Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Whittier, Alaska
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Whittier, Alaska
Whittier: The Town That Was a Secret, Then a Bunker, Then Itself
Most towns have a "welcome" sign. Whittier has a schedule. To enter this town, you must drive through a single-lane, two-and-a-half-mile mountain tunnel that only opens for cars once an hour. If you miss your window, the mountain simply says "no."
In this episode of Drive-Thru Towns, host Andrew Wilcox takes us through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel and into a vertical community tucked away in a radar-invisible Alaskan fjord. Originally built as a top-secret WWII military base to provide a deep-water, ice-free port, Whittier was designed for isolation. Today, nearly the entire population lives under one roof in the 14-story Begich Towers, a former Army barracks turned civilian "city."
From the haunting, asbestos-filled ruins of the Buckner Building to the interior hallways that connect the school, post office, and police station, we explore what happens when a military fortress becomes a hometown.
If you’re fascinated by the "City Under One Roof," follow the show on Spotify for more stories from the road less traveled.
Instagram: @50statefamily
LinkedIn: Andrew Wilcox
Email: [email protected]
Host: Andrew Wilcox
Theme Music: Special thanks to Chloe Jones for the atmospheric and resonant score. Visit her at chloejonesmusic.co.uk.
Connect & FollowCredits
View all episodes
By Andrew WilcoxWhittier: The Town That Was a Secret, Then a Bunker, Then Itself
Most towns have a "welcome" sign. Whittier has a schedule. To enter this town, you must drive through a single-lane, two-and-a-half-mile mountain tunnel that only opens for cars once an hour. If you miss your window, the mountain simply says "no."
In this episode of Drive-Thru Towns, host Andrew Wilcox takes us through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel and into a vertical community tucked away in a radar-invisible Alaskan fjord. Originally built as a top-secret WWII military base to provide a deep-water, ice-free port, Whittier was designed for isolation. Today, nearly the entire population lives under one roof in the 14-story Begich Towers, a former Army barracks turned civilian "city."
From the haunting, asbestos-filled ruins of the Buckner Building to the interior hallways that connect the school, post office, and police station, we explore what happens when a military fortress becomes a hometown.
If you’re fascinated by the "City Under One Roof," follow the show on Spotify for more stories from the road less traveled.
Instagram: @50statefamily
LinkedIn: Andrew Wilcox
Email: [email protected]
Host: Andrew Wilcox
Theme Music: Special thanks to Chloe Jones for the atmospheric and resonant score. Visit her at chloejonesmusic.co.uk.
Connect & FollowCredits