| Whittier | |
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| — City — | |
| Whittier, Alaska | |
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Whittier
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Valdez-Cordova |
| Founded | June 24, 1969 |
| Incorporated | July 15, 1969 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Lester Lunceford |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.7 sq mi (51.0 km2) |
| • Land | 12.5 sq mi (32.4 km2) |
| • Water | 7.2 sq mi (18.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 182 |
| • Density | 14.5/sq mi (5.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9) |
| • Summer (DST) | AKDT (UTC-8) |
| ZIP Code | 99693 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-84510 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1415757 |
Whittier is a city in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area, in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of 2006, the population was 177.[1] The city is also a port for the Alaska Marine Highway.
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Whittier is located at (60.774174, -148.677649)[2], near the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.
Whittier is on the northeast shore of the Kenai Peninsula, at the head of Passage Canal, on the west side of Prince William Sound. Whittier is 120 km (75 mi) southeast of Anchorage.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.7 square miles (51 km2), of which, 12.5 square miles (32 km2) of it is land and 7.2 square miles (19 km2) of it (36.36%) is water.
As of 2006, there were 177 people, 86 households, and 46 families residing in the city. The population density was 14.5 people per square mile (5.6/km²). There were 213 housing units at an average density of 17.0 per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.12% White, 7.14% Asian, 5.49% Native American, and 8.24% from two or more races. Two people (1.10% of the population) are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were no measurable populations of African Americans, Pacific Islanders, or people from other races though on a summer visit, it is possible to meet people of diverse backgrounds living in the single residence in the city.
Of the 86 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 22.0% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every ten females age 18 and over, there are 12.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $51,875. Males had a median income of $53,500 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,700. About 4.1% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.
| Climate data for Whittier, Alaska | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 31.2 (−0.4) |
32.7 (0.4) |
35.6 (2.0) |
43.2 (6.2) |
51.1 (10.6) |
59.7 (15.4) |
62.5 (16.9) |
60.9 (16.1) |
53.2 (11.8) |
42.6 (5.9) |
35.4 (1.9) |
32.6 (0.3) |
45.1 (7.3) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 22.9 (−5.1) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
32.5 (0.3) |
39.3 (4.1) |
46.5 (8.1) |
50.8 (10.4) |
49.6 (9.8) |
43.8 (6.6) |
34.2 (1.2) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
35.1 (1.7) |
| Rainfall inches (mm) | 18.89 (479.8) |
15.48 (393.2) |
13.69 (347.7) |
15.42 (391.7) |
15.08 (383) |
9.77 (248.2) |
10.54 (267.7) |
14.83 (376.7) |
20.87 (530.1) |
19.95 (506.7) |
19.14 (486.2) |
24.15 (613.4) |
197.80 (5,024.1) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 47.6 (120.9) |
48.1 (122.2) |
41.4 (105.2) |
21.9 (55.6) |
1.7 (4.3) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.1 (0.3) |
6.7 (17) |
25.3 (64.3) |
56.3 (143) |
300.0 (762) |
| Source: http://whittieralaska.gov/2005%20update%20Whittier%20Comp%20Plan.pdf | |||||||||||||
The Whittier Glacier near Whittier was named for the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier in 1915.
During World War II the United States Army constructed a military facility, complete with port and railroad terminus near the glacier and named the facility Camp Sullivan. The spur of the Alaska Railroad to Camp Sullivan was completed in 1943 and the port became the entrance for United States soldiers into Alaska. The port remained an active army facility until 1960.
The two huge buildings that dominate Whittier were built after World War II. The Hodge Building (now Begich Towers) was built for housing soldiers and the Buckner Building, completed in 1953, was called the "city under one roof". Both buildings were at one time the largest buildings in Alaska. The Begich Building is now a condominium, and houses nearly all of Whittier's residents. The port remained an active Army facility until 1960. Whittier was incorporated in 1969.
The town was severely damaged by tsunamis triggered by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake; thirteen people died due to waves that reached 13 m (43 ft).[3]
Whittier is a popular port of call for cruise ships, as it has connections to Anchorage and the interior of Alaska by both highway and rail. It is the embarkation/debarkation point of the Denali Express nonstop rail service to and from Denali National Park operated by Princess Tours. Whittier is also popular with tourists, sport fishermen and hunters.
Access to Whittier may be accomplished by various modes. Seasonally, by air you may fly to the Whittier Airport (which is closed in the winter). The city also operates a seaplane dock.[4] By water, one may use the marina or on the Alaska Marine Highway. By land, access is through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.
Known by locals as the Whittier tunnel or the Portage tunnel, the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is a tunnel through Maynard Mountain in the U.S. state of Alaska. It links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. It is part of the Portage Glacier Highway and at 13,300 feet (4,050 m), is the second longest highway tunnel and longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America.[5]
The original tunnel was completed in 1943, and used for railroad traffic. In the mid-1960s, the Alaska Railroad began offering a shuttle service for automobiles, similar to Amtrak's Auto Train, which allowed vehicles to drive onto railway cars to be transported between Whittier and the former town of Portage. As traffic to Whittier increased, the shuttle became inadequate, leading in the 1990s to a project to convert the existing railroad tunnel into a one-lane, combination highway and railway tunnel. Construction on this project began in September 1998, and the combined tunnel was opened to traffic on June 7, 2000.[5]
As eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, there are often waits of two hours or more to enter. As reflected on the Alaska Department of Transportation Tunnel Website, it is now considered "North America's longest railroad-highway tunnel." The tunnel held the title of the longest road tunnel in North America (at nearly 2.5 miles [4 km]) until completion of the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) Interstate 93 tunnel as part of the "Big Dig" project in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a 2001 recipient of an Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.[5]
The tunnel is named after Anton Anderson, an army engineer who in 1941 headed up the construction of the railroad spur from Whittier to Portage.[5]
The Buckner Building was once the largest building in Alaska but was seriously damaged in the 9.2 1964 Alaska earthquake. It is now just a large, abandoned government building.[6]
Two factors combine to make safe demolition of the building cost-prohibitive: First, there is a potentially dangerous amount of asbestos in the building. Second, the only land-route in and out of Whittier is through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, so debris would either have to go through the tunnel or be moved on ships.[6]
The building is a local hang out for kids, and is often explored by tourists. The safety of the building is marginal, due to the asbestos and questionable structural integrity. Bears are often found inside the building in the spring, and it is full of ice and precariously dangling pipes, wires, and substructure. The floors are almost completely flooded, with at least one inch or more of water on each level.[6]
There are concrete staircases in the building. One is located near the garage and the others are in the middle of the structure. There are also fire exits on both sides, visible to the whole town.[7]
The stairwell leading to the basement is in total darkness and at the bottom of the stairwell is "The Door".[6] Through the door is the basement which, although caved in, is still accessible.[6]
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