City of 200 people in the same house

Boats aground and traces of reindeer in front of the main entrance to Begich Towers

Whittier, Alaska - a city of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in a 14-story former army barracks built in 1956. The building called Begich Towers houses a police station, medical clinic, church and laundry. Its corridors resemble a school or a correctional institution. Residents can often be seen sweeping back and forth in sneakers and pajamas. The only entry to Whittier by land passes through a four-kilometer tunnel with one lane, which closes at night.

In the summer, cruise ships, charter boats and fishing vessels bring thousands of visitors to Whittier Bay on the western side of the Prince Wilhelm 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 harsh that children go from Begich Towers to school through a tunnel. In the months when few visitors and local shops close the door, there is a feeling of strange coziness, where at any time a person can knock on the door of the apartment of the police chief, where schoolchildren do homework in the teacher’s kitchen, and the pastor conducts baptism in an inflatable pool on the basement floor.


June Miller runs hotel rooms on the top two floors of Begich Towers
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Prior to his departure, Baptist pastor Kevin Jones led a primarily Catholic community


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


Because of a broken pot on the 10th floor, the police donated hydroponic equipment to the Whittier school for growing vegetables, eighth-grader Joe Lipscomb is watching the plantation


Because of the harsh winters, the only playground of the city is under the roof