IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Cherokee, NC
Cherokee is a small town of 2,059 people in Swain County, North Carolina. It's about 42 miles from Asheville, NC and 135 miles from Atlanta, GA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 45°F, with about 7 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $190k and rent runs about $1k a month.
2,059people
$190kTypical home
$1,075/moRent
81° / 45°Summer / winter
7"Snow
237Sunny days
131Rain/snow days
Is Cherokee right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Small town of 2,059
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 170 people per sq mi
- 135 mi to Atlanta, GA
- 42 mi to Asheville, NC
- 17 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $190k (≈$1,198/mo)
- Median rent $1,075/mo
- Median household income $56k
- Property tax about 0.1% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 45°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (87 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 131 days a year with rain or snow
- 7" of snow a year
- 3 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 7 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- About average violent crime (397 per 100k), county-wide
- Low property crime (1,256 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 33
- 36% of households have kids
- 12% are 65 or older
- 24% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 6% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 15 min
- 5% walk or take transit to work
- 43 mi to AVL airport
- 45 mi to TYS (major hub)
- 61 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 60% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1988
- 78% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 2,487 ft
- 247 mi to the ocean
- 62 mi to a big lake
- Trailhead in town
- Ski area in town
- Campground in town
- 13 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 191 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 9 bars within 25 mi
- 42 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 16 museums within 25 mi
- 14 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- Farmers market in town
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 31% of North Carolina districts (reading)
- 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 10 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 27 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 9 mi to the nearest vet
- 8 mi to the nearest dog park
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- College in town
Politics
- Swain County: R+24 in 2024
- North Carolina: R+3 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Moderate drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk