La Vernia is on the south bank of Cibolo Creek at the junction of U.S. Highway 87 and Texas Farm to Market Road 775, approximately 25 miles east of downtown San Antonio.

Smith married Guadalupe Ruiz Durán, a Mexican citizen, who was descended from one of the original Tejano or Spanish Texas families;[7] and as such, received a land grant from the Mexican government on Cibolo Creek, north of present-day La Vernia in 1825.

This area remained primarily unsettled by Europeans until 1837, when veterans from the Texas Revolution began to arrive.

[4] By 1915, the town operated two cotton gins, a bank, four churches, a pottery plant, a brick works, and supported a population of 500.

La Vernia experienced a population drop as people began to migrate to the larger job markets available in neighboring San Antonio, Floresville and Canyon Lake.

In 2010 a new shopping area was built just west of town on Highway 87, including a new H-E-B grocery store and gas station.

A longtime grocer, Baumann's Grocery store, closed at the time H-E-B opened.

According to the United States Census Bureau, La Vernia has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), all land.

[13] Statistics presented are based on data collected by the FBI as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

[16] La Vernia is located in the center of the Eagle Ford Shale Play, a source of petroleum and natural gas production, which is a significant economic driver of growth and development in South Texas.

The largest employers are La Vernia Independent School District and Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative.

[18] The La Vernia Heritage Museum displays artifacts and memorabilia relating to the history and development of the city.

The school has boys teams that compete in football, baseball, basketball, soccer, track & field, tennis, wrestling and golf.