Cherokee

Formed December 15, 1853 (87^th county)

Cherokee County (11,664), Cherokee (5,253)                

The Modern tan brick and concrete courthouse was built in 1965 at the corner of Main, 6^th, Willow, and 5^th streets.  Its site is three blocks west of United States Highway 59.  Dougher, Frevert & Ramsey are the architects.  The facility is located at the top of a hill.  The grounds feature a freedom rock, veteran memorials, and a Liberty Bell replica.  A traditional courthouse was built in 1892 following the December 15, 1853 county creation with Cherokee as the only county seat.  The county was taken from Crawford County as the 87^th county.  The county and county seat are named for the Native American tribe. 

Cherokee County government consists of a sheriff, a recorder, an attorney, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Twenty District Court Judges and Fourteen Magistrates serve Cherokee, Buena Vista, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Ida, Lyon, Kossuth, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury counties (judicial.) The county is in northwest Iowa.  Sioux City, Iowa is west and Des Moines, Iowa is southeast of the county.  The county center is 7.2 miles Northwest of Cherokee nearer Meriden.  The county is surrounded clockwise by O’Brien, Buena Vista, Ida, Woodbury, and Plymouth counties. 

The county has an area of 577 square miles.  It is 35 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 66 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 20.2 persons per square mile making it 71 out of 99 in the state.  Cherokee County has 70.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 59 crosses the county north to south from O’Brien County to Ida County.  The county is a square with the City of Cherokee located in the eastern half of the county.  Cherokee is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 45.0% of the county population.