Cherokee is the largest city within, and county seat of, Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,476 at the 2020 census, a decline of 1.5 percent from 2010.
By 1905, a second railroad, the Denver, Enid, and Gulf, built a line through the community. The community was soon transformed into a dominant regional center for agricultural services, banking, wholesale-retail trade, and transportation, providing markets and services to the surrounding smaller communities, such as Ingersoll, Burlington, Driftwood, Byron, and Amorita. The town grew around its twin railroad depots, and by 1909 Cherokee had three banks, three newspapers, three mills (flour, alfalfa, and planning), a concrete block plant, and a school desk factory. There were also Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Friends, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. - was created at the time of statehood in 1907, when the state reorganized several counties out of part of what was once the much larger Woods County. Cherokee's status as the official county seat of Alfalfa County was confirmed in January 1909. The city's incorporation was reconfirmed in March of that same year.
1950s onward
The population of Cherokee would peak in 1950, at 2,635, according to the U.S. Census, and continue to trend downward at each enumeration from that decade onward. Cherokee has one high school. The school mascot is the Cherokee Chiefs.
National Register of Historic Places designations
Cherokee is the home of several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), including the Cherokee Friends Church, constructed in 1919, and the Cherokee IOOF Lodge No. 219, built in 1931. Other Cherokee sites listed with the NRHP are the Farmers' Federation Elevator (ca. 1917), the Alfalfa County Courthouse (ca. 1921), the Cherokee National Guard Armory (ca. 1936), and the Hotel Cherokee (ca. 1929) - which currently serves as the county history center.
Geography
Cherokee is located in northern Oklahoma, along U.S. Highway 64/State Highway 8. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is located a few miles southeast of Cherokee.
On 11 July 1909, at 3:00 in the morning, a heat burst south of Cherokee reportedly caused the temperature to rise briefly to , desiccating crops in the area.
Climate
Cherokee has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with influences from a cool semi-arid climate (BSk)
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Please note: Many temperatures claiming to be above are unverifiable claims due to improper equipment at site to confirm during the event. The hottest verifiable temperature ever recorded for the state of Oklahoma is The world's hottest verifiable temperature remains , recorded on 10 July 1913 at Furnace Creek Ranch, in Death Valley in the United States.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Cherokee had a population of 1,476. The median age was 39.1 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.9 males age 18 and over.
There were 628 households in Cherokee, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.2% were married-couple households, 20.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Percent
|-
| White || 87.3%
|-
| Black or African American || 0.5%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 1.8%
|-
| Asian || 0.2%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0%
|-
| Some other race || 1.6%
|-
| Two or more races || 8.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 6.8%
|}
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, the Census Bureau reported 1,498 people, 647 households and 396 family households in the city. 93.6% of its population was white, 2.8% was American Indian and Alaska Native, while 0.7% were black/African American. 49.9% were male and 50.1% were female. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88 persons. The percent of the population 18 years and older was 77.4%, or 1160 persons, while 20.9%, or 313 persons, were 65 years and older. The median age was 44.3 years.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 1,630 people, 709 households, and 450 families residing in the city.