Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

Nelson Lagoon
Niilsanam Alĝuudaa
Nelson Lagoon is located in Alaska
Nelson Lagoon
Nelson Lagoon
Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 56°0′2″N 161°12′13″W / 56.00056°N 161.20361°W / 56.00056; -161.20361
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughAleutians East
Government
 • Borough mayorStanley Mack[1]
 • State senatorLyman Hoffman (D)
 • State rep.Bryce Edgmon (I)
Area
 • Total
246.98 sq mi (639.67 km2)
 • Land188.10 sq mi (487.18 km2)
 • Water58.88 sq mi (152.49 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
41
 • Density0.22/sq mi (0.08/km2)
Time zoneUTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99571[3]
Area code907
FIPS code02-52940

Nelson Lagoon (Unangax̂: Niilsanam Alĝuudaa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 41, down from 52 in 2010 and 83 in 2000.

Nelson Lagoon was established around 1960 and is the youngest of the Borough communities. It is the only Aleut settlement on the Bering Sea shore. The community is on the northern coast of the Alaska Peninsula and sits on a narrow sand spit that separates the lagoon from the Bering Sea. Nelson Lagoon is in the middle of a rich and productive salmon fisheries area. The community's dock, boat ramp, harbormaster's office and warehouse were completed in the late 1990s. Nelson Lagoon has excellent docking facilities as well as boat and gear storage. A state-owned 4,000-foot-long lighted gravel runway allows regularly scheduled flights.

In March 2016, Nelson Lagoon was coated with tephra, during a strong eruption of nearby Mount Pavlof.[4]

  1. ^ 2015 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League. 2015. p. 1.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Nelson Lagoon AK ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Hollander, Zaz (March 28, 2016). "Volcanic eruption covers Alaska village in ash, launches lava into sky". Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved March 28, 2016.