# Peachtree, North Carolina

Peachtree is a community located in Cherokee County, North Carolina. It is named after the numerous peach trees found in the area.
Due to its central location near the border of Cherokee and Clay counties, Peachtree has also been home to major institutions serving the area. The Cherokee County Prison Camp opened in 1939 but was abandoned after 25 years following multiple escapes. Its property became the main campus of Tri-County Community College, which opened in 1964 and serves Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties. Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital, the only hospital in North Carolina west of Franklin and Bryson City, was founded in Peachtree in 1979.
In 2003, Moog Inc. established a manufacturing facility in Peachtree employing more than 400 people to build motors and blowers for the aerospace industry. Also, the $20 million, 66,000-square-foot Cherokee County School of Innovation & Technology campus opened in 2023.

## History

Cherokee Native Americans had a courthouse building named the Hiwassee Townhouse located in Peachtree. Around 1755, after being scattered by war, the Natchez Native Americans also established a town near Peachtree. In 1820, a Baptist Mission School at the Natchez town was founded by Rev. Evan Jones. The Native Americans were forcibly removed from the area during the summer of 1838 via the Trail of Tears.
In 1837, settlers established a Baptist church in Peachtree. Peachtree had its own post office from 1839 to 1866 and again between 1878 and 1907. The community was considered as a site for the Western Carolina Regional Airport, which was later constructed 8 miles (13 km) northeast in Marble. Peachtree Elementary School was constructed in 1947. After a fire in 1986, the classroom building was rebuilt in 1989. The community was formerly the site of the "Murphy Drive-In" movie theater. The theater's screen was flattened by high winds in 1974. The Peachtree Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1974. Its current facility was built in 2009. The Peachtree Community Center was built in the mid-1970s and serves as the local polling place. The center was renovated in 2024. The 332-employee Peachtree Products plant closed in January 1975. Aegis Power Systems founded its Peachtree plant in 1995.
In the early 2020s Peachtree was the planned site of a single consolidated high school for Cherokee County, combining Andrews, Hiwassee Dam, and Murphy high schools. In 2023, however, new members of the Cherokee County Board of Education voted against the plan.
On the night of May 8, 2024, an EF-1 tornado hit Peachtree, as part of the Tornado outbreak of May 6–9, 2024. One home was destroyed and seven suffered major damage. This is the most recent confirmed tornado in Cherokee County, the previous being around 2018. A tornado was said to have also hit Peachtree on March 3, 2023.

## Education

Cherokee County Schools operates several local public schools: Peachtree Elementary, Tri-County Early College, and Cherokee County School of Innovation & Technology. According to a 2024 statewide teacher survey, Peachtree Elementary performs worse than other district schools when it comes to robbery/theft, gang activity, vandalism, threats of violence, and weapon possession. As of 2024, Peachtree Elementary had the highest reading and math achievement scores in western North Carolina. Students also attend Murphy and Andrews Middle School, and Murphy and Andrews High School.
Higher education is offered by Tri-County Community College. Other nearby universities and colleges include North Georgia Technical College, Young Harris College, Western Carolina University, Southwestern Community College, and University of North Georgia.
The John C. Campbell Folk School, the oldest and largest folk school in the United States, is located 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast in nearby Brasstown. The institution focuses on creative folk arts for all ages and offers musical concerts and community dance entertainment.