Cherokee is a census-designated place in Swain and Jackson counties in western North Carolina, United States, within the Qualla Boundary land trust. It is located in the Oconaluftee River Valley around the intersection of U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 441. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 2,138.Cherokee is the headquarters for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. To continue the heritage of the Cherokee in the town, several signs for streets and buildings are written in both Cherokee syllabary and English.Cherokee was previously known as "Yellow Hill", which is still used in Cherokee : ᎡᎳᏬᏗ Elawodi.