Named for the Cherokee Indians who once occupied north Alabama,
Cherokee County is home to Weiss Lake and Little River Canyon,
two of the most popular outdoor attractions in Alabama. During
the Civil War, Cherokee County was a center of iron
manufacturing. The county is run by an elected five-member
commission. · Founding Date: January 9, 1836 · Area: 553 square
miles · Population: 25,989 (2010 Census) · Major Waterways:
Coosa River, Little River, Weiss Lake · Major Highways: U.S.
411, U.S. 278 · County Seat: Centre · Largest City: Centre
Cherokee County was created by an act of the state legislature
on January 9, 1836, and was named for the Cherokee Indians who
controlled the territory until the early nineteenth century. The
famous Cherokee chief Pathkiller, who led the Cherokee in the
Creek War of 1813-14, lived in Turkeytown, near the present-day
town of Centre. The Cherokee ceded the land that is now Cherokee
County in the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. In 1836, newly
arrived settlers founded the town of C