Author: Adam DuVander

Dever, Colorado gets its “Mile High City” nickname for being 5,280 feet above sea level: exactly one mile. When the average elevation of the United States is 2,500 feet, that may seem high. Yet nearly 350 U.S. towns and cities have higher elevations than Denver, more than 115 of which are even located in Colorado.

So let’s highlight places such as Alma, Montezuma, and Leadville, Colorado that don’t have well-known nicknames pertaining to their elevation. The average of these ​​346 places with higher elevations than Denver is 6,649 feet. And the highest among these? It’s almost two miles above sea level.

View Highest U.S. Elevation Cities in a full screen map

The 10 Highest Elevation Cities Are All Above 9,500 Feet

At over 5,000 feet, all of the 346 U.S. towns and cities on the map are already among the highest in elevation. Yet the 10 places that top even these are even more impressive. So let’s take a look at the 10 cities in the U.S. with the highest elevation.

• Alma, Colorado – 10,361 feet
• Montezuma, Colorado – 10,312
• Leadville, Colorado – 10,158
• Blue River, Colorado – 10,037
• Fairplay, Colorado – 9,953
• Brian Head, Utah – 9,800
• Victor, Colorado – 9,708
• Ophir, Colorado – 9,695
• Breckenridge, Colorado – 9,603
• Mountain Village, Colorado – 9,600

The 313 residents of Alma, Colorado live in the highest city or town in the U.S. Alma’s 10,361 feet (3,158 meters) elevation is just shy of 2 miles, which is perhaps why it isn’t referred to as the “Two Mile High City.” However, when only administrative boundaries are taken into account, instead of settled areas, the municipality of Winter Park, Colorado becomes the highest incorporated town due to its annexation of a ski area in 2006.

Regardless, Alma (and Winter Park) are far from the only places in Colorado with higher-than-average elevations in the top 10. Eight more Coloradian cities have elevations that range from 10,312 to 9,600 feet, not to mention the 110 other cities in Colorado with elevations higher than Denver.

And then there’s Brian Head, Utah, located at 9,800 feet (2,987 meters). It’s the only town outside of Colorado with an elevation in the top 10. Fittingly, Utah is also home to the second-most high-elevation cities (94). That’s followed by New Mexico (53), Wyoming (45), Arizona (13), Idaho (10), California (4), Montana (3), Nevada (2), South Dakota (1), Oregon (1), and North Carolina (1).

Be sure you check out the high-elevation cities in these states on the map before we move on to the temperatures of some of these cities.

Temperatures in the Highest Elevation Cities Average Are Just Over Freezing

More than just being the highest elevation towns and cities, sitting so far from sea level means these places can get pretty cold. While there was only data for 11 locations (all near the top 20), these temperatures are worth noting, especially as some could rank among the most extreme temps.

Freezing starts at 32 °F—and these 11 towns and cities average just above that at 35.5 °F:

City	State	Elevation (ft)	Average yearly temp (°F)	Average yearly temp (°C)
Alma	Colorado	10,361	32.4	0.2
Breckenridge	Colorado	9,603	33.5	0.8
Dillon	Colorado	9,111	34.9	1.6
Fairplay	Colorado	9,953	35	1.7
Leadville	Colorado	10,158	35.1	1.7
Ophir	Colorado	9,695	35.1	1.7
Silverton	Colorado	9,318	35.3	1.8
Brian Head	Utah	9,800	35.6	2
Silverthorne	Colorado	9,035	35.7	2.1
Montezuma	Colorado	10,312	37.5	3.1
Victor	Colorado	9,708	39.9	4.4

Once again, Alma tops the charts. The average yearly temperature of the #1 highest-elevation town in the U.S. is just .4 °F above freezing.

But that’s where the similarities to our previous rankings, based on elevation, end. The second coldest high-elevation place is Breckenridge, Colorado, which averages 33.5 °F each year. As you might recall, Breckenridge was only ninth in elevation.

Meanwhile, Dillon, Colorado is a brand new mention. Though the 17th highest elevated town, it’s home to the third coldest average yearly temperatures (34.9 °F).

You’ll have to check out the other temps on the map.

The Lowest Summit Is Still Higher than the Highest Town

While it’s clear Colorado is home to the highest towns and cities places, Alaska is the destination for the highest mountains.

No town nor city on our map surpasses any of the 200 highest summits in the U.S. The lowest is 11,916 feet (Charleston Peak in Nevada), 1,555 feet higher than Alma, Colorado.

Check out these massive mounts on our map of the highest United States summits.

Dancing transcends borders and cultures. While every country has its own unique dances that incorporate heritage, values, and traditions, have you ever wondered if any countries share the same national dances?

It turns out that out of the 289 unique national dances represented among 131 countries, some dances are shared by multiple nations.

Let’s put on our dancing shoes and explore the 18 national dances that are represented by more than one country. From Ardah, the most widely-practiced dance, to the traditional Al-Bar’ah in Oman and Yemen, we’ll take a closer look at the types of dances and which countries share them. Finally, we’ll take a look at the state dances throughout the U.S.—especially one very common dance that involves a shape. Yeehaw!

View National dances in a full screen map

The 18 National Dances Shared by Multiple Countries

Although there are 289 unique national dances represented among the 131 countries, there are a total of 313 dances. This means that some national dances are shared by more than one country. So let’s take a look at which dances are represented by multiple countries.

Dance	# of countries with this dance	Countries
Ardah	5	Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
Dabke	4	Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria
Quadrille	3	Bahamas, Jamaica, Virgin Islands
Tango	2	Argentina, Uruguay
Sousta	2	Cyprus, Greece
Shota	2	Albania, Kosovo
Rake-and-scrape	2	Bahamas, Turks and Caicos
Pericón	2	Argentina, Uruguay
Peacock dance	2	Bangladesh, Cambodia
Liwa	2	Bahrain, Kuwai
Ländler	2	Austria, Switzerland
Kwadril	2	Dominica, Saint Lucia
Kurdish dance	2	Iran, Iraq
Khaleegy	2	Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
Irish stepdance	2	Ireland, United Kingdom
Hora	2	Moldova, Romania
Bhangra	2	India, Pakistan
Al-Bar’ah	2	Oman, Yemen

As you can see from the table above, Ardah is the most widely practiced dance. It’s performed by two rows of men wielding swords or canes opposite each other, accompanied by drums and spoken poetry. Middle Eastern countries make up all five for which Ardah is a national dance. The second-most common dance, Dabke, is nearly as popular in Middle Eastern countries. It involves a mix of circle and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions.

More than just a region sharing the same dances, some are performed in two countries with similar cultural backgrounds or geographical proximity. For example, both Ardah and Liwa, a dance in which male participants arrange themselves into a circle while clapping and dancing in place, are performed in Bahrain and Kuwait, neighboring countries with shared cultural roots. Similarly, Shota is performed in both Albania and Kosovo, which are located in the same region of Europe, and the Kurdish dance is performed in both Iran and Iraq, two countries that share a border.

Check out the rest of the dances on the map before moving on to their classification, from folk to traditional and classical.

Folk Dances & More Types

Even if countries don’t share the same dance, quite a few have something else in common: types. Moreover, the following 10 are the types of at least two national dances.

• Folk dance: 225
• Traditional dance: 41
• Classical dance: 9
• Partner dance: 7
• Music and dance style: 6
• Popular dance: 6
• Square dance: 5
• Native American dance: 3
• Afro-Brazilian dance: 2
• Latin American dance: 2

Folk dances, which reflect the life of the people of the country or region, are by far the most common type, with 225 instances across 98 countries. Examples include the Israeli folk dance, India’s Garba, and the Marma dance in Bangladesh, along with Armenia’s Armenian dance and Shalakho.

Meanwhile, traditional dances are the second most common type, with 41 instances, including Al-Bar’ah in Oman and Yemen, the Chinese ​​dragon dance, and Napal’s Newa dance.

You’ll also find multiple classical, partner, popular, and music and dance style dances on the map. Other less common types of national dances are Native American, Latin American, and Afro-Brazilian dances.

But we can’t forget square dancing, which is the type of national dance of five countries, including many states in the U.S.

How Square Dancers Campaigned in the U.S.

While not on the map, we thought we’d dive further into the most popular state dances of the United States—or should we say, dance.

Just 33 U.S. states have dance data, according to Wikipedia. Of these, 24 (or nearly 73%) are square dances: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. This is a result of an apparent campaign by square dancers to make it the national dance of many states in the ‘70s.

Other than square dancing, the shag and clogging are more common than the rest. Specifically, the shag is the national dance of South Carolina while in North Carolina, the official popular dance is the Carolina shag. Clogging is representative of both North Carolina and Kentucky.

For more national statistics, don’t miss our maps of the 317 national foods, national drinks, animals,
sports, and flowers and trees.

Contrary to its name, ghost towns aren’t just really spooky places. They are actually abandoned villages, towns, or cities that often contain visible remaining—albeit neglected—buildings and roads.

So how does a once-flourishing location become such a place? Ghost towns are typically created when the industries or agriculture that supported them fail or come to an end due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, droughts, extreme weather, pollution, or war. The term may also include areas that have become significantly depopulated over time, such as those affected by high levels of unemployment and neglect.

Once-bustling places that are now empty make us curious. As a result, some ghost towns have become tourist attractions, such as Bannack, Montana. You’ll find that and the 4,530 other U.S. ghost towns you can find on the map below, and details about these ghost towns’ current statuses, common names, and locations in the following post.

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Statuses of Deserted Towns

The U.S.’s 4,531 ghost towns are just that: abandoned villages, towns, or cities. But while they all have this classification in common, their statuses differ. From barren or semi-abandoned places to sparsely populated areas and those that are fully submerged, we’re going to highlight the most common of those now:

Status	# of Ghost Towns
Barren	211
Neglected	119
Town with residual population	102
Abandoned	97
Semi-abandoned	69
Historic	57
D — Area is sparsely populated and may boast period structures (of varied physical condition) and/or a cemetery, but no operative town proper.	47
Submerged	46
A — No apparent remains of former settlement exist. In some cases, site may be marked and/or contain a cemetery.	37
Inhabited	34

As you can see from the table above, barren ghost towns are the most common type. Other popular statuses teeter on the verge of being ghost towns: like the 102 towns with residual populations, the 69 that are semi-abandoned, inhabited, and the sparsely populated areas that may boast period structures (of varied physical condition) and/or cemeteries, but no operative town propers.

Perhaps the most interesting are the 46 ghost towns that are submerged. Most of these (14) are located in ​​Pennsylvania, including Cokeville, Fillmore, Livermore, and Social Hall, which are all under the waters of Conemaugh River Lake. Wilsonville was intentionally flooded to create Lake Wallenpaupack—similar to a plot line in the TV show Ozark. Another submerged town, Somerfield, remained hidden under the waters of Youghiogheny River Lake until 1999 when receding water levels began to reveal parts of the town.

While the stories of ghost towns are similar, their stories are all unique. But the same can’t be said for their names.

Center Point, Wilson, and Other Common Ghost Town Names

As is so often the case, there are quite a few shared names among the 4,531 ghost towns. So let’s take a look at the names shared by more than four ghost towns.

• Center Point: 7 ghost towns
• Clifton: 5
• Hopewell: 5
• Wilson: 5
• Alma: 4
• Aurora: 4
• Benton: 4
• Boston: 4
• Carpenter: 4
• Corwin: 4
• Elizabethtown: 4
• Eureka: 4
• Hamilton: 4
• Keystone: 4
• Lexington: 4
• Liberty: 4
• Midway: 4
• Millville: 4
• Pioneer: 4
• Pittsburg: 4
• Providence: 4
• Silver City: 4
• Victoria: 4

Center Point is the most common ghost town name. All seven of the towns that share this name are located in Texas, though in varying counties.

Interestingly, Hopewell—not Hope nor Hopes— is another popular name throughout multiple states. There’s a Hopewell in Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee—and two in Missouri… three if you could the ghost town named Hopewell Furnace. And while not as common as Hopewell, there is a Hope in both Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Ghost towns named Wilson are equally as popular as Hopewell, with five throughout Florida, Illinois, Maryland, and Michigan. Though, if you were to count the number of Wilsonvilles along with Wilsons, it would be one more.

Meanwhile, 61 other names are shared by three ghost towns, including Dogtown, Empire, and Ruby. Further, 291 ghost town names apply to two each while the remaining 3,668 others have unique names.

Be sure to check out the rest of the common ghost town names on the map above, because we’re moving on to their locations.

The Most Abandoned Towns Are Located in These 10 States

Each of the 50 U.S. states has at least one ghost town—though with 4,531 total, some states are clearly home to more than one. Let’s look at which states have the most abandoned towns, using Heat View.

With more than four thousand markers on the map, all in the same country, the points can start to overlap, losing their ability to tell a useful story. This is where Heat View can be beneficial, as it exposes marker density.

The Lone Star State appears to be home to the most ghost towns: 550, to be exact. Over 30 are located in Wilson County, specifically, while Guadalupe, Presidio, Washington, Gillespie, and Bexar counties all have 10+.

Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Florida, and South Dakota are each home to more than 240 ghost towns, while Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Utah all have ghost towns in the hundreds.

Find Your Nearest Ghost Town

Use the search box in the ghost town map to enter a U.S. city, zip code, or address. The map will find your nearest ghost town, so you can begin exploring the past.

Alternatively, you might want something a little more populated… The opposite of a ghost town is a boom town! For the biggest boomtowns of every U.S. state, check out our map.