The federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is based at Qualla Boundary, land that consists of territory in both Jackson and neighboring Swain County.

Cullowhee was one of several historic Cherokee towns that had developed along the Tuckasegee River, which has its headwaters here and runs into Swain County to the north.

It is estimated to have been built about 1000 CE, by people during the period of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture.

Their descendants form most of the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), the only tribe in the state to have this status.

Their citizens make up most of the more than ten percent of people in Jackson County who identify as Native American on the US census.

It was named for Andrew Jackson, President of the United States from 1829 to 1837, who promoted Indian Removal from the Southeast in order to allow development by European Americans.

[3] The original county courts were held at the home of Dan Bryson in Beta, Scott Creek township.

He eventually established his own mining companies, and shipped kaolin to Trenton, New Jersey, among other places, which was a major manufacturing center.

His two sons, David Rust and Robert Ward Harris, joined him in these family businesses.

As mandated by the laws of North Carolina, Jackson County has a commission-manager form of government.

This system of at-large voting, rather than having representatives elected from single-member districts, favors candidates supported by the majority of the population.

Jackson County contains a portion of the Qualla Boundary, a land trust of historic territory of the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The reservation operates Harrah's Cherokee Casino, which is open to the public, as are associated resort facilities there.

In 2012 voters here favored Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who was defeated by President Barack Obama.

In 2016 county voters split their vote, favoring Donald Trump for the presidency, but Democrat Roy Cooper for state governor.

[19] In 2020, Jackson County voters favored incumbent Donald Trump, but Democrat Joe Biden won the election nationally.

U.S. Highway 64 traverses east–west across the southern part of the county connecting Cashiers to Brevard in the east and Highlands in the west.

Norfolk Southern Railway operates a portion known as the Murphy Branch through Jackson County, providing a rail connection with the rest of the country.

Great Smoky Mountains RR operates the rest of the Murphy Branch from Dillsboro to Andrews.

Despite widespread restructuring in the industry across the country, freight commercial service continued another forty-odd years before ending in 1983.

In 2015, Watco, which purchased the section which Norfolk Southern previously owned, was reportedly in talks with the towns and counties in an attempt to build a viable tourist railroad clientele.

The major obstacle for such service is the Cowee Mountain Tunnel, which does not meet height and weight specifications for modern rail engines and passenger cars.

Formerly, the Log Cabin Association Consolidated School served the township, but it closed in 1980 when Smokey Mountain Elementary opened.

Caney Fork: Named for the creek that flows through the township, which empties into the Tuckasegee River at East LaPorte.

Cullowhee: This is derived from the Cherokee name for the valley, which referred to a legendary figure, Judacullah.

Western Carolina University, the village of Forest Hills, and the communities of Speedwell, Old Cullowhee Road, Buzzards Roost, and Dicks Gap are all within the township.

In the nineteenth century, this was one of the first areas in the county to be settled by European Americansy, along with Caney Fork, River, Scott Creek, and Canada townships.

The communities of Qualla, Birdtown, Soco, Whittier, Indian Hills, and Wilmont are all located at least partially, if not wholly, within the township.

It is served by US 74/23 and old US 19/23, which run through the five communities within the township: Balsam, Willets, Ochre Hill, Addie and Beta.

These include the action-adventure The Fugitive (1993), starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones; the drama Deliverance (1972), which also set a scene against downtown Sylva; and the comedy My Fellow Americans (1996) starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner.