Editing Clay County, North Carolina (section)

==Geography==
{{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=8|id=Q502516|type=shape-inverse|text=Interactive map of Clay County}}
[[File:Downtown Hayesville in Clay County, N.C. on June 26, 2022.jpg|thumb|Downtown Hayesville from the air]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|220.78|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|214.98|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|5.80|sqmi}} (2.63%) 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> It is the third-smallest county in North Carolina by land area and smallest by total area.

Clay County is bordered to the south by the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and the [[Chattahoochee National Forest]]. The [[Nantahala River]] forms part of its northeastern border. The county is drained by the [[Hiwassee River]]. In the southern part of Clay County is [[Chatuge Dam|Chatuge Lake]], on the North Carolina–Georgia border. Much of Clay County exists within the [[Nantahala National Forest]]. [[Fires Creek|Fires Creek Bear Reserve]] is north of the township of Tusquittee and offers multiple hiking trails. The [[Appalachian Trail]] winds through southeast Clay County.<ref name="Moorebook" />

Before 1941 the U.S. government purchased most of Clay County’s forest land to preserve it as [[National Forest Service]] property. The Forest Service oversees approximately 60 percent of Clay County’s land.<ref name=Moorebook/> Of Clay County's 136,096 acres, 110,096 are forested lands, including 65,934 in the eastern part of the county owned and maintained by the federal government as part of [[Nantahala National Forest]].<ref name=Moorebook/> As of 2024, 14,515 acres are devoted to agriculture, with a total of 178 farms.<ref name=":22">{{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> Clay County has a total of 11 dams listed on the National Inventory of Dams; six are classified as high-hazard, meaning a dam failure may be deadly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Inventory of Dams |url=https://nid.sec.usace.army.mil/#/dams/search/sy=@countyState:Clay,%20North%20Carolina&viewType=map&resultsType=dams&advanced=false&hideList=false&eventSystem=false |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers}}</ref>

===Climate===
Clay County has a [[humid subtropical climate]], (''Cfa'') according to the [[Köppen classification]], with hot, humid summers and mild, but occasionally cold winters by the standards of the southern United States.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 9, 2012 |title=Koppen Climate Classification Chart |url=http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011700b.htm |access-date=October 27, 2012 |publisher=Geography.about.com |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818221021/http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011700b.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Like the rest of the southeastern U.S., Clay County receives abundant rainfall, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year. Average annual rainfall is {{convert|55.9|in|mm}}.  [[Blizzards]] are rare but possible; one nicknamed the [[1993 Storm of the Century|Storm of the Century]] hit the entire [[Eastern United States]] in March 1993.

===National protected areas===
* [[Appalachian Trail]] (part)
* [[Nantahala National Forest]] (part)

===State and local protected areas===
* [[Fires Creek|Fires Creek Wildlife Management Area]] (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
* [[JackRabbit Mountain Recreation Area]]
* [[Nantahala National Forest Game Land]] (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands">{{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===
* [[Buck Creek (North Carolina)|Buck Creek]]
* [[Chatuge Lake]]
* [[Crawford Creek (North Carolina)|Crawford Creek]]
* [[Hiwassee River]]
* [[Little Tennessee River]]
* [[Nantahala River]]
* [[Park Creek (North Carolina)|Park Creek]]
* [[Tusquitee Creek (North Carolina)|Tusquitee Creek]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Cherokee County, North Carolina|Cherokee County]] – northwest
* [[Macon County, North Carolina|Macon County]] – east
* [[Union County, Georgia]] – southwest
* [[Towns County, Georgia]] – south
* [[Rabun County, Georgia]] – southeast
* [[Cherokee County, North Carolina|Cherokee County]] – west

===Major highways===
* {{Jct|state=NC|US|64}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|US-Bus|64|dab1=Hayesville}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|69}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|175}}