I Lived in Whittier, Alaska: A Town Under One Roof | INDIE ALASKA

Alaska Public Media | By Valerie Lake

Published September 15, 2021 at 6:45 PM AKDT

A colorful building stands in the distance with a parking lot of boats in the foreground. — The resident apartment building in Whittier, Alaska towers over a boat parking lot on a summer day of 2021.

Erika Fitzgerald jumped at the opportunity to teach in Alaska after graduate school. She didn't expect she'd be living and working in Whittier, a town where nearly all residents live in the same building, and the only way in and out is through a tunnel that closes each night.

Erika's story was first featured on this channel in 2013 and INDIE ALASKA decided to check back in with her to see what she's doing today and hear how that experience in Whittier changed her life.

Story by Valerie Kern and Shiri Segal
Video by Matt Faubion, Travis Gilmour, and Slavik Boyechko
Music by Universal Production Music

Watch the original episode below

Indie Alaska

Valerie Lake

Valerie Lake worked at Alaska Public Media from 2017 to 2025. She was the managing producer for Indie Alaska, director for Alaska Insight, and led the video production team. Valerie Lake has previously gone by the names, Valerie Lloyd and Valerie Kern.

See stories by Valerie Lake