Formed January 1, 1839 (69th county)
Cherokee County (28,769), Murphy (1,606), Andrews (1,663)
The 1927 marble Beaux Arts courthouse is on Peachtree Street between Central and Alpine streets. United States Highway 19 is two blocks southeast of the location. There was an 1896 facility previously in Murphy, the only county seat. James J. Baldwin designed the courthouse. The building was renovated and enlarged in 2012. It features a dome. Cherokee County was established on January 1, 1839 from Macon County as the 69th county. It is named for the Native American tribe. The county seat is named for politician Archibald Murphey.
Cherokee County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive). It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.) Twenty-seven Superior Court Judges serve Cherokee, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties, One District Court Judge serves Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties and a court clerk serves Cherokee County (judicial.) The county is in the southwest corner of the state bordering Georgia and Tennessee. Asheville, North Carolina is northeast and Knoxville, Tennessee is north of the county. The county center is 3.2 miles Northwest of Murphy. The county is surrounded clockwise by Tennessee and Graham, Macon, and Clay counties and Georgia.
The area of the county is 467 square miles. It is 55 out of 100 in the state. It ranks 71 out of 100 in population in the state. It has a density of 61.6 persons per square mile making it 70 out of 100 in the state. Cherokee County has 11.4% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highways 19/129 come into the county from the northeast, Graham County, and go to the south, Georgia. United States Highway 64 passes east to west from Clay County to Tennessee. United States Highway 74 is joined with United States Highway 19 from Graham County, splits, and joins United States Highway 64 into Tennessee. The county resembles a dog’s head. Murphy is located in the southern third of the county. Andrews is in the northeast corner of the county. Murphy is the county seat and Andrews is the largest city. Murphy is 5.6% of the county population while Andrews is 5.8% of the county population.
Andrews
Murphy
