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.