> In the summertime Whittier is bustling. Seasonal workers come for jobs on fishing boats, charter boats, or in the cannery, and cruise ships bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the harbor. But thriving harbor industries—freight, fishing, tourism—don’t seem to translate into growth for the city. Over 700,000 people visit Whittier annually, but most tourists don’t stay in town for longer than an afternoon, if that. Instead they go directly from the cruise ship to a train that takes them to Anchorage. Residents sell food and crafts to visitors, but most of the tourists’ money goes straight out the tunnel. The Alaska Railroad Corporation is the majority landowner in Whittier, but it doesn’t pay property taxes, and it employs few residents. A supply barge comes into town once a week, but most of the workers who unload the freight commute from Anchorage. Not everyone who tries to live in Begich Towers can take it—a newcomer from Florida compared it to jail—and there simply isn’t much space on which to build alternate housing

There's more by the same author here: http://reedyoung.com/project/whittier-alaska/r-young-whittie...

It's a good port. Alaska depends on tons of stuff shipped in from other places. The Alcan is a pretty shitty drive for trucking stuff up. Alaska's biggest city is a very poor port, and second biggest city is inland, so freight comes in on barges through Whittier, and then around the state via the railroad. Anchorage elites park their boats in Whittier's small boat harbor. In the summers, fishing and tourism are big.

Witter has historical significance as being an accessible ice-free port in winter. This is why the train tunnel was cut, to support a navy outpost and shipping. Prior to the tunnel it could only be reached by sea.

Nowadays i'm sure the primary industries are tourism and shipping.

http://www.whittieralaskachamber.org/

>In summer, cruise ships, charter boats, and commercial fishing vessels bring thousands of visitors to Whittier’s harbor on the west side of Prince William Sound.

Sounds like tourism is a large portion of income.

It seems the tourists mostly disembark and take the train to Anchorage[1]. Though I suppose out of 700000 that visit every year even if 5% make purchases it might sustain the population along with the grant they get from the Alaska government. [1]http://reedyoung.com/project/whittier-alaska/r-young-whittie...

I imagine fishing, oil and gas, and Alaska's (edit) $2,000 stipend for residents is what keeps them there.

Are you referring to the Alaska Permanent Fund?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Permanent_Fund#Annual_in...

If so, it's not a $2,000 stipend and it's only been $2,000 once since it's inception.

Or is there another stipend you're referring to?

Given Alaska's high cost of living, that $2k doesn't make much of a dent.