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City in the Unorganized Borough, Alaska
Photo: Jessica Spengler, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Whittier is a small town in Alaska that is famous because all of its 272 residents (2020) live in one building.
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The Buckner Building is an abandoned building that served as the military barracks (the 'predecessor' of the present Begich Towers) to include mess hall, sleeping quarters, movie theater, bowling alley, small jail, and tunnels connecting the town of Whittier. After 1966 when the military left and gave up the building it went through different owners and was neglected. In 2016 a structural assessment determined that the building cannot be safely and economically rehabilitated for occupancy and with asbestos present throughout the building it cannot be safely torn down either. There is a fence around the building, and it can be seen from outside. The Buckner Building is thus a ghost town within a functioning town.
The exhibits tell the story of Whittier's history as a military port and rail terminal, and reflects on Alaskan military heritage during World War II and the Cold War.
operated by Lazy Otter Charters
The Anchor Inn is in the heart of Whittier, in the center of the residential and commercial areas not in the Begich Towers. The inn is affiliated with the restaurant next door.
June has several units on the 14th and 15th floors of the Begich Tower for rent to travelers. This is where guests can experience local life living under the same roof with the whole town.
Provides daily and up to 6-month (overflow) parking for people staying in their cars, trailers, boats on a trailer, or RVs for one night or up to 6 months. They also have a primitive supervised campground in the trees beyond. The facilities are usually open from late April to mid-October at when there is no standing ice or snow. Open season varies between the last snow melt and first snow fall in each year.
The only road access to Whittier is via the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel through a mountain. The tunnel was built for rail use only. It is now a one-way-at-a-time tunnel that is shared by the railroad and road traffic.
Read in the guideWhittier is quite small: basically the whole town is within walking distance of the tunnel and the docks. Most of the populace live and work within the (100 Kenai St) and the few blocks surrounding the Begich Towers.
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Anchorage · International · ANC
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