Whittier, Alaska, is a small coastal settlement surrounded by mountains and ocean, with a unique one-building town called Begich Towers, home to nearly the entire population of 1000 people. The 14-story building, constructed in 1956 for the US army, features shops, a school, churches, municipal offices, a post office, and a notary, allowing residents to live and work without leaving the building. The town is connected to the outside world through a one-way tunnel, and residents' lives are dictated by the tunnel's operating hours. Despite its isolation, Whittier has a strong sense of community, and the town's economy relies on tourism, fishing, and port activities. However, the building is nearing the end of its economic life, and its future is uncertain, posing a challenge for the residents and the town's survival.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Whittier is a coastal settlement located in the south of Alaska, surrounded by high mountains and the ocean on three sides.
2. The settlement has only one residential complex for its entire population, which covers a surface area of approximately 51km².
3. The residential complex, called Begich Towers, is a 14-story building with 196 flats and a capacity to provide living space for a population of 1000 people.
4. Begich Towers includes a market, laundry, storage areas, an indoor playground for children, two churches, municipal offices, a school, a post office, and a notary.
5. The building was built in 1956 to serve the US army during the Cold War.
6. The tunnel connecting Whittier to the world is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, a four-kilometer tunnel through the mountain that was originally built by the US military solely as a railway and was only opened to vehicle traffic in 2000.
7. The tunnel is used by changing direction every half hour to ensure entrance and exit to the city, and bicycles or pedestrians are not allowed to pass due to physical conditions and time limitations.
8. The only other way to reach Whittier is via the ocean.
9. Begich Towers is designed to be fire and earthquake resistant and did not suffer any significant damage during the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake.
10. The building has no 13th floor, as the residents believe it brings bad luck.
11. The top two floors of the building are used as a hostel that provides breakfast and room services to tourists.
12. Whittier Community School, the only educational institution in the settlement, is connected to Begich Towers via an underground tunnel.
13. The school uses a mixed education model where students of different ages and levels study in the same classroom.
14. Teachers prepare breakfast for their students, and they all eat breakfast together.
15. Whittier's economy is founded on tourism, fishing, shipping, cargo transportation, and port activities.
16. The Alaska Railroad Company provides employment to some of the population.
17. Approximately 800,000 tourists visit Whittier every year on cruise ships.
18. Whittier served the U.S. military as an important strategic point in World War I, with its freezing-free deep-water harbor and cloudy, mountainous topography helping to keep the base secret.
19. The US army built the Buckner Building in 1953, along with Begich Towers, with the "one city under one roof" concept, to strengthen its military unity.
20. Begich Towers is nearly 70 years old and has begun to reach the end of its economic life, making it important not only for the residents but also for the future of the campus.
21. The Alaska Railroad owns all of the livable land in Whittier, making it impossible to build new houses and keep all the people alive.
These facts provide a comprehensive overview of Whittier, its unique settlement, and its infrastructure, economy, and history.