Centre

History

Cherokee County was established on January 9, 1836, and named after the Cherokee people who once lived in the area. The famous Cherokee chief, Pathkiller, lived in Turkeytown near the present town of Centre. In 1836 the newly founded town of Cedar Bluff became the county seat, but in 1844 the county seat was moved to the more centrally located town of Centre. The name was chosen, and carries the British English spelling, because of this central location in the county. In 2011, Centre began allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages, and is no longer a dry city.

Geography

Centre is located slightly west of the center of Cherokee County. The city limits extend north to the south shore of Weiss Lake on the Coosa River. U.S. Route 411 and Alabama State Route 68 run to the north of the city as a bypass, with US-411 leading east to Cave Spring, Georgia, and northwest to Leesburg. Alabama State Route 9 also runs through the city, leading northeast to Cedar Bluff with AL-68, and south to Piedmont. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.81%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  333
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  319
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  307
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  292
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  287
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  267
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  265
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  261

Largest nearby schools

• Sand Rock High School
  Other · Sand Rock · 773 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• Centre Elementary School
  Elementary · Centre · 647 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Cedar Bluff High School
  Other · Cedar Bluff · 607 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Cherokee County High School
  High · Centre · 465 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Centre Middle School
  Middle · Centre · 457 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• Cherokee County Career Technology Center
  High · Centre

Most recent

• M 2.58 — 2025-02-25
  8 km N of Menlo, Georgia
• M 2.5 — 2023-12-23
  7 km ENE of Stevenson, Alabama
• M 2.62 — 2020-11-01
  13 km SE of Triana, Alabama
• M 2.51 — 2020-07-06
  5 km S of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
• M 2.67 — 2020-06-27
  6 km WSW of Chickamauga, Georgia
• M 2.72 — 2018-11-23
  3 km N of Plainville, Georgia