Whittier, Alaska, The Creepy Small Town That Feels Like Stranger Things

Between towering mountains and the icy waters of Prince William Sound lies Whittier, Alaska, perhaps America’s strangest small town.

Nearly all 272 residents live in a single 14-story building called Begich Towers, creating an isolated community that feels plucked straight from the Stranger Things universe.

With its abandoned military facilities, mysterious tunnel, and perpetual fog, Whittier transforms ordinary small-town living into something wonderfully unsettling.

1. A Town Where Everyone Lives Under One Roof

Imagine coming home from work and riding an elevator to your apartment while your neighbor picks up mail and another checks out library books, all without stepping outside. That’s daily life in Begich Towers.

This 14-story concrete behemoth houses nearly every Whittier resident, the police department, post office, church, and even the school. When blizzards rage outside, locals simply stay in their vertical neighborhood.

2. The Tunnel That Seals Off Reality

Headlights pierce the darkness as vehicles crawl through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the only land route connecting Whittier to the outside world. Built for trains during WWII, this 2.5-mile passageway through solid mountain feels like crossing dimensions.

The tunnel closes completely at night, literally sealing off the town from civilization until morning. Miss the last entry? You’re spending the night elsewhere.

3. The Abandoned Military Complex

Looming above town stands the Buckner Building, a massive Cold War relic slowly surrendering to nature. Shattered windows frame empty corridors where soldiers once walked.

Locals avoid it after dark when shadows seem to move on their own. Graffiti-covered walls tell stories of urban explorers who ventured inside. The six-story concrete ghost, built to withstand nuclear attack, now hosts only echoes and rumors.

4. Weather That Creates Isolation

Winter winds howl through Whittier at hurricane force, sometimes reaching 60 mph for days straight. Snow piles against buildings while residents remain safely tucked inside their concrete fortress.

The town receives a staggering 22 feet of annual snowfall. Fog blankets the harbor most mornings, transforming familiar landscapes into mysterious silhouettes. This isn’t just weather; it’s atmospheric storytelling worthy of cinematic horror.

5. A School Connected By Secret Passages

Whittier’s children never need snow days: they simply walk through an underground tunnel connecting their apartments to classrooms. The K-12 school serves roughly 40 students who navigate fluorescent-lit corridors reminiscent of laboratory hallways.

Teachers know every student by name in this micro-education system. The school’s windows face pristine glaciers, creating an otherworldly contrast between institutional interiors and wild Alaskan beauty.

6. The Harbor Where Ships Disappear

Morning fog transforms Whittier’s harbor into a scene from another dimension. Massive cruise ships materialize from the mist like alien vessels, dwarfing the tiny town during summer months.

Winter brings eerie silence as boats hibernate under tarps. The harbor’s waters reflect the surrounding mountains, creating mirror images that blur reality. Ghost stories abound about phantom ships appearing when visibility drops, perhaps slipping between dimensions.

7. The Town’s Haunting Military History

Whittier wasn’t born naturally. It was manufactured as a secret military port during WWII. Soldiers stationed here endured isolation so complete that some reportedly developed psychological conditions.

The military abandoned Whittier in the 1960s, leaving concrete giants behind. Underground bunkers still exist beneath parts of town. Rusty equipment emerges from melting snow each spring, reminders of a classified past that feels straight from government conspiracy storylines.

8. The Glaciers That Watch Over Town

Massive walls of ancient ice loom over Whittier like silent sentinels. Portage Glacier occasionally calves with thunderous cracks that echo through town, sending miniature icebergs drifting past residents’ windows.

The glaciers’ blue glow creates an otherworldly atmosphere on foggy days. Local legends speak of strange lights sometimes dancing across the ice at night. Scientists explain them as reflections, but residents smile knowingly: some things defy explanation.

9. The Community That Knows Too Much

Privacy becomes theoretical when everyone lives in one building. Residents develop unspoken rules about noise and shared spaces. They know whose cooking creates which aromas drifting through hallways.

Children grow up with dozens of unofficial aunts and uncles watching over them. The town operates like one extended family with all the drama, secrets, and protection that implies. Newcomers quickly learn that in Whittier, someone is always listening through the walls.

10. The Wilderness That Isolates And Protects

Step outside Whittier and immediately face untamed Alaska: bears, moose, and wilderness stretching beyond imagination. The mountains form natural walls that trap weather systems and human souls alike.

Residents describe feeling simultaneously trapped and protected by geography. Boat captains navigate channels where water plunges thousands of feet deep just offshore. This isn’t just isolation. It’s nature creating a pocket dimension where normal rules feel suspended.