Graham County, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Graham County
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Graham County Courthouse in Robbinsville
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| Motto(s):
"With A Proud History That Runs As Deep As The Roots of Her Trees"
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Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
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 North Carolina's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  North Carolina |
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| Founded | 1872 | |
| Named for | William A. Graham | |
| Seat | Robbinsville | |
| Largest community | Robbinsville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 301.65 sq mi (781.3 km2) | |
| • Land | 291.97 sq mi (756.2 km2) | |
| • Water | 9.68 sq mi (25.1 km2) 3.21% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,030 | |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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8,052 | |
| • Density | 27.50/sq mi (10.62/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional district | 11th | |
Graham County (locally /ˈɡreɪˌhæm/) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,030, making it the third-least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Robbinsville.
Contents
History
The county was formed January 30, 1872, from the northeastern part of Cherokee County. It was named for William A. Graham, United States Senator from North Carolina (1840–1843) and Governor of North Carolina (1845–1849).
The first Graham County Courthouse was constructed in Robbinsville in 1874, but its floor collapsed two decades later while the building was packed during a murder trial. A replacement, built in 1895, was the last wooden courthouse built in North Carolina. The third and current building was completed in 1942.
The first public library in Graham County opened in Robbinsville in 1939. It joined the Nantahala Regional Library system in 1940. The facility was torn down in 1952 and replaced with a newer building which opened on April 6, 1953.
An F2 tornado struck Graham County during the 1974 Super Outbreak causing two deaths and 11 injuries. The community of Stecoah near Fontana Lake saw widespread damage.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 301.65 square miles (781.3 km2), of which 291.97 square miles (756.2 km2) is land and 9.68 square miles (25.1 km2) (3.21%) is water. The terrain of the county is mountainous, with elevations ranging from 1,177 to 5,560 feet (359 to 1,695 m). Two-thirds of the county is the Nantahala National Forest. The soil of the valleys is fertile.
Fontana Lake, an impoundment of the Little Tennessee River, forms most of the northern border of the county, with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the other side of the lake. Fontana Lake is formed by Fontana Dam, the tallest dam in the eastern U.S. The remainder of the northern boundary of Graham County is almost completely formed by another impoundment of the Little Tennessee River, downstream from Fontana Dam, created by Cheoah Dam. Fontana Dam and Cheoah Dam are both operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The Appalachian Trail winds through Graham County. Part of the trail is located on top of Fontana Dam. The Cheoah River is noted for its Class IV and Class V whitewater rapids. The river is used for whitewater rafting about 17 days per year, based on a water-release schedule from Santeetlah Dam. Seventy-five percent of Lake Santeetlah shoreline borders national forest.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a rare example of an old growth cove hardwood forest, is located in northwestern Graham County. Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is part of the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness area.
The eastern terminus of the Cherohala Skyway is located in northwestern Graham County. The 43-mile (69 km) Cherohala Skyway connects Graham County with Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
The Cherokee name for the area, Nantahala, is translated as "land of the noon-day sun" because 90% of the land is slopes of 30 degrees or greater, suggesting that in the valleys one sees the sun only in the middle of the day.
Cherokee reserve
Portions of the Qualla Boundary are located in Graham County. These sections of the Qualla Boundary are non-contiguous from the primary part of the Qualla Boundary located in Swain, Jackson, Cherokee and Haywood counties. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who live in Graham County form the Snowbird Cherokee community.
National protected areas
- Appalachian Trail (part)
- Cherohala Skyway (part)
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park (part)
- Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness (part)
- Nantahala National Forest (part)
State and local protected area
- Nantahala National Forest Game Land (part)
Major water bodies
- Deep Creek
- Fontana Lake
- Hooper Mill Creek
- Little Santeetlah Creek
- Little Tennessee River
- Santeetlah Creek
- Santeetlah Lake
- Snowbird Creek
- Tulula Creek
Adjacent counties
- Blount County, Tennessee – north
- Swain County – northeast
- Macon County – southeast
- Cherokee County – south
- Monroe County, Tennessee – west
Major highways
US 129
NC 28
NC 143
NC 143 Bus.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 2,335 | — | |
| 1890 | 3,313 | 41.9% | |
| 1900 | 4,343 | 31.1% | |
| 1910 | 4,749 | 9.3% | |
| 1920 | 4,872 | 2.6% | |
| 1930 | 5,841 | 19.9% | |
| 1940 | 6,418 | 9.9% | |
| 1950 | 6,886 | 7.3% | |
| 1960 | 6,432 | −6.6% | |
| 1970 | 6,562 | 2.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,217 | 10.0% | |
| 1990 | 7,196 | −0.3% | |
| 2000 | 7,993 | 11.1% | |
| 2010 | 8,861 | 10.9% | |
| 2020 | 8,030 | −9.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 8,052 | −9.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,885 | 85.74% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 46 | 0.57% |
| Native American | 570 | 7.1% |
| Asian | 20 | 0.25% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 286 | 3.56% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 219 | 2.73% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 8,030 people, 3,393 households, and 2,178 families residing in the county.
Media
The Graham Star newspaper has been published weekly in Robbinsville since 1955. It faced competition from the Graham Sentinel until the Sentinel closed in 2012.
Communities
Towns
- Fontana Dam
- Lake Santeetlah
- Robbinsville (county seat and largest community)
Townships
- Cheoah
- Stecoah
- Yellow Creek
Other communities
Many smaller communities in Graham County are named for bodies of water, notable landscape features, or early settlers. Other unincorporated communities in Graham County include:
- Atoah
- Bear Creek Junction
- Cheoah
- Dentons
- Dry Creek
- Hidetown
- Jenkins Meadow
- Junction
- McGuires
- Meadow Branch
- Milltown
- Rymers Ferry
- Sawyers Creek
- Stecoah
- Sweetgum
- Tapoco (named for the Tallassee Power Company)
- Tulula (just south of Robbinsville; may have been named for a mythological Cherokee Indian)
- Tuskegee
- Yellow Creek
In popular culture
- Portions of the movie Nell (1994), starring Jodie Foster, were filmed near Robbinsville.
- Portions of the movie The Fugitive (1993), starring Harrison Ford, were filmed at Cheoah Dam.
- The historic 1927 silent film Stark Love was filmed in Graham County and featured local residents as actors.
- Some scenes from In Dreams (1999), starring Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr.,were filmed in the area around Fontana Village.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Graham (Carolina del Norte) para niños
