Cherokee County, Alabama

Not to be confused with Cherokee, Alabama.

Cherokee County
County
Cherokee County Courthouse in Centre
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°10′11″N85°35′39″W / 34.169722222222°N 85.594166666667°W / 34.169722222222; -85.594166666667
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	January 9, 1836
Named after	Cherokee Nation
Seat	Centre
Largest city	Centre
Area
• Total	600 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Land	554 sq mi (1,430 km2)
• Water	46 sq mi (120 km2)  7.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,971
• Estimate  (2024)	26,138
• Density	42/sq mi (16/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.cherokeecounty-al.gov
County Number 13 on Alabama Licence Plates

Cherokee County, Alabama is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,971. ^[1] Its county seat is Centre. ^[2] The county is named for the Cherokee tribe.

History

The area included in today's Cherokee County, for centuries, had belonged to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Native Americans. Cherokees began moving into the area a generation before the forced Indian Removal. To this day, there are few Native Americans in Cherokee County.

On January 9, 1836, the Alabama legislature created Cherokee County with its present boundaries. ^[3] Two years later, the United States government removed, by force, all Cherokees who had refused to leave on what would become known as the Trail of Tears.

Cherokee County was in the news again on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1994, when it was hit by a F4 tornado. Goshen United Methodist Church was destroyed only twelve minutes after the National Weather Service at Birmingham had issued a warning for northern Calhoun, southeastern Etowah, and southern Cherokee counties.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 600 square miles (1,600 km²), of which 554 square miles (1,430 km²) (or 92.19%) is land and 46 square miles (120 km²) (7.7%) is water. ^[4] It is the second-smallest county in Alabama by land area.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 278
• U.S. Highway 411
• State Route 9
• State Route 35
• State Route 68
• State Route 273
• State Route 283

Adjacent counties

• DeKalb County - north
• Chattooga County, Georgia - northeast
• Floyd County, Georgia - east
• Polk County, Georgia - southeast
• Cleburne County - south
• Calhoun County - south
• Etowah County - west

National protected areas

• Little River Canyon National Preserve (part)
• Talladega National Forest (part)

Water Features

• The Coosa River flows through the county, much of it now part of Weiss Lake.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	8,773		—
1850	13,884		58.3%
1860	18,360		32.2%
1870	11,132		−39.4%
1880	19,108		71.6%
1890	20,459		7.1%
1900	21,096		3.1%
1910	20,226		−4.1%
1920	20,862		3.1%
1930	20,219		−3.1%
1940	19,928		−1.4%
1950	17,634		−11.5%
1960	16,303		−7.5%
1970	15,606		−4.3%
1980	18,760		20.2%
1990	19,543		4.2%
2000	23,988		22.7%
2010	25,989		8.3%
2020	24,971		−3.9%
2024 (est.)	26,138	[5]	4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960 [7] 1900–1990 [8] 1990–2000 [9] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

Cherokee County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000 [10]	Pop 2010 [11]	Pop 2020 [12]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	22,164	23,929	22,563	92.40%	92.07%	90.36%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,327	1,206	987	5.53%	4.64%	3.95%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	74	122	109	0.31%	0.47%	0.44%
Asian alone (NH)	32	49	55	0.13%	0.19%	0.22%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	1	1	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	3	15	46	0.01%	0.06%	0.18%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	184	347	810	0.77%	1.34%	3.24%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	204	320	400	0.85%	1.23%	1.60%
Total	23,988	25,989	24,971	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census of 2020, there were 24,971 people, 10,737 households, and 7,307 families residing in the county.

2010

As of the census of 2010, ^[13] there were 25,989 people, 10,626 households, and 7,493 families living in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18 people/km²). There were 16,267 housing units at an average density of 27 units per square mile (10 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% White, 4.6% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 10,626 households 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 26.0% of households were one person and 10.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.89.

The age distribution was 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% 65 or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.

The median household income was $40,690 and the median family income was $47,365. Males had a median income of $40,050 versus $27,352 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,322. About 13.7% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,988 people, 9,719 households, and 7,201 families living in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile (17 people/km²). There were 14,025 housing units at an average density of 25 units per square mile (9.7 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.83% White, 5.54% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. ^[14] Of the 9,719 households 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were non-families. 23.90% of households were one person and 10.40% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.86.

The age distribution was 22.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median household income was $30,874 and the median family income was $36,920. Males had a median income of $29,978 versus $20,958 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,543. About 11.80% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 14.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Cherokee County contains one public school district. There are approximately 3,800 students in public K-12 schools in Cherokee County. ^[15]

The county contains one public higher education institution. Gadsden State Community College operates a campus located in Centre.

Districts

School districts include: ^[16]

• Cherokee County School District

Government

Historically Democratic, Cherokee County became competitive by the end of the 20th century and is now reliably Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Bill Clinton, who won it by a comfortable margin in 1996.

United States presidential election results for Cherokee County, Alabama ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
1836	242	57.35%	180	42.65%	0	0.00%
1840	377	33.19%	759	66.81%	0	0.00%
1844	356	27.15%	955	72.85%	0	0.00%
1848	630	40.65%	920	59.35%	0	0.00%
1852	242	24.77%	735	75.23%	0	0.00%
1856	455	22.84%	1,537	77.16%	0	0.00%
1860	0	0.00%	223	9.08%	2,233	90.92%
1868	167	15.46%	913	84.54%	0	0.00%
1872	228	15.69%	1,225	84.31%	0	0.00%
1876	293	14.96%	1,666	85.04%	0	0.00%
1880	180	11.46%	1,390	88.54%	0	0.00%
1884	427	23.41%	1,397	76.59%	0	0.00%
1888	333	16.32%	1,686	82.65%	21	1.03%
1892	139	4.41%	1,709	54.24%	1,303	41.35%
1896	602	24.23%	1,776	71.47%	107	4.31%
1900	1,169	41.94%	1,167	41.87%	451	16.18%
1904	502	29.67%	905	53.49%	285	16.84%
1908	602	42.63%	712	50.42%	98	6.94%
1912	88	5.03%	814	46.57%	846	48.40%
1916	508	30.31%	1,136	67.78%	32	1.91%
1920	1,576	43.74%	1,969	54.65%	58	1.61%
1924	845	37.13%	1,380	60.63%	51	2.24%
1928	1,515	62.78%	894	37.05%	4	0.17%
1932	359	15.72%	1,897	83.09%	27	1.18%
1936	374	14.92%	2,114	84.32%	19	0.76%
1940	381	12.66%	2,617	86.94%	12	0.40%
1944	408	18.55%	1,774	80.64%	18	0.82%
1948	217	16.78%	0	0.00%	1,076	83.22%
1952	539	16.79%	2,664	82.96%	8	0.25%
1956	845	24.05%	2,661	75.75%	7	0.20%
1960	872	21.95%	3,097	77.95%	4	0.10%
1964	1,893	49.70%	0	0.00%	1,916	50.30%
1968	343	6.03%	462	8.13%	4,880	85.84%
1972	3,179	71.89%	1,182	26.73%	61	1.38%
1976	1,492	23.85%	4,668	74.62%	96	1.53%
1980	2,482	38.55%	3,764	58.47%	192	2.98%
1984	3,225	51.04%	3,029	47.93%	65	1.03%
1988	2,868	47.01%	3,176	52.06%	57	0.93%
1992	2,745	34.85%	4,222	53.61%	909	11.54%
1996	3,048	36.20%	4,399	52.24%	974	11.57%
2000	4,154	53.10%	3,497	44.70%	172	2.20%
2004	5,923	65.45%	3,040	33.59%	86	0.95%
2008	7,298	74.89%	2,306	23.66%	141	1.45%
2012	7,506	76.65%	2,132	21.77%	154	1.57%
2016	8,953	83.42%	1,547	14.41%	233	2.17%
2020	10,583	86.03%	1,624	13.20%	94	0.76%
2024	11,358	87.33%	1,553	11.94%	95	0.73%

Communities

Cities

• Centre (County Seat)
• Piedmont (partly in Calhoun County)

Towns

• Cedar Bluff
• Collinsville (Partly in DeKalb County)
• Gaylesville
• Leesburg
• Sand Rock (Partly in DeKalb County)

Census-designated places

• Broomtown
• Spring Garden

Unincorporated communities

• Adams Crossroads
• Antioch
• Alexis
• Billy Goat Hill
• Bluffton
• Blue Pond
• Bomar
• Congo
• Ellisville
• Elrath
• Forney
• Hopewell
• Hurley
• Key
• Little River
• McCord Crossroads
• McFrey Crossroads
• McGhee
• Moshat
• Newberry Crossroads
• Pleasant Gap
• Rock Run
• Round Mountain
• Sanford Springs
• Tecumseh Furnace

Ghost towns

• Bluffton
• Turkey Town

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cherokee County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Cherokee County, Alabama

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Cherokee County, Ala". Calhoun Times. September 1, 2004. p. 39. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
5. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
8. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
10. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Cherokee County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
11. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cherokee County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
12. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cherokee County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau .
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 10, 2015.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
15. "Search for Public School Districts - Cherokee County, AL". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved August 28, 2022.
16. "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Cherokee County, AL" (PDF). United States Census Bureau . Retrieved August 28, 2022. Text list.
17. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections" . Retrieved November 16, 2016.

External links

• Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce
• Cherokee County Historical Society ^{[ usurped ]}
• Cherokee County Historical Museum

34°10′11″N85°35′39″W / 34.16972°N 85.59417°W / 34.16972; -85.59417