Formed November 16, 1907 (33rd county)
Cherokee County (47,073), Tahlequah (16,209)
The Modern courthouse sits at Delaware and Cherokee two blocks east of United States Highway Business 62. Ammerman, Butler, and Thomas designed the 1962 masonry and rock structure originally as a hospital. The facility is uniquely joined to the Tahlequah city hall. It was remodeled in 1978 to use as the courthouse. There was an 1869 courthouse which served as the original county courthouse at the county’s November 16, 1907 founding. Tahlequah has been the only county seat. Cherokee County is named for the Native American tribe as is the county seat of Alfalfa County. The county was created from the Cherokee Nation as the 33rd county. The county seat was named for an old Cherokee town.
Cherokee County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners. Five District Court Judges serve Cherokee, Adair, Muskogee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties. Northeast Oklahoma has Cherokee County east of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The county center is in Tahlequah 1.2 miles South-Southwest of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Delaware, Adair, Sequoyah, Muskogee, Wagoner, and Mayes counties.
The area of the county is 751 square miles. It is 45 out of 77 in the state. It ranks 18 out of 77 in population in the state. It has a density of 62.7 persons per square mile making it 16 out of 77 in the state. Cherokee County has 35.5% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 62 crosses the county from east to west from Adair County into Muskogee County. The Illinois River makes up the majority of the western border of the county. The Illinois River crosses the county from the northeast corner to the south. The county is a tall rectangle with an added “shelf” on the western side. Tahlequah is in the eastern half of the county. Tahlequah is the county seat and the largest city. It is 34.4% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced TAL-E-KWA. This county is in the Tahlequah Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Hulbert
Tahlequah
Fort Gibson
Oaks
