How small is Whittier? About 217 people live there, and it's accessible only by boat or a one-way, one-lane tunnel.
ADVERTISEMENT
Here's what it's like to visit Whittier, Alaska — the 'town under one roof'
Whittier, Alaska, is a small, remote town 60 miles south of Anchorage that is commonly referred to as the "town under one roof."
11
ADVERTISEMENT
But the strangest thing about this town is that nearly all of its residents live in the same building, Begich Towers, a Cold War-era army barracks built in 1974. A police station, grocery store, clinic, church, convenience store, and school are all housed within the structure.
Begich Towers also has a bed and breakfast, and guests are welcome to come and observe how life goes on in the near one-structure town. Reddit user HyruleanHero1988 wascurious to check out Whittier, so he visited the town during his last vacation. His girlfriend took plenty of photos and she shared them with us along with their observations of the peculiar town.
"This is what you see when you first approach Whittier," he writes. "The 2.5 mile tunnel that you have to pass through to enter the town is one lane only they switch the direction of travel every 30 minutes. You have to wait at these lights until they let you go."
ADVERTISEMENT
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"This is the entrance to the tunnel."
BusinessInsider USA Images
"Traveling through the tunnel, it makes you feel a little claustrophobic. By the time youre nearing the end, this is definitely a welcome sight."
ADVERTISEMENT
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"This is the condo that *almost* everyone in the town lives in."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
ADVERTISEMENT
"Heres a closer look at the entrance..."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"...and its many floors."
BusinessInsider USA Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"There are reindeer in a pen right in front of the condo."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"This is the abandoned building where people lived back when this town was still a military base. This building was once the largest building in the state of Alaska now it is abandoned."
ADVERTISEMENT
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"Heres a zoomed-in look."
BusinessInsider USA Images
"It looks pretty creepy as the sun starts to go down."
ADVERTISEMENT
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"It gives off a kind of "Silent Hill" vibe."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
ADVERTISEMENT
"You can see pretty much the whole town from the top floor of the condo."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"Here are some pictures of the condo we spent the night in. It feels cozier than you would imagine."
BusinessInsider USA Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"Heres the bedroom."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"The hallway."
ADVERTISEMENT
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"Another bedroom."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
ADVERTISEMENT
"The view out the window."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"The reindeer pen as seen from above."
BusinessInsider USA Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"There is a slight misconception about this town. Not everyone lives in the same building. Id say about 80% do, but there are also some apartments separate from the main building. Also, while there is a grocery store inside the building, there is a bigger store in the town, about the size of the inside of a gas station. I didnt get any pics, unfortunately."
BusinessInsider USA Images
"This is the grocery store inside the main building."
BusinessInsider USA Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"Video rentals in the grocery store."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"Storage underneath the main building. Each tenant gets a small storage area for things they cant fit in their small apartments."
ADVERTISEMENT
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
"The view from inside the condo."
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
ADVERTISEMENT
"Thanks for checking out our adventure!"
BusinessInsider USA Images
Reddit /u/HyruleanHero1988
See Also:
ADVERTISEMENT
FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
From 1,500 to 52,000: The student boom reshaping UK immigration laws
Russia and China are much less sneaky than the West - DRC president
10 countries in Africa with the worst press freedom in 2024
FCMB Group sustains growth momentum, profit rises 192.6% in Q1 2024
DBNC 2024 impacts, sets the pace for entrepreneurs
Navigating success: Insights from a leading IT expert
US and French governments are lobbying Nigeria to host their military bases - report
Russian aid arrives in Niger amid growing bilateral ties