Cherokee County, Alabama  Cherokee County, Alabama is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,989. Its county seat is Centre. The county is named for the Cherokee tribe. 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. 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. According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 92.19%) is land and (7.7%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Alabama by land area. As of the 2010 census, 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/km2). There were 16,267 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/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.