Search results
A single settlement until 1817, when it was divided into Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States. The latter is the oldest European-founded city in the Midwestern United States and third-oldest US city west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Jun 7, 2024 · Santa Fe was founded in 1610 by Spanish colonists led by Don Pedro de Peralta. It is widely believed to be the third oldest city in the United States. The southwestern city's origins trace back to the colonial era when it was established as the capital of the Spanish colony of Nuevo México.
- Desiree Bowie
Sep 3, 2015 · Today, St. Augustine survives as the nation’s oldest continuously occupied city, and is now gearing up for its 450th birthday bash. On September 8, 1565, Spanish explorer Don Pedro Menendez...
- Amanda Briney
- St. Augustine, Florida (1565) St. Augustine was founded on Sept. 8, 1565, 11 days after the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés came ashore on the feast day of St. Augustine.
- Jamestown, Virginia (1607) The city of Jamestown is the second-oldest city in the U.S. and the site of the first permanent English colony in North America.
- Santa Fe, New Mexico (1607) Santa Fe holds the distinction of being the oldest state capital in the U.S. as well as New Mexico's oldest city. Long before Spanish colonists arrived in 1607, the area had been occupied by Indigenous peoples.
- Hampton, Virginia (1610) Hampton, Virginia, began as Point Comfort, an English outpost established by the same people who founded nearby Jamestown. Located at the mouth of the James River and the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton became major military outpost after American Independence.
- San Juan
- Did You Know?
- St. John’s
- Santo Domingo
- Mexico City
- Acoma Pueblo
- Oraibi
- Antiguo Cuscatlán
- Motul
- Cholula
photo source: Flickr via Ricardo’s Photography San Juan soon rose in importance because of its riches and its location. Since 1519, San Juan has served as the capital of Puerto Rico. Within a few decades after its founding, San Juan had grown to include a university, a hospital, and a library. Eventually San Juan declined in importance to the Spani...
Old San Juan Historic District still has many buildings and houses from the early Spanish colonial days, which makes them some of the oldest post-contact buildings and structures in the United States.
photo source: Flickr via Mike Norton St. John’s is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The city traces its history to 1497 when Italian explorer John Cabot first landed on the shores of what is now Newfoundland and Labrador. St. John’s is the oldest European settlements in Canada and one of the oldest...
photo source: Good Free Photos Although the native Taíno people were already living on what is now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Santo Domingowas not formally founded until 1498. Bartholomew Columbus, younger brother of Christopher Columbus, had moved his settlement to present-day Santo Domingo in 1496 and initially named it La Nueva Isabela af...
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Alejandro Islas Photograph AC Mexico Citytraces its history all the way back to 1325 when it was founded by the Mexica civilization (the Nahua Aztecs) as Tenochtitlan. Over the next few centuries, Tenochtitlan grew into a large city-state and served as the center of the Aztec empire. Tenochtitlan was a major cent...
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Scott Catron Like the Hopi village of Oraibi, the Acoma Pueblois not exactly a city, but it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the United States. The Pueblo people have been living in Acoma since at least 1150 CE. However, only a few dozen people reside permanently at the settlement today,...
photo source: Wikimedia Commons However, in the mid-1800s there was split in the Hopi tribe at Oraibi with some members of the tribe choosing to embrace modernity. These more modern Hopi ended up establishing a new village nearby called Kykotsmovi Village, which is commonly called New Oraibi. The traditionalists remain in Old Oraibi and have mainta...
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Sammiethedeadrat According to Antiguo Cuscatlán’s official website, it is a young city with an ancient origin. While Antiguo Cuscatlán considers its official founding date to be the 16thcentury during Spanish conquest, the city’s history stretches back much further. In fact, Antiguo Cuscatlán served as the capita...
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via AlejandroLinaresGarcia Motulwas officially founded around 1050 by a priest named Zac Mutul. However, Motul was also the site of a pre-Columbian Maya civilization. For many decades, Motul was ruled by the Pech family. The Pech family established a regional kingdom Cehpech and Motul served as the capital city. Afte...
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Diego Delso Cholula was established between 800 – 200 BCE and is considered the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in all of the Americas. This ancient city was most important settlement in what is now the state of Puebla. Within a few centuries, the Olmec turned Cholula into a buzzing metropolis and gave r...
Mar 29, 2023 · Biloxi, Mississippi – 1699. The name Biloxi, in French is “Bilocci” (with “fort”), and in English is often translated as “Fort Biloxi.”. It is one of the oldest cities in the United States, founded in 1699 and used to be the third largest cities in Mississippi until Hurricane Katrina.
People also ask
What are some old American cities?
Where are the oldest cities in America?
What is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States?
What is the oldest continuously occupied city in Florida?
Aug 5, 2022 · This article takes a look at 7 of these old American cities and what they have to offer: Saint Augustine, Florida (1565) Aerial view of Castillo de San Marcos in Saint Augustine, Florida. The oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States of European and African ancestry is St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565. The Spanish ...
