It was founded in 1964 to serve Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties and is part of the North Carolina Community College System.

The building was completed in 1989 and named for legislator Jeff Enloe, whose support of the college enabled successful appropriation of construction funding.

[3][4] TCCC opened its Cherokee County Center of Applied Technology in Marble in 2008 after renovating an existing building there.

The choir now accepts adults from across the region, rehearses at Young Harris College, and performs concerts twice a year.

The main campus has buildings named McSwain, in honor of Holland McSwain, Tri-County Community College's First President; West, for Herman West, a State Legislator and entrepreneur; and Crisp, for Vincent Crisp, Tri-County Community College President from 1972 to 1992.