List of Colorado municipalities by elevation
This list ranks the 273 active incorporated municipalities[1] of the US State of Colorado by geographic elevation.[a] Colorado has five municipalities above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) elevation, 40 above 8,000 feet (2,438 m) elevation, 115 above 6,000 feet (1,829 m) elevation, 256 above 4,000 feet (1,219 m) elevation, and all 273 municipalities are above 3,350 feet (1,021 m) elevation.
The Town of Carbonate, Colorado is technically the highest elevation municipality in the United States, however its remote location may be the reason it has had no year-round residents since the 1890 United States Census. Since 1890, the Town of Alma, Colorado has been the highest elevation municipality in the United States with a year-round population. The City of Leadville, Colorado has been the highest elevation incorporated city in the United States since its incorporation on February 18, 1878. The Town of Winter Park, Colorado has the highest elevation within the municipal boundaries of any town in the United States at 12,060 feet (3,676 m).
The "Mile-High City" of Denver, the Colorado state capital, is only the 170th highest of the 273 Colorado municipalities. While the Town of Holly, Colorado is the lowest municipality in Colorado, it is higher than the high-points of 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Municipalities[edit]
| † | County seat |
|---|---|
| ‡ | State capital |
See also[edit]
- Bibliography of Colorado
- Geography of Colorado
- History of Colorado
- Index of Colorado-related articles
- List of Colorado-related lists
- Outline of Colorado
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b Geographic elevation from the Geographic Names Information System.[2]
- ^ Municipal rank by geographic elevation.
- ^ Geographic location from the Geographic Names Information System.[2]
- ^ Municipal maps from the Colorado Department of Transportation.[3]
- ^ Municipal websites from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.[1]
- ^ On November 4, 2014, the property owners of Carbonate, Colorado voted 9 to 0 to reactivate the town government despite having no year-round residents since the 1890 United States Census.[4]
- ^ The City of Leadville is the seat of Lake County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Fairplay is the seat of Park County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Breckenridge is the seat of Summit County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Cripple Creek is the seat of Teller County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Silverton is the seat of San Juan County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ On March 28, 2023, the residents of Keystone, Colorado voted 291 to 140 to incorporate as a home rule city.[6]
- ^ Keystone population prior to March 28, 2023 is for the Keystone CDP.
- ^ The Town of Creede is the seat of Mineral County, Colorado, although the town uses the title "City of Creede."
- ^ Creede uses the official title City of Creede despite its status as a Colorado statutory town.
- ^ The Town of Telluride is the seat of San Miguel County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Lake City is the seat of Hinsdale County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Georgetown is the seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Central is the seat of Gilpin County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Walden is the seat of Jackson County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of San Luis is the seat of Costilla County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ San Luis de la Culebra was settled on April 9, 1851, making San Luis the oldest continuously occupied community in the Colorado.[7]
- ^ The City of Aspen is the seat of Pitkin County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Del Norte is the seat of Rio Grande County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Westcliffe is the seat of Custer County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Ouray is the seat of Ouray County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Hot Sulphur Springs is the seat of Grand County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Gunnison is the seat of Gunnison County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Saguache is the seat of Saguache County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The name "Saguache" is pronounced /səˈwætʃ/. This name comes from the Ute language noun "sawup" /səˈwʌp/ meaning "sand dunes". The Spanish language version of this name is usually spelled "Saguache", while the English language version is usually spelled "Sawatch".[8]
- ^ The Town of Alamosa is the seat of Alamosa County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Pagosa Springs is the seat of Archuleta County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Salida is the seat of Chaffee County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Dove Creek is the seat of Dolores County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Steamboat Springs is the seat of Routt County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Eagle is the seat of Eagle County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Durango is the seat of La Plata County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Ignacio is the headquarters of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.[9]
- ^ The Town of Kiowa is the seat of Elbert County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Branson is the southernmost municipality in Colorado.
- ^ The Town of Meeker is the seat of Rio Blanco County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Castle Rock is the seat of Douglas County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Craig is the seat of Moffat County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Cortez is the seat of Montezuma County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Walsenburg is the seat of Huerfano County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Trinidad is the seat of Las Animas County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Colorado Springs is the seat of El Paso County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Dinosaur is the westernmost municipality in Colorado.
- ^ The City of Montrose is the seat of Montrose County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Glenwood Springs is the seat of Garfield County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Golden is the seat of Jefferson County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Coal Creek should not be confused with the Coal Creek CDP.
- ^ As a consolidated city and county, the City and County of Broomfield is its own county seat.[1][5]
- ^ The City of Littleton is the seat of Arapahoe County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Cañon City is the seat of Fremont County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Boulder is the seat of Boulder County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City and County of Denver is the capital of the State of Colorado.[1]
- ^ As a consolidated city and county, the City and County of Denver is its own county seat.[1][5]
- ^ Denver has retained its “Mile-High City" elevation of 5,280 feet (1,609.344 m) despite advances in scientific measurement. When the National Geodetic Survey makes adjustments to the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD), the State of Colorado moves the official mile-high elevation point up or down the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol to reflect the changes. Most of Denver actually lies above this elevation.[10]
- ^ The Town of Hugo is the seat of Lincoln County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Fort Collins is the seat of Larimer County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Brighton is the seat of Adams County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Delta is the seat of Delta County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Raymer is served by the New Raymer post office, creating some confusion about the town's name.[11]
- ^ The City of Pueblo is the seat of Pueblo County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Greeley is the seat of Weld County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Akron is the seat of Washington County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Grand Junction is the seat of Mesa County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Springfield is the seat of Baca County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Fort Morgan is the seat of Morgan County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Ordway is the seat of Crowley County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Cheyenne Wells is the seat of Cheyenne County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Eads is the seat of Kiowa County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Burlington is the seat of Kit Carson County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of La Junta is the seat of Otero County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Sterling is the seat of Logan County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Las Animas is the seat of Bent County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Holyoke is the seat of Phillips County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Lamar is the seat of Prowers County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The City of Wray is the seat of Yuma County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Julesburg is the seat of Sedgwick County, Colorado.[5]
- ^ The Town of Julesburg is the northernmost municipality in Colorado.
- ^ The Town of Holly is the easternmost municipality in Colorado.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "Geographic Names Information System". United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Map Search". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ Stroud, John (November 8, 2014). "Yes, that's a town — by 9–0 vote". Glenwood Springs Post Independent. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj "Colorado Counties". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Keystone will become Colorado's newest town following incorporation approval Tuesday". SummitDaily. March 29, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ "Colorado celebrates the anniversary of its oldest town, San Luis". History Colorado. April 1, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Merkl, Dameon (February 26, 2013), "What's in a Colorado name pronunciation?", The Denver Post, retrieved September 4, 2022
- ^ "Southern Ute Indian Tribe". Southern Ute Indian Tribe. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ Cook, Terri (May 26, 2015). "Only in Colorado: The Capitol's Mile-High Step(s)". 5280 Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ "Colorado Post Offices". United States Postal Service. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
External links[edit]
Colorado at Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Travel information from Wikivoyage
- United States Department of the Interior
- State of Colorado
- Colorado Municipal League
- History Colorado
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