Current Population: 309 (2007 DCCED Certified Population)
Elim is located on the northwest shore of Norton Bay on the Seward Peninsula, 96 miles east of Nome. It lies 460 miles northwest of Anchorage. Elim is located in the Cape Nome Recording District. The area encompasses 2.4 sq. miles of land and 0.0 sq. miles of water. Elim has a subarctic climate with maritime influences. Norton Sound is ice-free generally between mid-June and mid-November. Summers are cool and moist; winters are cold and dry. Summer temperatures average between 46 to 62; winter temperatures average -8 to 8. Annual precipitation is 19 inches, including about 80 inches of snow.
This settlement was formerly the Malemiut Inupiat Eskimo village of Nuviakchak. The Native culture was well-developed and well adapted to the environment. Each tribe possessed a well-defined subsistence harvest territory. The area became a federal reindeer reserve in 1911. In 1914, Rev. L.E. Ost founded a Covenant mission and school, called Elim Mission Roadhouse. The City was incorporated in 1970. When the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was passed in 1971, Elim decided not to participate, and instead opted for title to the 298,000 acres of land in the former Elim Reserve. The Iditarod Sled Dog Race passes through Elim each year.
The
information provided on this page was obtained from:
The
Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development, Community Database Online |
