A fascinating vlog takes viewers inside one of America’s most remote towns, known as “the city under one roof” as most residents live in a giant apartment block.
YouTube Creator Introverted nomad We ventured to Whittier, which is in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness and just over an hour’s drive from Anchorage.
In the introduction to her video tour, the adventurer gives viewers a brief rundown of the place. She explains: “(Whittier) is one of the most isolated towns in the United States. There’s only one way in and one way out, and that’s through a tunnel.
‘This city is so unique… (because) most (of the people) live under one roof and one building.
‘In this building there is a post office, a grocery store, tunnels connecting schools… laundry… housing, of course. There’s everything there, so there’s literally no reason to leave the building.’
YouTube creator Nomadic Introvert ventured to Whittier, which is located in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness and just over an hour’s drive from Anchorage.
The Begich Towers were originally built as military barracks that served as a “secret” military installation for the US Army during World War II before they were later converted into a residential unit.
“(Whittier) is one of the most isolated towns in the United States. There’s only one way in and one way out, and that’s through a tunnel,” Nomadic Introvert tells viewers.
Before entering the building, the content creator explains that there are currently between 120 and 150 people living in Whittier, and “90 percent of those people live in this building.”
After navigating the city tunnel (which is the longest highway tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles in length), Nomadic Introvert parks and ventures inside his infamous apartment complex.
The Begich Towers were originally built as military barracks that served as a “secret” military installation for the US Army during World War II, before being converted into residential space in 1974.
Before entering the building, the content creator explains that a local she met told her that there are currently between 120 and 150 people living in Whittier, and “90 percent of those people live in this building.”
He added that visitors can only access the ground floor of the 14-story complex, with the rest of the floors accessible only to residents.
As the content creator ventures inside, she says the aesthetic reminds her of an “old school” vibe with billboards along the entrances with a variety of messages on display.
Some of the public facilities he highlights include a small post office, a “really nice” grocery store with a wide variety of products, an ATM, a laundromat, a restroom, and a notary.
Back in his car, Nomadic Introvert tells viewers he wished he could have given a “more detailed tour,” but he didn’t want to invade people’s privacy.
She explained: ‘Yes, the first floor is for tourists, but it also has amenities that (residents) use on a daily basis and I just didn’t want to invade their privacy.
Some of the public facilities he highlights include a “really nice” grocery store stocked with a wide variety of products.
The camera pans to show the community’s small post office.
Back in his car, Nomadic Introvert tells viewers he wished he could have given a “more detailed tour,” but he didn’t want to invade people’s privacy.
Next, on his tour of the city, Nomadic Introvert takes viewers inside the city’s pedestrian tunnel that runs beneath the train tracks.
‘I would have liked to show them the inside of the laundry room because it looked quite nice, but there was a person in there doing their laundry and I didn’t want to go in with my camera while they were folding their clothes.
“I would have also liked to show them the inside of the grocery store. I showed them the inside, but I wanted to show them what was around the corner, where the cash register was.
“It was very nice but again there were people there shopping.” and I didn’t want to invade his personal space.
‘I could only imagine being a resident in this building and ‘Tourists come with cameras and film while you’re trying to buy and stuff like that.’
Next on its tour of the city, Nomadic Introvert takes viewers inside the pedestrian tunnel that runs beneath the railway.
The avid traveler says as she walks down the street, ‘It’s okay, it’s lit… it’s not dark.
‘This is probably one of the craziest tunnels I’ve ever walked through.
“I hope the restaurant is open (on the other side) once we finish exploring, because I’m starving.”
As she emerges from the tunnel, Introverted Nomad heads to a shop famous for its fudge, but orders a French vanilla latte instead.
The YouTuber ventures to a restaurant at the Anchor Inn and is happy to find that it’s open.
As for his overall opinion of the place, he says, “I like the food, the ambiance was good… the atmosphere. It was very calm, very quiet, very serene.”
After hearing it’s the best place to eat in town, the YouTuber opts for the fish and chips and halibut, which costs $23.95.
The next day, before leaving the distant city, he visits a building on the outskirts that was never finished and lies abandoned.
He then ventures to the Anchor Inn restaurant and is pleased to find that it is open.
After hearing it’s the best place to eat in town, the YouTube creator opts for the halibut fish and chips, which costs $23.95.
She gives the thumbs up to the seafood dish, with “tender” fish and a “crispy” batter.
As for his overall opinion of the place, he says, “I like the food, the ambiance was good… the atmosphere. It was very calm, very quiet, very serene.
“It had a kind of hometown feel, where everyone knows each other.”
Instead of checking into the Anchor Inn, Nomadic Introvert decides to sleep in his car, which he discovered was quite cold during the night.
The next day, before leaving the distant city, he visits a former American military building on the outskirts that was never completed and lies abandoned.
As she approaches the creepy-looking structure in her car, the urban explorer says, “It’s called the Buckner Building… (and) This is an abandoned place building.
“According to what’s online… they never tore this building down (and) they never converted it into housing because it’s full of asbestos.”
Summing up her visit to Whittier, the filmmaker concludes: “I hope you enjoyed the video. It was a pretty cool night of incognito in one of the most isolated towns in the United States.
“It was just great to see a unique city like Whittier…” 90 percent of people live under the same roof and they are making it work…I I thought that was pretty cool.
