Life in desolate town under one roof you can't always leave has 'Silent Hill vibe'

When it comes to public amenities, Whittier in Alaska has everything its residents need - and it's all in one building

The town under one roof — Whittier sits on Prince William Sound where it was hit by post-earthquake tsunamis in 1964

Imagining living in a town that's entirely housed under one roof might make some of us feel claustrophobic.
But for the 217 residents of one Alaskan town, that's exactly what like is like every day.
Whittier, around 60 miles south of the country's most populous city Anchorage, is based in a Cold War Barracks more than 40 years old.
Called Begich Towers, it has a police station, greengrocer's shop, doctor's surgery, church, small supermarket and school all housed within the structure, as well as a bed and breakfast.
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After all, plenty of people want to visit the town - like Reddit user Hyruleanhero88 and his girlfriend, who shared these images that she, as Hunter Shoots Photography , took.

His travel blog notes the weirdness of the compact settlement, calling it "a surreal experience" which can only be reached by boat or one-way single-lane tunnel - adding that it gives off "a kind of Silent Hill vibe".
"Not being able to leave when you want is definitely a strange feeling. They close the tunnel down completely, and from 10pm to 5am, you can not enter or leave the town," he explains.
Hyruleanhero88 notes that there actually are some apartments separate from the main building where other residents of the town live, and another shop for food is also outside Begich Towers.

But inside, he reveals: "It's a very tight knit community, and we had people asking us where we were visiting from constantly. People immediately know you aren't from their town, and it's a little unnerving.
"The school, which is right behind the main building, and connected via tunnel, so the kids don't have to go outside in the winter."
You also have to really really want to get to Whittier: "The 2.5 mile tunnel that you have to pass through to enter the town is one lane only — they switch the direction of travel every 30 minutes. You have to wait at these lights until they let you go."

The residents are very focused on the history of the town, with a museum set up next to the grocer's "outlining the history of the town, from when it used to be a military base, to the earthquake that all but destroyed the town".
Whittier has 22 hours of sunlight during the summer months, and is situated on Prince William Sound, where winter temperatures can drop to 2°C .

The mountains surrounding Whittier are host to mountain goats, weasels, whistling marmots, bears and coyotes.
The town's history is marked by a 1964 earthquake as well as disastrous tsunamis which followed. The whole natural disaster claimed 13 lives from th community which then numbered 70.