Infra
Cherokee Nation’s $1.2 Billion Investment in Community Infrastructure
Guest Opinion. Cherokee Nation is large and growing, with more than 460,000 citizens making us the largest tribe in America. The hundreds of thousands of Cherokees of all ages deserve world-class facilities serving our health, education, safety, and community life and culture. That’s why we have undertaken the largest single capital investment in our history, with almost $1.2 billion allocated to more than 60 construction projects.
These investments reach every corner of the 7,000-square-mile Cherokee Nation Reservation in northeast Oklahoma. Projects span from community centers to health care facilities and from Head Start centers to an expanded headquarters complex. Altogether, they exemplify Deputy Chief Bryan Warner’s and my dedication to building a stronger and more accessible Cherokee Nation.
I am especially proud of our investments in rural communities across the reservation. Places like Marble City and Kenwood have often been overlooked, but they are essential centers where the Cherokee language flourishes and so many families live by core Cherokee values.
This is not merely about infrastructure; it is about providing our citizens with the means to thrive in their hometowns. From the state-of-the-art Head Start facilities in Kenwood, featuring heated floors for our youngest learners, to the Edna Holland Wellness Center in Stilwell with its indoor walking track, we are creating spaces that foster a sense of belonging and pride.