The Lowest Towns in America
Some towns in the United States are built in strange places. That often adds to the character of the town itself, and some of them sit remarkably low. Every town on this list lies below sea level. Sea level is the standard for measuring the height of land against the average surface height of the oceans. Being built so low can create problems when it rains, yet these towns persevere.
Furnace Creek
Sitting at 190 feet below sea level is the small unincorporated census-designated place in California called Furnace Creek. This tiny town was home to 136 people at the 2020 census. It is a popular camp destination since it is located in Death Valley National Park, where temperatures can climb past 120 degrees Fahrenheit. While most would worry about flooding in a location so far below sea level, the residents of Furnace Creek do not need to worry much about rain. Flash flooding has occurred in the past, but the area is considered one of the driest places on Earth.
Bombay Beach
Bombay Beach, as of 2026, is home to 317 people and sits around 225 feet below sea level. What is fascinating about this unincorporated census-designated place is that it used to be considered a thriving resort town back in the 1950s. Now, it is considered an open air art gallery, with artists creating different exhibits around the area.
The reason Bombay Beach lost its appeal in the following decades was rising salinity in the Salton Sea, which had been the main draw for tourists. People can still come to enjoy the views of the Salton Sea, but should not go swimming in it due to its high salinity levels and hazardous chemicals from runoff. There are plenty of art installations to take in, and Bombay Beach ruins to explore. While the town is incredibly low, it still draws a steady stream of visitors. Just be sure not to touch the Salton Sea.
Calipatria
Located about a half hour away from Bombay Beach is the small town of Calipatria, California. Calipatria sits 184 feet below sea level. It has a population of 7,800 people, but bear in mind that 4,000 of those people are prisoners at the Calipatria State Prison. Due to the town being 184 feet below sea level, the prison is considered the lowest elevation of any prison in the Western Hemisphere.
The town is also home to a 184-foot flagpole, built so that its flag flies at exactly sea level. A sign at its base bills it as the world's tallest and dedicates it to "Good Neighborliness," though taller flagpoles now stand elsewhere. The pole went up in 1958 after the town rallied around a local pharmacist who had lost his wife in a car accident, and "Good Neighborliness" became its lasting theme.
Coachella
Known for its name being used for the music festivals, Coachella is also 68 feet below sea level. Coachella, California, is home to about 42,000 people and was first established not through music but through the railroad. In 1876, railroad tracks were laid as part of the California railway expansion. In the 1900s, a water well was established, and the city became a center of agriculture and shipped much of its produce out through the previously established trains.
Fast forward to 1999, when the first Coachella music festival took place. However, Coachella does not take place in the actual city, but it is held in Indio, which is also part of the Coachella Valley. Now every April, people flock to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to celebrate in the desert, and for those staying at the nearby city of Coachella, they will be staying in a place below sea level. Luckily, due to it being in a desert, the people in town do not frequently need to worry about flooding.
New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana has an average elevation of about 6 feet below sea level. Due to this, New Orleans has many levees, pumps, and control structures on the Mississippi River to try to keep the city dry. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, 80% of New Orleans was flooded, which highlighted just how dangerous the waters could be. This led to a focus on coastal disaster preparedness, and the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction system was repaired and rebuilt by the Army Corps of Engineers between 2006 and 2018. Since this system was repaired and rebuilt, it has withstood several strong hurricanes that have blown through the area since. Unfortunately, for residents outside of the system, they still experience flooding.
As of 2025, New Orleans is home to 362,154 people. Unlike the other towns mentioned, New Orleans is not located in a desert, but quite the opposite. New Orleans is considered subtropical and has an average rainfall of 63 inches a year, which is why it is so crucial to have systems in place to combat flooding. The city is known as being the birthplace of jazz and has an energy that is hard to match. Despite living in one of the lowest places in the United States, people in New Orleans know how to persevere.
Low Towns
It does not matter how low these towns are to the people who live there. Whether they are towns in the scorching heat that do not experience rain, or are next to a hazardous sea, or are threatened by hurricanes, they are still the place called home sweet home. Regardless of the sea level, these places will remain home sweet home.
