What’s Unusual about the Town of Whittier, Alaska?

In the summer, the residents of Whittier, Alaska, bask in sunlight for 22 hours each day. And in the summer months, there is always something to do to accommodate the 700,000 tourists who annually visit the small town on Prince William Sound, about 58 miles (93 km) southeast of Anchorage. But during the cold and damp winter, in America’s wettest city (with an average annual precipitation of 197.8 inches or 502.4 cm), Whittier's 218 or so permanent residents primarily stay indoors. Nearly everyone in the town lives in a single apartment building -- Begich Towers. Along with the residents' condominiums, the high-rise building has everything they might need, including a play area for kids, a Methodist church, a post office, a clinic, two convenience stores, a police station, a video rental store, city offices, and a laundromat.

For most, a fair-weather town:

  • The 14-story building, named for Nick Begich, a U.S. congressman who is presumed to have died in a 1972 plane crash, was originally home to military personnel.
  • Whittier is a seasonal town, popular with cruise lines. It's accessible by boat or a single-lane tunnel (the traffic direction changes every 30 minutes) through Maynard Mountain, a route that links Whittier with Anchorage.
  • The region was once part of the portage route of the native Chugach people, and later the passage was used by Russian and American explorers, and by prospecting gold miners.
More Info: The Daily Mail

Discussion Comments

anon998128

I'm betting, with what they're paid, few of them need a full-time job. I used to work up North 6 or 8 months of the year, then move back home in winter and live off my pay until the next season. We hunted deer, fished, and cut firewood all winter every year. We had well water, an outhouse, and burned firewood. All we needed was enough money to buy gas for the return trip in April when the snow melted. Those were happy years.

Flywheel1

I'm curious. With almost everyone staying in the building during the winter, do many of them have full-time jobs?

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register: