How to Determine Land Elevation Above Sea Level
You can determine a town or city's elevation above sea level online using one of several different websites or by carefully reviewing some printed maps for the tiny numbers that indicate elevation. EarthTools™ is not as well-known as Google Maps and Google Earth but it provides results more consistently than these other options. As of June 2011, a website called Daft Logic works to obtain elevation information from these two sites. However, Daft Logic has many bugs and does not work with some common browsers. If you don't have a printed map close at hand, use the online method.
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Instructions
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Navigate to EarthTools and click on the "Find Elevation/Height Above Sea Level" link on the left side of the page underneath the question "What Do You Want to Do?" The page will change.
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Choose the country your location is in from the scrolling country bar.
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Click the "Places" button and enter your search term in the field that appears. As directed by the site, enter just the name of the place you are seeking. Click "Go."
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Locate your area among the different location options that appear to the left that share the search term name you entered earlier. Click the "Zoom" link in the area's listing.
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Click the box "Height" to display the elevation above sea level in both feet and meters.
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Tips & Warnings
Consult National Geological Survey or National Park maps for more concise location elevations.
At one time you could obtain this information from Google Maps, but with the advent of Google Earth, this data is no longer available on a consistent basis on the free versions of these sites.
Be aware that land elevations can vary tremendously in mountainous areas and may not be reflected in the measurement returned by a measure of a city center.
References
Resources
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