CAJUN FESTIVAL & GREAT GUMBO COOKOFF November: HUNTERS BBQ & OUTDOOR EXPO; COUNTY CHRISTMAS BALL December: COWBOY CAPITAL CHRISTMAS & SHOPPER'S JUBILEE ON-GOING EVENTS: First Tue, COWBOY CAPITAL OPRY, at Silver Sage Corral, 830-796-4969; Banderawww.silversagecorral.org. Nov-April. Professional entertainers volunteer their performances for charity. Every Third Tue, COMAL COUNTY MUSIC SHOW: At Knights of Columbus Hall, 111 Landa St, New Braunfels, TX 78130. 830-629-4547. Every Sat, RODEO, at 2E Twin Elm Guest Ranch, 8p, at 810 FM 470, Bandera, TX 78003. Verify schedule at 830-796-3628. www.twinelmranch.com Fourth Fri, AM SESSION: At 6:30p, at Silver Sage Coral. www.silversagecorral.org. 830-796-4969. Nov-April. Come play or listen. Every Sat, COWBOYS ON MAIN, In front of Courthouse, 500 Main St, Bandera, TX 78003. 1-4p. Western display, strolling musicians on Main St, no admission fee, www.banderacowboycapital.com) For details on major events here and throughout the Hill Country, see: Events & Festivals Also see: for Hill Country Market Days, Trade Days, Farmers Markets for Bandera Market Days. WEATHER: www.banderatex.com MEDIA COVERAGE: On-Line Latest News: TOPIX Newspaper: BANDERA COUNTY COURIER: 830-796-9799; 1210 Hackberry, Bandera, TX 78003. www.bccourier.com; bccourier@sbcglobal.net. Weekly newspaper published Thur. Newspaper: (THE) BANDERA BULLETIN: 830-796-3718; 1110 Main St, Bandera, TX 78003. www.banderabulletin.com; news@banderabulletin.com. Weekly newspaper published Wed. Radio Station: KEEP 103.1 FM: Bandera, TX 78003 MAPS: Google, GeoHack HISTORY: Handbook of Texas Online: "A townsite plat for the settlement, designated county seat at the formation of Bandera County in 1856, was filed with the first county commissioners' court that year by John James, Charles DeMontel, and John Herndon. The site, on a cypress-lined bend of the Medina River, had been occupied by Indians, then by white campers making shingles. The town and county were named for nearby Bandera Pass. The founders formed a partnership in 1853 to build a town and water-powered lumber mill. They recruited immigrant workers from Upper Silesia by way of the Polish colony in Karnes County. These workers arrived in 1855, and each family received purchase rights to town lots and farmland. The presence of the United States Cavalry at Camp Verde after 1856 encouraged increased activity and settlement. Bandera served the needs of the military and of settlers who took up small holdings in the area. After the Civil War the town boomed as a staging area for cattle drives up the Western Trail. Farm boys became cowboys. Ranchers built holding pens and signed on as trail bosses. Storekeepers contracted as outfitters. Cotton was a commercial crop during this period. An ornate courthouse begun in 1890 announced prosperity from the town square. For local stockraisers, sheep and goats proved more profitable on the shallow limestone soil than cattle, but not until 1920 did the Bandera County Ranchers and Farmers Association organize cooperative storage and marketing of wool and mohair. The local economy declined after 1900; a series of floods destroyed sawmills, gins, and businesses, and the cattle drives ceased. Until the San Antonio highway was constructed in 1936 Bandera remained relatively inaccessible. Other roads remained unpaved as late as the 1950s. In 1920 Cora and Ed Buck began taking summer boarders at their ranch on Julian Creek. Other families soon advertised for guests, and by the 1930s Bandera had become well known as a resort offering riverside camps, restaurants, dance halls, and rodeos to complement surrounding dude ranches. Bandera was incorporated in 1964. A Medina River flood in 1978 caused heavy loss of life and property and emphasized the necessity for strict control of the floodplain. In 1988 state and city officials joined in proposing that most of the floodplain within the city be made open parkland. Although Bandera County's population almost doubled after 1970, the population of Bandera has varied little; it has remained in the range of 1,000 since 1928. In 1988 the town had a population of 1,012 and seventy rated businesses, including crafts stores, medical and veterinary clinics, a sawmill, a weekly newspaper, the county library, seven churches, and the Frontier Times Museum. Bandera offers opportunities for tourism, camping, horse racing, and dude ranching. The population was 877 in 1990 and grew to 957 in 2000." Per legend, the town was named for nearby Bandera Pass; others say it is named after a Mexican general. Background Article: Bandera PRIOR NAMES: NATIONAL REGISTRY SITES: County Courthouse, County Jail, and more. CEMETERIES: Yes AVAILABLE SERVICES: Gas: yes; Convenience Stores: yes; Restaurants: yes; Lodging: yes; Grocery Stores: yes; Banks: yes; Vehicle Repair: yes; Hospital: no; Med Clinic: no; Post Office: yes; Public Schools: yes; Cemetery: yes OTHER PROFILES: Wikipedia; ePodunk; City Data; Texas Escapes; Travel Texas NOTES: We welcome submission of updates, additions, corrections & digital photos, without compensation. BUSINESS & ORGANIZATION DIRECTORY Click: Bandera Listings BACK TO PORTAL HOME PAGE advertisements SANDY ROAD GUEST HAUS:
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