Formed February 1, 1861 (88th county)
Clay County (11,085), Hayesville (453)
The Modern red brick building was erected in 2007 on a hill on Courthouse Street. United States Highway 64 Business is one block south of the courthouse. There was an 1889 courthouse earlier in Hayesville, the only county seat. Pease Associates are the building architects. Clay County was created on February 1, 1861 from Cherokee County as the 88th county. It is named for United States Secretary of State Henry Clay. The county seat is named for North Carolina Legislator George Hayes.
Clay 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 Clay, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties, Two District Court Judges serve Clay, Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties and a court clerk serves Clay County (judicial.) The county is on the southwest border with Georgia. Asheville, North Carolina is northeast and Knoxville, Tennessee is north of the county. The county center is 8.2 miles Northeast of Hayesville nearer Tusquittee. The county is surrounded clockwise by Macon County and Georgia and Cherokee County.
The area of the county is 221 square miles. It is 100 out of 100 in the state. It ranks 92 out of 100 in population in the state. It has a density of 50.2 persons per square mile making it 80 out of 100 in the state. Clay County has 4.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 64 crosses the county from east to west from Macon County to Cherokee County. The county looks like a pile of leaves. Hayesville is located in the southwest quarter of the county. Hayesville is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. It is 4.1% of the county population.
Hayesville
