What is the oldest city in your state (assuming you live in the United States) and why does it exist? It’s probably not hard to guess which regions of the country have the oldest cities, but you might be surprised to learn just how young the oldest cities in some states really are. Beaver Geography took a look at every state’s oldest city.
The youngest oldest city is Cheyenne, Wyoming, settled in the 1867 as a railroad town. Despite being way out west, and in the middle of the desert, Tucson, Arizona, is 29th on the list, being established in 1775 by the Spanish before any city in Tennessee, Ohio, or Arkansas. The largest oldest city on the list is San Diego, settled by the Spanish in 1769.
The oldest 5 are mostly what you would expect, with Kittery, ME, being founded in 1623, and Plymouth, MA, being founded in 1620. Albany, NY, was founded in 1614 by the Dutch, around 10 years before the founding of New York City. The surprising inclusion in the list is Santa Fe, New Mexico, being founded by the Spanish in 1607. The oldest city in the United States, however, is St. Augustine in Florida, dating back to its establishment by the Spanish in 1565.
