This is a list of present-day cities by the time period over which they have been continuously inhabited.
The age claims listed are generally disputed and may indeed be obsolete. Differences in opinion can result from different definitions of "city" as well as "continuously inhabited" and historical evidence is often disputed.
Several cities listed here ( Balkh, Byblos, Damascus, and Jericho) each popularly claim to be "the oldest city in the world". Caveats to the validity of each claim are discussed in the "Notes" column.
Contents |
Continuous habitation since the Chalcolithic (or Copper Age) is vaguely possible but highly problematic to prove archaeologically for several Levantine cities (Jericho, Byblos, Damascus, Sidon and Beirut). Cities became more common outside the Fertile Crescent with the Early Iron Age from about 1100 BC. The foundation of Rome in 753 BC is conventionally taken as one of the dates initiating Classical Antiquity.
Name | Historical region | Location | Continuously inhabited since | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Damascus | Levant | Syria | Chalcolithic | Damascus is often claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, and evidence of settlement in the wider Barada basin dating back to 9000 BC exists. However within the area of Damascus there is no evidence for large-scale settlement until the second millennium BC.[1] |
Jericho | Levant | Palestine | Chalcolithic (3000 BC or earlier) | Traces of habitation from 9000 BC.[2][3] Fortifications date to 6800 BC (or earlier), making Jericho the earliest known walled city.[4]
Archaeological evidence indicates that the city was destroyed and abandoned several times (sometimes remaining uninhabited for hundreds of years at a time), with later rebuilding and expansion.[5][6] |
Byblos | Levant | Lebanon | Chalcolithic (5000 BC or earlier)[7] | Settled from the Neolithic (carbon-dating tests have set the age of earliest settlement around 7000[8]), a city since the 3rd millennium BC.[7] Byblos had a reputation as the "oldest city in the world" in Antiquity (according to Philo of Byblos). |
Sidon | Levant | Lebanon | [9] | 4000 BCThere is evidence that Sidon was inhabited from as long ago as 4000 BC, and perhaps, as early as Neolithic times (6000 - 4000 BC). |
Medinat Al-Fayoum (as Crocodilopolis or Arsinoe, ancient Egyptian: Shediet) | Lower Egypt | Faiyum Governorate, Egypt | [10] | c. 4000 BC|
Gaziantep | Anatolia | Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey | [11] | c. 3650 BCThis is disputed, although most modern scholars place the Classical Antiochia ad Taurum at Gaziantep, some maintain that it was located at Aleppo. Furthermore, that the two cities occupy the same site is far from established fact.[12] Assuming this to be the case, the founding date of the present site would be about 1000 BC.[13] |
Rey | Media | Iran | [14] | 3000 BCA settlement at the site goes back to the 3rd millennium BC. Rey (also Ray or Rayy) is mentioned in the Avesta (an important text of prayers in Zoroastrianism, as a sacred place, and it is also featured in the book of Tobit.[14] |
Beirut | Levant | Lebanon | [15] | 3000 BC|
Jerusalem | Levant | Israel/Palestine[16] | [17] | 2800 BC|
Tyre | Levant | Lebanon | [18] | 2750 BC|
Jenin | Levant | Palestine | [19] | c. 2450 BCJenin's history goes back to 2450 BC, when it was built by the Canaanites. After 1244, Jenin flourished economically because of its location on the trade route, until a major earthquake completely destroyed the city.[20] |
Arbil | Mesopotamia | Kurdistan Autonomous Region, Iraq | [21] | 2300 BC or earlier|
Kirkuk (as Arrapha) | Mesopotamia | Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq | [22] | 3000-2200 BC|
Jaffa | Levant | Israel | c. 2000 BC | Archaeological evidence shows habitation from 7500 BC.[23] |
Aleppo | Levant | Syria | c. 2000 BC | Evidence of occupation since about 5000 BC.[24] |
Hebron | Levant | Palestine | c. 1500 BC | "Hebron is considered one of the oldest cities and has been continuously
inhabited for nearly 3500 years."[25] |
Gaza City | Levant | Palestine | c. 1000 BC | While evidence of habitation dates back at least 5,000 years, it is said to be continuously inhabited for a little more than 3,000 years.[26][27] |
Hamadan (As Ecbatana) | Median Empire | Iran | [28] | c. 800 BC|
Istanbul/Byzantium | Thrace Anatolia | Turkey | 685 BC Anatolia 667 BC Thrace |
Neolithic site dated to 6400 BC, over port of Lygos by Thracians c. 1150 BC |
Nablus (As Shechem) | Levant | Palestine | c. 100 | Nablus is a Canaanite city. It was inhibited since the fourth millennium BC. In 724 BC it has been ruined by Asyria and after revival in the 3rd and 2nd centuries, it has been finally destroyed by the Hasmonean Hyrcanus in 128 BC. 200 years later the new Roman city was founded next to the ruined settlement.[29] |
Amman (As Rabbath-Ammon) |
Levant | Jordan | c. 1878 | Amman has been inhabited by several civilizations. The first civilization on record is during the Neolithic period, around 7500 BC, when archaeological discoveries in 'Ain Ghazal. It was then destroyed by several earthquakes and natural disasters in the Middle Ages, and remained a small village and a pile of ruins for about 500 years, until the Circassians settlement in 1878.[30] |
Name | Historical region | Location | Continuously inhabited since | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Athens | Neolithic, Mycenaean Greece | Attica, Greece | [31] | 4th-5th Millennium BCEarliest human presence 11th-7th millennium BC,[32] recorded history begins in 1400 BC. |
Argos | Neolithic, Mycenaean Greece | Greece | [33] | 5000 BC.Urban settlement continuously inhabited for past 7000 years, historical, recorded history since second half of 1st millennium BC. |
Plovdiv | Thrace | Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria | [34] - 4000 BC[35][36] | 3000Thracian foundation. Earliest evidence of a settlement dates back to 6000 BC.[37][38] |
Chania | Crete | Crete, Greece | c. 1400 BC | Minoan foundation as Kydonia |
Larnaca | Alashiya | Cyprus | c. 1400 BC | Mycenaean, then Phoenician colony |
Thebes | Mycenaean Greece | Boeotia, Greece | c. 1400 BC | Mycenaean foundation |
Trikala | Mycenaean Greece | Thessaly, Greece | before 1200 BC | founded as Trikke |
Chalcis | Mycenaean Greece | Greece | before 1200 BC | mentioned by Homer |
Lisbon | Iron Age Iberia | Portugal | c. 1200 BC | A settlement since the Neolithic. Allis Ubbo, arguably a Phoenician name, became Olissipo(-nis) in Greek and Latin (also Felicitas Julia after Roman conquest in 205 BC). |
Cádiz | Iron Age Iberia | Andalusia, Spain | 1100 BC | founded as Phoenician Gadir, "Europe's oldest city"[39] |
Patras | Mycenaean Greece | Greece | c. 1100 BC | founded by Patreus |
Mytilene | Lesbos | North Aegean, Greece | 10th century BC | |
Chios | Chios | North Aegean, Greece | c. 1100 BC | |
Pula | Istria | Croatia | 10th century BC | The city's earliest recorded permanent habitation dates back to the 10th century BC (Ivelja-Dalmatin 200).[40] |
Zadar | Liburnia | Croatia | 9th century BC | based on archaeological evidence, according to Suić (1981).[41] |
Naples | Magna Graecia | Italy | [42] | 8th century BCfounded as Parthenope. |
Yerevan | Urartu | Armenia | [43] | c. 800 BCfounded as Erebuni |
Málaga | Iberia | Andalusia, Spain | 8th century BC | founded as Phoenician Malaka.[44] |
Rome | Latium | Lazio, Italy | 753 BC | Continuous habitation since approximately 1000 BC.; pastoral village on the northern part of the Palatine Hill dated to the 9th century BC; see also History of Rome and Founding of Rome. |
Messina (as Zancle) | Sicily | Sicily, Italy | 8th century BC | |
Syracuse | Sicily | Sicily, Italy | 734 BC | A colony of the Greek city of Corinth |
Reggio Calabria (as Rhegion) | Magna Graecia | Calabria, Italy | 720 BC | |
Crotone | Calabria | Magna Graecia, Italy | 710 BC | |
Taranto (as Taras) | Magna Graecia | Puglia, Italy | 706 BC | |
Corfu, Kerkyra | Corfu | Ionian Islands, Greece | 700 BC | |
Durrës | Illyria | Albania | 627 BC | Founded[45] by settlers from Corcyra & Corinth as Epidamnos |
Kerch | Crimea | Ukraine | 7th Century BC | |
Feodosiya (as Theodosia) | Crimea | Ukraine | 7th Century BC | |
Edessa, Greece | Macedonia | Greece | before the 6th century BC | capital of Macedonia up to 6th century BC |
Marseille (as Massilia) | Gaul | France | 600 BC | A colony of the Greek city of Phocaea |
Varna | Thrace | Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, Bulgaria | 585 BC - 570 BC | founded[46] as Odessos by settlers from Miletus |
Kavala | Macedonia | Greece | 6th century BC | founded as Neapolis |
Mangalia | Dacia | Romania | 6th century BC | founded as Callatis |
Constanţa | Dacia | Romania | 6th century BC | founded as Tomis |
Mantua | Po Valley | Lombardy, Italy | 6th century BC | Village settlement since c. 2000 BC; became an Etruscan city in the 6th century BC. |
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi | Bessarabia | Ukraine | 6th century BC | founded as Tyras |
Serres | Macedonia | Greece | 5th century BC | first mentioned in the 5th century BC as Siris |
Lamia (city) | Greece | Greece | before the 5th century BC | first mentioned 424 BC |
Veria | Macedonia | Greece | 432 BC | ca.first mentioned by Thucydides in 432 BC |
Rhodes | Rhodes, Aegean Sea | Dodecanese, Greece | 408 BC | ca.|
Sofia | Moesia | Sofia Valley, Bulgaria | 4th century BC | Celtic foundation as Serdica.[47] |
Metz | Gaul | France | 4th century BC | founded as the oppidum of Celtic Mediomatrici. However, Human permanent presence has been established in the site since 2500 BC. |
Qabala (as Kabalaka) | Caucasian Albania | Azerbaijan | 4th century BC | Archeological evidence indicates that the city functioned as the capital of the Caucasian Albania as early as the fourth century BC.[48] |
Stara Zagora | Thrace | Bulgaria | 342 BC | It was called Beroe in ancient times and was founded by Phillip II of Macedon[49][50][51][52] although a Thracian settlement neolithic inhabitation have been discovered as well. |
Thessaloniki | Macedonia (ancient kingdom) | Greece | 315 BC | founded as a new city in the same place of the older city Therme. |
Berat | Macedonia (ancient kingdom) | Albania | 314 BC | Founded[53] by Cassander as Antipatreia |
Belgrade | Illyria | Serbia | 279 BC | Vinča culture prospered around Belgrade in the 6th millennium BC. Founded as Singidunum. |
Niš | Illyria | Serbia | 279 BC | Founded as Navissos. Neolithic settlements date to 5000-2000 BC. |
Cartagena (as Carthago Nova) | Iberia | Spain | 228 BC | Carthaginian colony, founded by Hasdrubal Barca |
Barcelona (as Barcino) | Iberia | Catalonia, Spain | 3rd century BC | Carthaginian colony, founded by Hamilcar Barca |
Stobi/Gradsko | Macedonia | Republic of Macedonia | 217 BC | founded as Stobi by Philip V |
Sremska Mitrovica | Illyria | Serbia | 1st century BC | Founded as Sirmium. Neolithic settlements date to 5000 BC and are with other archeological findings evidence to continuous habitation. |
Smederevo | Illyria | Serbia | 1st century BC | Founded as Semendria. |
Évora | Lusitania | Portugal | 53 BC (Roman conquer) | Evidence of Lusitanian settlement prior to Roman occupation. |
Paris | Lutetia | France | 52 BC | Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation as early as 4200 BC.[54] During the Gallic Wars, Caesar's armies set fire to Lutetia "a town of the Parisii, situated on an island on the river Seine."[55] While only a garrison at best on the Île de la Cité during some periods after 1st and 2nd century, was renamed Paris in 360 CE[56][57] |
Zürich (Lindenhof) | Gaul | Switzerland | ca. 50 BC | lakeside settlement traces dating to the Neolithic. |
Trier | Gallia Belgica | Germany | 30 BC | Oldest city in Germany. |
Nijmegen | Germania Inferior | Netherlands | 19 BC | Oldest city in the Netherlands. |
Chur | Raetia Prima | Grisons, Switzerland | 15 BC | habitation since the 4th millennium BC (Pfyn culture). |
Tongeren | Germania Inferior | Belgium | 10 BC | Oldest city in Belgium. |
Solothurn | Gaul | Switzerland | c. 20 AD | Evidence of pre-Roman, Celtic settlement; newly founded by the Romans between 14 – 37 AD, called the "oldest city in Gaul besides Trier" in a verse on the city's clock tower. |
London (as Londinium) | Britannia | UK (England) | 43 AD | |
Bath (as Aquae Sulis) | Britannia | UK (England) | 43 AD | The city was established as a spa town by the Romans in 43 AD[58] |
Winchester (as Venta Belgarum) | Britannia | UK (England) | c. 70 AD | Winchester was built as a Roman town in c. 70 AD.[59] |
York (as Eboracum) | Britannia | UK (England) | c. 72 AD | The city was founded in or around AD 72 when the 9th Roman Legion set up camp there.[60] |
Skopje | Macedonia (Roman province) | Republic of Macedonia | 81-96 AD | Founded in the time of Domitian as Scupi. |
Novi Sad | Illyria | Serbia | 1st century AD | Founded as Cusum. |
Verdun | Lotharingia | France | 4th century | seat of the bishop of Verdun from the 4th century, but populated earlier. |
Kiev | Medieval East Slavic civilization | Ukraine | 482 CE | Founded by Slavic tribe leader Kyi. Some sources suggest Kiev was founded in 640 BC. |
Aberdeen | Pictland | UK (Scotland) | c. 580 | A settlement was established by c. 580 when records show the city's first church was built then. However, there is archaeological evidence of settlements in the area dating back to 6000BC.[61] |
Edinburgh as Din Eidyn | Gododdin | UK (Scotland) | c. 580 | Edinburgh is mention as a settlement in the poem Y Gododdin, traditionally dated to the around the late 6th and early 7th century.[62] The Poem uses The Brythonic name Din Eidyn (Fort of Eidyn) for Edinburgh and describes it as the capital of Gododdin. It is not until around 638 that the city starts being referred to as Edin-burh or Edinburgh, after the city was conquered by the Angles of Bernicia[63] |
Prague | Bohemia | Czech Republic | c. 6th century | The first written record dates back to the 10th century.[64] |
Inverness | Pictland | UK (Scotland) | c. 6th century | A settlement was established by the 6th century when St Columba visited the Pictish King Brude at his fortress there.[65] |
Glasgow | Dál Riata or Alt Clut | UK (Scotland) | c. 6th century | A settlement was founded in the 6th century[66] by St Mungo, who is the city's patron Saint.[67] |
Ioannina | Byzantine Empire | Greece | 527-565 | founded by emperor Justinian I |
Krakow (Wawel Hill) | Lesser Poland | Poland | [68] | 7th c.The first written record dates back to the 10th century. |
Århus | Denmark | c. 700 | oldest city in Scandinavia. | |
Heraklion | Crete | Greece | 824 | founded by the Saracens |
Dublin | Ireland | Ireland | 841 | |
Reykjavík | Iceland | Iceland | [69] | c. 871|
Tønsberg | Norway | Norway | c. 871 | oldest city in Norway. |
Xanthi | Thrace | Greece | before 879 | first medieval reference as Xantheia |
Skara | Sweden | 988 | ||
Mtskheta | Caucasian Iberia | Georgia | c. 1000 | Remains of towns at this location have been dated to earlier than the year 1000 BC, and Mtskheta was capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia during the 3rd century BC – 5th century AD. It was the site of early Christian activity, and the location where Christianity was proclaimed the state religion of Georgia in 337. |
Lund | Denmark | Sweden | [70] | c. 990
Name | Historical region | Location | Continuously inhabited since | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Balkh (as Bactra) | Bactria | Balkh Province, Afghanistan | ||
Delhi | Kuru | India | [71] | ca. 3500 BCA city since the "early centuries BC", continuous habitation likely from the 4th millennium BC, as mentioned in the biography of Anangpal Tomar; one of the oldest serving Capital cities, as believed by British historian Michael Wood[72] to be 5000 years old. Traces of habitation from the 11th century BC. See also History of Delhi. |
Thanjavur | Sangam Period | Tamil Nadu, India | 3000 BC | Some scholars believe that the city has been existing since the Sangam Period |
Varanasi | Iron Age India | Uttar Pradesh, India | [73] | c. 1200-1000 BCIron Age foundation (Painted Grey Ware culture). |
Anuradhapura | Rajarata | North Central Province, Sri Lanka | 10th century BC | |
Ujjain (As Avanti) | Malwa | India | [74] | c. 800 BCRose to prominence in ca 700 BC as capital of Avanti during India's second wave of urbanization. Walled in ca 600 BC. |
Samarqand | Sogdiana | Uzbekistan | 700 BC | |
Ghōr | Mandesh | Ghōr Province, Afghanistan | c. 5000 BC | Remains of the oldest settlements discovered by the Lithuanian archaeologists in 2007 and 2008. |
Bamyan | Bactria | Bamyan Province, Afghanistan | 1st century AD | |
Rajagriha (Rajgir) | Magadha | Bihar, India | [75] | 600 BC|
Herat | Aria | Herat Province, Afghanistan | ca. 550 BC | The city is dominated by the remains of a citadel constructed by Alexander the Great. |
Patna | Magadha | Bihar, India | [76] | Fifth century BCAs Pataliputra was founded by Ajatashatru. |
Madurai | Pandyan kingdom | Tamilnadu, India | [77] | 500 BCThere are accounts of Megasthenes (c. 350 – 290 BC) a Greek ethnographer in the Hellenistic period, author of the work Indica, having visited Madurai (then, a bustling city and capital of Pandya Kingdom). |
Vaisali | Magadha | Bihar, India | [78] | 500 BC|
Peshawar | Gandhara | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan | [79][80] | c. 400-300 BCOngoing excavations in the Gor Khuttree region have given proof of the ancient foundations of the city and have established Peshawar as one of the oldest settlements in Central and South Asia. |
Kathmandu-Patan, Lalitpur | Nepal | Kathmandu valley, Nepal | c. 2nd Century AD | The epigraphically attested history of Kathmandu valley begins in the 2nd century. Folklore speaks of a hoarier past. |
Name | Historical region | Location | Continuously inhabited since | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Luoyang (as Zhenxun, Xibo) | Xia Dynasty | Henan, China | ca. 2070 BC | |
Xi'an (as Haojing, Fenghao, Chang'an, Daxing) | Zhou Dynasty | Shaanxi, China | c. 1100 BC | |
Beijing (as Ji, Yanjing, Dadu, Zhongdu, Beiping) | Yan | Hebei, China | ca. 1000 BC | There were cities in the vicinities of Beijing by the 1st millennium BC, and the capital of the State of Yan (473-221 BC), Ji (薊/蓟), was established in present-day Beijing. |
Chengdu | Shu | Sichuan, China | c. 400 BC | The 9th Kaiming king of the ancient Shu moved his capital to the city's current location from today's nearby Pixian. |
Nanjing (as Yecheng, Jianye, Jiankang, Jinling) | Wu | Jiangsu, China | ca. 495 BC | Fu Chai, Lord of the State of Wu, founded a fort named Yecheng (冶城) in today's Nanjing area. |
Kaifeng (as Daling, Bianzhou, Dongjing, Bianjing) | Wei | Henan, China | ca. 364 BC | The State of Wei founded a city called Daliang (大梁)as its capital in this area. |
Guangzhou (as Canton) | Qin Dynasty | Guangdong, China | 214 BC | |
Hangzhou (as Lin'an) | Qin Dynasty | Zhejiang, China | c. 200 BC | The city of Hangzhou was founded about 2,200 years ago during the Qin Dynasty. |
Palembang | Srivijaya | Indonesia | c. 600 | oldest city in the Malay Archipelago, capital of the Srivijaya empire. |
Manila | Kingdom of Tondo and Kingdom of Maynila | Philippines | [81] | 900oldest known settlement in the Philippines as documented by the Laguna Copperplate Inscription; when the Spanish, led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, arrived, it was still inhabited and led by at least one datu. |
Name | Historical region | Location | Continuously inhabited since | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Luxor (as Waset, better known by its Greek name Thebes) | Ancient Egypt | Egypt | ca. 3200 BC | First established as capital of Upper Egypt, Thebes later became the religious capital of the nation until its decline in the Roman period.[82] | |
Ife | Osun State, Nigeria | ca. 350 BC | earliest traces of habitation date to the 4th century BC.[83] | ||
Yeha | D'mt | Ethiopia | ca.700 BC | Oldest site of continuous habitation in Sub-Saharan Africa.[84] | |
Axum | Kingdom of Axum | Ethiopia | ca.400 BC | Ancient capital of the Kingdom of Axum | |
Igodomigodo | Kingdom of Benin | Nigeria | c. 400 BC | City of Benin, one of the oldest cities in Nigeria | |
Djenné-Jeno | Mali | ca.200 BC | oldest known city in sub-Saharan Africa[85] | ||
Mogadishu | Somalia | c. 900 | settled by Arab traders[86] | ||
Alexandria | Egypt | 332 BC | Founded by Alexander the Great[87] | ||
Lamu | Kenya | c.1300 | Founded by Swahili settlers some time in the 14th century[88] | ||
Ghadames (as Cydamus) | Libya | 19 BC | Roman town founded in 19 BC but "archaeological evidence shows occupation of the area in the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras"[89] | ||
Fes (as Fes-al-Bali) | Morocco | 789 | Founded as the new capital of the Idrisid Dynasty[90] | ||
Marrakesh (Murakuc) | Morocco | 1070 | Foundeded by the Almoravid Dynasty[91] | ||
Old Cairo | Egypt | ca. 100 | Babylon Fortress moved to its current location in the reign of Emperor Trajan, forming the core of Old or Coptic Cairo[92] |
Name | Location | Continuously inhabited since | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cholula | Mexico | c. 2nd century BC | Pre-Columbian Cholula grew from a small village to a regional center during the 7th century. Oldest still-inhabitated city in the Americas. |
Quito | Ecuador | 980 AD | Quito's origins date back to 2000 B.C., when the Quitu tribe occupied the area. |
Acoma Pueblo and Taos Pueblo, New Mexico | USA | 1075 (ca.) | Among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the USA (although not "cities") |
Oraibi, Arizona | USA | 1100 (ca.) | Among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the USA (although not a "city") |
Mexico City | Mexico | 1325 | Founded as twin cities Tenōchtitlān (1325) and Tlāltelōlco (1337) by the Mexica. Named changed to Ciudad de México (Mexico City) after the Spanish conquest of the city in 1521. Several other pre-Columbian towns such as Azcapotzalco, Tlatelolco, Xochimilco and Coyoacán have been engulfed by the still growing metropolis and are now part of modern Mexico City. Oldest capital city in the Americas. |
Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 1496 | Oldest European settlement in the New World |
San Juan | Puerto Rico (USA) | 1508 | Oldest continuously inhabited city in a U.S. territory |
Nombre de Dios, Colón | Panama | 1510 | Oldest European settlement on the mainlands of the Americas |
Baracoa | Cuba | 1511 | Oldest European settlement in Cuba |
Vera Cruz | Mexico | 1519 | Oldest continuously inhabited European established settlement continental America. |
Panama City | Panama | 1519 | Oldest city in the Americas on the Pacific Ocean and oldest European settlement on the Pacific. |
Santa Marta | Colombia | 1525 | Oldest still-inhabited city founded by Spaniards in Colombia. |
São Vicente, São Paulo | Brazil | 1532 | First Portuguese settlement in South America |
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | 1540s | Oldest city in Canada, and oldest English-speaking city in the Americas |
Santiago del Estero | Argentina | 1553 | Oldest continuously inhabited city in Argentina |
St. Augustine, Florida | USA | 1565 | Oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city within the United States |
Jamestown, Virginia | USA | 1607 | First permanent English established settlement in the Americas. |
Quebec City | Canada | 1608 | Second oldest city in Canada and oldest French-speaking city in the Americas. |
Albany, New York | USA | 1614 | Followed by Jersey City, New Jersey (Communipaw) in 1617 and New York City (as New Amsterdam) in 1624 or 1625. (Note: While there was an abandonment in 1617 or 1618 of the Albany settlement, it was re-established within a few years; also, the Jersey City settlement was a factorij or trading post in the 1610s and didn't become a "homestead" (bouwerij) until the 1630s. Settlements in New Netherlands sometimes moved around in the early years.) |
Plymouth, Massachusetts | USA | 1620 | Fourth oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the United States[93] |
Saint John | Canada | 1631 | Third oldest city in Canada |
Trois-Rivières | Canada | 1634 | Fourth oldest city in Canada |
Montreal | Canada | 1642 | Fifth oldest city in Canada |
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | USA | 1668 | Oldest European-founded city in the Midwestern United States and third oldest American city west of the Appalachian Mountains. |
San Diego | USA | 1769 | Birthplace of California and oldest city on the West Coast of the United States |
Sydney | Australia | 1788 | Oldest city in Australia |
Hobart | Australia | 1803 | Second oldest city in Australia |
Kerikeri | New Zealand | c. 1818 | Oldest European settlement in New Zealand |