Oldest Towns
Some of America’s oldest towns have transformed into thriving cities that continue to grow, while others seem to have been forgotten by time yet still retain their history and charm. There have inevitably been disputes between towns over who was really “first,” but the places on our list are most likely the oldest.
The US is considered a relatively young country, but of course, plenty of these “oldest towns” and cities have been around for a very long time. By looking at the year settlers founded each town, we’ve figured out the oldest towns by state. Of course, we shouldn’t forget that before European settlers arrived on the land known as The United States Of America, Native Americans called these places their home.
Unfortunately, many towns that were “established,” expelled or wiped out Native Americans by colonizing settlers who claimed the land. Colonial America’s history often erases these stories. So even though it’s not always pretty, history is fascinating! Click “Next” below to see which 50 oldest towns made our list, some of them you might not even know about!
I lived in NJ for many years and Newark wasn’t far from one of the towns I lived in. I also lived in D.C. and traveled to Williamsburg which is definitely worth the trip.
I found the history of these towns relative to Native Americans settling them poignant since these people were replaced by white men. We then put them in “reservations.” Not a very proud history.
My city, Victoria, Texas was founded in 1824 by Spanish Settlers under Martin DeLeon . It was named for Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Jesus Victoria and Guadalupe Victoria, the first Mexican president. We are 201 years old now.
Lahaina is another, located on Maui, Hawaii.
Gloucester MA., Established in 1623.
St. Augustine – oldest continuously occupied, but Pensacola was established in 1559 by Don Tristan de Luna and Spanish settlers and is America’s First (European) Settlement. The king and queen of Spain visited Pensacola in 2009 to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the 1559 Luna Expedition which established Pensacola. Magellan’s ship Elcano visited last year. Lots of heritage for both cities.