The oldest established town in every US state

Charleston, South Carolina is known for his pastel-colored buildings.Jeffrey Greenberg/UIG via Getty ImagesWe defined the oldest town by the year it was settled and officially established.Some date back to the 1500s, while others weren't settled until the 1800s.Many towns were named after the Native American tribes who settled in the area first.Some think of the United States as a young nation, but many of its towns have histories that stretch back centuries.From Native American communities to early colonial settlers, many of the towns in today's maps have been occupied for hundreds of years. But America's history is complicated, and uncountable towns with rich histories fell out of the history books once they became inhabited.To determine the oldest town in every state for this list, we defined it on the founding of a place by the year of its first permanent settlement, when people arrived and formally established a place.The unfortunate reality is that many towns in the US were already home to Native American communities — dating back thousands of years — by the time they were "founded."Members of Native American communities were expelled or wiped out by colonizing settlers who claimed the land as their own, and the history of colonial America often erases their stories. Photographers, historians, and advocates, including Matika Wilbur, are working to keep these stories alive.With this context in mind, here's the oldest established town in every state.ALABAMA: Mobile, est. 1702Christian Hinkle/ShutterstockA major port city, Mobile was founded by the French in 1702. While other sources credit Childersburg, Alabama, as the oldest continually occupied city dating back to 1540, it wasn't actually established until 1889.ALASKA: Kodiak, est. 1792The Kodiak Launch Complex in Kodiak, Alaska is pictured in this undated handout photo courtesy of NASA. A hypersonic weapon being developed by the US military was destroyed four seconds after its launch from a test range in Alaska early on Aug. 25, 2014 after controllers detected a problem with the system, the Pentagon said. The mission was aborted to ensure public safety.NASA/ReutersKodiak was founded in 1792 by Aleksandr Andreyevich Baranov, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Baranov was a Russian trader and merchant, who became manager of the Russian-American Company.ARIZONA: Tubac, est. 1752Matt Gush/ShutterstockEstablished as a Spanish military settlement in 1752, Tubac is the oldest European settlement in Arizona. The city's website notes that indigenous Hohokam and O'odham people had already inhabited the city prior to the arrival of the Spanish.The state's oldest city, Tucson, was officially founded in 1775, though the City of Tucson's official website says it has been continuously settled for over 12,000 years.ARKANSAS: Arkansas Post, est. 1686Arkansas Post.EWY Media/ShutterstockArkansas Post was technically the first city in Arkansas, having been established as a trading post by the French in 1686, according to the National Park Service. But it was mostly destroyed in the Civil War and has since become a state park.Georgetown is the second oldest city, founded in 1789, but is still a functioning city today.CALIFORNIA: San Diego, est. 1769Shutterstock/Sebastien BurelExplorer Sebastián Vizcaíno renamed San Diego (formerly San Miguel) in 1602, but Spanish explorers dedicated the first California mission, San Diego de Alcalá, in 1769, San Diego Magazine reported.Santa Cruz was also dedicated in 1769.COLORADO: San Luis, est. 1851An aerial photo of the San Luis Valley in Colorado.John Hecker/ShutterstockSan Luis was established in 1851, by Hispano farmers, and named after a Catholic saint, according to the state's official website and The Tennessean.CONNECTICUT: Windsor, est. 1633Windsor, Connecticut.Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty ImagesSettlers from Plymouth Colony built the first trading house in Windsor in 1633 on an expanse of land they bought from Native Americans who were living there, per the state's history website.DELAWARE: Lewes, est. 1631Lewes, Delaware.John Greim/LightRocket/Getty ImagesThe Dutch first settled in Lewes in 1631, according to its Chamber of Commerce. It calls itself "The first town in the first state," since Delaware was the first to ratify the Constitution.FLORIDA: St. Augustine, est. 1565ShutterstockAccording to many historians, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US, having been established by the Spanish in 1565.GEORGIA: Savannah, est. 1733Sean Pavone/ShutterstockGeneral James Oglethorpe and 120 passengers traveling on a ship named "Anne" docked along the Savannah River in 1733, and the city of Savannah was born. It became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia.HAWAII: Hilo, est. 1822dirkr/ShutterstockHilo's history dates back to 1100 AD. Christian missionaries arrived in 1822, and it became a center of whaling and trade.IDAHO: Franklin, est. 1860Franklin, Idaho.Google MapsFranklin was founded in 1860 by a small group of Mormon settlers and was named for Apostle Franklin D. Richards.ILLINOIS: Peoria, est. 1680City Hall in Peoria, Illinois.Henryk Sadura/ShutterstockFrench settlers Robert Cavalier Sieur de LaSalle and Henri de Tonti built Fort Crevecoeur on the bank the Illinois River in 1680, according to the Peoria Historical Society. Soon, a village grew around it.INDIANA: Vincennes, est. 1732Vincennes, Indiana.JWCohen/ShutterstockVincennes was a French fur trading post when it was established in 1732 along the Wabash River, according to the city's official website.IOWA: Dubuque, est. 1837Dubuque, Iowa.B. Vogel/ClassicStock/Getty ImagesDubuque was established in 1837 by Julien Dubuque, a French-Canadian fur trader. He worked with the local Mesquakie Indian tribe to manage lead mines in the area.KANSAS: Leavenworth, est. 1827Leavenworth, Kansas.Jordan McAlister/Getty ImagesFort Leavenworth was established in 1827 and is still in use today, making it the third-oldest continuously active military base in the US. It was the largest city on the Missouri River during the Civil War, according to the city's official website.KENTUCKY: Harrodsburg, est. 1774Harrodsburg, Kentucky.Ivelin Denev/ShutterstockHarrodsburg, which was originally called Harrodstown, was established by James Harrod in 1774.LOUISIANA: Natchitoches, est. 1714Natchitoches, Louisiana.Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty ImagesNatchitoches, founded in 1714 by French explorers, resembles New Orleans' French quarter, and is sometimes referred to as "little New Orleans," Fox8 reported.MAINE: Kittery, est. 1647Kittery, Maine.Derek Davis/Portland Portland Press Herald/Getty ImagesEnglish settlers first arrived in Kittery in 1623, and it was incorporated in 1647, per its official website.MARYLAND: St. Mary's City, est. 1634St. Mary's City, Maryland.Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics/Getty ImagesSt. Mary's City was founded in 1634 by English Catholics who were escaping religious persecution. Many consider it the birthplace of religious freedom in the US, The Washington Post reported in 2008.MASSACHUSETTS: Plymouth, est. 1620FLX2/ShutterstockPlymouth is referred to as "America's hometown" for its famed Plymouth Rock, where the Mayflower landed in 1620 (though Jamestown, Virginia, also begets the title as the oldest settlement).MICHIGAN: Sault Ste. Marie, est. 1668Dana Foreman / ShutterstockSault Ste. Marie was founded by French missionaries and fur traders in 1668.MINNESOTA: Wabasha, est. 1830Wabasha, Minnesota.Steve Heap/ShutterstockWabasha was established in 1830, though it has been continuously occupied since 1826.Some believe Stillwater, Minnesota, is the state's oldest town because it was incorporated in 1854, while Wabasha wasn't incorporated until 1858. But according to the year of first settlement, the Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien drafted in 1830 establishes that Wabasha preceded it.MISSISSIPPI: Natchez, est. 1716Natchez, Mississippi.Steve Liss/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesNatchez was founded in 1716, by French colonists. It was the state's most active slave trading city, per the state's history website.MISSOURI: Ste. Genevieve, est. ~1735Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.Roberto Galan/ShutterstockThe exact year that Ste. Genevieve was founded is unclear, but French-Canadian settlers could have established it as early as 1735, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.MONTANA: Stevensville, est. 1841Stevensville, Montana.Ann Hermes/The Christian Science Monitor/Getty ImagesStevensville was officially founded in 1841, when Father Pierre Jean De Smet rolled in with three carts, building St. Mary's Mission, the Northwest's first church and school. The town is celebrated during Western Heritage Days as the oldest town in Montana.NEBRASKA: Bellevue, est. 1822Bellevue, Nebraska.Jacob Boomsma/ShutterstockAccording to Encyclopedia Britannica, Bellevue is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Nebraska. It was first established as a trading post in 1822, and moved to its current location in 1835.NEVADA: Genoa, est. 1851Genoa, Nevada.Gchapel/ShutterstockGenoa is a tiny town — according to its website, just 250 people live there. It was settled in 1851, as a trading post by a group of Mormon traders from Salt Lake City.NEW HAMPSHIRE: Dover, est. 1623Dover, New Hampshire.Erin Clark/The Boston Globe/Getty ImagesDover's website states that it's the oldest continuous settlement in New Hampshire and the seventh oldest in the entire US. It was originally settled in 1623 by fishermen and traders.NEW JERSEY: Jersey City, est. 1660A view of the Jersey City waterfront from Manhattan.Noah Sheidlower/Business InsiderJersey City was first settled by the Dutch in 1660, and it was officially incorporated as Jersey City in 1820.NEW MEXICO: Santa Fe, est. 1607-1610CAVORT/ShutterstockAccording to Santa Fe's official website, it's not only the oldest capital city in the US, but also the second oldest city in the whole country. Santa Fe, which means "holy faith" in Spanish, was founded between 1607 and 1610.NEW YORK: Albany, est. 1624Carol Bell/ShutterstockThe capital of New York is also its oldest city. Originally founded as Fort Orange by Dutch settlers in 1624, the city was officially chartered by the British government as Albany in 1686.Even though Fort Orange wasn't founded until the 1620s, Henry Hudson (of Hudson River fame), arrived in the area in 1609 and found it populated with Iroquois Native Americans, according to Albany's website.NORTH CAROLINA: Bath, est. 1705Bath, North Carolina.Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group/Getty ImagesBath had its 300th anniversary in 2005, celebrating the town's founding in 1705. Bath was also North Carolina's first port, and was almost named the state's capital. However, after the town was passed up, it slowly shrank, and now has just 241 residents, per the most recent US Census data.NORTH DAKOTA: Pembina, est. 1797Ivmonica/ShutterstockThe city of Pembina's official motto is: "Oldest Settlement in the Dakota Territories." While it was inhabited before this, Pembina's website reports that its first official date in history was 1797, when the first trading post was established.OHIO: Marietta, est. 1788Marietta, Ohio.Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty ImagesMarietta holds the distinction of being the first city in the Northwest Territory — its website says it was officially founded in 1788, after a ship called the Adventure Galley sailed up the Ohio River and landed there.OKLAHOMA: Fort Gibson, est. 1824RaksyBH/ShutterstockThe sign that welcomes visitors into Fort Gibson proclaims it "the Oldest Town in Oklahoma."Fort Gibson was founded in 1824 as a result of the rising tensions between the Cherokee and Osage Nations — the US felt they had to move their outpost further out west.OREGON: Astoria, est. 1811Astoria, Oregon.Hrach Hovhannisyan/ShutterstockPer the town's history, Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, due to its founding in 1811 by John Jacob Astor, the nation's first millionaire. Sixty five years later, in 1876, the town was officially incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly.PENNSYLVANIA: Chester, est. 1644Chester, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1644Khairil Azhar Junos/ShutterstockChester, located south of Philadelphia, was founded in 1644 under the name "Upland" by Swiss settlers, according to the City of Chester website. In 1681, William Penn acquired the settlement and shortly renamed it Chester.RHODE ISLAND: Providence, est. 1636Tupungato/ShutterstockProvidence was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a preacher fleeing Massachusetts due to religious persecution. He purchased land and created his own city with the promise of religious freedom.SOUTH CAROLINA: Charleston, est. 1670f11photo/ShutterstockThe city of Charleston was founded in 1670 by English colonists. Charleston's main historical claim to fame is that it's the site of the first official shot fired in the Civil War, at Fort Sumter.SOUTH DAKOTA: Fort Pierre, est. 1743Fort Pierre, South Dakota.Ruba8370/ShutterstockFort Pierre's website claims that it's the oldest continuously occupied white settlement in South Dakota. According to the National Park Service, it is home to a plate buried by French explorers named Verendrye in 1743, who were among the first white men to explore what would later become South Dakota.TENNESSEE: Jonesborough, est. 1779Jonesborough, Tennessee.Paul Harris/Getty ImagesJonesborough is known colloquially as "Tennessee's Oldest Town." It was founded in 1779 as a frontier town, 17 years before Tennessee was a state.TEXAS: Nacogdoches, est. 1779Nacogdoches, Texas.LMPark Photos/ShutterstockNacogdoches was founded by Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo in 1779. According to the city's website, nine flags have flown over the town: Spanish, French, Mexican, Lone Star, Confederate and US, as well as one from the Gutierrez-Magee Rebellion, one from the Dr. James Long Expedition, and one from the Fredonia Rebellion. The rest of Texas has "only" seen six flags.UTAH: Ogden, est. 1851Ogden, Utah.GEORGE FREY/AFP/Getty ImagesOgden is the oldest continuously settled community in Utah, and was originally called Fort Buenaventura. Mormon settlers bought the fort in 1847, and it was officially incorporated in 1851.VERMONT: Westminster, est. 1734Westminster, Vermont.Google MapsThe small town of Westminster was founded in 1734, according to the Westminster Historical Society, but there wasn't a permanent settlement until 1751.VIRGINIA: Dumfries, est. 1749Robert E. Wolford III/ShutterstockChartered as a town in 1749, Dumfries is the oldest chartered town in Virginia, according to the Town of Dumfries' website.While Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607, according to the National Park Service, most of the early settlers died from starvation, disease, and war with the Powhatan Indian tribe living there. Today, it's a historic site, but no longer a town. WASHINGTON: Steilacoom, est. 1854Steilacoom, Washington.Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty ImagesSteilacoom's website states that it's the oldest incorporated town in Washington state — it officially became a town in 1854.A boat captain from Maine, Captain Lafayette Balch, was reminded of home upon seeing the area on the Puget Sound and founded Steilacoom in January, 1851. He called it "Port Steilacoom."However, a few months later John B. Chapman made claim to the west, naming his town "Steilacoom City." In 1854 the new territorial legislature incorporated "Steilacoom," combining the two rival towns into one, according to the town's history.WEST VIRGINIA: Shepherdstown and Romney, est. 1762Shepherdstown, West Virginia`Robert Knopes/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty ImagesIt's a tie! WV Public Broadcasting reported these two cities were chartered on the same day: December 23, 1762. However, there's a debate as to which is actually older: Settlers are said to date back as far as 1710.WISCONSIN: Green Bay, est. 1655Green Bay, Wisconsin.Raymond Boyd/Getty ImagesGreen Bay is more than just a football team — it's been around since 1655, when it was first established as a fur-trading post. While various Native American tribes lived in the region, French explorer Jean Nicolet visited the area in 1634 and named it "La Baye Verte," or The Green Bay.WYOMING: Cheyenne, est. 1867Cheyenne's state capitol building.Henryk Sadura/ShutterstockWyoming's capital city is its oldest city as well. The city of Cheyenne was founded in 1867 after years of being a railroad town (the Union Pacific Railroad passed through on its way west). Cheyenne grew so quickly that it was nicknamed "Magic City of the Plains."Read the original article on Business Insider

Comments

Business News

Southwest Airlines' new policy will affect plus-size travelers. Here's how

ABC News

Sarah J. Maas fans disagree about the best way to read the 'Throne of Glass' series. Here's the book order you should follow for a spoiler-free experience.

about 3 hours ago

When could prices start dropping as Canada axes U.S. counter-tariffs?

Global News

Burning Man showed Sam Altman what the future could look like. Here are the famous CEOs and billionaires who have attended in the past.

about 5 hours ago

insider

A US Navy destroyer ran through the kind of critical at-sea weapons reload it would need in a Pacific missile fight

about 5 hours ago

insider

What members of the Kansas City Chiefs wore to celebrate their new ESPN series, from $995 sneakers to a $38,000 watch

about 5 hours ago

insider

A century ago, the government hired unemployed young men to build America's forests, trails, and parks. Photos show FDR's 'tree army.'

about 5 hours ago

My favorite day-trip destination is a small island in New England — and the ferry ride to get there is just $20

insider

Comments

Business News

Southwest Airlines' new policy will affect plus-size travelers. Here's how

State Farm's handling of fire claims draws rebuke from state lawmakers

The share of Californians in unions holds steady as nationwide numbers continue decline

Customers rip Cracker Barrel for lame apology over controversial rebrand: ‘Kicked Uncle Herschel to the curb’

Auto safety regulators probe 1.4M Honda and Acura vehicles over engine failures

CBS looks to hire ‘ombudsman’ as part of Trump settlement — here are the hours and what it pays

New restaurant Derby Club set to launch next month in iconic spot of former Neary’s

Why A-List Service Providers Are Going Into Retail (And Winning)

NBA Free Agents' Unexpected Availability Could Lead Him To The Knicks

Lisa Makes Radio History — Again — With Her Newest Superstar Collaboration

Everything To Know About ‘My Life With The Walter Boys’ Season 2

'KPop Demon Hunters' Nears Netflix Record—As It Makes Soundtrack History

Rose Breaks Her Match With Lisa On One Billboard Chart

Judge Temporarily Blocks Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Deportation To Uganda, Report Says

James Johnson Still A Free Agent, Pacers May Not Be Able To Fit Him In

Epstein Accuser Virginia Giuffre’s Posthumous Memoir Is Coming Out—What To Know About Her Life And Death

Trump Seen With Bruised Right Hand Again—Here’s Everything We Know About The Condition

President Donald Trump Wants To Rename DoD To The Department Of War

Reeves tax raid sends prices rising at the fastest pace for more than a year

Reeves MUST change course and give business a break, says MAGGIE PAGANO

Inside the Hamptons’ wild concierge doctor scene — Botox on yachts, IVs for hangovers and secret drug fixes

Food industry lobbies for tariff exemptions on seafood, fresh produce as it warns prices could spike

How Soon Will ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Arrive On Streaming?

Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders Reach Middle Ground In Wideout’s Three-Year Extension

Lil Nas X Charged With Four Felonies After Alleged Los Angeles Police Clash

How Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival Aims To Balance Art And Commerce

Rereleases Of ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ And ‘Ne Zha 2’ Do Differently At This Weekend’s Box Office

Labels Are "Not Like Us": Lessons From The Drake/UMG Lawsuit

BTS Almost Hits No. 1 With A Years-Old Song

Trump Says Some Americans Would ‘Like A Dictator’

Where To Find A Honey Deuce Cocktail In New York City

Labor Day Blues: Is Job Hugging Replacing Job Hopping?

Trump Says DOJ Will Sue California ‘Pretty Soon’ Over Redistricting Proposal

Metallica Joins IndyCar’s Meyer-Shank Racing For Nashville Finale

'I went on luxury steam train from London to Bath and people couldn't believe price'

Rivian CEO says it 'blows my mind' that the US auto industry is reprioritizing capital toward gas-powered vehicles