Emergency Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Blanco Blanco, TX

Blanco traces its settlement to 1853, when pioneer stockmen began settling along the Blanco River in the Texas Hill Country.

The town took its name from the Blanco River, which Spanish explorers named in 1721 for the white limestone along its banks.

A rival town called Pittsburg was laid out across the river in 1854 by the Pittsburg Land Company and named for General John D. Pitts, but Blanco won out when Blanco County was organized in 1858 and the county seat was placed there.

Blanco served as the original county seat of Blanco County — its first courthouse was built in 1860 — though the county seat is now Johnson City.

The Old Blanco County Courthouse, built in 1885-86 from native limestone and designed by Austin architect Frederick Ernst Ruffini, still anchors the town square and now serves as a visitor center and event venue.

Blanco State Park, on the Blanco River at the edge of town, was developed by Civilian Conservation Corps crews beginning in 1933 and remains a popular swimming and fishing spot.

Blanco bills itself as the Lavender Capital of Texas and hosts the annual Blanco Lavender Festival, which has drawn crowds of up to 40,000 visitors to the small town.

The 2020 census counted 1,682 residents in Blanco, living in 724 households, with about 59% of occupied homes owner-occupied.

Blanco is a cattle and ranching community on U.S. Highway 281 in the Hill Country, built around its historic courthouse square.

Local students attend schools in the Blanco Independent School District, home of the Blanco High School Panthers.