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If You Are Late to Enter This U.S. Town You Might Be Locked Out of Your Home

Whittier is home to the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest combined railroad-vehicle tunnel in North America.

PUBLISHED OCT 21, 2024

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel lane assignments, with a view of Portage Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A. (Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by StellaMc)

An entire town in the U.S. follows a timetable to avoid the risk of being locked out of their own home. This rule is applicable not just for kids but also in the case of adults, staying in that area. This unique living arrangement is followed at Whittier in Alaska, UNILAD reported.

The remote town's location makes its civilians dependent on a tunnel for moving in and out of town. As trains also use the same tunnel, authorities open and close the path at a specific time. People in Whittier have adapted to the situation and mostly stick to the schedule.

Whittier in Alaska

Image Source: Getty Images/ Photo by Larry Keller, Lititz Pa. (Prince William Sound is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Other settlements on the sound, which contains numerous small islands, include Cordova and Whittier plus the Alaska native villages of Chenega and Tatitlek.) — Prince William Sound is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Larry Keller, Lititz Pa.)

Whittier is located at the head of Passage Canal on the western edge of Prince William Sound, The Great State of Alaska reported. Whittier is home to the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest combined railroad-vehicle tunnel in North America.

The quaint town offers many recreational activities to its visitors like wildlife cruises, kayaking, hiking, fishing, shrimping, berry picking, and diving. The community is very tight-knit, with all the civilians living in the same building, UNILAD reported.

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is a one-lane pathway that connects Anchorage to Whittier, the City of Whittier reported. It measures 2.5 miles in length and can withstand -40 Fahrenheit temperatures and 150 mph winds. The tunnel along with humans is also used by cars and trains and needs to be aired out at regular intervals.

The requirements of the tunnel are such that authorities need to open and close the path at particular times. During the summer months, the tunnel remains open from 5:30 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. In the winter months, the window is even smaller, with the tunnel being open from 7 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities is very strict with the timings and does not allow anyone in, once the window is gone.

Begich Towers: A Town in a Single Building

Whittier boasts a population of 200 people, all of whom live in the same building known as Begich Towers, UNILAD reported. It is a spacious arrangement, with each resident having an apartment.

The tower also contains the area's public service establishments, like the Post Office. The local school in the town is connected to Begich Towers with a tunnel. Children take the tunnel every day, to attend school.

The tight-knit community has become very used to tunnels as a part of their daily life. The out-of-the-box living arrangement over the years has caught several eyes, becoming a viral story on the internet many times.