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Murphy, NC

Welcome to Murphy, NC!

Welcome to Murphy sign
(Photo Credit: Lori Baker)

Murphy, NC is located just to the southeast of the confluence of the two major rivers in Cherokee County. The Valley River lies east of town and winds through the valley between Murphy and Andrews. The Hiwassee River lies west of town and winds through the valley to the Peachtree community. Both rivers join to form Lake Hiwassee, which extends to the north and west of town.

Two hours from anywhere...

It has been said that our charming town is about two hours from anywhere.

(I'm not sure which came first, the expression or the song by a local music group, Irons In The Fire.)

Many of us like the sound of that, but it's not strictly true. We are roughly in the center of an area defined by five cities and are located in a very rural area, but there are lots of places we enjoy visiting that are less than two hours away.

In fact, Murphy is located in a great place if you would like to spend a few days here and visit some world-famous attractions in the surrounding area, all of which are an easy day trip. There are many things to do in our beautiful mountain region.

You'll find that it's easy to stay in a local bed and breakfast, rental cabin, campground, or motel and have an enjoyable visit to one or more of these attractions before returning to the peace and quiet you'll find in Murphy.

Murphy is in Cherokee County

Murphy is the county seat of Cherokee County, North Carolina, the southwestern-most county in the state. Depending upon which way you are traveling, the Town of Murphy is either the first or last town in North Carolina. When describing the complete width of the state, it is common to see the phrase, "...from Murphy to Manteo..."

We are located roughly in the middle between Chattanooga, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina on US Hwy 64 and US Hwy 19. It's a bit confusing, because Hwy 64 turns south when it reaches Murphy and continues on towards Hayesville, Franklin, and points east.

When traveling from Chattanooga to Asheville, however, you can stay on the same four-lane highway with no interruption. It's just the name of the highway that changes.

At the same point that Hwy 64 moves away from the four-lane, Hwy 19 continues on through the other main town in our county, Andrews, NC. The highway then takes you through the Nantahala River gorge and on to the east through beautiful mountains, small towns, and incredible scenery to Asheville and points northeast.

Here's where you can find us, look for "Murphy" roughly in the center of the map...

View Larger Map

Click the plus sign on the top left of the map to zoom in closer to Murphy, or the minus sign to zoom out and see more of the United States. Murphy will stay roughly in the center of the map unless you use one of the directional arrows to scroll away from us, or you can use the hand pointer and drag the map around in the window.

Overview of Murphy

Downtown Murphy is defined as the intersection of four roads...

	Hiwassee Street - heading west out of town and back to the four-lane west of town.
	Valley River Avenue - heading east out of town and through part of the business district before it eventually leads back to the four-lane east of town.
	Peachtree Street - heading south out of town and back to the four-lane. If you continue past the highway, it will take you to the Peachtree community where the Murphy Medical Center hospital and Tri-County Community College are located.
	Tennessee Street - heading north out of town where the name changes to Joe Brown Highway which winds through the mountains to the east of Lake Hiwassee. Eventually, it turns into a gravel road and crosses the mountains into Tennessee, near Tellico Plains.

I'm not sure why all the roads have different names, because there are basically two roads. Hiwassee Street and Valley River Avenue are the same road. The same is true for Tennessee Street and Peachtree Street. It's not as complicated as it sounds and can actually be useful, because a street address tells you immediately which part of town to go to.

Here's a satellite view of downtown Murphy...

View Larger Map

What many of us consider to be the traditional Murphy town is located on the old road that went through downtown before the four-lane was built. Some call that the business route.

In reality, however, Murphy is growing, mostly along the four-lane, both east and west of town. Instead of being in a more-or-less two mile area, Murphy businesses are located along the highway for 12 miles, or more. This makes the businesses easy to find and access, but you'll have to drive a bit farther.

Come join us on Murphy Connections

We have a good social networking site devoted to what is going on in Murphy and you can visit us there at Murphy Connections.

Create your customized profile page and join in our discussions.

We're friendly and look forward to seeing you there.

Why come to Murphy?

First of all, you'll find many very friendly people who love living in an area that is surrounded by the beauty of nature, including rivers, lakes, streams, waterfalls, mountains, valleys, and winding roads with amazing views.

Many of us love the peace and quiet you'll find in our rural area. After having lived in several large cities, we don't miss the traffic, noise, congestion, and hassles that you'll find there.

However, if you like some of the things that cities offer, it's an easy drive of a couple of hours or less to Atlanta, Georgia; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Knoxville, Tennessee; or Asheville, North Carolina.

Murphy is surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest and there are many things to do for people who love nature. Canoe or raft our rivers, go boating on our lakes, hike the many trails, cycle through the peaceful countryside, see many kinds of wildlife, and see an amazing diversity of plants and trees.

Many talented artists and crafters live in these mountains and are happy to sell their art to someone lucky enough to find it. If you want to learn how to do traditional arts and crafts, we're right down the road from the world-famous John C. Campbell Folk School, which is located about a 15-minute drive away in Brasstown, NC, right on the border between Cherokee and Clay counties.

Do you enjoy hunting or fishing? There are many species of fish in our lakes and rivers and a wide variety of wildlife in the surrounding mountains. While it may be difficult to find the right places to go if you're new to the area, we have quite a few outdoorsmen who know the region well and are willing to be your guides - during the proper seasons, of course.

This just touches on the many reasons to visit Murphy. There are many other things to do if you want to drive an hour or two.