Is Leadville the highest city in the US?
Yes.
With an elevation of 10,152 feet — almost 2 miles above sea level — Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. Alma, Colorado, is the highest incorporated town in the U.S., at 10,578 feet.
Among statutory municipal governments in Colorado, including Leadville and Alma, the distinction between a town and a city depends on their population upon incorporating. Areas with 2,000 or fewer residents can form a statutory town, while areas with more than 2,000 people form a city. If a city loses population or if a town gains population after incorporating, it is not required to change its structure. In contrast, home rule municipalities can call themselves what they see fit.
Some ghost towns have elevations higher than both Leadville and Alma, such as Animas Forks at 11,200 feet, Climax at 11,342 feet and Tomboy at 11,500 feet.
See full source list below.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
