Current Population: 341 (2003 State Demographer est.) Incorporation Type: 2nd Class City Borough Located In: Unorganized School District: Bering Straits Schools Regional Native Corporation: Not Applicable Location: 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. It lies at approximately 64.6175° North Latitude and -162.26056° West Longitude. (Sec. 15, T010S, R018W, Kateel River Meridian.) 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. Culture: It is an Inupiat Eskimo village with a fishing and subsistence lifestyle. The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village. Economy: The Elim economy is based on subsistence harvests; cash employment is limited to fishing, the city and school. Unemployment is high. 39 residents hold commercial fishing permits. The village wants to develop a fish processing plant. Residents rely on fish, seal, walrus, beluga whale, reindeer, moose and home gardens. Facilities: Water is derived from a well and is treated. BIA and HUD housing, and water and sewer systems built by PHS in 1974, have provided residents with piped water and sewer, indoor water heaters and plumbing, and in-home washers and dryers. Wastes flow to a sewage treatment plant with ocean outfall. The landfill is not permitted. The City needs a new water source, since water shortages occur, and to replace cracked PVC pipes. Transportation: Elim is best reached by air and sea. Recent improvements have made the State-owned airport one of the best and most modern in the region. It offers a 3,000' long by 60' wide gravel runway. Elim Native Corp. also owns a private 4,700' paved airstrip with a 1,390' crosswind runway at Moses Point. There is no dock in the village, so supplies must be lightered to shore by a company operating from Nome. Plans are underway to develop a harbor and dock; an access road is under construction. A cargo ship brings freight annually to Nome. Climate: 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. *Source: Alaska Department of Community & Economic Development   This information was made possible in part by a grant from the Technology Opportunities Program, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.