Such jokes are commonplace in a town that's about evenly divided between natives and relative newcomers such as Mayor Lolita Schnitzius, who moved to Ely from Chicago after a summer vacation there 29 years ago. They're a very place-minded people. I think that comes from their cultural heritage. Adele Anderson, for instance, has lived in Ely all but four of her 51 years. Ely is not exactly a place for climbing the corporate ladder.
Many residents hold two or even three jobs to support themselves.
Some, like North Pole explorer Will Steger, proprietor of Moccasins by Steger and Steger Mukluks, start their own businesses. Sometimes, says Schnitzius, young families leave Ely to pursue careers elsewhere, but they usually come back, eager to raise their children in the wilderness playground they enjoyed as youngsters. The playground is an international one now. The center was based in Ely because of the local wolf population and also because the town had the infrastructure to welcome the anticipated tourists. Like their forefathers, Ely residents live and hunt the same wilderness as the wolves.