Graham County, North Carolina


Graham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,030, making it the third-least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Robbinsville.
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History

The county was formed January 30, 1872, from the northeastern part of Cherokee County. It was named for William A. Graham, United States Senator from North Carolina and Governor of North Carolina.
The first Graham County Courthouse was constructed in Robbinsville in 1874, but its floor collapsed two decades later while the building was packed during a murder trial. A replacement, built in 1895, was the last wooden courthouse built in North Carolina. The third and current building was completed in 1942.
In 1914, the U.S. Supreme Court settled a 22-year border dispute in which parts of Graham County were claimed by Tennessee. The land was awarded to North Carolina. The first public library in Graham County opened in Robbinsville in 1939. It joined the Nantahala Regional Library system in 1940. The facility was torn down in 1952 and replaced with a newer building which opened on April 6, 1953.
An F2 tornado struck Graham County during the 1974 Super Outbreak causing two deaths and 11 injuries. The community of Stecoah near Fontana Lake saw widespread damage.
On August 31, 1982, nine U.S. Air Force personnel were killed in Graham County during a training exercise when their plane crashed during a storm near John's Knob and Stratton Ridge. There is a 2015 memorial near the Cherohala Skyway, though victims' families have asked that it be moved to a more accessible location.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The terrain of the county is mountainous, with elevations ranging from. Two-thirds of the county is the Nantahala National Forest. The soil of the valleys is fertile.
Fontana Lake, an impoundment of the Little Tennessee River, forms most of the northern border of the county, with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the other side of the lake. Fontana Lake is formed by Fontana Dam, the tallest dam in the eastern U.S. The remainder of the northern boundary of Graham County is almost completely formed by another impoundment of the Little Tennessee River, downstream from Fontana Dam, created by Cheoah Dam. Fontana Dam and Cheoah Dam are both operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The Appalachian Trail winds through Graham County. Part of the trail is located on top of Fontana Dam. The Cheoah River is noted for its Class IV and Class V whitewater rapids. The river is used for whitewater rafting about 17 days per year, based on a water-release schedule from Santeetlah Dam. Seventy-five percent of Lake Santeetlah shoreline borders national forest.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a rare example of an old growth cove hardwood forest, is located in northwestern Graham County. Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is part of the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness area.
The eastern terminus of the Cherohala Skyway is located in northwestern Graham County. The Cherohala Skyway connects Graham County with Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
The Cherokee name for the area, Nantahala, is translated as "land of the noon-day sun" because 90% of the land is slopes of 30 degrees or greater, suggesting that in the valleys one sees the sun only in the middle of the day.
As of 2024, Graham County has the third lowest amount of agricultural acreage in the state. The county has 2,256 acres of agricultural land and 70 farms.

Cherokee reserve

Portions of the Qualla Boundary are located in Graham County. These sections of the Qualla Boundary are non-contiguous from the primary part of the Qualla Boundary located in Swain, Jackson, Cherokee and Haywood counties. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who live in Graham County form the Snowbird Cherokee community.

National protected areas

State and local protected area

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Major highways

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Demographics

As of 2025, the median net worth in Graham County is $216,556 and the median annual household income is $51,959. Graham County has 299 businesses as of 2025. The county's jobless rate was 3.2 percent as of 2025. As of 2024, Graham County has some of the lowest access to computing devices in North Carolina, ranking 98th out of the state's 100 counties. Graham County's homeless population was 48 as of 2025.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,030 people and 2,178 families residing in the county.
The median age was 46.8 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 86.1% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 7.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.7% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,317 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.1% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,212 housing units, of which 36.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.5% were owner-occupied and 18.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.3%.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 7,993 people, 3,354 households, and 2,411 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 5,084 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 91.91% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 6.84% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.6% were of American, 15.1% Irish, 12.7% English, 10.6% German and 5.1% Scots-Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.7% spoke English and 1.3% Cherokee as their first language.
There were 3,354 households, out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.00% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,645, and the median income for a family was $32,750. Males had a median income of $24,207 versus $18,668 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,237. About 14.40% of families and 19.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.30% of those under age 18 and 20.40% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and politics

Government

Graham County is governed by an elected five-member board of commissioners. The county is a member of the regional Southwestern Commission council of governments. In 2021, the county began allowing acholic beverage to be purchased within the county. It was the last dry county in North Carolina.

Public safety

The Graham County Sheriff's Office protects the court and all county owned facilities, operates the jail, and provides patrol and detective services. Graham County Emergency Medical Services provide full-time paramedic level care to all of Graham County, and to a small portion of northwest Swain County. As there are no hospitals in Graham County, all patients are transported out of county for emergency care.

Media

The Graham Star newspaper has been published weekly in Robbinsville since 1955. It faced competition from the Graham Sentinel until the Sentinel closed in 2012.

Communities

Towns

Townships

Unincorporated communities

Many smaller communities in Graham County are named for bodies of water, notable landscape features, or early settlers. Other unincorporated communities in Graham County include:
  • Atoah
  • Bear Creek Junction
  • Cheoah
  • Dentons
  • Dry Creek
  • Hidetown
  • Jenkins Meadow
  • Junction
  • McGuires
  • Meadow Branch
  • Milltown
  • Rymers Ferry
  • Sawyers Creek
  • Stecoah
  • Sweetgum
  • Tapoco
  • Tulula
  • Tuskeegee
  • Yellow Creek

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