Blanco is located southwest of
Austin twelve miles south of
Johnson City in south central
Blanco County, along US 281 on the banks of the
Blanco River near Canyon Lake.
Blanco has primarily been a ranch and farm trade center. It had a population of 469 in 1904 and 1,100 by 1939, when the town was incorporated. By 1946 the town had forty businesses, a hospital, and a weekly newspaper, the Blanco County News. The population dropped in the 1940s to 453 before increasing again in the 1950s. In 1980 the census reported 1,179 residents in Blanco. There were forty-six businesses. In 1990 the population was 1,238. Christ of the Hills Orthodox Monastery is nearby.
