Blanco is a small city in Blanco County, Texas, set in the central Hill Country along the Blanco River. The Spanish named the river "Blanco" for its white limestone banks in the early eighteenth century, and the community that grew beside it took the same name. Today Blanco sits on US 281 roughly midway between San Antonio and Austin, giving it a rural Hill Country character within reach of two major cities. The town is anchored by its historic courthouse square, around which shops, restaurants, antique stores, and local businesses are arranged. Blanco is widely known as the Lavender Capital of Texas, a title tied to the lavender farms in the surrounding countryside and the annual Lavender Festival held on the square. The city also draws visitors to Blanco State Park, a riverside park established in 1933 and built in part by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which offers swimming, tubing, fishing, and camping along the Blanco River. Blanco's economy is small and locally oriented, mixing agriculture, ranching, tourism, and a growing food-and-drink scene. The Real Ale Brewing Company, founded in Blanco, is among the area's best-known homegrown businesses, and Hill Country wineries and lavender farms add to the town's draw as a weekend destination. Blanco suits residents seeking a quiet Hill Country town with river access, a strong sense of place, and room to spread out, whether in the historic core or on surrounding acreage. It also works for those who want rural living while remaining within a 45-minute to hour-long drive of the employment, cultural, and airport options of San Antonio and Austin.