Graham County, North Carolina

Graham County
Graham County
County
	Graham County Courthouse in Robbinsville
	Seal
	Motto: "With A Proud History That Runs As Deep As The Roots of Her Trees"
	Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
	North Carolina's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°21′N 83°50′W / 35.35°N 83.83°W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
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)
• Total	8,030
• Estimate (2023)	8,052
• Density	27.50/sq mi (10.62/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	11th
Website	www.grahamcounty.org

Graham County (locally /ˈɡreɪˌhæm/)^[1] is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,030,^[2] making it the third-least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Robbinsville.^[3]

History

The county was formed January 30, 1872, from the northeastern part of Cherokee County. It was named for William A. Graham,^[4] 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.^[5]^[6]

The first public library in Graham County opened in Robbinsville in 1939.^[7] It joined the Nantahala Regional Library system in 1940.^[8] The facility was torn down in 1952 and replaced with a newer building which opened on April 6, 1953.^[7]

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.^[9]

Geography

Interactive map of Graham County

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.^[10] The terrain of the county is mountainous,^[11] 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.^[11]

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.^[12]

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)^[13]

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Blount County, Tennessee – north
Swain County – northeast
Macon County – southeast
Cherokee County – south
Monroe County, Tennessee – west

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
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	^[2]	0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[14] 1790–1960^[15] 1900–1990^[16] 1990–2000^[17] 2010^[18] 2020^[2]

2020 census

Graham County racial composition^[19]
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 census, there were 8,030 people, 3,393 households, and 2,178 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[20] there were 7,993 people, 3,354 households, and 2,411 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (10 people/km²). There were 5,084 housing units at an average density of 17 units per square mile (6.6 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.91% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 6.84% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.6% were of American, 15.1% Irish, 12.7% English, 10.6% German and 5.1% Scots-Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.7% spoke English and 1.3% Cherokee as their first language.

There were 3,354 households, out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.00% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,645, and the median income for a family was $32,750. Males had a median income of $24,207 versus $18,668 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,237. About 14.40% of families and 19.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.30% of those under age 18 and 20.40% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and politics

Government

Graham County is governed by an elected five-member board of commissioners. The county is a member of the regional Southwestern Commission council of governments. In 2021, the county began allowing acholic beverage to be purchased within the county.^[21] It was the last dry county (in which alcohol sales are generally forbidden with only a few exceptions) in North Carolina.^[22]

United States presidential election results for Graham County, North Carolina^[23]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,710	79.53%	905	19.40%	50	1.07%
2016	3,283	78.77%	768	18.43%	117	2.81%
2012	2,750	69.67%	1,119	28.35%	78	1.98%
2008	2,824	67.71%	1,265	30.33%	82	1.97%
2004	2,693	67.54%	1,272	31.90%	22	0.55%
2000	2,304	68.55%	1,006	29.93%	51	1.52%
1996	1,801	54.76%	1,210	36.79%	278	8.45%
1992	1,919	49.51%	1,551	40.02%	406	10.47%
1988	2,091	61.16%	1,313	38.40%	15	0.44%
1984	2,514	62.63%	1,494	37.22%	6	0.15%
1980	1,961	54.25%	1,608	44.48%	46	1.27%
1976	1,621	47.34%	1,791	52.31%	12	0.35%
1972	1,699	61.05%	1,057	37.98%	27	0.97%
1968	1,570	52.44%	1,061	35.44%	363	12.12%
1964	1,398	44.59%	1,737	55.41%	0	0.00%
1960	1,721	56.32%	1,335	43.68%	0	0.00%
1956	1,762	54.25%	1,486	45.75%	0	0.00%
1952	1,380	46.46%	1,590	53.54%	0	0.00%
1948	1,115	41.07%	1,527	56.24%	73	2.69%
1944	1,356	41.79%	1,889	58.21%	0	0.00%
1940	1,089	43.68%	1,404	56.32%	0	0.00%
1936	1,325	47.36%	1,473	52.64%	0	0.00%
1932	1,183	46.25%	1,364	53.32%	11	0.43%
1928	1,260	56.68%	963	43.32%	0	0.00%
1924	907	51.56%	841	47.81%	11	0.63%
1920	915	58.69%	644	41.31%	0	0.00%
1916	460	49.15%	476	50.85%	0	0.00%
1912	261	29.00%	416	46.22%	223	24.78%

Public safety

The Graham County Sheriff's Office protects the court and all county owned facilities, operates the jail, and provides patrol and detective services.^[24] Graham County Emergency Medical Services provide full-time paramedic level care to all of Graham County, and to a small portion of northwest Swain County. As there are no hospitals in Graham County, all patients are transported out of county for emergency care.

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^[25]
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^[26])
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.

References

^ Rick Aschmann (May 2, 2018). "North American English Dialects, Based on Pronunciation Patterns". Aschmann.net. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "QuickFacts: Graham County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 140.
^ "Graham County". www.grahamcounty.net.
^ "The Town of Robbinsville". www.grahamcounty.net.
^ ^a ^b "Graham County". www.grahamcounty.net. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
^ "History of the Nantahala Regional Library". Nantahala Regional Library. Murphy, NC. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
^ Danville Register, Danville, Virginia. April 5, 1974, page 1.
^ "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Graham. I. An extreme W. county of North Carolina" . The American Cyclopædia.
^ Historical Marker in Robbinsville, the county seat
^ "NCWRC Game Lands". www.ncpaws.org. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "Last dry county in North Carolina will soon sell alcohol". WUNC. November 4, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
^ "Legal Sales by County: North Carolina ABC Commission". Ncabc.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
^ "Sheriff – Graham County North Carolina".
^ "USPS.com - ZIP Code Lookup". Tools.usps.com. March 28, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
^ "Graham County". www.grahamcounty.net. Retrieved September 11, 2022.