Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County
, Oklahoma
, United States
located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation
in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee
forced west on the Trail of Tears
. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census
. It is the county seat
of Cherokee County
. The main campus of Northeastern State University
is located in the city. Tahlequah is also the capital of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
and the modern Cherokee Nation
.
Local legend states the name is derived from Cherokee words meaning 'just two' or 'two is enough.' Supposedly three tribal elders had planned to meet to determine the location of the Cherokee Nation's permanent capital. Two elders arrived and waited for the third. As dusk approached, they decided that 'two is enough.' According to tribal elders and Cherokee County elders, this legend first began to circulate in the 1930s. Tahlequah was a settlement as early as 1832 and the Eastern and Western Cherokees joined their governments at Tahlequah in 1839. Tahlequah had a name long before it was chosen as the Cherokee capital.
There are several markers of Cherokee and Native American heritage found across town: street signs and business signs appear in the Cherokee language along with English, mostly in the syllabary
created by Sequoyah
, a Cherokee scholar of the 1820s.
The Cherokee Supreme Court Building, located in downtown Tahlequah and constructed in 1844, is the oldest public building in Oklahoma.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31.1 km²), all land.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 14,458 people, 5,703 households, and 3,125 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,202.8 per square mile (464.4/km²). There were 6,245 housing units at an average density of 519.5 per square mile (200.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.01% White, 2.53% African American, 26.86% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.10% from other races
, and 6.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.26% of the population.
There were 5,703 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples
living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.2% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 25.2% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,238, and the median income for a family was $34,811. Males had a median income of $25,066 versus $21,327 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,371. About 18.5% of families and 26.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.
Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 42,521. Its county seat is Tahlequah.Cherokee County was established in 1907.-Geography:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation (19th century)
The Cherokee Nation of the 19th century —an historic entity —was a legal, autonomous, tribal government in North America existing from 1794–1906. Often referred to simply as The Nation by its inhabitants, it should not be confused with what is known today as the "modern" Cherokee Nation...
in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
forced west on the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Cherokee County
Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 42,521. Its county seat is Tahlequah.Cherokee County was established in 1907.-Geography:...
. The main campus of Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University is a public university with its main campus located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma...
is located in the city. Tahlequah is also the capital of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe of Cherokee Indians headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The United Keetoowah are also referred to as the UKB...
and the modern Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
.
Origin of the name
Many linguists believe the word 'Tahlequah' (Tah-le-quah) and the word 'Teh-li-co' are the same as 'di li gwa,' the Cherokee word for grain or rice. (See Cherokee Nation Lexicon (dikaneisdi) at cherokee.org under culture/language. Scholars report the Cherokee word 'di li gwa' describes a type of native grain, with a red hue that grew in the flat open areas of east Tennessee. One particular area, Great Tellico (Tellico Plains TN), was named for the grass with the red seed tops that grew in the flat open areas. Others interpret a word 'tel-i-quah' as 'plains;' however, there is no word for 'plains' in the Cherokee lexicon and the word 'tel-i-quah' is not found in the lexicon. The idea that 'tahlequah' means 'plains' lends weight to the belief that the name refers to the wide open grassy areas of Great Tellico (Tellico Plains TN). When the Cherokees first arrived in the Tahlequah OK area, they viewed the native grasses that grew in the open areas around the foothills of the Ozarks. It reminded them of the grassy open ‘Overhill’ areas of Tellico, so they called their new home 'di li gwa' (tah-le-quah or teh-li-co), the open place where the grass grows.Local legend states the name is derived from Cherokee words meaning 'just two' or 'two is enough.' Supposedly three tribal elders had planned to meet to determine the location of the Cherokee Nation's permanent capital. Two elders arrived and waited for the third. As dusk approached, they decided that 'two is enough.' According to tribal elders and Cherokee County elders, this legend first began to circulate in the 1930s. Tahlequah was a settlement as early as 1832 and the Eastern and Western Cherokees joined their governments at Tahlequah in 1839. Tahlequah had a name long before it was chosen as the Cherokee capital.
Indian capital
Tahlequah has the distinction of being the capital of both the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.There are several markers of Cherokee and Native American heritage found across town: street signs and business signs appear in the Cherokee language along with English, mostly in the syllabary
Cherokee syllabary
The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah to write the Cherokee language in the late 1810s and early 1820s. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy in that he could not previously read any script. He first experimented with logograms, but his system later developed...
created by Sequoyah
Sequoyah
Sequoyah , named in English George Gist or George Guess, was a Cherokee silversmith. In 1821 he completed his independent creation of a Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible...
, a Cherokee scholar of the 1820s.
The Cherokee Supreme Court Building, located in downtown Tahlequah and constructed in 1844, is the oldest public building in Oklahoma.
Geography
Tahlequah is located at 35°54′46"N 94°58′17"W (35.912869, -94.971526).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31.1 km²), all land.
Demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,458 people, 5,703 households, and 3,125 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,202.8 per square mile (464.4/km²). There were 6,245 housing units at an average density of 519.5 per square mile (200.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.01% White, 2.53% African American, 26.86% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 6.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.26% of the population.
There were 5,703 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.2% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 25.2% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,238, and the median income for a family was $34,811. Males had a median income of $25,066 versus $21,327 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,371. About 18.5% of families and 26.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Roy Boney, Jr., animator, artist, graphic novelist, language advocate
- Robert J. ConleyRobert J. ConleyRobert J. Conley is a Cherokee author and enrolled member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, a federally recognized tribe of American Indians. In 2007, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas.Conley was born in Cushing, Oklahoma and...
, author - Butch DavisButch DavisPaul Hilton "Butch" Davis, Jr. is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He was the head coach at the University of Miami from 1995 to 2000, the Cleveland Browns of the NFL from 2001 to 2004, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2007 to 2011.-Early...
, Head football coach, University of North CarolinaUniversity of North CarolinaChartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
(2007–2011), Former Head Coach, University of MiamiUniversity of MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
(1995–2000) - Bill HarrelsonBill HarrelsonWilliam Charles Harrelson is a former professional baseball player who played one season for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. During his playing days, he stood at 6' 5" and weighed 215 lbs.-Career:...
, Major League Baseball pitcher - Stacy LeedsStacy LeedsStacy L. Leeds is a Law professor, scholar, and judge for several tribes. She was a candidate for Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 2007.-Education:...
, tribal judge and Indian law professor - Sonny SixkillerSonny SixkillerAlex L. "Sonny" Sixkiller is a former American football player and current sports commentator.-Early years:Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and a member of the Cherokee Nation, Sixkiller's family moved to Ashland in southern Oregon when he was a year old, where his father worked in a lumber mill.He...
, football player - Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, lawyer
- Merle TravisMerle TravisMerle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
, country singer and musician, 1917–1983
In media
- Tahlequah is featured in the book, Where the Red Fern GrowsWhere the Red Fern GrowsWhere the Red Fern Grows is a children's novel written by Wilson Rawls about a boy who buys and trains two Redbone Coonhound hunting dogs. This book is a popular choice for early middle school reading classes, with a reading level appropriate to grades 4 and up.-Plot summary:Before leaving work one...
by Wilson RawlsWilson RawlsWilson Rawls, born Woodrow Wilson Rawls, was an American writer best known for his books Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys.- Childhood :...
. - Tahlequah was once named as the fictional "home office" for the Top Ten Lists on Late Night with David LettermanLate Night with David LettermanLate Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
.
External links
- Tahlequah Events
- Tahlequah, OK webpage
- The Cherokee Nation
- Northeastern State University
- Northeastern State University Alumni Community
- INTV Tahlequah Channel 25
- Tahlequah Tourism
- Tahlequah information, photos and videos on TravelOK.com Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma