Calipatria Flagpole

Way out in the Colorado Desert and a stone’s throw from the Salton Sea, the desert town of Calipatria claims to play host to the world’s tallest flagpole, but may simply be the world’s lowest lying flagpole.

Way down low at 180 feet below sea level, the good folks of Calipatria live in the city at the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere. After a fatal car accident in the community led to an outpouring of kindness and good will among the citizenry, the town wanted to erect a monument to “Good Neighborliness.” With this in mind, and not wanting their patriotic flag to ever fly below sea level again, the town decided to erect a flagpole that would top out at sea-level so that old glory could always fly high. At 184 feet tall, the Calipatria flagpole claims to be the world’s tallest flagpole, although the Dushanbe Flagpole in Tajikistan holds the Guinness record at 541 feet high. Despite this, the sign at the base of the spire still claims the title, and their red, white, and blue still flies high.