Editing Whittier, Alaska (section)

==History==
[[File:Whittier - DPLA - aa715bfd4122309fc09aaa5c38b8d93e.JPG|thumb|left|Whittier harbor]]

The region occupied by Whittier was once part of the [[portage]] route of the [[Chugach]] people native to [[Prince William Sound]]. Later, the passage was used by [[Russians|Russian]] and [[United States of America|American]] explorers, and by prospecting miners during the [[Klondike Gold Rush]].<ref name=":0" /> The nearby Whittier Glacier was named for American poet [[John Greenleaf Whittier]] in 1915, and the town eventually took the name as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/whittierhistory.html|title=Whittier History|website=Cruise Port Insider|publisher=CruisePortInsider.com|access-date=June 5, 2016|archive-date=July 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701113500/http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/whittierhistory.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], the [[United States Army]] constructed a military facility, complete with port and railroad, near Whittier Glacier and named the facility [[Camp Sullivan (Alaska)|Camp Sullivan]]. The spur of the [[Alaska Railroad]] to Camp Sullivan was completed in 1943, and the port became the entrance for United States soldiers into Alaska.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/review/USA_AK_Port_of_Whittier_3494.php|title=Port of Whittier|website=World Port Source|access-date=June 5, 2016|archive-date=June 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613110236/http://worldportsource.com/ports/review/USA_AK_Port_of_Whittier_3494.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Back to Whittier...Sun is out...Water is Rough (2571032531).jpg|thumb|[[Begich Towers]]]]

The two buildings that dominate the town were built after World War II. The 14-story Hodge Building (renamed [[Begich Towers]]) was completed in 1957 and contains 150 two-and-three-bedroom apartments plus bachelor efficiency units. Dependent families and Civil Service employees were moved into this high-rise. The Whittier School was connected by a tunnel at the base of the west tower so students could safely access school on days with bad weather. The building was named in honor of Colonel Walter William Hodge, who was a civil engineer and the commanding officer of 93rd Engineer Regiment on the [[Alaska Highway|Alcan Highway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/whittier-history/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104230103/http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/whittier-history/|title=The History and Military Significance of Whittier, Alaska|archive-date=January 4, 2015|access-date=January 8, 2015}}</ref>

The other main structure in town, the [[Buckner Building]], was completed in 1953, and was called the "city under one roof". The Buckner Building was eventually abandoned. Buckner and Begich Towers were at one time the largest buildings in Alaska. The Begich Towers building became a condominium and, along with the two-story private residence known as Whittier Manor, houses a majority of the town's residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whittieralaska.gov/2005%20update%20Whittier%20Comp%20Plan.pdf|title=Comprehensive Plan Update 2005|author=ASCG Incorporated|website=WhittierAlaska.gov|publisher=City of Whittier|date=September 26, 2005|access-date=June 18, 2017|archive-date=April 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421091730/http://whittieralaska.gov/2005%20update%20Whittier%20Comp%20Plan.pdf|url-status=live}} p. 11 (number in corner, not of document)</ref>

The port at Whittier was an active Army facility until 1960. In 1962, the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] constructed a petroleum products terminal, a pumping station and a {{convert|62|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}, {{convert|8|in|adj=on}} pipeline to Anchorage in Whittier.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/whittier-history/ |title=The History and Military Significance of Whittier |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104230103/http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/whittier-history/ |archive-date=January 4, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/whittier-history/history.pdf|title=The History and Military Significance of Whittier, Alaska|last=Durand|first=Patrick|access-date=June 5, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304213834/http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/whittier-history/history.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 27, 1964, Whittier suffered over $10&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|10|1964|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) worth of damage in what became known as the [[1964 Alaska earthquake|Good Friday earthquake]]. As of 2022, the earthquake remains the largest U.S. earthquake, measuring 9.2 on the [[moment magnitude scale]], and having caused [[tsunami]]s along the West Coast of the U.S. The tsunami that hit Whittier reached a height of {{convert|13|m|ft|abbr=on}} and killed 13 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ngdc.noaa.gov/hazardimages/picture/show/514|title=Surge Wave Produced By 1964 Alaska Earthquake|website=March 28, 1964, Prince William Sound USA earthquake and tsunami|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803100857/http://ngdc.noaa.gov/hazardimages/picture/show/514|archive-date=August 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Whittier was incorporated in 1969 and eventually became a [[Port#Port of call|port of call]] for cruise ships. It is utilized by local operations and about 100-passenger mid-sized cruise ships. When the [[Portage Glacier Highway#Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel|Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel]] opened to public access in 2000, it became the first highway to connect Whittier to Anchorage and inner Alaska—previously, the only ways to reach the town had been rail, boat and plane.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tunnel.alaska.gov/accomplishments.shtml|title=Accomplishments|website=Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel|publisher=Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-date=July 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701221130/http://tunnel.alaska.gov/accomplishments.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After the tunnel expanded access to Whittier, it began to be visited by larger cruise lines. It is the embarkation/debarkation point of one-way cruises from Anchorage to [[Vancouver]] by [[Princess Tours]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/one-way/anchorage/index.jsp|title=One-Way Cruises From Anchorage to Vancouver|publisher=Princess Cruises|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-date=June 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607180447/http:\/www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/one-way/anchorage/index.jsp|url-status=live}}</ref> Whittier is also popular with tourists, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, paddlers, hikers, sport fishermen, and hunters because of its abundance of wildlife and natural beauty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whittieralaska.gov/mayor.html|title=Letter from the Mayor|last=Blair|first=Daniel|website=Whittier, Alaska|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-date=June 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630015352/http://whittieralaska.gov/mayor.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Whittier is located within the [[Chugach National Forest]], the second-largest national forest in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whittieralaskachamber.org/|title=Announcements|website=Greater Whittier Chamber of Commerce|publisher=City of Whittier|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-date=May 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522074525/http://whittieralaskachamber.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Whittier is in the [[Chugach School District]] and has one school serving approximately 48 students from preschool through high school, according to the 2019–2020 enrollment numbers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://education.alaska.gov/DOE_Rolodex/SchoolCalendar/Home/SchoolDetails/100020|title=Whittier Community School|publisher=Alaska Department of Education & Early Development|access-date=December 11, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701221331/https://education.alaska.gov/DOE_Rolodex/SchoolCalendar/Home/SchoolDetails/100020|url-status=live}}</ref>