Erie County topographic map

New York City's topography is a fascinating blend of varied elevations and unique landscapes, reflecting its diverse geography across five boroughs. Situated at the confluence of the Hudson and East Rivers, the city primarily features low-lying terrain, with the average elevation hovering around sea level.…

Average elevation: 62 ft

Manhattan, a densely populated urban island, has a diverse topography characterized by its generally flat terrain interspersed with elevated areas. The average elevation is about 50 feet (15 meters) above sea level, with its highest point reaching approximately 265 feet (81 meters) at Bennett Park in…

Average elevation: 52 ft

The core Tug Hill region encompasses 150,000 acres (610 km2) of unbroken, generally second-growth, northern hardwood forest, and is drained by a vast network of streams. Important rivers and streams whose headwaters are located within the Tug Hill region include the Mohawk River, Deer River, Salmon River, Mad…

Average elevation: 358 ft

Buffalo is characterized by its relatively flat terrain, predominantly lying on the Erie/Ontario Lake Plain, which forms part of the Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands. The city's elevation averages around 607 feet above sea level, with minor variations, particularly in neighborhoods like University Heights, which…

Average elevation: 607 ft

Average elevation: 1,086 ft

Average elevation: 30 ft

Average elevation: 784 ft

Average elevation: 564 ft

Many of the village street grids of Queens had only worded names, some were numbered according to local numbering schemes, and some had a mix of words and numbers. In the early 1920s, a "Philadelphia Plan" was instituted to overlay one numbered system upon the whole borough. The Topographical Bureau, Borough…

Average elevation: 36 ft

The land to the south of this moraine to the South Shore is the outwash plain of the last glacier. One part of the outwash plain was known as the Hempstead Plains, and this land contained one of the few natural prairies to exist east of the Appalachian Mountains. The glaciers melted and receded to the north,…

Average elevation: 138 ft

Essex County is in the northeastern part of New York state, just west of Vermont along the eastern boundary of the state. The eastern boundary of Essex County is Lake Champlain, which serves as the New York – Vermont border at an elevation of just under 100 feet (30.5 m). The highest natural point in New…

Average elevation: 1,371 ft

Average elevation: 636 ft

Watertown is around 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Syracuse, 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the Thousand Islands and 328 miles (530 kilometers) northwest of New York City. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24 km2), of which 9.0 square miles…

Average elevation: 643 ft

Average elevation: 758 ft

Average elevation: 971 ft

Average elevation: 272 ft

Average elevation: 554 ft

Average elevation: 1,427 ft

Adirondack Park, covering over six million acres, features a diverse topography characterized by rugged mountains, extensive forests, and numerous waterways. The park is dominated by the Adirondack Mountains, which contain 46 peaks exceeding 4,000 feet, with Mount Marcy standing at 5,343 feet as the highest…

Average elevation: 1,217 ft

Saratoga County is situated in the eastern portion of New York State, north of the state capital city of Albany, northwest of Troy, and east of Utica. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 844 square miles (2,190 km2), of which 810 square miles (2,100 km2) are land and 34 square…

Average elevation: 715 ft

The western edge of the city is flat along the river, and then steeply slopes to higher terrain to the east. The average elevation is 50 feet, with the highest elevation being 500 feet in the eastern part of the city. The city is longer than it is wide, with the southern part wider than the northern section of…

Average elevation: 266 ft

Although Staten Island is a borough of New York City, the island is topographically and geologically a part of New Jersey. Staten Island is separated from Long Island by the Narrows and from mainland New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull. Staten Island is positioned at the center of New York…

Average elevation: 30 ft

Ithaca is characterized by a diverse topography that significantly influences its natural environment and urban layout. Nestled at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, the city features a floodplain area with an average elevation around 636 feet (194 meters) above sea level, though it rises to approximately 1,214…

Average elevation: 640 ft

Average elevation: 1,801 ft

Average elevation: 1,237 ft

The western edge of the city is flat along the river, and then steeply slopes to higher terrain to the east. The average elevation is 50 feet, with the highest elevation being 500 feet in the eastern part of the city. The city is longer than it is wide, with the southern part wider than the northern section of…

Average elevation: 449 ft

Average elevation: 190 ft

The highest natural point in Albany is a USGS benchmark near the Loudonville Reservoir off Birch Hill Road, at 378 feet (115 m) above sea level. The lowest point is sea level at the Hudson River (the average water elevation is 2 feet (0.61 m)), which is still technically an estuary at Albany and is affected by…

Average elevation: 223 ft

Average elevation: 98 ft

Average elevation: 1,286 ft

Average elevation: 1,939 ft

It is geologically related to the Finger Lakes, as they were both carved by glaciers, but is not counted among them. One difference is that Canadarago Lake is situated at a higher elevation (1,266 feet [386 m]) than the Finger Lakes (approximately 400 feet [122 m]). Another difference is the Finger Lakes are…

Average elevation: 1,453 ft

Average elevation: 587 ft

Average elevation: 643 ft

Average elevation: 328 ft

Average elevation: 39 ft

Average elevation: 7 ft

Binghamton, like all of the Southern Tier of New York, lies on the Allegheny Plateau; hence its hilly terrain. As such, elevations can vary in the city--Downtown, for example, is at an elevation of around 860 feet, while residential homes in the hills can go up to over 1,800 feet, such as on Ingram Hill. The…

Average elevation: 1,053 ft

Average elevation: 1,545 ft

Average elevation: 1,421 ft

The Bronx's highest elevation at 280 feet (85 m) is in the northwest corner, west of Van Cortlandt Park and in the Chapel Farm area near the Riverdale Country School. The opposite (southeastern) side of the Bronx has four large low peninsulas or "necks" of low-lying land that jut into the waters of the East…

Average elevation: 75 ft

Average elevation: 69 ft

At 987 feet (301 m), the highest elevation in the county is a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey benchmark known as "Bailey" in Mountain Lakes Park near the Connecticut state line. The lowest elevation is sea level, along both the Hudson and Long Island Sound.

Average elevation: 312 ft

Average elevation: 1,591 ft

Average elevation: 171 ft

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km2), of which 5.1 square miles (13.3 km2) is land, and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km2) (comprising 10.05%) is water. Poughkeepsie lies approximately 75 miles (121 km) north of the center of the New York megacity. It is…

Average elevation: 161 ft

Average elevation: 1,283 ft

Marble Hill is one example of how Manhattan's land has been considerably altered by human intervention. The borough has seen substantial land reclamation along its waterfronts since Dutch colonial times, and much of the natural variation in its topography has been evened out.

Average elevation: 56 ft

Average elevation: 75 ft

Clifton Park features a predominantly gentle terrain characterized by rolling hills and a mixture of forested areas, open fields, and suburban developments. The elevation in this area varies, generally ranging from around 300 to 500 feet above sea level, contributing to a picturesque landscape that integrates…

Average elevation: 279 ft

Monroe County features a diverse topography characterized by rolling hills, flat plains, and numerous water bodies, including Lake Ontario to the north. The terrain rises gently from the shores of the lake, with elevations reaching approximately 800 feet (244 meters) in the southern regions, particularly near…

Average elevation: 400 ft

The source of the Hudson River is Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Park at an elevation of 4,322 feet (1,317 m). However, the river is not cartographically called the Hudson River until miles downstream. The river is named Feldspar Brook until its confluence with the Opalescent River, and then is…

Average elevation: 974 ft

Average elevation: 528 ft

Lake Placid is well known among winter-sports enthusiasts for its skiing, both Alpine and Nordic. Whiteface Mountain (4,867 ft or 1,483 m), in nearby Wilmington about 13 miles (21 km) from Lake Placid, offers skiing, hiking, gondola rides, and mountain biking, and is the only one of the High Peaks that can be…

Average elevation: 1,831 ft

Cortland County features a varied topography characteristic of the glaciated Appalachian Plateau region. The landscape is primarily rural, with elevations ranging from approximately 850 to 2,100 feet above sea level. The terrain includes rolling hills, steep ridges, and valleys shaped by glacial activity,…

Average elevation: 1,486 ft

Average elevation: 164 ft

Average elevation: 23 ft

Average elevation: 1,398 ft

Average elevation: 531 ft

Average elevation: 318 ft

Average elevation: 846 ft

Average elevation: 194 ft

Average elevation: 1,168 ft

As a result of its higher elevation, Olean has a cooler humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) than the larger western New York cities with hot-summer humid continental climates (Dfa).

Average elevation: 1,512 ft

Average elevation: 249 ft

Average elevation: 810 ft

Average elevation: 443 ft

Average elevation: 689 ft

In June 1856, Fernando Wood appointed a "consulting board" of seven people, headed by author Washington Irving, to inspire public confidence in the proposed development. Wood hired military engineer Egbert Ludovicus Viele as the park's chief engineer, tasking him with a topographical survey of the site. The…

Average elevation: 85 ft

The county is generally composed of rolling hills and valleys, with elevations ranging anywhere between 1100 and 2100 feet, although the land within a few miles of Lake Erie is generally flat and at an elevation of 1000 feet or lower. The lowest point in the county is Lake Erie, at 571 feet (174 meters), and…

Average elevation: 1,076 ft

Average elevation: 138 ft

Average elevation: 1,220 ft

Average elevation: 525 ft

Average elevation: 469 ft

Average elevation: 1,125 ft

Average elevation: 1,647 ft

Average elevation: 30 ft

Average elevation: 1,699 ft

Average elevation: 384 ft

Average elevation: 1,306 ft

Average elevation: 1,503 ft

Average elevation: 627 ft

Average elevation: 1,542 ft

Average elevation: 1,056 ft

Average elevation: 436 ft

Average elevation: 33 ft

The elevation of the town varies by approximately 800 feet (240 m): from just under 1,100 feet (340 m) above sea level at the Unadilla River in the southwestern corner of the town, to just over 1,900 feet (580 m) at peaks near Taylor Hill and Summit Lake in the northeastern corner.

Average elevation: 1,447 ft

Average elevation: 1,476 ft

Average elevation: 1,339 ft

Average elevation: 1,440 ft

Elevations range from approximately 450 feet above sea level where Cayuga Inlet crosses the northern town line, to about 1230 feet at Town Hall in Danby Hamlet, to just over 1800 feet at Dawes Hill in the southwestern part of the town and Roundtop in the southeastern part of the town. The dramatic hill and…

Average elevation: 1,325 ft

Average elevation: 276 ft

In 1836 the local leadership initiated the community's transition from a "swampish hamlet" to a busy port town. The 22 acres of the harborfront, which flooded at high tide, were brought to a stable elevation with the construction of a causeway. The village changed its name from "Drowned Meadow" to "Port…

Average elevation: 108 ft

Average elevation: 249 ft

Average elevation: 1,142 ft

Average elevation: 259 ft

Average elevation: 636 ft

Average elevation: 312 ft

Average elevation: 1,099 ft

Average elevation: 1,421 ft