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Graham County, North Carolina facts for kids

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Graham County
Graham County Courthouse in Robbinsville
Graham County Courthouse in Robbinsville
Map of North Carolina highlighting Graham County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  North Carolina
Founded 1872
Named for William A. Graham
Seat Robbinsville
Largest town Robbinsville
Area
 • Total 302 sq mi (780 km2)
 • Land 292 sq mi (760 km2)
 • Water 9.6 sq mi (25 km2)  3.2%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
8,484
 • Density 30/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 11th

Graham County (locally) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,441, making it the third-least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Robbinsville.

Geography

LakeSanteetlah
November sunrise on Lake Santeetlah, Graham County, North Carolina

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 302 square miles (780 km2), of which 292 square miles (760 km2) is land and 9.6 square miles (25 km2) (3.2%) is water. The terrain of the county is mountainous, with elevations ranging from 1,177 feet (359 m) to 5,560 feet (1,690 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 36-mile (58 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.

Indian reservation

Parts of the Qualla Boundary, also known as the Eastern Cherokee Indian Reservation, 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 Cherokees who live in Graham County form the Snowbird Cherokee community.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Nantahala National Forest (part)

Major highways

  • US 129
  • NC 28
  • NC 143

Demographics

Historical population
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%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

Graham County racial composition
Race Number Percentage
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 United States census, there were 8,030 people, 3,393 households, and 2,178 families residing in the county.

Communities

Map of Graham County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of Graham County, North Carolina With municipal and township labels

Towns

Townships

  • Cheoah
  • Fontana Dam
  • Stecoah
  • Yellow Creek

Other communities

Other communities in Graham County include Almond, Atoah, Fontana Heights, Fontana Dam, Fontana Village, Snowbird, Stecoah Valley, Sweetwater, Tapoco (named for the Tallassee Power Company), and Tuskeegee. Tallulah, a community just south of Robbinsville, may have been named for a mythological Cherokee Indian. Many smaller communities in Graham County are named for bodies of water, notable landscape features, or early settlers. These include Meadow Branch, Yellow Creek, and Sawyers 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.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Graham (Carolina del Norte) para niños

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