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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and towns |
History
The county was formed in 1839 from the western part of Macon County. It was named for the Cherokee people, some of whom still live in the area.
In 1861 the southeastern part of Cherokee County became Clay County; in 1872 its northeastern part became Graham County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,209 km² (467 mi²). 1,179 km² (455 mi²) of it is land and 30 km² (11 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.46% water.
Townships
The county is divided into six townships: Beaverdam, Hothouse, Murphy, Notla, Shoal Creek, and Valleytown.
Adjacent Counties
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 24,298 people, 10,336 households, and 7,369 families residing in the county. The population density is 21/km² (53/mi²). There are 13,499 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (30/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 94.82% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 1.63% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 1.25% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,336 households out of which 25.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% are married couples living together, 9.30% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% are non-families. 25.70% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.50% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.76.
In the county the population is spread out with 20.60% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 28.80% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $27,992, and the median income for a family is $33,768. Males have a median income of $26,127 versus $18,908 for females. The per capita income for the county is $15,814. 15.30% of the population and 11.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.20% are under the age of 18 and 18.00% are 65 or older.