What US Towns Have the Highest Elevation?

Denver, Colorado, the “Mile High City,” doesn’t come close to ranking among the highest-elevation towns and cities in the United States. In fact, the top entry on the list is twice as high as Denver. Here are some highlights from the highest (and lowest) places in America.  

At 10,578 feet, the historic mining town of Alma, Colorado, (pictured at top) is proud to call itself “North America’s Highest Incorporated Town.” Located in a mineral-rich valley high in the Rocky Mountains, Alma was incorporated in 1873 and named after the local grocer’s daughter.  

Alma’s a small town for sure. Its permanent population is only 296 residents, according to the 2020 census. In 1998, the town gained unfortunate notoriety for the “Alma Rampage,” when a local man ran amok with an earth mover.  

Colorado is home to all four U.S. towns higher than 10,000 feet, including Leadville, the highest incorporated city in America at 10,200 feet. 

Despite its name, Leadville first attracted settlers in 1860 when gold and silver were discovered in nearby California Gulch. Leadville’s population boomed to nearly 30,000 by 1880 but today the city has a permanent population of 2,633, according to the 2020 census.   

With a permanent population of 5,078 residents in 2020, the ski town of Breckenridge, Colorado, holds the distinction of being the biggest town in America above 9,000 feet.  

During the height of ski season, the population of Breckenridge swells to nearly 40,000 people. The base elevation of Breckenridge Ski Resort is 9,601 feet, but the Imperial Express SuperChair drops off advanced skiers at a dizzying 12,840 feet, making it the highest chair lift in North America.  

At an impressive 9,800 feet, the rustic ski town of Brian Head, Utah, is the sixth-highest U.S. town and the single highest outside the state of Colorado. (Colorado claims 18 of the 20 highest towns in America.)  

Brian Head recorded a population of 151 permanent residents in 2020, but the Brian Head Resort is a popular ski mountain just three hours from Las Vegas, Nevada. The town celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025.  

The Rocky Mountains dominate the list of the highest towns in the United States, but the picturesque “High Country” of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina is home to Beech Mountain, the highest town east of the Mississippi River at 5,506 feet.  

Like its Western cousins, Beech Mountain is home to a ski resort by the same name that’s popular with skiers, hikers and mountain bikers. Its permanent population is 675, according to the 2020 census, and summer temperatures rarely exceed the mid-70s, making Beech Mountain a “cool” destination year-round.  

Not only is Santa Fe, New Mexico, the highest state capital in the United States, but it’s also the oldest. Founded in 1610 as part of Spanish Nuevo México, Santa Fe sits 7,000 feet in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. With a population around 85,000, Santa Fe is by far the biggest city in America that’s 7,000 feet or higher in elevation.  

The absolute lowest elevation in the U.S. is recorded at Badwater Basin, where sun-baked salt flats sit 282 feet below sea level in the heart of Death Valley National Park. But nobody lives in Badwater. Nearby Furnace Creek boasts a population of 136, according to the 2020 census, and is the lowest-elevation town in America at 190 feet below sea level.