Do you like to plan your trip based on extremes? From the highest peaks to the coldest annual temperatures, the following US landmarks are worth a visit from a statistical standpoint. While these attractions may have been on your radar all along, they provide a new way of thinking about traveling in the US, and they may give you new ideas about where to go and what to see.
Highest Point : Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, is located in Alaska. It rises to a height of more than 20,000 feet (6,194 meters). According to the CIA World Factbook for the United States, Mauna Kea, a volcano in Hawaii, would rank as the highest mountain in the world (at 10,200 meters) if measured from its base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The highest mountain in the lower 48 states is Mount Whitney in California.
Lowest Point : Death Valley in California is the lowest point in the US measuring 282 feet below sea level.
Easternmost point in the US – The easternmost point in the continental United States is West Head, Maine. The easternmost point of the United States, including the territories, is Point Udall on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands.
Westernmost point in the US USA : The westernmost point within the 50 states is Cape Wrangell, Alaska, located within Wrangell-St. Elias and Glacier Bay National Park, part of a UNESCO site in the United States. Meanwhile, the westernmost point in the US and its territories is Point Udall, Guam.
Northernmost point of the USA USA – Point Barrow, Alaska is the northernmost point in the US Within the continental United States, the northernmost point is Lake of the Woods, Minnesota.
The southernmost point in the United States : Ka Lae, Hawaii, is the southernmost point of the 50 United States, while the southernmost point of the 48 contiguous states is Cape Sable, Florida. The southernmost point in all of the United States is Rose Atoll in American Samoa.
Tallest Building One World Trade Center, New York. Also known as the “Freedom Tower,” the building at One World Trade Center is located on the site of the former World Trade Center buildings, which were destroyed on September 11, 2001. Before May 2013, the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago, Illinois, was the tallest building in the United States.
Tallest Monument : While One World Trade Center is a monument in some respects, the Gateway Arch, located in St. Louis, is the tallest monument in the United States.
Largest City By Area : Yakutat, Alaska is the largest city in the US by area according to the About Geography guide. The largest city by area in the 48 contiguous states is Jacksonville, Florida.
Largest City by Population : With more than eight million residents, New York City is the largest city in the United States by population, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.
- Guide to traveling to New York City
- Guide to travel to Los Angeles
- Chicago Travel Guide
- Houston guide
- Phoenix Guide
Largest Body of Water : Lake Superior, located on the northern borders of the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, is the largest body of water in the United States and the largest freshwater lake in the world.
- Michigan National Parks Guide
- Wisconsin National Parks Guide
- Minnesota National Parks Guide
Oldest city in the United States – This is a statistic that has many interpretations. St. Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565, is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States .
However, there are older native settlements in the United States. Cahokia, a Native American settlement located in present-day Illinois and one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites located in the US, was established at approximately 650. Acoma Pueblo and Taos Pueblo in New Mexico are inhabited Indian settlements continuously oldest in the United States, having been established since 1000. The Oraibi Hopi Reservation in Arizona and the Zuni Pueblo Settlements were established in 1100 and 1450, respectively.
San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico (an incorporated territory of the United States) was founded by European settlers in 1521.
Coldest Average Temperature : Barrow, Alaska, holds the record for coldest average temperature. In the lower 48, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, closely followed by International Falls, Minnesota, maintains that distinction.
Coldest temperature on record in the U.S. US – The coldest temperature on record in the US was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska. In the 48 contiguous states, the coldest was Rogers Pass, Montana, at -70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Highest Average Temperature : Phoenix, Arizona, holds the United States record for average days of the year above 99 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 37 degrees Celsius).
The highest temperature ever recorded in the US . USA – Death Valley, in California, holds the record for the highest temperature on record in the United States at 134 degrees Fahrenheit, or 56.7 degrees Celsius
