The small town of Whittier, Alaska, has only 200 inhabitants. And they all populate the same building, which contains everything they need to live.
It’s called Whittier, and it’s a small town in Alaska. Many people know it because it can be reached by crossing one of the longest tunnels in the United States, but there is another feature that makes it so special, so much so that it has attracted the attention of the media and the people of the web.
Yes because, the very cold establishment has only two large buildings to make up its urban area. One, the Buckner Building, has been practically in a state of abandonment for many years due to the structural damage done after the strong earthquake of the 1960s and due to the presence of asbestos which makes its surroundings toxic. At the moment it is populated only by the local fauna – mainly bears! The second one, known as the Begich Towers, is instead the only inhabited one, and consequently hosts almost all the citizens – about 200 inhabitants. These are mostly private condominiums, while the ground floor and some upper floors are reserved for businesses, the police station, a clinic, a post office and a school – from kindergarten to high school. Everything you need to lead a life without ever having to leave the large building.
The name Whittier comes from the nearby imposing glacier, which defines the entire horizon of the city. Instead, the foundation is dated during World War II, when the place was chosen as a military reference point for the Allied forces. Back in the day, it was known as Camp Sullivan, and this was where the star-studded Alaskan soldiers gathered before leaving for the front lines. The military remained at Whittier until the early 1960s, when it became an independent fishing port.
Today, Whittier is a living demonstration of the many curious and fascinating places that exist in the world, such as the deepest hole ever dug by man or the island in Indonesia that is home to humanity’s oldest work of art – and which is now sadly disappearing due to climate change.
Besides by ship, the only way to land in the city amidst the ice is to cross the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, a record-breaking underground link that stretches more than 4 kilometers into the heart of the mountain. And which is currently the longest tunnel in all of North America.
Andrea Guerriero