City of 200 people in one house

Stranded boats and traces of reindeer in front of the main entrance to the Begich Towers

Whittier, Alaska is a city with a population of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in a 14-story former army barracks, built in 1956. A building called Begich Towers houses a police station, medical clinic, church, and laundry facilities. Its corridors resemble a school or a correctional institution. Residents can often be seen scurrying back and forth in slippers and pajamas. The only overland entrance to Whittier passes through a four-kilometer single-lane tunnel that closes at night.

In summer, cruise ships, charter boats and fishing vessels bring thousands of visitors to Whittier Harbor on the west side of Prince William Strait. However, in winter the city covers a six-meter layer of snow, and a wind of 100 km / h is normal. The weather is so severe that children go from Begich Towers to school through a tunnel. In the months when there are few visitors and local shops close the doors, there is a feeling of strange comfort, where at any time a person can knock on the door of the police chief’s apartment, where schoolchildren do their homework in the teacher’s kitchen, and the pastor baptizes in the inflatable pool on the basement floor.


June Miller manages the hotel rooms on the top two floors of Begich Towers.


Prior to his departure, Baptist pastor Kevin Jones led the predominantly Catholic community.


Gary Carr works at the Kozy Korner Store, one of Whittier's two grocery stores.


Due to a broken pot on the 10th floor, the police donated hydroponic equipment to Whittier's school for growing vegetables, and the eighth-grader Joe Lipscomb watches the plantation.


Due to severe winters, the city’s only playground under the roof