| Official Name: | Nelchina |
| Native Name: | Xaz Ghae Na’ |
| Settlement Type: | CDP |
| Pushpin Map: | Alaska |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Alaska |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alaska |
| Subdivision Type2: | Census Area |
| Subdivision Name2: | Copper River |
| Leader Title: | State senator |
| Leader Name: | Click Bishop (R) |
| Leader Title1: | State rep. |
| Leader Name1: | Mike Cronk (R) |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 124.05 |
| Area Land Km2: | 122.75 |
| Area Water Km2: | 1.30 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 47.90 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 47.40 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.50 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 45 |
| Population Density Km2: | 0.37 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 0.95 |
| Timezone: | Alaska (AKST) |
| Utc Offset: | -9 |
| Timezone Dst: | AKDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -8 |
| Elevation M: | 732 |
| Elevation Ft: | 2402 |
| Coordinates: | 61.99°N -146.7788°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Zip Code |
| Postal Code: | 99588 |
| Area Code: | 907 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 02-52915 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1865559 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Nelchina is a census-designated place (CDP) in Copper River Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 45 at the 2020 census, down from 59 in 2010.[2]
Nelchina appears on the Valdez D-8 on the U.S.Geological Survey Map. The elevation is 2,402 feet. Nelchina is located between Milepost 137.5 and 150.5 of the Glenn Highway, at the junction of the Little Nelchina River and Crooked Creek. It is about 30 miles west of Glennallen and Mendeltna, just east of Mat-Su Borough Boundary. Nelchina is located at the Chitina Recording District.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 46.7sqmi, of which, 46sqmi of it is land and 0.7sqmi of it (1.48%) is water.
Nelchina is located in the subarctic climate zone.[3] Snowshoe Lake is a weather station located nearby at an elevation of .[4] Temperature extremes range from -63F to 95F. Snowfall averages 46inches, with total precipitation of 11inches per year.
Nelchina is an Ahtna Athabascan name. Gold in the creeks draining from the Chugach Mountains brought prospectors to this area in the late 1800s. The Nelchina area offered several trails into the mountains. Nelchina was a mining settlement established in 1913. It was first reported by Theodore Chaplin in a 1915 USGS publication.
Nelchina first appeared on the 2000 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 71 people, 27 households, and 20 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1.5sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 33 housing units at an average density of 0.7sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.14% White, 4.23% Native American, and 5.63% from two or more races.
Of the 27 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, and 25.9% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 28.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 153.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,625, and the median income for a family was $40,625. Males had a median income of $37,917 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $10,742. There were 19.0% of families and 17.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including 10.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
The Copper River School District previously operated the Lottie Sparks School in Nelchina.[6]