Imagine stepping into an elevator to visit the post office, pick up groceries, or walk your kids to school. No coat, no car, no snow boots required. In one small Alaska town, that's just how daily life works.
Here's the short answer. Whittier, Alaska, about 58 miles southeast of Anchorage, had 272 residents at the 2020 census, and almost all of them live in one building: the 14-story Begich Towers Condominium. That's earned Whittier the nickname of a town under one roof.
Built by the Army
Whittier started out as a military post. During World War II, the U.S. Army built a facility here, complete with a port and a railroad, called Camp Sullivan. The port became the entrance point for American soldiers coming into Alaska.
After the war, the Army put up two huge buildings. The one now called Begich Towers was originally the Hodge Building, named for an Army engineering commander who had worked on the Alaska Highway. It was completed in 1957. Its neighbor, the Buckner Building, was also nicknamed the city under one roof, but it has stood abandoned for decades. At one time, the two were the largest buildings in Alaska.
In 1972, the Hodge Building was renamed Begich Towers in memory of Nick Begich, an Alaska congressman who disappeared in the area and is presumed to have died in a plane crash.
A Whole Town Inside
Begich Towers is made up of three connected towers, with gaps of 7 or 8 inches between them so the structure can sway in strong winds or earthquakes. Inside, a maze of hallways and elevators links everything together.
Along with apartments, the building holds a post office, a general store, a laundromat, a small Baptist church, and two floors of bed-and-breakfast rooms for visitors. The town's school is connected to the towers by a tunnel, originally built so students could get to class safely in bad weather.
That shelter makes a lot of sense here. Whittier is extremely wet, averaging about 197 inches of precipitation a year.
One Tunnel In, One Tunnel Out
Getting to Whittier is an adventure of its own. The only way in by land is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which runs about 2.5 miles under a mountain. It's the longest highway tunnel in North America, and cars share it with trains.
There's just one lane, so traffic takes turns. Convoys of vehicles enter in alternating directions, and the tunnel runs on a strict schedule, open from early morning until late evening. Miss your window and you'll wait. Bigger, heavier vehicles can't drive through at all and have to ride on the train instead, and walkers and bicycles aren't allowed. Before the tunnel opened to cars in 2000, the only ways to reach town were by rail, boat, or plane.
Small Town, Big History
Whittier has been through a lot. The 1964 Good Friday earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the United States at magnitude 9.2, sent a tsunami about 43 feet high into the town. It killed 13 people and caused more than 10 million dollars in damage.
Today, Whittier welcomes cruise ships, kayakers, hikers, and anglers drawn by its wildlife and mountain scenery. It's an unusual way to live, but on a stormy winter night, having your neighbors, your mailbox, and your groceries just an elevator ride away sounds pretty cozy.
