Niamh Shackleton
A tiny city in Alaska has almost all of its residents living in one building.
When you think of America, big places such as New York City, Washington D.C., and Chicago might spring to mind, all of which have millions of people living there.
But I was today years old when I learnt that more than 75 percent of the US is made up of small towns with less than 5,000 residents (as of 2020).
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The United States Census Bureau said at the time: "Of the nation's 328.2 million people, an estimated 206.9 million (about 63 percent) lived in an incorporated place as of July 1, 2019. About 76 percent of the approximately 19,500 incorporated places had fewer than 5,000 people. Of those, almost 42 percent had fewer than 500 people."
And one place to be in that 42 percent is Whittier.
Located 58 miles southeast of Anchorage in the state of Alaska, Whittier had a population of 257 in 2024.
As to what makes the town extra unique, nearly all of its residents live under one roof.
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By that we don't mean that 257 live in the same condo, but almost all of Whittier's residents live in one single apartment block.
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The high-rise property is called the Begich Towers Condominium and it's earned the city the title of 'the town under one roof'.
The former army barracks doesn't just offer accommodation to its residents, though, as it also has a post office, a shop, police station, health clinic, and even a bed and breakfast for tourists visiting the area.
For the children, the local school is even connected to the building with a underground tunnel. How convenient!
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The tunnel is closed at night, meaning the city is off limits to visitors until the next day.
Giving some background on the city's history, Whittiter's website states: "Whittier was established by the U.S. Army during World War II as the location was nestled amidst mountains and blanketed by thick cloud cover making discovery of the port city difficult.
"The Federal railroad to Portage Valley was completed in 1943 and was the primary debarkation point for cargo, troops, and dependents of the Alaska Command. The Port of Whittier was, and continues to be, an ice-free, deepwater port strategically located to Anchorage and Interior Alaska."
The military stayed in the city until 1960 when, at the time, there was around 1,200 residents.
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But after they left, Whittier's population drastically decreased.
After that, the remaining residents are all thought to have moved into Begich Towers - which was built to house the many military personnel who once lived there.