New York City Elevation

New York City

New York City is simply gigantic, but it started off as small as any other town. It was originally just a trading post, founded by Dutch colonists in the early 17th century and named New Amsterdam at the time. English colonists eventually took control of the year and named it New York as the lands were under the possession of the Duke of York at the time. The city was the United States' capital for a few years and rapidly developed into the country's largest city. The city has a long and fascinating history, with many skyscrapers being built over the years to contribute to New York's ever-growing, world-famous skyline.

Nowadays, New York City is one of the most visited cities on the planet, receiving tens of millions of visitors each and every year. It appears in countless movies and TV shows and is globally known for its unique landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building , Central Park, Times Square, and more (video). It's the most photographed city on the planet and leads the world in many major sectors like finance, media, and cultural development.

Elevation of New York City

Whenever we talk about the important geographical statistics of a town or city, elevation is always an important reading to consider. The elevation of a location tells us how high or low it is in relation to sea level. Despite having some of the tallest buildings in the world and being well-known for its towers and skyscrapers, New York City has a very low elevation of just 33 feet (10 m) above sea level. New York's elevation is so low due to its location right on the coast of the United States.

Many high man-made structures can be found all around New York City, but the highest natural point in the state is Todt Hill. Located on Staten Island, Todt Hill has an elevation of 401 feet (122 m) and is actually the highest elevation point in the Atlantic coastal plain, which extends all the way down to Florida. The highest point in all of New York State is Mount Marcy, a mountain located in Essex County and standing at an elevation of 5,343 feet (1,628.67 m), while the state's lowest point is technically the Atlantic Ocean, which is at sea level.

New York is not one of the highest or lowest states in terms of average elevation. The mean elevation reading for New York State is 1,000 feet (300 m), so the elevation of New York City is much lower than the state average and the Big Apple is one of the lowest points in the whole state. Other major cities in New York State apart from NYC include the state capital of Albany, which has an average elevation of 64 feet (20 m), Buffalo, which has an elevation of 600 feet (183 m), and Rochester, which has an elevation of 505 feet (154 m), so New York City's elevation is generally much lower than these other locations.