In This Town in Alaska, Everyone Lives Under the Same Roof

Located about 58 miles southeast of Anchorage, Whittier experiences torrents of rain when it isn’t winter. During the colder months of the year, it experiences excessive snow. As a result, the town thrives living close together in two main buildings.

When the military eventually left, regular residents were able to move into these buildings. While one of these two buildings became abandoned after the war, the 14-story Begich Towers became the main roof the majority of Whittier’s population lived under.

While most of the 214 Whittier residents live in Begich Towers, a second building was built to house others. Called Whittier Manor, this slightly more expensive option has fewer apartment units.

This means that you can find everything from shops to medical clinics in this building. Residents can visit a post office, laundromat, church, grocery store, theater, and even the town’s mayor’s office in Begich Towers. They can do all this without even stepping outside!

Often, this tunnel is the best way for residents to get their kids to school. The Whittier School is connected to the Begich Towers by a tunnel. As a result, the 48 schoolchildren who go to the public school can always get to class, even when it’s snowing.

Whittier residents can only cross the tunnel once an hour in either direction. The tunnels also close at 10:30 pm. Therefore, if they don’t make it back home in time before this closing, they’ll have to sleep in their cars until the morning — something many of them have done.

As a result, the elevator has a rush hour timetable that sees it stop on every single floor during one journey. If a resident is trying to get to work or school during this busy time, it can take quite a long time.

One of the biggest complaints from residents has to do with the outdated designs of the towers. Built in 1954, the apartments still have many old-fashioned features. This includes metal wardrobes and other vintage functions. Plus, the entire building only has two boilers. One of them happens to be broke.

The residents of Whittier still go about their daily lives, even when they all live together. Most residents work in tourism, recreation, and fishing occupations. Others work for state-run railroads and ferries.

Teachers in Whittier admit this can be difficult, as they always see their students. However, because everyone lives harmoniously together, it doesn’t often result in any major issues.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, issues also arose as the population worked to try to keep everyone from getting sick. While six residents in the Begich Towers came down with the virus, they did manage to keep the entire town’s population from falling ill.

However, others disagree with this notion. They believe that everybody is happier when all of the generations live under one roof. They think that if the kids weren’t around any longer, many of them would become depressed. Therefore, they tout their current living situation as the best possible scenario.