This arrangement looks a lot better than the norm in that area. The typical 200-person remote Alaskan town is more of a shantytown, a depressing collection of low-quality single-story shacks. This at least looks like solid construction, probably more weatherproof than the norm, and with some indoor community spaces. Seems like a decent solution for such a town, in the rare case where the capital to build such a building is available (in this case it was only because the U.S. military built it).
A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
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Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#12It would be interesting to see what these people do for a living. Why are they there? There are children, so there must be families who have decided to move there.
Witter has historical significance as being an accessible ice-free port in winter. This is why the train tunnel was cut, to support a navy outpost and shipping. Prior to the tunnel it could only be reached by sea.
Nowadays i'm sure the primary industries are tourism and shipping.
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#13This article makes it sound like some remote wilderness where you would freeze instantly when you go outside. The climate there (according to wikipedia) isn't that cold, right now it's -12c with a high of 3c over the next few days - there are plenty of European cities with colder climates.
Still an interesting place none the less. They have an official website with more details: http://begichtowers.com/ - there is a unit for sale for $40k if anyone is interested :D
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#14It would be interesting if someone tried this in one of these larger cities with high rises like Singapore. You'd create a smaller groups with a sense of community while still giving members the benefits of living in a large city. The reason I thought of this is it reminded me of a strategy of using small bible study groups being employed in a large church that was part of my alma mater. The idea is that it was easier and more intimate in these small groups, so they'd have the ability to hold more personal sutdy sessions. Of course, they still belonged to the main body and had those advantages, such as a larger number of volunteers, etc.
Something like that could create the "small town atmosphere" many city dwellers seek without destroying the city.
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#15It would be interesting to see what these people do for a living. Why are they there? There are children, so there must be families who have decided to move there.
> In the summertime Whittier is bustling. Seasonal workers come for jobs on fishing boats, charter boats, or in the cannery, and cruise ships bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the harbor. But thriving harbor industries—freight, fishing, tourism—don’t seem to translate into growth for the city. Over 700,000 people visit Whittier annually, but most tourists don’t stay in town for longer than an afternoon, if that. Instead they go directly from the cruise ship to a train that takes them to Anchorage. Residents sell food and crafts to visitors, but most of the tourists’ money goes straight out the tunnel. The Alaska Railroad Corporation is the majority landowner in Whittier, but it doesn’t pay property taxes, and it employs few residents. A supply barge comes into town once a week, but most of the workers who unload the freight commute from Anchorage. Not everyone who tries to live in Begich Towers can take it—a newcomer from Florida compared it to jail—and there simply isn’t much space on which to build alternate housing
There's more by the same author here: http://reedyoung.com/project/whittier-alaska/r-young-whittie...
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#16It would be interesting to see what these people do for a living. Why are they there? There are children, so there must be families who have decided to move there.
>In summer, cruise ships, charter boats, and commercial fishing vessels bring thousands of visitors to Whittier’s harbor on the west side of Prince William Sound. Sounds like tourism is a large portion of income.
It seems the tourists mostly disembark and take the train to Anchorage[1]. Though I suppose out of 700000 that visit every year even if 5% make purchases it might sustain the population along with the grant they get from the Alaska government.
[1]http://reedyoung.com/project/whittier-alaska/r-young-whittie...
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#17This video is about a Teacher who lives in that building. It's really cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naPguX84Amg
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#18I googled the location, expecting it to be in the far north of Alaska, given the description. But it's just southeast of Anchorage. Is the weather really that much worse?
Microclimates:
"Anchorage climate similar to northern Midwest Now let’s talk about the winters. The truth is, they aren’t as bad as myth would have it. Anchorage actually has a warmer climate than other cold-weather cities like Chicago or Minneapolis because it’s on the ocean. Southeast Alaska stays relatively warm for the same reason. The Interior, however, does get very cold. Without the regulating influence of the ocean, temperatures in interior locations like Fairbanks can drop to minus-30 for weeks at a time (though it’s a dry cold, which doesn’t feel as cold as it sounds). Just remember that temperature is microclimate in Alaska. No matter where you are, a one- or two-hour drive in any direction can result in a 30-degree temperature change."
"Abundant snow creates winter wonderland Likewise, there’s a large variation in snowfall across the state. An average of 79 inches of snow falls on Anchorage every year (the same amount as Burlington, Vermont). But Talkeetna, only two hours north, gets considerably more snow due to the higher elevation, and Alyeska — just an hour from Anchorage — receives an average of 178 inches annually!"
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#19It would be interesting to see what these people do for a living. Why are they there? There are children, so there must be families who have decided to move there.
I imagine fishing, oil and gas, and Alaska's (edit) $2,000 stipend for residents is what keeps them there.
Are you referring to the Alaska Permanent Fund?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Permanent_Fund#Annual_in...
If so, it's not a $2,000 stipend and it's only been $2,000 once since it's inception.
Or is there another stipend you're referring to?
Re: A town of about 200 people, almost all of whom live in the same building
#20We took an Alaskan cruise last year on Princess. We left from Vancouver and our last port of call was in Whittier. Then we had to take our turn going through the train/car tunnel to Anchorage for our flight home. If you mistime your ride through the tunnel you can miss your flight. We had a really late flight so we had no problems.