Graham County, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Graham County, North Carolina
Map
Location in the state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1872
Seat	Robbinsville
Area - Total - Land - Water	302 sq mi (782 km²) 10 sq mi (26 km²), 3.16%
Population - (2000) - Density	7,993 28/sq mi (11/km²)

Graham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 7,993. Its county seat is Robbinsville^[1]. Graham County is one of the four dry counties in North Carolina, along with Clay, Mitchell, and Yancey.

1 History
2 Law and government
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 Trivia
6 Cities and towns
7 See also
8 References

[edit] 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).

[edit] Law and government

Graham County is a member of the regional Southwestern Commission council of governments.

[edit] Geography

November sunrise on Lake Santeetlah, Graham County, North Carolina

Graham County covers 433 square miles with elevation ranges from 1,177 to 5,560 feet. Two-thirds of the county is National Forest, and the country borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Appalachian Trail winds through the county, and Fontana Dam, which the Trail crosses, is the highest east of the Mississippi River. Seventy-five percent of Lake Santeetlah shoreline borders national forest.

[edit] Townships

The county is divided into three townships: Cheoah, Stecoah, and Yellow Creek.

[edit] 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 and Jackson counties.

[edit] Adjacent counties

Swain County, North Carolina - north and east
Macon County, North Carolina - southeast
Cherokee County, North Carolina - south
Monroe County, Tennessee - west
Blount County, Tennessee - northwest

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, 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 (11/km²). There were 5,084 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/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.

[edit] Trivia

The county is the birthplace of country music legend Ronnie Milsap
Graham County is home to the Tail of the Dragon, a stretch of 318 curves in 11 miles of US Highway 129. It is popular with motorcylists and sports car enthusiasts.