Later the Ninilchik Traditional Council (NTC) was established as the government of Alaska Natives in this area.

The Alaska Native people of Ninilchik have ancestors of Aleut and Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) descent, as well as some Dena'ina.

[4] Many also include Russian ancestors, from a couple of men who settled here with their Alutiiq wives and children in 1847, and later migrants.

Before the arrival of Europeans in Alaska, Ninilchik was a Dena'ina Athabaskan lodging area used for hunting and fishing.

The name Ninilchik probably derives from Niqnilchint, a Deni'ana Athabaskan word meaning "lodge is built place".

The first Europeans who permanently settled in the village were Russian colonists who moved there from Kodiak Island in 1847, two decades before the Alaska Purchase in 1867 by the United States.

They were Russian Grigorii Kvasnikov (anglicized to Kvasnikoff), his Russian-Alutiiq wife Mavra Rastorguev (daughter of Agrafena Petrovna of Afognak), and their children.

[12] The 1880 United States Census listed 53 "Creoles" living in Ninilchik in nine extended families.

The US Congress recognized that the people of Ninilchik comprised a quasi-sovereign government (equivalent to American Indian tribes).

The name "Ninilchik" is used today, however, to refer to the original village as well as the community that has grown up around it, extending several miles north, east, and south.

Ninilchik as a town is not incorporated, but it is under the jurisdiction of the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) and the State of Alaska.

Volunteer groups, the NTC, the State of Alaska, and the KPB carry out most of the governmental functions in the area.

These include fire-fighting (volunteer), highway snow-removal (state), health services (NTC), and primary and secondary schooling (KPB).

A Russian Orthodox church, the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Chapel, is located in the community.

Pacific razor clams[14] are popular for digging on the beaches near Ninilchik, when the tides are low enough.

[15] Panoramic views of four Cook Inlet volcanos, historical Old Village, the iconic Russian Orthodox church, Ninilchik River and Deep Creek watersheds, abundant wildlife, and bluff-lined beaches provide photogenic opportunities rich in diversity and depth.

Just north of town at mile 135 of the Sterling Highway is the Ninilchik State Recreation Area, which features two campgrounds, beach and river access, and scenic overlooks of Cook Inlet.