Whittier, Alaska | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Whittier in July 2006 | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Nickname: The Town Under One Roof | |
  Whittier, Alaska Location in Alaska | |
| Coordinates:60°46′27″N148°40′40″W / 60.77417°N 148.67778°W /60.77417; -148.67778 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Unorganized |
| Census Area | Chugach |
| Incorporated | July 15, 1969[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Daniel Blair[2] |
| • City manager | Jackie Wilde[2] |
| • State senator | Cathy Giessel (R) |
| • State rep. | Laddie Shaw (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.64 sq mi (50.86 km2) |
| • Land | 12.25 sq mi (31.73 km2) |
| • Water | 7.39 sq mi (19.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 272 |
| • Density | 22.2/sq mi (8.57/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−09:00 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−08:00 (AKDT) |
| ZIP Code | 99693 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-84510 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1415757 |
| Website | whittieralaska.gov |
Whittier is a city at the head of thePassage Canal in theChugach Census Area in theUnorganized Borough ofAlaska, about 58 miles (93 km) southeast ofAnchorage.[4] The city is located within theChugach Census Area, established in 2019 when the formerValdez–Cordova Census Area was dissolved.[5]
The city's population was 272 at the2020 census, having increased from 220 in 2010.[6] Almost all of its residents live in theBegich Towers Condominium, earning it the nickname of a "town under one roof".[7]
Whittier has an extremely wet climate, receiving an average of 197 inches (5,000 mm) of precipitation per year.[7][8] It is a port for theAlaska Marine Highway.[9]
The region occupied by Whittier was once part of theportage route of theChugach people native toPrince William Sound. Later, the passage was used byRussian andAmerican explorers, and by prospecting miners during theKlondike Gold Rush.[4] The nearby Whittier Glacier was named for American poetJohn Greenleaf Whittier in 1915, and the town eventually took the name as well.[10]
DuringWorld War II, theUnited States Army constructed a military facility, complete with port and railroad, near Whittier Glacier and named the facilityCamp Sullivan. The spur of theAlaska Railroad to Camp Sullivan was completed in 1943, and the port became the entrance for United States soldiers into Alaska.[11]
.jpg)
The two buildings that dominate the town were built after World War II. The 14-story Hodge Building (renamedBegich Towers) was completed in 1957 and contains 150 two-and-three-bedroom apartments plus bachelor efficiency units. Dependent families and Civil Service employees were moved into this high-rise. The Whittier School was connected by a tunnel at the base of the west tower so students could safely access school on days with bad weather. The building was named in honor of Colonel Walter William Hodge, who was a civil engineer and the commanding officer of 93rd Engineer Regiment on theAlcan Highway.[12]
The other main structure in town, theBuckner Building, was completed in 1953, and was called the "city under one roof". The Buckner Building was eventually abandoned. Buckner and Begich Towers were at one time the largest buildings in Alaska. The Begich Towers building became a condominium and, along with the two-story private residence known as Whittier Manor, houses a majority of the town's residents.[13]
Another historical building sits directly on the shoreline. The Inn at Whittier is a well-kept secret. Built in 2004, this award-winning building has 4 stories at 26,000 square feet. It also features a 150 seat restaurant and lounge. There are 25 available rooms at the Inn.[14]
The port at Whittier was an active Army facility until 1960. In 1962, theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a petroleum products terminal, a pumping station and a 62-mile-long (100 km), 8-inch (200 mm) pipeline to Anchorage in Whittier.[15][16]
On March 27, 1964, Whittier suffered over $10 million (equivalent to $101.38 million in 2024) worth of damage in what became known as theGood Friday earthquake. As of 2022, the earthquake remains the largest U.S. earthquake, measuring 9.2 on themoment magnitude scale, and having causedtsunamis along the West Coast of the U.S. The tsunami that hit Whittier reached a height of 13 m (43 ft) and killed 13 people.[17]
Whittier was incorporated in 1969 and eventually became aport of call for cruise ships. It is utilized by local operations and about 100-passenger mid-sized cruise ships. When theAnton Anderson Memorial Tunnel opened to public access in 2000, it became the first highway to connect Whittier to Anchorage and inner Alaska—previously, the only ways to reach the town had been rail, boat and plane.[18]
After the tunnel expanded access to Whittier, it began to be visited by larger cruise lines. It is the embarkation/debarkation point of one-way cruises from Anchorage toVancouver byPrincess Tours.[19] Whittier is also popular with tourists, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, paddlers, hikers, sport fishermen, and hunters because of its abundance of wildlife and natural beauty.[20] Whittier is located within theChugach National Forest, the second-largest national forest in the U.S.[21]
Whittier is in theChugach School District and has one school serving approximately 48 students from preschool through high school, according to the 2019–2020 enrollment numbers.[22]
The only land access is through theAnton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, a mixed-use road and rail tunnel. The town is on the northeast shore of theKenai Peninsula, at the head ofPassage Canal, on the west side ofPrince William Sound. It is 58 miles (93 kilometers) southeast of Anchorage.[4]
According to theUnited 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.
_-_WHITTIER%2c_AK.svg)
Whittier has asubpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) using the 26.6 °F (−3.0 °C) isotherm and asubarctic climate (Dfc) using the 32.0 °F (0.0 °C) isotherm under theKöppen climate classification, and has an annual precipitation of 197.31 inches (5,012 mm). Whittier's main weather station receives just over 197 in (5,000 mm) of precipitation in the average year.[8] Whittier is located at the northern tip of the world's northernmosttemperate rainforest, theTongass.
Whittier's annual average temperature is 41.1 °F (5.1 °C), with the hottest month being July at 57.2 °F (14.0 °C) and the coldest month being January at 28.2 °F (−2.1 °C). Temperature extremes ranged from −29 °F (−34 °C) on December 23, 1942, to 88 °F (31 °C) on July 23, 1966. Whittier's coldest temperatures typically fluctuate between 0 °F (−18 °C) and 10 °F (−12 °C) each year, so Whittier falls inUSDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7a.[23]
| Climate data for Whittier, Alaska, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–2011 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 54 (12) | 53 (12) | 54 (12) | 66 (19) | 76 (24) | 82 (28) | 88 (31) | 87 (31) | 73 (23) | 71 (22) | 56 (13) | 48 (9) | 88 (31) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 42.4 (5.8) | 42.1 (5.6) | 44.7 (7.1) | 53.5 (11.9) | 63.6 (17.6) | 71.8 (22.1) | 73.4 (23.0) | 71.0 (21.7) | 61.8 (16.6) | 51.5 (10.8) | 45.1 (7.3) | 42.1 (5.6) | 75.2 (24.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.6 (0.3) | 33.3 (0.7) | 35.7 (2.1) | 43.8 (6.6) | 53.1 (11.7) | 61.1 (16.2) | 63.4 (17.4) | 61.5 (16.4) | 54.2 (12.3) | 44.0 (6.7) | 36.5 (2.5) | 33.9 (1.1) | 46.1 (7.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 38.6 (3.7) | 46.8 (8.2) | 54.1 (12.3) | 57.2 (14.0) | 56.1 (13.4) | 49.5 (9.7) | 40.1 (4.5) | 32.5 (0.3) | 29.6 (−1.3) | 41.1 (5.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.9 (−4.5) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 33.3 (0.7) | 40.6 (4.8) | 47.1 (8.4) | 51.1 (10.6) | 50.7 (10.4) | 44.7 (7.1) | 36.1 (2.3) | 28.5 (−1.9) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 36.1 (2.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 7.5 (−13.6) | 11.1 (−11.6) | 15.1 (−9.4) | 24.6 (−4.1) | 34.7 (1.5) | 41.2 (5.1) | 46.8 (8.2) | 45.0 (7.2) | 37.0 (2.8) | 25.6 (−3.6) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 12.3 (−10.9) | 3.0 (−16.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) | −15 (−26) | −5 (−21) | 5 (−15) | 15 (−9) | 25 (−4) | 35 (2) | 34 (1) | 23 (−5) | 14 (−10) | −10 (−23) | −29 (−34) | −29 (−34) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 18.82 (478) | 16.15 (410) | 13.65 (347) | 14.71 (374) | 14.93 (379) | 9.21 (234) | 11.19 (284) | 16.52 (420) | 22.52 (572) | 21.05 (535) | 18.75 (476) | 19.81 (503) | 197.31 (5,012) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 50.0 (127) | 44.8 (114) | 55.1 (140) | 15.9 (40) | 1.8 (4.6) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 5.9 (15) | 33.3 (85) | 61.4 (156) | 268.2 (681.6) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 17.6 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 17.9 | 17.2 | 18.4 | 19.5 | 18.3 | 20.2 | 207.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 11.0 | 10.0 | 10.2 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 8.5 | 12.2 | 58.5 |
| Source 1: NOAA[8] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010)[24] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 627 | — | |
| 1960 | 809 | 29.0% | |
| 1970 | 130 | −83.9% | |
| 1980 | 198 | 52.3% | |
| 1990 | 243 | 22.7% | |
| 2000 | 182 | −25.1% | |
| 2010 | 220 | 20.9% | |
| 2020 | 272 | 23.6% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 265 | [25] | −2.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[26] | |||
Whittier first appeared on the 1950 U.S. census as anunincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1969.
As of 2018, there were 205 people living in the city, with 313 available housing units.[27] Almost the entirety of this population lives within the 14-story Begich Towers.[28] The racial makeup of the city was 68.3% White, 10.6% Asian, 6.9% Hispanic, 5.7% Native American.[29]
There are 124 households in the town and the average household size is roughly 1.79 people, according to 2014 statistics. Of these households, 56 are families and 68 are non-families. 40.30% of the population is married, and 32.34% are divorced. 51.78% of the population has children.[29]
The age distribution within the city shows that 13.96 percent of the population is under the age of 18, 3.15 percent is between the ages of 18 and 24, 23.87 percent is between the ages of 25 and 44, 52.25 percent is between the ages of 45 and 64, and 6.76 percent of the population is above the age of 65.[29]
The median income for a household in the city was $45,000 in 2019. Theper capita income for the city was $29,106. Unemployment in Whittier was at a rate of 8.0 percent.[30]
City government consists of a seven-member council with a mayor and six council members.[31]
The small city has three key departments: administration, public safety, and public works.
Whittier Police Department is the main police force in the community. The department was founded in 1974 by Chief of Police Gordon Whittier and two officers, and retains the same level of permanent staff today, although in summer, temporary officers are hired when the town has many tourists. The office is in a one-room unit located on the first floor of the Begich Towers. The station has no place to hold or interrogate people.[32]
Whittier Fire Department is a volunteer fire and rescue service with mutual aid from neighboring departments.[33]
There is a harbor and a deep-water port used by cruise ships and theAlaska Marine Highway.[34]
Whittier Airport (ICAO:PAWR) is an airfield with one aircraft runway designated 4/22 (formerly 3/21) with a gravel surface measuring 1,480 by 60 feet (451 by 18 m).[35] There are no other facilities, and the runway is not maintained in winter. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 700 aircraft operations, an average of 58 per month: 97 percentgeneral aviation and 3 percentair taxi. At that time there were two single-engine aircraft based at this airport.[36] The runway was 500 feet (150 m) longer but was damaged by the1964 Good Friday earthquake.
The city also operates a seaplane dock.[37]
Known by locals as the Whittier tunnel or the Portage tunnel, theAnton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is a tunnel throughMaynard Mountain. It links theSeward Highway south of Anchorage with Whittier and is the only land access to the town. It is part of the Portage Glacier Highway and at 13,300 feet (4,100 m), is the second-longest highway tunnel, and longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America.[38]
Whittier is Alaska Rail ARRC's connection to the rail systems in Canada and the lower 48 states (by way ofrail barge).[39]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)Input 99603 in the ZIP Code box.
Places adjacent to Whittier, Alaska | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofChugach Census Area, Alaska,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
