Welcome to Cherokee County
Trails of Legends and Adventure
A place to visit
Located at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Economy
Harrah's Cherokee Casino opened in 1995. in 2005, nearly four million people visited the casino and generated a pre capita profit of roughly $8,000 annually, manufacturing and textile plants which previously existed in the area have since closed or moved overseas.
Notable residents of Cherokee County
Fun Facts
Fun Facts
- There are more than 11,000 Cherokee in western North Carolina, including more than 7,000 on the reservation alone.
- The original name of the Cherokee is Ani-Yun-Wiya.
- Each Cherokee village had two chiefs; a “Red Chief” in the winter and a “White Chief” in the summer.
- Cherokee society is matrilineal; children are members of their mother’s clan.
- The first European to make contact with the Cherokee was probably Hernando De Soto, in 1540.
- During the Revolutionary War, the Cherokee fought on the side of the British.