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Elevation

Elevation of Garden Grove

88ft

above sea level · 27 m

Garden Grove is a city in California with 170,455 people, the 30th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 69th lowest.

By the Mapsfera Team

Elevation profile

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Place facts

Coordinates
33.77° N · 117.94° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 33° 46′ 26″ N · 117° 56′ 29″ W
UTM coordinates
11S · 412,828 E · 3,737,486 N
Zone 11 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
Orange County
Where the city’s reference point falls
State
California
CA · capital: Sacramento
Time zone
Pacific Time
UTC−8 · UTC−7 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
170,455 people
17.9 sq mi of land · 9,496 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from October 2023: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Garden Grove had 170,455 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.9% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 171,976. Its 17.9 sq mi of land work out to 9,496 people/sq mi; the state average is 253 people/sq mi.

It’s the 30th most populous of the 1,617 places the Census counts in California (cities, towns and CDPs), after Los Angeles (3,869,089), and holds 0.4% of the state’s population.

It lies entirely within Orange County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.1 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.

Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Garden Grove sits at 88 ft (27 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Garden Grove is 774 ft below it.

The state capital, Sacramento, is 387 mi away in a straight line and 61 ft lower than Garden Grove.

The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Anaheim, 4.5 mi away in a straight line and 71 ft higher.

Of the 75 cities in California with a page, Garden Grove is the 27th lowest: the highest is Hesperia (3,178 ft) and the lowest is Stockton (12 ft).

The highest point in California is Mount Whitney, at 14,494 ft according to the USGS: 14,406 ft above Garden Grove, 195 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 178 New Bedford 99 ft
  2. 179 Edinburg 94 ft
  3. 180 Garden Grove 88 ft
  4. 181 Modesto 88 ft
  5. 182 Bellevue 86 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Garden Grove and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Garden Grove with any other point on the map. Map of Orange County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Garden Grove and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of California counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Garden Grove.

What is the elevation of Garden Grove?

Garden Grove is 88 feet (27 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Garden Grove?

Latitude 33.77391 and longitude -117.94145, in decimal degrees (33° 46′ 26″ N · 117° 56′ 29″ W). In UTM, zone 11: 412,828 E and 3,737,486 N, on NAD83.

How does Garden Grove rank among the highest US cities of its size?

It’s the 69th lowest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

What county is Garden Grove in?

Orange County, California.

Which is higher, Garden Grove or Sacramento?

Garden Grove. Garden Grove sits at 88 ft and Sacramento at 27 ft: a difference of 61 ft, 387 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know