Bandera County, Texas

Bandera County
The Bandera County Courthouse in Bandera. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 31, 1979.
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°44′N 99°14′W / 29.74°N 99.23°W / 29.74; -99.23
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1856
Named afterBandera Pass
SeatBandera
Largest communityLakehills
Area
  Total
798 sq mi (2,070 km2)
  Land791 sq mi (2,050 km2)
  Water6.7 sq mi (17 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
20,851
  Density26/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district21st
Websitewww.banderacounty.org

Bandera County (Spanish: "flag", /bænˈdɛrə/ ban-DERR) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in the Hill Country and its county seat is Bandera. Bandera county was settled by German and Polish emigrants in the mid 1800s. Many residents are descendants of those same emigrants.

As of the 2020 census, the population is 20,851. Bandera County is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area.

The county is officially recognized as the "Cowboy Capital of the World" by the Texas Legislature.