What is the oldest city in the United States?
Quick answer
St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the continental United States. Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded it on September 8, 1565, 42 years before Jamestown. Some Native American pueblos, such as Acoma and Taos in New Mexico, have been inhabited for much longer.
Before Jamestown and Plymouth
| Settlement | Founded | By |
|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine, Florida | 1565 | Spain |
| Jamestown, Virginia | 1607 | England (abandoned by 1699) |
| Santa Fe, New Mexico | 1610 | Spain; the oldest state capital |
| Plymouth, Massachusetts | 1620 | English Pilgrims |
Earlier Spanish and French settlements, such as Pensacola (1559), were attempted but abandoned.
Older than any European town
People lived in North America for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Acoma Pueblo (“Sky City”) on a mesa in New Mexico and Taos Pueblo have been inhabited for roughly 1,000 years. Taos Pueblo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visiting St. Augustine
- Castillo de San Marcos, completed in 1695, is the oldest masonry fort in the continental US. It’s built of coquina, a stone made of crushed shells that absorbed cannonballs instead of shattering.
- The Colonial Quarter and narrow St. George Street recreate the Spanish town.
- The city has changed hands between Spain, Britain and the United States, which took control in 1821.
The “Fountain of Youth”
Legend links St. Augustine to explorer Juan Ponce de León, who landed in Florida in 1513 and supposedly searched for a magical spring of youth. Historians say the story was invented after his death, but a tourist park celebrates it today.
Oldest US cities overall
If US territories count, San Juan, Puerto Rico, founded in 1521, is older than St. Augustine.
For another early American milestone, see the first state to ratify the Constitution.
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