Whittier in Alaska is a tiny town hidden between picturesque mountains on the western side of Prince William Bay. But this place is not quite ordinary.
Instead of many small private houses on the outskirts of the city, there is a 14-storey building called the Begich Towers, a former army barracks resembling a hotel, where almost the entire population of Whittier, consisting of only 200 people, lives.
Whittier in Alaska, USA
There is another large building there, the Buckner Building. In the sixties, when the base was no longer used for its original purpose and was not considered suitable for the purposes of the Cold War, it was sold and converted into a condominium.
Buckner building
Begich Towers
However, only the Begich Towers were converted and got residents, and the Buckner building remained abandoned. The latter is a real find for urban photographers, who are attracted to urban “ruins” and sometimes the venue of raves.
Buckner building
Life in the Begich Towers
Life in the Begich Towers is actually better than one might initially imagine. A lot of work has been done to improve the apartment building, which is home to about 200 people. The condominium has two (!) convenience stores, a post office, a modest polyclinic (the nearest full-fledged hospital is in Anchorage), a church and even a school connected to the tower by an underground tunnel.
Underground tunnel
You can get to Whittier by ship, train or car through a single-lane road-rail tunnel, which closes every night at 22:00. The direction of traffic depends on the time of day. Often, drivers returning from Anchorage do not have time to get to the city before 10 p.m. and are forced to spend the night in their car.
Tunnel in Whittier, Alaska
Traveling through the automobile-railway tunnel
Life in Whittier is not particularly interesting, but convenient. Boit snows most of the year, and living in a house where all the necessary services and amenities are at hand allows you not to go outside at all if you wish. The few buildings outside are mostly small business facilities that open only when a cruise ship is in port, serving the annual influx of tourists.
Store in Whittier
Playground in Whittier
In such harsh conditions, a lot of financial costs are spent on life support. Some equipment, such as steam boilers, originally installed in 1962, recently had to be replaced at great expense. The same applies to the pipeline system, which has been clogged with mineral deposits for decades and has periodically leaked.
Steam boilers
Whittier’s religious appearance is almost entirely Christian, but he professes many denominations. Since there is only one chapel here, instead of holding their services at different times, everyone just gathers and prays together.
Whittier’s religious appearance
If for some reason you are interested in moving or traveling to Whittier, information about the Begich Towers can be found here – begichtowers.com . And the site of the city itself can be viewed here – whittieralaska.gov
View of Whittier
This is a town where everyone knows each other by name. The water is not covered with ice all year round, so if you like boating and fishing, you can devote time to these hobbies in Whittier.
Whittier, Alaska
Whittier may seem boring, but there are many good reasons why he has become so fascinating and tempting to travel bloggers and other media.
