Cashiers ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated village located in southern Jackson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the community had a total population of 657, up from 157 at the 2010 census. Cashiers is pronounced KASH-erz locally, and is one of several communities in the area popular with tourists and owners of vacation homes.
The village is at the crossroads of U.S. Route 64 (US 64) and North Carolina Highway 107 (NC 107), which connects to Highlands, Rosman, Sylva, and Walhalla.
History
The establishment of Cashiers began with two men: Barak Norton, the first white settler in Whiteside Cove and Colonel John Zachary, who with his talented sons was responsible for the area's economic and civic development. Barak Norton came to the area around 1820 and the land he claimed in the area, including a gold mine eventually became Cashiers' main business district. Colonel John Zachary arrived in the area in 1833 and by 1836 received a state land grant, plus two land grants adjoining the . The Zachary family set up several businesses including a general store and sawmill; they provided trade skills including brick mason, hatter, and carpenter.
Several stories exist as to the derivation of the name Cashiers including a racehorse, steer, or mule named Cash or a hermit living in the area with the name. However, it has been concluded that the Zachary Family came up with the name related to their accounting work for individual gold miners in the area, being the "cashier". In 1839, Jonathan Zachary, the youngest son of the family, applied to become the first postmaster for, what he called, "Cashiers Valley;" it was changed to Cashiers in 1881.
In 1851, the first Post Office was established. In 1855, the Zachary Family sold land to Wade Hampton II, in what later became the High Hampton Inn. The Jackson County government set up a special zoning council for Cashiers in response; operated by the county, it covers what would normally be done by a municipality.
Five properties near Cashiers are listed on the National Register of Historic Places—Camp Merrie-Woode, the Church of the Good Shepherd, Fairfield Inn, the High Hampton Inn Historic District, and the Mordecai Zachary House.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of , all land.
Cashiers and the nearby towns of Highlands, Glenville, and Sapphire make up a popular mountain vacation area near the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the easternmost front of the Appalachian Mountains. Cashiers is surrounded by scenic views, waterfalls, and Nantahala National Forest land. Visitors and vacation home owners from all over the southeast enjoy hiking, mountain biking, golf, and fly fishing during the warm months of the year.
The United States Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy have worked to protect several natural areas near Cashiers, including the biologically diverse Panthertown Valley, Whitewater Falls, and the Tuckaseegee River Gorge. The Chattooga River also rises near Cashiers.
Climate
Cashiers is part of the Appalachian temperate rainforest and receives an average of 87.57 inches of precipitation annually, over 7.25 inches a month, making it one of the rainiest places in the eastern United States. It is also one of the coolest places in the mountains, with an average daily July temperature of 78 degrees.
Demographics
As of the census