Whittier, Alaska

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Whittier, Alaska
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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image_caption = Whittier, Alaska
imagesize = 250px


image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Whittier, Alaska


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
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pushpin_label_position = bottom
pushpin_mapsize = 300
pushpin_map_caption = Location of Whittier in the state of Alaska, USA

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Alaska
subdivision_type2 = Census Area
subdivision_name2 = Valdez-Cordova
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 51.0
area_land_km2 = 32.4
area_water_km2 = 18.6
area_total_sq_mi = 19.7
area_land_sq_mi = 12.5
area_water_sq_mi = 7.2

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 182
population_density_km2 = 5.6
population_density_sq_mi = 14.5

timezone = Alaska (AKST)
utc_offset = -9
timezone_DST = AKDT
utc_offset_DST = -8
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 13
elevation_ft = 43
latd = 60 |latm = 46 |lats = 27 |latNS = N
longd = 148 |longm = 40 |longs = 40 |longEW = W

postal_code_type =
postal_code =
area_code = 907
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 02-84510
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = [Gnis3|1415757 1415757]
website =
footnotes =

Whittier is a city in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population was 182. The city is also a port for the Alaska Marine Highway.

Geography

Whittier is located at coor dms|60|46|27|N|148|40|40|W|city (60.774174, -148.677649)GR|1, near the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.

Whittier is on the northeast shore of the Kenai Peninsula, at the head of Passage Canal, on the west side of Prince William Sound. Whittier is 120 km (75 miles) southeast of Anchorage.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.7 square miles (51.0 km²), of which, 12.5 square miles (32.5 km²) of it is land and 7.2 square miles (18.5 km²) of it (36.36%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 182 people, 86 households, and 46 families residing in the city. The population density was 14.5 people per square mile (5.6/km²). There were 213 housing units at an average density of 17.0/sq mi (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.12% White, 7.14% Asian, 5.49% Native American, and 8.24% from two or more races. Two people (1.10% of the population) are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were no measurable populations of African Americans, Pacific Islanders, or people from other races though on a summer visit, it is possible to meet people of diverse backgrounds living in the single residence in the city.

There were 86 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every ten females age 18 and over, there are 12.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $51,875. Males had a median income of $53,500 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,700. About 4.1% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.

History

The Whittier Glacier near Whittier was named for the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier in 1915.

During World War II the United States Army constructed a port and railroad terminus near the glacier and named the port Whittier. The spur of the Alaska Railroad to Whittier was completed in 1943 and the port became the entrance for United States soldiers into Alaska. The port remained an active army facility until 1960.

The two huge buildings that dominate Whittier were built after World War II. The Hodge Building (now Begich Towers) was built for housing soldiers and the Buckner Building, completed in 1953, was called the "city under one roof". It was once the largest building in Alaska. The Begich Building is now a condominium, and houses nearly all of Whittier's residents. The port remained an active Army facility until 1960. Whittier was incorporated in 1969.

The town was severely damaged by tsunamis triggered by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake; thirteen people died due to waves that reached 13 m (43 ft). [West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. [http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/web_tsus/19640328/damage.htm March 28, 1964 Gulf of Alaska Tsunami Damage along the California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska coasts] .]

Whittier is a popular port of call for cruise ships, as it has connections to Anchorage and the interior of Alaska by both highway and rail. It is the embarkation/debarkation point of the Denali Express nonstop rail service to and from Denali National Park operated by Princess Tours. Whittier is also popular with tourists and sport fishermen.

The Tunnel

Known by locals as the Whittier tunnel or the Portage tunnel, the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is a tunnel through Maynard Mountain in the U.S. state of Alaska. It links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. It is part of the Portage Glacier Highway and at 13,300 feet (4,050 m), is the second longest highway tunnel and longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America.

The original tunnel was completed in 1943 and used for railroad traffic. In the mid-1960s, the Alaska Railroad began offering a shuttle service for automobiles, similar to Amtrak's Auto Train, which allowed vehicles to drive on to cars to be transported between Whittier and the former town of Portage. As traffic to Whittier increased, the shuttle became insufficient, leading in the 1990s to a project to convert the existing railroad tunnel into a one-lane, combination highway and railway tunnel. Construction on this project began in September 1998, and the combined tunnel was opened to traffic on June 7, 2000.

As eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, there are often waits of 20 minutes or more to enter. As reflected on the Alaska Department of Transportation Tunnel Website, it is now considered "North America's longest railroad-highway tunnel." The tunnel held the title of the longest road tunnel in North America (at nearly 2.5 miles [4 km] ) until completion of the 3.5 mile (5.6km) Interstate 93 tunnel as part of the "Big Dig" project in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a 2001 recipient of an Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The tunnel is named after Anton Anderson, an army engineer who in 1941 headed up the construction of the railroad spur from Whittier to Portage.

References

External links

* [http://www.ci.whittier.ak.us/ City of Whittier]
* [http://www.whittieralaska.com/ Whittier Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://whittierforum.yukontel.com/ Mike's Whittier Forum]
* [http://www.alaska.net/~sea/anchwhit1.html A virtual drive from Anchorage to Whittier]
* [http://whittierak.yukontel.com/ Whittier Webcam]