Welcome to Ela ...
Ela is located in Swain County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Ela, you might consider that their post office opened in 1910.
Ela is 1,790 feet [546 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Ela lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Code for Ela: 828
Communities Also Named Ela ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 2 communities that are also named Ela - they are located in Illinois and Virginia.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ela.
Communities near Ela ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ela.
- Franklin
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Gatlinburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sylva
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bryson City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Maggie Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maggie Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maggie Valley
- Maggie Valley is located in Haywood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maggie Valley <3>
- Webster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Webster is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
- Forest Hills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
- Forest Hills is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 376 people
- Forest Hills has also been known as:
- Forest Hills village
- Village of Forest Hills
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest Hills <3>
- Dillsboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsboro
- Dillsboro is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dillsboro <3>
- Cherokee
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oconaluftee Indian Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oconaluftee Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconaluftee Indian Village
- Oconaluftee Indian Village is located in Swain County
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Ela. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ela.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ela. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ela.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ela. See our Newspapers Page for Ela.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ela ...
Looking for more information about Ela? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Ela, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Ela.
Adding Ela to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Ela in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Ela was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<5>
From that list, the Ela post office opened in 1910.
We also found Ela on a map titled Rand McNally Map of North Carolina (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Ela.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of North Carolina's counties, including Swain, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ela - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <5> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at:
https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |