The charm of a small town is that everyone knows each other.

From the person who runs the post office right to the mayor’s office, there isn’t a person who doesn’t know what is going on with one of their neighbors.

But for one tiny Alaskan community, knowing who your neighbor is comes with the territory. Literally. Because in Whittier, nearly 318 residents – the population of the entire town – live in one building.

Recently, the town has gone viral thanks to a resident who posted a video on TikTok showing life in Begich Towers. 

Begich was designed to house military families during World War II. The building is attached to one other building, the school, by a tunnel. The town can only be accessed by a tunnel that runs under a glacier, or by sea.

The tunnel can only be used once per hour, either direction. And it closes strictly at 10:30pm each night.

“I think that idea when you hear one town living under the same roof, that I think that creates a certain amount of fascination,”  said Erika Fitzgerald, a teacher in Whittier.

Gary Carr, a Whittier resident, works at the Kozy Korner grocery store. Reed Young/The California Sunday Magazine

At first people think that’s really weird. That’s zombie apocalypse. And then all of a sudden, there’s this evolution of like ‘that’s interesting … I want to know about that.’”

Jobs, Fitzgerald said, as well as trips outside of Whittier, live and die by the tunnel schedule.

“You know, the tunnel creates its own sort of isolation, and that it closes every night at 10:30,” she said. “Trying to explain to visitors or people who aren’t from they’re like, no, we really have to go. If we don’t go, we’re not gonna get into Whittier right now … It is an interesting, strange place to live.”

@messy.nessy Reply to @esmearrazola ♬ original sound – jenessa

For Jenessa Lorenz, the resident who posted the TikTok video, life in the town can be interesting in its own way. Even if it is a little restricting. For example, the school has roughly 60 kids in total.

“Nobody really dates here cause we all grew up together and that’d be kinda weird,” she said. For fun, there are bonfires, as well as hiking, kayaking and more. In her videos, Lorenz also shows the cruise ships that make regular stops at the town’s port.

In Begich Towers, the residents are split up amongst 14 floors. It hosts a post office, church, general store and even the mayor’s office. It even has its own hospital.

In her video, Lorenz showed off the hallways that led to all the different amenities, each one just an elevator ride away.

“I made the video thinking, ‘OK, no one’s going to care about a tiny, tiny town in Alaska.’ The next day, it had millions of views, and I was in shock,” she said. “Our town’s Facebook group posted my TikTok on their page, too.”

Children play at the indoor playground in Begich Towers. Photo courtesy of Weburbanist

Eighty-five percent of the town lives in Begich, she said, while the other 15 percent are in a smaller, two-story condo down the road.

Things are different in Whittier, but most of our community is just a floor away, which is great,” Lorenz said.

Commenters on Lorenz’s video were fascinated, wanting to know “where’s the nearest fast food restaurant,” or “what is there to do for fun”, all of which she tries to answer for them.

Lorenz said that as her videos have gotten viral, she hopes to help bring more people to visit Whittier.

“Whittier feels like home, all of us in this one building, we’re just a huge community and we love it,” Lorenz said.

Watch below for a look inside the Begich Towers!

Sources: My Modern Met | NY Post | USA Today