Nikolski, Alaska USA
Orthodox Church in America (Russian)
The village of Nikolski is a small, traditional Unangan settlement on Umnak Island. Some believe it is the oldest continuously-occupied community it the world: archaeological evidence dates as far back as 8,500 years ago. People were in Nikolski before the pyramids were built, the Mayan calendar invented, or the Chinese language written. In the 1800s it was the site of sea otter hunting and in 1920, a boom of fox farming. Residents were evacuated when the Japanese attacked Unalaska, seizing Attu and Kiska. Residents returned in 1944.