
An Entire Town Resides Inside A Single Apartment Building!
First, a big thanks to “Most Iconic Photos”, a terrific Facebook Page…they shared the above photo and I needed to know more!

Welcome To Whittier Alaska!
This picturesque town is located at the head of Passage Canal, the gateway to the mesmerizing wilderness of Prince William Sound in Alaska:

What a stunning bit of paradise – located about 45 miles from Anchorage – here’s a look on a map:

As you can imagine, Alaska is filled with many magical places, but what makes Whittier unique, aside from being the gateway to Prince William Sound, I that virtually everyone who lives in the town lives in this one building!

Here is how the FB page Most Iconic Photos describes it:
“The town of Whittier, Alaska, is known for having nearly the entire population living in a single apartment building.The building is called Begich Towers, a 14-story apartment complex that houses about 90% of the town’s residents (total: 272). This has earned Whittier the nickname of a “town under one roof”.The building, originally constructed as an army barracks, now serves as a cozy condominium featuring a post office, general store, police station, laundromat, health clinic, mayor’s office, and a heated indoor pool.Whittier, Alaska is accessible only by air or through a single-lane tunnel that stretches over two miles through neighboring Maynard Mountain. The town’s weather conditions can be harsh during winter, making the Begich Towers a convenient and practical living solution for the residents.In addition to the Begich Towers, there is a second condo building in the town where the remaining residents live. The town’s school and gym are located in a separate structure but are connected to the Begich Towers by a tunnel, allowing for easy access during the winter months.” Credit: Jessica Garza

So, could you live with your entire town as your upstairs and downstairs neighbors?
It’s a nice way to live life, just like this would have been – well…maybe not:

This was the walled city of Kowloon China, one of the most notorious and dangerous places on earth!
See that wild story here:
And what if the town you lived in was cold…I mean, this cold:

Yes, the coldest city on earth will freeze your eyelashes! See that story here:
If you want to see more about life in Siberia, there is a terrific documentary that spends a year there:

Director Werner Herzog took a TV series from Russia about a year in the life of Siberia and cut it into a fantastic documentary called “Happy People” – and yes, when you catch a fish there, you can just leave it sit out, because it will freeze until you need it!

You can click here to see the trailer for this film, which is terrific:
One Reporter took a train across Russia, including Siberia, and wrote a riveting story about life in this country:
You can get more detail on this book, which I highly recommend, by clicking on my story here:
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Let me know if you are up for this kind of living!
Categories: Exotic Travel, nature, Real Estate, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir

Not for me, but an interesting way of life
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Not for me, but it’s a great idea.
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I think the location makes this work…it must get VERY cold and dark up there in the long long winter!
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Yes!
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How weird that most of the residents live in the same building! One can never really escape from one’s neighbours!
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I couldn’t do it, live there and live with most of my town in my building. this is new to me, and fascinating
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Thanks for the comment, I agree it would get a bit “cramped”!
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One of the things I most appreciate about your blog are these nuggets of information I know nothing about, John. I enjoyed learning about this. I remember reading a novel (the name escapes me) where the protagonist was chewing tobacco in the Arctic. It was so cold that when he spit the tobacco juice, he was alarmed by a strange crackling noise. It was freezing before it hit the ground. It seems highly unlikely, but it made for an unforgettable image.
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Thank you so much for this comment….I share stuff that interests me without knowing if anyone else has the same interest…we all have our own passions and one of mine is travel…for places like this, it’s a cool story to be – and I’ll never go there so it’s like I got a mini-trip!
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Interesting!
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Alaska has wonderful scenery, and is definitely worth a visit, I have no doubt. But living there full-time? No thanks. 😊
Best wishes, Pete.
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It’s a unique life to be sure Pete…not for many and certainly not for me! Cheers!
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