Jackson County, North Carolina

Jackson County
County
Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°17′N 83°07′W / 35.29°N 83.12°W / 35.29; -83.12
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1851
Named for	Andrew Jackson
Seat	Sylva
Largest community	Cullowhee
Area
• Total	494.88 sq mi (1,281.7 km2)
• Land	491.11 sq mi (1,272.0 km2)
• Water	3.77 sq mi (9.8 km2)  0.76%
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,109
• Estimate  (2023)	44,574
• Density	87/sq mi (34/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	11th
Website	www.jacksonnc.org

Jackson County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,109.^[1] Since 1913, its county seat has been Sylva,^[2] which replaced Webster. Cullowhee is the site of Western Carolina University (WCU). In the early 21st century, the university has more than 12,000 students, nearly twice the number of permanent residents of Cullowhee. The university has a strong influence in the region and county. More than 10 percent of the county residents identify as Native American, mostly Cherokee. The federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is based at Qualla Boundary, land that consists of territory in both Jackson and neighboring Swain County. This is the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina, and one among three federally recognized Cherokee tribes nationally. The other two are based in what is now the state of Oklahoma, a former Indian Territory.