Llano in Spanish means “plain,” a name hardly fitting this spectacular piece of Hill Country. The river which runs through town was named by the Spanish as the Rio do los Chanas, or “River of the Chanas.” The Chanas is a band of the Tonkawa Indians. Over time, the phonetic similarity between “Chanas” and “Llano” led to confusion and gradually the latter name replaced the original. The Town of Llano was founded in 1855, on the clear, spring-fed Llano River. In 1856, the Town of Llano became the county seat when Llano County was created from parts of Bexar and Gillespie counties.
For more information on this gem in the Texas Hill Country see http://cityofllano.com
