Graham

Formed January 30, 1872 (93^rd county)

Graham County (8,029), Robbinsville (583)

A stone columned courthouse was built in 1942 in Robbinsville.  The facility is on Court and Main streets.  United States Highway 129 is two blocks east of the site.  Barber and McMurry provided the Classical Revival designs.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Graham County was organized on January 30, 1872 from Cherokee County as the 93^rd county.  There was an 1886 version earlier also in Robbinsville the only county seat.  The county is named for Governor William A. Graham.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Alamance County.  The county seat is presumably named for local settlers. 

Graham 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 Graham, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties, Four District Court Judges serve Graham, Cherokee, Clay, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties and a court clerk serves Graham County (judicial.)  The county is in southwest North Carolina on the border with Tennessee.  Knoxville, Tennessee is north and Asheville, North Carolina is northeast of the county.  The county center is 6.7 miles North of Robbinsville near Lake Santeetlah.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Swain, Macon, and Cherokee counties and Tennessee. 

The area of the county is 302 square miles.  It is 87 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 98 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 26.6 persons per square mile making it 92 out of 100 in the state.  Graham County has 7.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highways 19/74 cross the county from northeast to southwest from Swain County to Cherokee County.  United States Highway 129 enters from the north, Tennessee, and joins United States Highway 19 into Cherokee County.  The county resembles a military tank going east.  Robbinsville is located in the southern third of the county.  Robbinsville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 7.3% of the county population.