Graham County, North Carolina

Graham County (locally ) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,030,

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 (1840–1843) and Governor of North Carolina (1845–1849).

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.

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

left|thumb|[[Lake Santeetlah]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.21%) 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.

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

Appalachian Trail (part)
Cherohala Skyway (part)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (part)
Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness (part)
Nantahala National Forest (part)

State and local protected area

Nantahala National Forest Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

Deep Creek
Fontana Lake
Hooper Mill Creek
Little Santeetlah Creek
Little Tennessee River
Santeetlah Creek
Santeetlah Lake
Snowbird Creek
Tulula Creek

Adjacent counties

Blount County, Tennessee – north
Swain County – northeast
Macon County – southeast
Cherokee County – south
Monroe County, Tennessee – west

Major highways

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.

thumb|2020 population density of Graham County NC by census block

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.

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.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|6,801

|6,707

|7,303

|7,942

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,885

|94.24%

|93.20%

|91.37%

|89.63%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |85.74%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|15

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |46

|0.01%

|0.19%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.57%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|374

|453

|541

|538

|style='background: #ffffe6; |570

|5.18%

|6.30%

|6.77%

|6.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.10%

|Asian alone (NH)

|13

|29

|style='background: #ffffe6; |20

|0.03%

|0.08%

|0.16%

|0.33%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.25%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4

|0.01%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|60

|139

|style='background: #ffffe6; |282

|0.75%

|1.57%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.51%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|39

|29

|60

|194

|style='background: #ffffe6; |219

|0.54%

|0.40%

|0.75%

|2.19%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.73%

|Total

|7,217

|7,196

|7,993

|8,861

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,030

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

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 alcoholic beverages to be purchased within the county. It was the last dry county (in which alcohol sales are generally forbidden with only a few exceptions) 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.

Education

Graham County Schools includes Robbinsville Elementary School, Robbinsville Middle School, and Robbinsville High School.

Communities

thumb|250px|Map of Graham County with municipal and township labels

Towns

Fontana Dam
Lake Santeetlah
Robbinsville (county seat and largest community)

Townships

Cheoah
Stecoah
Yellow Creek

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 (named for the Tallassee Power Company)
Tulula (just south of Robbinsville; may have been named for a mythological Cherokee Indian)
Tuskeegee
Yellow Creek

In popular culture

Portions of the movie Nell (1994), starring Jodie Foster, were filmed near Robbinsville.
Portions of the movie The Fugitive (1993), starring Harrison Ford, were filmed at Cheoah Dam.
The historic 1927 silent film Stark Love was filmed in Graham County and featured local residents as actors.
Some scenes from In Dreams (1999), starring Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr.,were filmed in the area around Fontana Village.