Eating Fish and Chips in Whittier, Alaska

Some years ago, we introduced you to Whittier, an isolated town in Alaska in which almost all the population lives in one 14-story building, originally built as an army barracks. Margaret and Dom Varlamos were looking for a business opportunity in 1997, and found the Swiftwater Seafood Cafe for sale in Whittier, which in 2020 had a population of 272 people. The only way to reach Whittier was by boat, plane, or train. It couldn't be all that hard to feed a couple of hundred people, right? The Varlamos' freshly made fish and chips were a hit with the community. Then in 2000, the railroad tunnel was opened to automobile traffic, and tourists started to arrive. Word got around the state, and the cafe had lines out the door. This video tells their story, plus that of the town and what it's like to live with all your neighbors. -via Nag on the Lake