On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lake Cherokee is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #512 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Cherokee’s overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lake Cherokee’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Lake Cherokee’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lake Cherokee yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lake Cherokee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Gregg and Rusk counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,980 as of the 2020 census. Lake Cherokee is located 12 miles southeast of Gregg and northeastern Rusk counties on Cherokee Bayou. The lake is owned by the Cherokee Water Company to supply water for municipal, industrial, and recreational purposes. It has a capacity of 68,700 acre-feet. The lake impounds Cherokee Bayou. The top of the dam is at the elevation of 295 feet above the average sea level, but it has a max design of 291 feet above the average sea level.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,071 to 2,980 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lake Cherokee. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Tatum sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lake Cherokee.
Famous people
Famous people close to Lake Cherokee
Nobody well known was born in Lake Cherokee itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Chalk Hill
1cemetery inside Lake Cherokee
Post Oak
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Lake Cherokee’s history
How does Lake Cherokee rank for history?
Lake Cherokee is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #512 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Lake Cherokee?
0.0% of Lake Cherokee’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1988.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
