Murphy, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Household Income
The median income for a household in the town was $24,952, and the median income for a family was $35,234. Males had a median income of $30,395 versus $16,908 for females. The per capita incomePer 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 town was $16,926. About 16.7% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.2% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.
Public
The local public school system is run by Cherokee County Schools, which operates a total of 13 schools across the county.Elementary Schools
- Marble Elementary
- Murphy Elementary
- Peachtree Elementary
- Andrews Elementary
Elementary Middle Schools
- Martins Creek Elementary Middle School
- Ranger Elementary Middle School
- Hiwassee Dam Elementary Middle School
- Andrews Middle School
High Schools
- Hiwassee Dam High School
- Mountain Youth School
- Murphy High School
- Tri County Early College
- Andrews High School
Murphy High School has won North Carolina state football championships at both the 1A and 2A division levels.
Private
Murphy Adventist Christian SchoolMurphy Adventist Christian School
Murphy Adventist Christian School is a religious private school located in Murphy. It covers grades kindergarten thru 12 with an active enrollment of 26 students. It has a teacher to student ratio of 1:9....
is a religious private school located in Murphy. It covers grades Kindergarten through eleventh with an active enrollment of 26 students. It has a teacher to student ratio of 1:9.
Highways
Murphy sits just northwest of 19/74/64/129 which runs from just southwest of Murphy to Topton, just before US 129 breaks off.Airports
Western Carolina Regional Airport , known locally as the Murphy Airport, Andrews Airport, or Murphy-Andrews Airport, is located between the cities of AndrewsAndrews, North Carolina
Andrews is a town in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,602 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Andrews is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-History:...
and Murphy.
Law Enforcement
Murphy and the surrounding unincorporated communities are protected by the Murphy Police Department, which is located at 93 Peachtree Street near downtown Murphy. It is headed by the Chief of Police, Justin J. Jacobs.Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Town of Murphy Police Department to increase the quality of life and create a safe environment for all citizens and visitors of the Town of Murphy.
By forming a partnership with the community through Community Policing Initiatives we will work together to protect the lives and property of the citizens through fair, honest and professional enforcement of the laws, crime prevention and community problem solving.
Crime Rate
This is the 2010 Crime Rate Index for Murphy, North Carolina. The numbers are compared to a national average of 100 so that a score of 200 equals twice the national average whereas a score of 50 is half the national average.| Murphy | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Crime Risk | 172 | 110 | 100 |
| Murder Risk Index | 170 | 111 | 100 |
| Rape Risk Index | 170 | 104 | 100 |
| Robbery Risk Index | 107 | 110 | 100 |
| Assault Risk Index | 167 | 103 | 100 |
| Burglary Risk Index | 134 | 131 | 100 |
| Larceny Risk Index | 97 | 101 | 100 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft Risk Index | 146 | 92 | 100 |
Utilities
Electricity for Western North Carolina is provided by Duke EnergyDuke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
, sometimes referred as Duke Power. It has a total service territory covering 47000 square miles (121,729.4 km²) Half of its power generation for the Carolinas comes from its nuclear power plants
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
.
Natural Gas is supplied by Piedmont Gas, which services North and South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Industrial and personal waste is landfilled.
Healthcare
Murphy Medical Center, located in Murphy, North Carolina, sports 57 hospital beds and a 120 bed nursing home.Geography
Murphy is located at 35°5′23"N 84°1′48"W (35.089848, -84.029924).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 town has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.3 square miles (6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (8.80%) is water.
The town is located at the confluence of the Hiwassee River
Hiwassee River
The Hiwassee River has its headwaters on the north slope of Rocky Mountain in Towns County in northern Georgia and flows northward into North Carolina before turning westward into Tennessee, flowing into the Tennessee River a few miles west of State Route 58 in Meigs County, Tennessee...
and Valley River.
Topography
Murphy is located in the Southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
in the southwestern portion of the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
State, approximately halfway between Atlanta, GA. and Knoxville, TN. The location in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
of Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
, has helped the community retain a fairly rural character, surrounded by wildlife such as bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
and recently reintroduced elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
.
Climate
Murphy has a humid subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
, (Cfa) according to the Köppen classification, with hot, humid summers and mild, but occasionally cold winters by the standards of the southern United States.
Like the rest of the southeastern U.S., Murphy receives abundant rainfall, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year. Blizzards are rare but possible; one nicknamed the 1993 Storm of the Century hit the entire Eastern United States
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
in March, 1993.
Adjacent Cities
These are cities and populated areas within an approximate 15 mile radius of Murphy.Notable people
- Eric RudolphEric Robert RudolphEric Robert Rudolph , also known as the Olympic Park Bomber, is a criminal responsible for a series of bombings across the southern United States between 1996 and 1998, which killed two people and injured at least 150 others in the name of an anti-abortion and anti-gay agenda...
, the fugitive who was responsible for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombingCentennial Olympic Park bombingThe Centennial Olympic Park bombing was a terrorist bombing on July 27, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States during the 1996 Summer Olympics, the first of four committed by Eric Robert Rudolph...
and other deadly bombings, was arrested in Murphy on May 31, 2003. - Carl PickensCarl PickensCarl McNally Pickens is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans....
, formerly of the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, was born and played high school football in Murphy. - Murphy is mentioned extensively in "A Walk Across AmericaA Walk Across AmericaA Walk Across America is the first book written by travel author Peter Jenkins.Written in 1979, it depicts his journey from Alfred, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana...
" by Peter JenkinsPeter Jenkins (travel author)Peter Jenkins describes his experiences over nearly six years that he spent walking from New York to Oregon.Peter was born on July 8 of 1951He is a graduate of Alfred University, with a BFA in Sculpture/Ceramics , as well as an honorary doctorate ....
, as the author spent several months living with a local family and working at a sawmill nearby. - Folklorist John Jacob NilesJohn Jacob NilesJohn Jacob Niles was an American composer, singer, and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers", Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, with Joan Baez, Burl Ives, and Peter, Paul and Mary, among others,...
based his Christmas song I Wonder As I WanderI Wonder As I Wander"I Wonder as I Wander" is a Christmas carol written by John Jacob Niles. The carol has its origins in a song fragment collected on July 16, 1933 by folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles....
on a phrase he heard in a song sung by the young daughter of a group of traveling evangelicals in downtown Murphy on July 16, 1933.