Tahlequah, Oklahoma

"Tahlequah" redirects here. For the community in Washington state, see Tahlequah, Washington. For the killer whale, see Tahlequah (orca).

Tahlequah
ᏓᎵᏆ (Cherokee)
City
City of Tahlequah
Downtown Tahlequah
Downtown Tahlequah
Motto: 
"City Of Firsts"
Location within Cherokee County and the state of Oklahoma
Location within Cherokee County and the state of Oklahoma
Tahlequah is located in Oklahoma
Tahlequah
Tahlequah
Location in the United States
Tahlequah is located in the United States
Tahlequah
Tahlequah
Tahlequah (the United States)
Coordinates: 35°54′41″N 94°58′38″W / 35.91139°N 94.97722°W / 35.91139; -94.97722
Country United States
State Oklahoma
CountyCherokee
Cherokee Nationfounded 1838; second capital city
Government
 • MayorSuzanne Myers
Area
[1]
 • Total
12.87 sq mi (33.33 km2)
 • Land12.77 sq mi (33.06 km2)
 • Water0.10 sq mi (0.27 km2)
Elevation
[2]
814 ft (248 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
16,209
 • Density1,269.70/sq mi (490.24/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
74464-74465
Area code(s)539/918
FIPS code40-72100 [3]
GNIS feature ID2412028[2]
Websitewww.cityoftahlequah.com

Tahlequah (/ˈtæləkwɑː/ TAL-ə-kwah; Cherokee: ᏓᎵᏆ, daligwa [dàlígʷá])[4][5] is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century Cherokee Nation in 1839, as part of the new settlement in Indian Territory after the Cherokee Native Americans were forced west from the American Southeast on the Trail of Tears.

The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.96 percent over the figure of 14,458 reported in 2000.[6] The 2019 estimated population is 16,819.[7]

Tahlequah is the capital of the two federally recognized Cherokee tribes based in Oklahoma, the modern Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Tahlequah is also the county seat of Cherokee County.[8] The main campus of Northeastern State University is located in the city.

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tahlequah, Oklahoma
  3. ^ "Census QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  4. ^ Cowen, Agnes Spade and Jane B. Noble. Comptemporary Cherokee Language Book. Tahlequah, OK: Heritage Printing, 1996: 77
  5. ^ "ᏓᎵᏆ". www.cherokeedictionary.net. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  7. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.