oldest established – As the United States approaches 250 years, a state-by-state look at the oldest “established town” exposes a deeper mismatch: many communities on today’s maps were already lived in for centuries before European settlers arrived—or were later pushed aside. The l
When the United States turns 250, it can be tempting to treat that milestone as proof of youth. But the map tells another story—especially when you look state by state for the oldest established towns.
The list’s method is straightforward: it identifies the year each community was first permanently settled. defined as when people arrived and formally established a community there. That approach brings clarity to the record of European and later settler arrivals. It also forces an uncomfortable question: what do you call “founded” when Native American communities were already there—sometimes for thousands of years?.
The underlying reality is that many towns were home to Indigenous peoples long before they were labeled as “founded” by later arrivals. Colonizing settlers expelled or wiped out many of those communities while claiming the land as their own. and the history of colonial America has often erased those stories. Photographers, historians, and advocates—including Matika Wilbur—are working to keep those narratives visible.
With that context, here are the oldest established towns in every state based on the year of first permanent settlement used for the list.
Alabama: Mobile, est. 1702. Mobile was founded by the French in 1702. The list notes that other sources credit Childersburg, Alabama, as the oldest continually occupied city dating back to 1540, but it wasn’t established until 1889.
Alaska: Kodiak, est. 1792. Kodiak 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. 1752. Established as a Spanish military settlement in 1752, Tubac is described as the oldest European settlement in Arizona. The city’s website says indigenous Hohokam and O’odham people had already inhabited the city before the Spanish arrival. 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. 1686. Arkansas Post was technically the first city in Arkansas. established as a trading post by the French in 1686. according to the National Park Service. It was mostly destroyed in the Civil War and has since become a state park. Georgetown is noted as the second oldest city, founded in 1789, but still a functioning city today.
California: San Diego, est. 1769. Explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno renamed San Diego (formerly San Miguel) in 1602, but Spanish explorers dedicated the first California mission, San Diego de Alcalá, in 1769, as reported by San Diego Magazine.
Colorado: San Luis, est. 1851. San 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. 1633. Settlers from Plymouth Colony built the first trading house in Windsor in 1633 on land they bought from Native Americans who were living there, per the state’s history website.
Delaware: Lewes, est. 1631. The Dutch first settled in Lewes in 1631, according to its Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber calls Lewes “The first town in the first state,” since Delaware was the first to ratify the Constitution.
Florida: St. Augustine, est. 1565. Many historians say St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US, established by the Spanish in 1565.
Georgia: Savannah, est. 1733. General 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 later became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia.
Hawaii: Hilo, est. 1822. Hilo’s history dates back to 1100 AD. Christian missionaries arrived in 1822, and Hilo became a center of whaling and trade.
Idaho: Franklin, est. 1860. Franklin was founded in 1860 by a small group of Mormon settlers and named for Apostle Franklin D. Richards.
Illinois: Peoria, est. 1680. French settlers Robert Cavalier Sieur de LaSalle and Henri de Tonti built Fort Crevecoeur on the bank of the Illinois River in 1680, according to the Peoria Historical Society. Soon, a village grew around it.
Indiana: Vincennes, est. 1732. Vincennes 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. 1837. Dubuque 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. 1854. Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827 and is still in use today. making it the third-oldest continuously active military base in the US. It sits in Leavenworth, which was founded later in 1854. The list says Leavenworth was the largest city on the Missouri River during the Civil War. according to the city’s official website. The land was originally inhabited by the Kansa. Osage. and Delaware Native American tribes; today. many streets in Leavenworth are named after these and other local tribes.
Kentucky: Harrodsburg, est. 1774. Harrodsburg, originally called Harrodstown, was established by James Harrod in 1774.
Louisiana: Natchitoches, est. 1714. Natchitoches was founded in 1714 by French explorers and resembles New Orleans’ French quarter; it is sometimes referred to as “little New Orleans,” according to Fox8.
Maine: Kittery, est. 1647. English settlers first arrived in Kittery in 1623, and it was incorporated in 1647, per its official website.
Maryland: St. Mary’s City, est. 1634. St. Mary’s City was founded in 1634 by English Catholics escaping religious persecution. Many consider it the birthplace of religious freedom in the US, reported The Washington Post in 2008.
Massachusetts: Plymouth, est. 1620. Plymouth is referred to as “America’s hometown” for its famed Plymouth Rock, where the Mayflower landed in 1620. The list adds that Jamestown, Virginia, also begets the title as the oldest settlement.
Michigan: Sault Ste. Marie, est. 1668. Sault Ste. Marie was founded by French missionaries and fur traders in 1668.
Minnesota: Wabasha, est. 1830. Wabasha was established in 1830, though it has been continuously occupied since 1826. The list notes that some believe Stillwater. Minnesota. is the state’s oldest town because it was incorporated in 1854 while Wabasha wasn’t incorporated until 1858. It then says that 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. 1716. Natchez was founded in 1716 by French colonists. The list says it was the state’s most active slave trading city, according to the state’s history website.
Missouri: Ste. Genevieve, est. ~1735. The exact year 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. 1841. Stevensville was officially founded in 1841 when Father Pierre Jean De Smet rolled in with three carts, building St. Mary’s Mission, described as the Northwest’s first church and school. The town is celebrated during Western Heritage Days as the oldest town in Montana.
Nebraska: Bellevue, est. 1822. According 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. 1851. Genoa is a tiny town: according to its website, 250 people live there. The list says it was settled in 1851 as a trading post by a group of Mormon traders from Salt Lake City.
New Hampshire: Dover, est. 1623. Dover’s website states 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. 1660. Jersey City was first settled by the Dutch in 1660 and officially incorporated as Jersey City in 1820.
New Mexico: Santa Fe, est. 1607-1610. Santa Fe’s official website says it is not only the oldest capital city in the US but also the second oldest city in the whole country. It says Santa Fe, meaning “holy faith” in Spanish, was founded between 1607 and 1610.
New York: Albany, est. 1624. The capital of New York is also its oldest city. It was originally founded as Fort Orange by Dutch settlers in 1624. and the city was officially chartered by the British government as Albany in 1686. Even though Fort Orange wasn’t founded until the 1620s. the list says Henry Hudson. known for the Hudson River. arrived in the area in 1609 and found it populated with Iroquois Native Americans. according to Albany’s website.
North Carolina: Bath, est. 1705. Bath had its 300th anniversary in 2005, celebrating the town’s founding in 1705. The list says Bath was also North Carolina’s first port and was almost named the state’s capital. After being passed up, Bath slowly shrank and now has just 241 residents, per the most recent US Census data.
North Dakota: Pembina, est. 1797. The city of Pembina’s official motto is “Oldest Settlement in the Dakota Territories.” While it was inhabited before this, the list says Pembina’s website reports its first official date in history was 1797, when the first trading post was established.
Ohio: Marietta, est. 1788. Marietta 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. 1824. The sign that welcomes visitors into Fort Gibson proclaims it “the Oldest Town in Oklahoma.” Fort Gibson was founded in 1824 because of rising tensions between the Cherokee and Osage Nations; the list says the US felt it had to move its outpost further out west.
Oregon: Astoria, est. 1811. Astoria is described as the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains due to its founding in 1811 by John Jacob Astor. the nation’s first millionaire. The list says sixty five years later, in 1876, the town was officially incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly.
Pennsylvania: Chester, est. 1644. Chester, 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. 1636. Providence was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a preacher fleeing Massachusetts due to religious persecution. The list says he purchased land and created his own city with the promise of religious freedom.
South Carolina: Charleston, est. 1670. The city of Charleston was founded in 1670 by English colonists. The list says 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. 1743. Fort Pierre’s website claims it’s the oldest continuously occupied white settlement in South Dakota. According to the National Park Service. the town 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. 1779. Jonesborough is known colloquially as “Tennessee’s Oldest Town.” The list says it was founded in 1779 as a frontier town, 17 years before Tennessee was a state.
Texas: Nacogdoches, est. 1779. Nacogdoches was founded by Don Antonio Gil Y’Barbo in 1779. The list says nine flags have flown over the town—Spanish. French. Mexican. Lone Star. Confederate and US. plus one from the Gutierrez-Magee Rebellion. one from the Dr. James Long Expedition, and one from the Fredonia Rebellion. It adds that the rest of Texas has “only” seen six flags.
Utah: Ogden, est. 1851. Ogden is described as the oldest continuously settled non-Indigenous community in Utah. It was originally called Fort Buenaventura. The list says it was first settled in 1846 before Mormon settlers bought the fort in 1847. It was officially incorporated in 1851.
Vermont: Westminster, est. 1734. Westminster was founded in 1734, according to the Westminster Historical Society, but there wasn’t a permanent settlement until 1751.
Virginia: Dumfries, est. 1749. Chartered as a town in 1749, Dumfries is described as the oldest chartered town in Virginia, according to the Town of Dumfries’ website.
Washington: Steilacoom, est. 1854. Steilacoom’s website states it’s the oldest incorporated town in Washington state, officially becoming a town in 1854. The list says Captain Lafayette Balch. a boat captain from Maine. was reminded of home upon seeing the area on the Puget Sound and founded Steilacoom in January 1851. calling it “Port Steilacoom.” It adds that a few months later. John B. Chapman made a 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. 1762. The list calls this a tie. It says WV Public Broadcasting reported both cities were chartered on the same day, December 23, 1762. It also says there’s a debate about which is actually older, with settlers said to date back as far as 1710.
Wisconsin: Green Bay, est. 1655. Green Bay is described as more than just a football team—it has been around since 1655. when it was first established as a fur-trading post. The list says various Native American tribes lived in the region and that French explorer Jean Nicolet visited in 1634 and named it “La Baye Verte. ” meaning “The Green Bay.”.
Wyoming: Fort Laramie, est. 1834. Fort Laramie began as a private fur-trading post known as Fort William in 1834. making it one of the earliest formally established communities in the state. It was abandoned by the US Army in 1890 and now operates as a historical site. with around 200 inhabitants in the incorporated town. The list adds that Cheyenne. founded in 1867. is Wyoming’s oldest major city and capital. but it was founded decades after Fort Laramie was settled.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2020 and most recently updated in June 2026.
United States oldest towns state-by-state Mobile Kodiak Tubac Arkansas Post San Diego St. Augustine Savannah Native American history colonial settlement historical cities