How close would you say you are to your local community? Would you say youโre close enough to live in one building with them? Because if youโre from Whittier, Alaska, youโd better be.
This town in Alaska is pretty much just one building, and all the townspeople live in it together.
Sounds like quite the living arrangement, but I promise you itโs real. Covering the town is YouTuber Peter Santanello. He traveled to this one-building town in Alaska to document just how the folks there live.
Getting there was no small feat either.
Peter had to drive through a several-mile-long tunnel just to reach this part of Alaska. Not a drive youโd enjoy if youโre easily claustrophobic.
But once he came out of the tunnel, it wasnโt long before the building came into sight.
Like Peter says so himself, the building has a very noticeable Cold war-era construction style to it.
One look at the sign outside confirms this.
After eyeing the outside of the building, it was time to meet the residents. They must be an interesting bunch if the whole town lives in one building. So who are they?
The first to greet him is an old woman named Jeannette. Sheโs to be his tour guide.
Jeannete lives here with her husband, Joe. The couple also makes up most of Peterโs video, so weโll get to know them quite a bit.
They live in a condo in one of the upper floors. It was purchased some time ago for $40,000.
Jeannette recalls the condo being in terrible shape during the negotiation, but the view and living space won them over.
That wasnโt anything a little remodeling and new furniture couldnโt fix. Now, the condo space is homely and has a gorgeous view from the window.
A view like this is worth all the effort, donโt you think?
But itโd be disappointing if the focus was all on just one condo in this building. We want to see elsewhere, and Jeannette and Joe oblige to show Peter a tour of the other areas.
Lining the halls and ceilings are CCTV cameras. You canโt have a place this big without good security. With that many cameras, youโd think twice before trying anything funny.
And remember that ridiculously long tunnel that Peter had to drive through to get here?
Well, if it intrigues you, thereโs more than enough history about it lining the walls of this hall. Photos and scans from the tunnelโs construction line the wall. It shows who began building that rather claustrophobic thing and how long it took.
It turns out that Whittier was once a building for U.S. officers during the Cold war.
Around it used to be docks and loading bays for the military.That sure explains the size of it.
Thereโs a store and a church here as well, though the church is Samoan. So donโt expect Sunday mass here.
But the real attraction here is the people. They are incredibly sweet and treat visitors like family.
Donโt believe me? Just ask Jeannette, or spend a day visiting them.
Watch the full video below to see the full tour of Whittier, Alaska!
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