A PLEASING PROFILE

The Qualla Boundary, the 100-square-mile sovereign nation of the EBCI, encompasses parts of five Western North Carolina counties: Cherokee, Graham, Jackson, Haywood, and Swain. Its population, 8,092 as of the 2000 US Census, consists primarily of direct descendants of those Cherokee Indians managed to avoid “The Trail of Tears” – the forced exile to Oklahoma in the late 1830s.

Median Family Income $31,723 (2000 U.S. Census)

The largest employer on the Boundary – indeed, in all of North Carolina west of Asheville – is Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel, with over 1,700 employees. The EBCI Tribal Government and its service arms employ over 1,000. The combined Harrah’s and EBCI Government payroll totaled some $79.5 million in 2005. The Cherokee Indian Hospital and Cherokee Boys Club collectively encompass another 800-plus employees and a $27 million payroll.

In addition, semi-annual per capita payments to enrolled Tribal Members put over $78.8 million of discretionary income into the regional economy in FY 2005 – a dramatic rise from the $4.4 Million in payments a decade earlier. Retail sales on the Boundary grew 35% from 1997 to 2004. Spending should further accelerate as new businesses address now un-served market segments, enabling Boundary residents to satisfy their pent-up desires and needs.

In addition, semi-annual per capita payments to enrolled Tribal Members put over $78.8 million of discretionary income into the regional economy in FY 2005 ­ a dramatic rise from the $4.4 million in payments a decade earlier.

Retail sales on the Boundary grew 35% from 1997 to 2004. Spending should further accelerate as new businesses address now unserved market segments, enabling Boundary residents to satisfy their pent-up desires and needs.