Nantahala Township (/ˌnæntəˈheɪlə/)[1] is located in North Carolina, United States in the part of Macon County which is west of Wayah Gap. It has a population of 1,711.[2]
Nantahala (also written "Nun'daye'li" or "Nuntialy") was a Cherokee Valley Town whose name typically translated as "The sun between them", from the Cherokee ᏅᏓ (nvda, "sun") and ᎠᏰᎵ (a-ye-li, "middle").[3] Another translation is "land of the noonday sun", referring to the depth of the gorge.[4] The Nantahala valley was an important crossroads in the heart of Cherokee country, connecting the Valley Towns to the south and the Middle and Out Towns to the north. Upstream, the town of Aquone takes it name from the Cherokee egwanul'ti, meaning "by the river".[5] Historic Cherokee settlements likely extended throughout the Nantahala river valley, including land now covered by Nantahala Lake. The Nantahala valley was supposedly visited by the Spanish Conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1540, and by the English botanist William Bartram in the 18th century. "Nuntialla" appears on [Thomas Mante|Thomas Mante's] 1772 map, "A sketch of Cherokee Country.[6]
Nantahala receives a majority of its revenue from tourism.
- ^ Talk Like A Tarheel Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
- ^ "Nantahala township, Swain County, North Carolina (NC)". Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ "Cherokee Riverkeepers".
- ^ "National Parks Pocket Maps - the National Park App".
- ^ "Aquone Notes".
- ^ Cross, Arthur. "Nantahala". Retrieved November 3, 2011.