Editing Graham County, North Carolina (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Lake_Santeetlah_in_Graham_County,_North_Carolina_06.jpg|left|thumb|[[Lake Santeetlah]]]]
{{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=8|id=Q374968|type=shape-inverse|text=Interactive map of Graham County}}
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|301.65|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|291.97|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|9.68|sqmi}} (3.21%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_37.txt |access-date=September 9, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The terrain of the county is mountainous,<ref name="ac">{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Graham|display=Graham. I. An extreme W. county of North Carolina}}</ref> with elevations ranging from {{convert|1177|to|5560|ft|m}}. Two-thirds of the county is the [[Nantahala National Forest]]. The soil of the valleys is fertile.<ref name="ac"/>

[[Fontana Lake]], an impoundment of the [[Little Tennessee River]], forms most of the northern border of the county, with the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] on the other side of the lake. Fontana Lake is formed by [[Fontana Dam]], the tallest dam in the eastern U.S. The remainder of the northern boundary of Graham County is almost completely formed by another impoundment of the Little Tennessee River, downstream from Fontana Dam, created by [[Cheoah Dam]]. Fontana Dam and Cheoah Dam are both operated by the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]].
[[File:Fontana_Dam_in_North_Carolina_is_the_tallest_dam_in_the_Eastern_United_States_02.jpg|thumb|Fontana Dam is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States]]
The [[Appalachian Trail]] winds through Graham County. Part of the trail is located on top of Fontana Dam. The [[Cheoah River]] is noted for its Class IV and Class V whitewater rapids. The river is used for whitewater rafting about 17 days per year, based on a water-release schedule from Santeetlah Dam. Seventy-five percent of [[Lake Santeetlah]] shoreline borders national forest.

[[Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest]], a rare example of an old growth [[cove (Appalachian Mountains)|cove]] hardwood forest, is located in northwestern Graham County. Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is part of the [[Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness]] area.

The eastern terminus of the [[Cherohala Skyway]] is located in northwestern Graham County. The {{convert|43|mi|km|adj=on}} Cherohala Skyway connects Graham County with [[Tellico Plains, Tennessee]].

The Cherokee name for the area, Nantahala, is translated as "land of the noon-day sun" because 90% of the land is slopes of 30 degrees or greater, suggesting that in the valleys one sees the sun only in the middle of the day.<ref>Historical Marker in Robbinsville, the county seat</ref>

As of 2024, Graham County has the third lowest amount of agricultural acreage in the state. The county has 2,256 acres of agricultural land and 70 farms.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Foster |first=Randy |date=2024-10-15 |title=County facing challenges to local economy |url=https://www.cherokeescout.com/index.php/local-newsletter/county-facing-challenges-local-economy |access-date=2024-10-17 |work=[[Cherokee Scout]] |pages=1A,8A}}</ref>

===Cherokee reserve===
Portions of the [[Qualla Boundary]] are located in Graham County. These sections of the Qualla Boundary are non-contiguous from the primary part of the Qualla Boundary located in [[Swain County, North Carolina|Swain]], [[Jackson County, North Carolina|Jackson]], [[Cherokee County, North Carolina|Cherokee]] and [[Haywood County, North Carolina|Haywood]] counties. The [[Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians]] who live in Graham County form the Snowbird Cherokee community.

===National protected areas===
* [[Appalachian Trail]] (part)
* [[Cherohala Skyway]] (part)
* [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] (part)
* [[Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness]] (part)
* [[Nantahala National Forest]] (part)

===State and local protected area===
* [[Nantahala National Forest Game Land]] (part)<ref>{{Cite web |title=NCWRC Game Lands |url=https://www.ncpaws.org/ncwrcmaps/gamelands |access-date=March 30, 2023 |website=www.ncpaws.org}}</ref>

=== Major water bodies ===
* [[Deep Creek (North Carolina)|Deep Creek]]
* [[Fontana Lake]]
* [[Hooper Mill Creek (North Carolina)|Hooper Mill Creek]]
* [[Little Santeetlah Creek (North Carolina)|Little Santeetlah Creek]]
* [[Little Tennessee River]]
* [[Santeetlah Creek (North Carolina)|Santeetlah Creek]]
* [[Santeetlah Dam|Santeetlah Lake]]
* [[Snowbird Creek (North Carolina)|Snowbird Creek]]
* [[Tulula Creek (North Carolina)|Tulula Creek]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Blount County, Tennessee]] – north
* [[Swain County, North Carolina|Swain County]] – northeast
* [[Macon County, North Carolina|Macon County]] – southeast
* [[Cherokee County, North Carolina|Cherokee County]] – south
* [[Monroe County, Tennessee]] – west

===Major highways===
* {{Jct|state=NC|US|129}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|28}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|143}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC-Bus|143|dab1=Robbinsville}}