# What's the elevation change in your city? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444 "2012-10-11T18:38:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/21 "2012-10-11T21:50:20Z")
It depends on the definition of the Sydney area, but the reference I’ve seen most often for the highest natural point is 282m (the Woronora trig station). So the range is 0 - 282m. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/22 "2012-10-11T22:33:38Z")
> [@Mister\_Owl](#): > > The city of Los Angeles, California. Portions of it are technically at or below sea level. The highest point in the city is 5,074 ft (1,547 m) Mount Lukens, located at the northeastern end of the San Fernando Valley. As the OP says, I would be surprised if any place can beat L.A. It’s the only city I know of that contains both shoreline and mountains. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/23 "2012-10-11T22:39:20Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > As the OP says, I would be surprised if any place can beat L.A. It’s the only city I know of that contains both shoreline and mountains. It’s also, as I understand, the only major metropolitan area bisected by a mountain chain, the Santa Monica mountains. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/24 "2012-10-11T23:04:16Z")
> [@Mister\_Owl](#): > > The city of Los Angeles, California. Portions of it are technically at or below sea level. The highest point in the city is 5,074 ft (1,547 m) Mount Lukens, located at the northeastern end of the San Fernando Valley. > [@suranyi](#): > > As the OP says, I would be surprised if any place can beat L.A. It’s the only city I know of that contains both shoreline and mountains. I’ve got one that just beats LA: Cape Town, South Africa, which, like LA, has shoreline and mountains. The lowest elevation in the City of Cape Town is the Atlantic coast, and the highest is Somerset-Sneeukop in the Hottentots-Holland mountains (34° 02′ S 18° 59′ E), which has a height of 1,590.4 m (5,218 ft). Somerset-Sneeukop is actually situated on the municipal boundary (indeed it forms the tripoint with two other municipalities) but if we’re going to quibble about that then there is logically a point just next to the peak which is infinitesimally lower and indisputably within the city limits. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/25 "2012-10-12T02:13:01Z")
Sheffield, England is pretty impressive. The highest point within the city boundary is 1798 ft and the lowest is 95ft, giving an elevation change of 1703 ft. In practice though most of the housing is between 330 to 660 ft. It is a remarkably hilly city being at the confluence of five rivers. The weather can change drastically as one travels across it. I once caught a bus in the city centre in rain to go to one of the higher suburbs and watched the rain turn to sleet, then snow as we went up the hill. When I finally got off it was in a blizzard with a foot of snow already on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/26 "2012-10-12T03:06:12Z")
Not my hometown, but I believe Palm Springs might have LA beat. The eastern edge of the valley floor is only about 450 ft and it looks like there’s one ridge coming down off the San Jacintos where the city and National Forest land meets that is just a hair under 6000 ft. Of course, another 3 miles from there and you’re over 10,000 ft. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/27 "2012-10-12T10:43:29Z")
The Mississippi river is ~631 ft, and the bluffs (which may be just outside of town) are ~1200ft, so about 600ft Brian ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/28 "2012-10-12T10:52:05Z")
NYC as a whole (not just Manhattan) seems to exactly tie Washington DC with [410 feet.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todt_Hill) ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/29 "2012-10-12T17:06:52Z")
We go from sea level to the top of Mt Trashmore, as our dump is lovingly known, giving George Town an elevation change of 79ft. That exceeds the old high point for the island of Grand Cayman, The Mountain is still the highest natural elevation at about 58ft. The highest point in the whole country is a mere 141ft on the island of Cayman Brac. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/30 "2012-10-12T17:14:32Z")
Hamilton, Ontario. Lowest elevation 246 feet, which is probably on the harbourfront. Highest elevation 1063 feet, up the ‘Mountain’ - half of the city is on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment. Difference: 817 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/31 "2012-10-12T17:49:12Z")
Minneapolis - 687 to 980. So 293 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/32 "2012-10-12T18:53:41Z")
I found [this](http://torontoist.com/2011/11/mounting-toronto/) article on the high and low of elevation for Toronto. High point is Keele St and Steeles Ave at a spectacular 211.5m (694 ft) and the low point is at Yonge St and Queens Quay at 76.5m (251ft) For a difference of 135m or 443 ft. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/33 "2012-10-12T19:06:49Z")
From a topo map, Calgary is highest: 4232 ft lowest: 3218 ft difference: 1014 ft. The winner, if you allow a ridiculous stretch of what can be called a “city”, could be [Yakutat, Alaska](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakutat,_Alaska). Sea level to 18,008 ft ([Mount Saint Elias](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Elias)). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/34 "2012-10-13T00:16:23Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > I live near Albuquerque NM USA and according to [http://www.city-data.com/](http://www.city-data.com/) our elevation is 4955 feet. However, the city limits extend into the foothills of the Sandia Mountains so the highest point is over 6000 feet (my limited search didn’t produce a firm number). I remember when I lived in Albuquerque, the rough figures I heard was 5000 feet at the Rio Grande to 7000 feet at the base of Sandia. Never saw any official numbers though. I remember the Sandia edge of the city would snow a little more often than the rest of the place. Bangkok is pretty flat, so no real variation here. But when I lived in Honolulu, that place is hemmed in by mountains. I was fitter back then and would ride my bike up to the top of a hill called Tantalus, which I believe is still inside the city limits and about 1000 feet up IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/35 "2012-10-13T00:22:27Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Washington, DC. > > Low point: sea level. > > High point: 410 ft. > [@DCnDC](#): > > I googled “washington dc highest elevation” and checked a couple of different sites. They all agreed, so that was the figure I went with. The 410ft must be in the Upper Northwest portion of the city. I’ve heard the only reason the National Cathedral is “taller” than the Washington Monument is because it sits on higher ground. ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/36 "2012-10-13T00:57:04Z")
Sea level to 5,000 feet. My house sits 11 feet above sealevel. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/37 "2012-10-13T02:30:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I remember when I lived in Albuquerque, the rough figures I heard was 5000 feet at the Rio Grande to 7000 feet at the base of Sandia. Never saw any official numbers though. I remember the Sandia edge of the city would snow a little more often than the rest of the place. > > Bangkok is pretty flat, so no real variation here. But when I lived in Honolulu, that place is hemmed in by mountains. I was fitter back then and would ride my bike up to the top of a hill called Tantalus, which I believe is still inside the city limits and about 1000 feet up IIRC. I thought about taking my GPS and driving to the foothills to get an accurate figure but didn’t feel like driving clear across town. Another city with a lot of elevation change is Juneau Alaska; the city and borough cover over 3000 square miles (!), some of which is water. The surrounding mountains are included, with some peaks over 3000 ft. high. Any Dopers live in Juneau? ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/38 "2012-10-13T02:53:27Z")
Around here, we have at least one flagpole and markings on one sugar silo that mark ‘Sea Level’, so I know that most of where I’m at is below sea level. We are surrounded by small hills, but I think they’re too far away to really count. Calipatria \ is 184 feet below sea level, and apparantly the lowest-elevation city in the western hemisphere. :eek: The Chocolate Mountains are just due n/e of there, and go to 1500 feet. This is all wiki’d; the mountains themselves are closed off due to their being used for target practice, so I can’t check it out myself. But that makes…a nearly 1700 foot change within a couple of miles. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/39 "2012-10-13T03:03:10Z")
Thread tip: If you type the name of a city into the Google Maps search bar, it will have a layer showing the city limits. You can then switch it to terrain view to see elevations. I’m not totally sure if the city limits Google has are 100% accurate or not, but it’s certainly a start. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444/40 "2012-10-13T04:12:31Z")
According to a quick Google search, the county I live in varies from 6 to 29 ft above sea level. Wikipedia claims my city is at 9 ft above sea level, and flat. -D/a [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-elevation-change-in-your-city/637444.md?page=3)