Special Report

The Oldest Historic Town in Every State

Sam Gupton

Published: August 7, 2023 8:00 am

This year the United States celebrated its 247th birthday – but many of its oldest continuously occupied settlements far predate the founding of the country. 

A few of the oldest towns around America have continued to grow over the years and are now big cities. Some, like Albany, New York and Santa Fe, New Mexico, while far from their state’s most populous metropolises, remain important as state capitals. Others, like Bath, North Carolina, and Kittery, Maine are quaint towns with a lot to offer visitors looking for history, architecture, and urban design from an earlier era. 

Most of the oldest cities on this list are in the Northeast and were founded by English and Dutch settlers. However, the oldest is Saint Augustine, Florida – established in 1565 by the Spanish. Santa Fe, New Mexico, also founded by the Spanish, dates from 1607, tying it for second-oldest with Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English colony in what would become the United States. (Of course, because we are a comparatively young country, no city in America is included among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.)

In assembling our list of each state’s oldest town, 24/7 Tempo drew on numerous sources, including Britannica, ThoughtCo, Smithsonian Magazine, Oldest, Only in Your State, World Atlas, Travel Channel, and Insider, and verified founding dates and other historical data through official city and state websites. (As for the states themselves, this is how your state was founded.)

Click here to see the oldest historic town in every state

We included only towns, cities, and census-designated places, and listed only those which have existed continuously as residential and business communities since they were first established. We did not include Native American settlements, most of which, of course, are much older than those founded by Europeans.

Mobile, AL
> Founded: 1702

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Sitka, AK
> Founded: 1799

Tucson, AZ
> Founded: 1775

Batesville, AR
> Founded: 1810

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San Diego and Santa Cruz, CA
> Founded: 1769

San Luis Valley Regional Medic... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Jeffrey Beall

San Luis, CO
> Founded: 1851

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East Windsor, Connecticut (CC BY 2.0) by JJBers

Windsor, CT
> Founded: 1633

Lewes, DE
> Founded: 1631

Saint Augustine, FL
> Founded: 1565

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Savannah, GA
> Founded: 1733

Hilo, HI
> Founded: 1902

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Preston High School - Preston, Idaho (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Rsharich

Franklin, ID
> Founded: 1860

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This Is How Your State Was Founded

Peoria, IL
> Founded: 1680

Vincennes, IN
> Founded: 1732

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Dubuque Iowa (CC BY 2.0) by Dirk DBQ

Dubuque, IA
> Founded: 1837

Leavenworth, KS
> Founded: 1827

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Harrodsburg, KY
> Founded: 1774

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Natchitoches, LA
> Founded: 1714

Kittery, Maine (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Doug Kerr

Kittery, ME
> Founded: 1647

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St. Mary's City, Maryland (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Doug Kerr

St. Mary’s City, MD
> Founded: 1634

Plymouth, MA
> Founded: 1620

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Sault Ste. Marie, MI
> Founded: 1668

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Downtown Wabasha 6 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Jon Platek

Wabasha, MN
> Founded: 1830

Biloxi, MS
> Founded: 1699

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First Brick House W of Mississippi River--Ste Genevieve MO (CC BY 3.0) by Andrew Balet

St. Genevieve, MO
> Founded: 1735

Choteau County Courthouse (CC BY-SA 3.0) by J.B. Chandler

Fort Benton, MT
> Founded: 1846

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Omaha, NE
> Founded: 1854

Genoa, NV
> Founded: 1850

Dover, NH
> Founded: 1623

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Jersey City, NJ
> Founded: 1617

Santa Fe, NM
> Founded: 1607

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Albany, NY
> Founded: 1614

Bath, NC
> Founded: 1705

Pembina, North Dakota (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Andrew Filer

Pembina, ND
> Founded: 1850

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Martins Ferry, OH
> Founded: 1779

Fort Gibson, OK
> Founded: 1824

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Astoria, OR
> Founded: 1811

Chester, PA
> Founded: 1644

Providence, RI
> Founded: 1636

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Charleston, SC
> Founded: 1670

Fort Pierre, SD
> Founded: 1832

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Jonesborough, TN
> Founded: 1779

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Ysleta (part of El Paso), TX
> Founded: 1680

Ogden, UT
> Founded: 1845

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Westminster, Vermont (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Doug Kerr

Westminster, VT
> Founded: 1735

Jamestown, VA
> Founded: 1607

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Steilacoom, WA
> Founded: 1851

Shepherdstown and Romney, WV
> Founded: 1762

Green Bay, WI
> Founded: 1765

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Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Domenico Convertini

Cheyenne, WY
> Founded: 1867