Alaskan Town That Lives In One Building - Isolated From The World 🇺🇸

1.5 hours southwest of Anchorage is a town accessed only through a tunnel under a glacier or by sea. A place where almost all of the residents live in one self-contained building with a school, store, church, USPS, and everything it takes to live under one roof. Join me as we meet some of the interesting people who live there.

► Video edited by: Natalia Santenello
► Researched by: Kymberly Redmond

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Thank You All!!!

All rights reserved © 2022 Peter Santenello

#Alaska

[PeterSantenello]

👋Thanks for watching!
Join our community HERE: bit.ly/3HC36EH

[JoeSeale]

Oh my Peter, we have been walking around all day shaking our heads about this movie you made. I did wonder after a bit why you kept the camera rolling and asking so many questions! We thought your neighbors back home in Vermont would get really tired of this “ home movie.” You are such a dear heart, please come back to Whittier and visit us! I did not know you taped my prayer for you. It seems like it touched a lot of hearts. May the Lord bless and keep you.Jeanette and Joe

[Roxville]

After 50 years they are still happy and joking around, so heartwarming to watch these two

[emmat]

"I hope I find someone nice to show me around" *finds the nicest woman in Alaska*

[GdsPerfectldiot]

“It takes a day to get married but it takes the rest of your life to stay married”. Wow. Very well said. So simple but it leaves such a deep meaning about a couple’s commitment to each other.

[ashleycook]

Is anyone else amazed by the trust and love that these people have in this community?? This guy shows up completely out of no where and they are leading him through the halls, introducing him to loved ones, letting him in their homes!! So trusting and so pure <3 What a beautiful community <3

[mac.jenkin]

I spent the summer of 2008 hitchhiking with a backpack across Alaska. Camped along highways, national parks, urban areas, and occasionally staying with good people met by chance or on the road.

I found myself in Whittier for a few days, near the end of my trip. I was cold and tired, my boots and gear soaked with rain from the day prior. I was not looking forward to setting up my tent in the forest just above the building in this video. A local near the harbor mentioned a large bear was seen in the immediate area I had planned to camp, which made sleeping in a wet sleeping bag below a glacier even more severe.

I needed a dry place to think of an alternative plan and possibly hang dry my sleeping bag. This building was one of the few places in town to go and get out of the drizzling rain. I sat down in the front foyer where all the historical photos are (the chairs are now removed in this video). I was physically exhausted.

I met a woman who invited me down a hallway to the sailor’s meeting/support room and offered me a plate of food. She was kind. Asked me about myself and soon thereafter she had coordinated with someone else in the building to find a place I could sleep for the night. A bunk bed in a small room filled with non-perishable food (I think the church used it to store food bank donations). They would not accept any payment or reciprocal exchange.

I’d long forgotten her name and specific appearance, but Jeanette’s prayer with you at the end of this video pretty much confirms she was the kind person whom I met years ago. Remarkable to see this living memory virtually unchanged in 2022, and be reminded of that act of kindness all this time later.

Thank you for this video Peter, and thank you Jeanette for helping a weary young traveller from Canada!

[arthurfultz]

Her little prayer for Peter was one of the most moving and meaningful prayers I have heard in my 75 years on this planet and she is not even “a preacher.” Awesome, awesome, awesome lady. No “victimhood” here. A blessing.

[Deathmetaldaddy]

3 minutes into the video and I think these are the nicest people in the world.

[JI-kcuh]

When she said “it takes one day to get married, it takes the rest of your life to stay married” I felt that.

[keedsouza]

I'm from India and I have to say Jeanette is such a wonderful warm lady, that no matter how cold or isolated a place can be, amazing people like her can still make it feel welcoming and warm.

[brandynettleton]

Joe and Jeanette were so welcoming and hospitable and funny! Jeanette’s voice was so soothing to listen to and her prayer seemed so heartfelt and kind! It’s a homey feeling to watch this! Thank you for sharing Whittier with us!

[serenitynow]

Those are two people you will never forget. I wish more people were like them in this world.

[JI-kcuh]

When the husband says “I’m sorry, please forgive me, and thank you, I love you” that’s a reference to a Hawaiian proverb called ho’opono’pono.
You can tell Hawaii means a lot to these two, their home is decorated just like it and the spirituality of Hawaii lives in them.

[bekindtoyourmother]

I went to Whittier as part of a tour with my Mum in July 1997. It was a Canada Alaska tour. We had an absolute blast. Every single stop was fascinating and we learned so much as well as had fun. Truly memory of a lifetime. At the end of our trip on our 13hr flight home we were quietly reminiscing and both mentioned that, out of all the places we’d been over the 6 weeks, we both really loved Whittier. We had covered so much territory but both loved Whittier and swore we’d return one day. My Mum died unexpectedly in January 1999. I saved up and took myself on exactly the same tour as I’d been on again in 2012. It was as though she was beside me the whole way, but was most obvious was in Whittier. Particularly travelling through the tunnel. I caught a whiff of her perfume. Probably psychosomatic but who knows… maybe she was on that second trip with me ❤

[KawaiiSemeKiller]

These people are so kind and wholesome. It’s so beautiful to see so many walks of life come together in a community like this, all supporting each other in all the ways they can ;-;

[DecayingReverie]

Joe and Jeanette are just delightful people. Jeanette's prayer at the end was beautiful. This style of living honestly appeals a great deal to me.

[AuntyRooty]

I visited Whittier in 1994 and the visit has stuck with me. At the time the tunnel was just for trains. I remember every moment of the day, the water fall streaming down the mountain from what looked like the back of the building. The building set back by the mountain. A cliff covered with birds. There was a small coffee/bakery shop (I think) and a small gift shop or two. When I got off of the train I had to walk over a bunch of train rails to get to the port and little shops. There were large ravens on the rails that I was pretty sure that they would move when I got closer - they did NOT. I was alone and would have really liked to have met someone like this couple. So happy to learn more about this place that I still think about from time to time. Thank you.

[mith]

Jeanette and her husband have such a great energy and humor! I haven't enjoyed two seniors chatting in a long time! Loves it.

[pewpewTN]

That lady is so sweet.
She seemed really happy & proud to show you her building.
I hope she enjoys it for many years to come.