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Hayesville, NC
12 miles east
Center about 290 feet higher than Murphy's; 470 people, about a quarter of Murphy's population
Attic insulation in HayesvilleAttic Insulation in Murphy, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Murphy, NC, in Cherokee County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Murphy and Its Homes
Murphy, the Cherokee County seat where the Hiwassee and Valley Rivers meet, was incorporated in 1851 and named for Archibald Debow Murphey. Its one house on the National Register is an 1889 to 1891 Queen Anne home on Campbell Street, which its nomination calls one of the town's older neighborhoods.
Murphy, in Cherokee County, grew from 1,613 people in 2020 to 1,808 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 2.57 square miles. No town in Cherokee County has more people than Murphy.
Murphy has about 960 housing units, 5 percent of Cherokee County's; about 46 percent of the town's households own their home.
Murphy at a Glance
- County: Cherokee County
- Population: 1,808 (2025), 1,613 (2020), up 12.1%
- Land area: 2.57 square miles (704 people each)
- Housing units: about 960 (±189)
- Owner-occupied: 46% (±8); Cherokee County: 84%
- Detached houses: 57% (±4); Cherokee County: 76%
- Mobile homes: 7% (±4)
- Climate zone: 4 (state code), 3 (2021 map)
- ENERGY STAR target for Murphy attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Murphy, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Murphy Homes and Their Attics
A Campbell Street House That Grew in Stages
That Campbell Street house went up from 1889 to 1891 and was enlarged in 1903 and 1904. Its nomination describes a hip-roofed core ringed by lower hipped and gabled sections. A kitchen wing was raised from one story to two, and in the 1930s a porch beside it was closed in as a hip-roofed bedroom. The same nomination says traditional vernacular houses were the norm in Murphy and the county, so this house is the exception. Still, any older Murphy house that was added onto can hide several attics, one under each roof section, each with its own depth. We check every one, aiming for even coverage with no low spots.
Attic Insulation in Murphy
About 45 percent of Murphy's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
The Local Climate
Murphy's center sits about 1,600 feet above sea level, 4 miles from NOAA's Murphy 4 ESE station, the best match for Murphy. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 4,040 heating and 1,040 cooling degree days a year, so at Murphy's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
Some 57 percent of Murphy housing units are detached single-family houses.
Built before 1940, about 20 percent of Murphy homes can hide knob-and-tube wiring and vermiculite, jobs for an electrician and an asbestos contractor first. Built from 1940 to 1969, 26 percent of Murphy homes often have little insulation.
About 55 percent of Murphy's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 21% (±10), about 200 units
- 1940s: 7% (±4), about 70 units
- 1950s: 10% (±4), about 95 units
- 1960s: 9% (±4), about 85 units
- 1970s: 8% (±3), about 75 units
- 1990s: 10% (±4), about 100 units
- 2000s: 7% (±3), about 65 units
- 2010s: 3% (±2), about 25 units
- 2020 or later: under 1%
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Murphy
In Murphy, about 79 percent of homes heat with electricity; where that heat is forced air, ducts often run through the attic.
Air sealing comes first, as the EPA advises: wire and pipe holes, wall tops and soffits.
How Homes Here Are Heated
- Electricity: 79% (±12), about 630 households; Cherokee County: 70%
- Piped gas: 1% (±1)
- Bottled or tank gas: 10% (±7), about 80 households
- Oil or kerosene: 5% (±4), about 40 households
- Wood: under 4%, about 15 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Murphy runs its own electric system. Cherokee County has no gas franchise, so Murphy homes heat with electricity, propane, oil or wood. Bottled or tank gas, bought by the delivery, heats about 10 percent of homes in Murphy.
No utility insulation rebate for Murphy turned up on the pages we read; income-eligible households may qualify for Energy Saver North Carolina, so check whether it has opened in Cherokee County. The Cherokee County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Murphy
In a Murphy attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Murphy attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Murphy
Nearest to Murphy first.
Andrews, NC
13 miles northeast
Power from Duke Energy Carolinas (Murphy: a town system); Center about 180 feet higher than Murphy's
Attic insulation in AndrewsRobbinsville, NC
20 miles northeast
Center about 450 feet higher than Murphy's; Its NOAA station logs about 330 more heating degree days than Murphy's
Attic insulation in RobbinsvilleLake Santeetlah, NC
21 miles northeast
Center about 390 feet higher than Murphy's; 44 people, under a tenth of Murphy's population
Attic insulation in Lake SanteetlahFontana Dam, NC
26 miles northeast
Center about 220 feet higher than Murphy's; Its NOAA station logs about 280 more heating degree days than Murphy's
Attic insulation in Fontana Dam
Murphy Insulation FAQs
Is my Murphy house inside a historic district?
Not a National Register one. The state's list shows no historic district in Murphy. It has three single listings here: the marble courthouse designed in 1926, Harshaw Chapel, a brick church of about 1869, and the Queen Anne house of 1889. The 2023 state list of local preservation commissions has no entry for Cherokee County. And even a listed house is free of National Register limits when its owner pays for the work. The choices about your attic are yours.
How close can insulation come to the old brick chimney in my Murphy attic?
It should never touch it. ENERGY STAR notes that building codes generally want 2 inches of clear space around a masonry chimney, and 1 inch around a metal flue. The opening where the chimney passes through the attic floor is closed with thin aluminum flashing and high-temperature caulk, never foam. A sheet-metal collar then holds the insulation back. The listed 1889 house shows why this matters here: two brick chimneys rise through the peak of its main hip roof.
Could the old insulation in a Murphy attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 40 percent of Murphy's homes predate 1960. If a Murphy attic holds a pebble-like gray-brown or silver-gold fill, leave it undisturbed: the EPA says vermiculite may contain asbestos.
Does attic insulation in Murphy need a permit?
Murphy Town Hall can say whether Cherokee County Building Code Enforcement, the town itself or another office handles permits in Murphy; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Mountain winters: attic ventilation and attic stairs and hatches
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Murphy, NOAA normals for the Murphy 4 ESE station (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Murphy notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Murphy, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- NC Listings in the National Register of Historic Places, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- Robert Lafayette Cooper House, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- Cherokee County Courthouse, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Historic Preservation Commission Staff in North Carolina, listed by county, as of 2/20/2023 (NC HPO)
- What is the National Register of Historic Places?, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- Furnace Flues Require Special Sealing Techniques, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
Murphy, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Serving Murphy, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Murphy and the rest of Cherokee County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Murphy attic, or call (336) 870-3893.