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Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joakim3
If we are going by settlement date it's going to skew the rankings a lot.
There were people living in Jonestown since 1661, while Fells Point was surveyed out in 1670. Both were eventually incorporated to form Baltimore in 1729.
The first settlement in what would become modern day Philly was 1648 by dutch settlers made Fort Beversreede in what is now Eastwick.
Similar with Alexandria, VA. Settled on Oct. 21, 1669, officially founded 1749, and incorporated 1779.
Georgetown settled in 1632, but was not founded by Maryland for another 119 years in 1751. The land later that century from the two combining to make the borders of Washington DC.
I was researching something and got curious as to when certain core cities were founded so I created a list, because why not lol.
Some things to note:
Most of these cities/areas had native inhabitants for centuries prior to their European founding's. It's very difficult to determine their indigenous origins so I went with the modern founding dates. Please keep this in mind when reviewing, I'd prefer to avoid side bar discussions and comments regarding this.
These numbers are based off of cheap google searches. In most cases I was able to find a couple of sources that concurred with the "founding years". There are a few instances, namely Milwaukee, Miami, and Grand Rapids where it was difficult to determine. Honolulu was a different beast entirely.
Because this is a lazy list based on a google search there are likely errors in it. Feel free as homers and folks with more knowledge than I am to give me what you believe to be the correct years and I'll update the list.
I am defining "year founded" as the year the area was first settled. I am NOT looking at when the cities were first incorporated. Many of these cities had been settled and grew into decent population centers prior to the concept of incorporation.
Enjoy!
Richmond 1607
New York 1614
Boston 1630
Hartford 1635
Norfolk 1636
Providence 1636
Philadelphia 1682
Detroit 1701
San Antonio 1718
New Orleans 1718
Baltimore 1729
Austin 1730
St. Louis 1764
Pittsburgh 1764
Charlotte 1768
San Diego 1769
Tucson 1775
San Francisco 1776
San Jose 1777
Nashville 1779
Louisville 1779
Chicago 1780
Los Angeles 1781
Cincinnati 1781
Raleigh 1789
Buffalo 1789
Rochester 1789
Washington DC 1790
Cleveland 1796
Columbus 1797
Milwaukee 1818
Memphis 1819
Indianapolis 1821
Jacksonville 1822
Tampa 1824
Grand Rapids 1826
Tulsa 1828
Atlanta 1836
Houston 1837
Kansas City 1838
Sacramento 1839
Dallas 1841
Orlando 1843
Portland 1843
Salt Lake City 1847
Minneapolis 1849
Seattle 1851
Las Vegas 1855
Miami 1858
Denver 1858
Phoenix 1867
Birmingham 1871
Fresno 1872
Oklahoma City 1889
Honolulu - unclear (listed as incorporated in 1900, but established as early as 1100AD)
You're off on Chicago. It was only founded as a city in 1837. Non-indiginous people did start to settle in what later became the city of Chicago in the decades before then, like Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.
Although if you're talking about the first year the site of ___ city got its first non-indiginous settler, that is a good question. The site of Chicago had indigenous people living there I suspect, even before the 1770s I bet.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,558,075 times
Reputation: 5785
The 10 oldest cities in the United States:
1. St. Augustine, Florida (1565)
2. Jamestown, Virginia (1607)
3. Santa Fe, New Mexico (1607)
4. Hampton, Virginia (1610)
5. Kecoughtan, Virginia (1610)
6. Newport News, Virginia (1613)
7. Albany, New York (1614)
8. Jersey City, New Jersey (1617)
9. Plymouth, Massachusetts (1620)
10. Weymouth, Massachusetts (1622)
Wilmington DE is 50 years older, courtesy of the Swedes, than the core of its metro, Philadelphia, a metro that has a number of older settlements than its core (another example, Burlington NJ).
Yeah, the Swedish lived all around the Delaware Valley decades earlier than William Penn's founding date. A few of the cabins that survived are considered some of the oldest buildings in the US: List of the oldest buildings in the United States
Would be interesting to see which city has the most intact structures still standing from those settlement years.
In major city proper(s)? Their remaining pre-colonial buildings can be counted on your hands. All the Bos-Wash corridor's oldest buildings for example tend to max out at Federal Era architecture so <250 years old and any buildings older than that exist solely due to historic/religious significance. To find older structures you'd have to go into the country side.
Richmond is such a uniquely historic city, of all the places I've been, only Boston as a large city really comes close to the ambiance of Rich. And yet, this board consistently pigeonholes the city to a 4-year window in the 1860s, that people in modern Richmond haven't cared about in years...
There's so much f'ing history in this city. Such a special, special place...
I've always been impressed by Richmond's architectural range and variety that truly attests to its historicity as a city. It's a shame it doesn't get the attention and recognition of its Southern coastal counterparts in that regard.
A lot of people are surprised when they find out that Birmingham was founded after the Civil War.
Yep, and on the flip side, a lot of people don't know Charlotte is as old as it is. Judging by the historic stock of both cities, you'd think Birmingham was the older city.
Yep, and on the flip side, a lot of people don't know Charlotte is as old as it is. Judging by the historic stock of both cities, you'd think Birmingham was the older city.
A city that was larger by say 1900 is going to seem more historic than a city that didn't get large until decades later, even if the city is technically older.
Yep, and on the flip side, a lot of people don't know Charlotte is as old as it is. Judging by the historic stock of both cities, you'd think Birmingham was the older city.
Or that it was the site of America's first gold rush!
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