The Americas and Oceania
Further information: List of cities in the Americas by year of foundation| Name | Location | Continuously inhabited since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cholula | Mexico | -150 ! 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. |
| Upper Xingu | Brazil | c. 800 AD | A network of settlements continuously inhabited since the late 1st millennium AD. A highly urbanized Kuikuro settlement was home to upwards of 10,000 people in the densely forested Upper Xingu. Their numbers declined sharply after contacts with Europeans in the 16th century. |
| Quito | Ecuador | 980 | Quito's origins date back to 2000 BC, when the Quitu tribe occupied the area. |
| Acoma Pueblo and Taos Pueblo, New Mexico | USA | c. 1075 | Among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the USA (although not "cities") |
| Oraibi, Arizona | USA | c. 1100 | 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 |
| Cumaná | Venezuela | 1501 | Oldest European settlement in South America. Alonso de Ojeda was the first to set foot in present day Cumaná in 1498 when he disembarked during Columbus' third voyage in 1498. Spanish Franciscan monks founded Cumaná in 1501 giving Europeans their first settlements in South America (as reported by Washington Irving in his "The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus Vol. III, 1850). Cumaná is the birthplace of Antonio José de Sucre, the Venezuelan Field Marshal that secured the liberation of most of Peru and Ecuador and who later became the first president of Bolivia. |
| 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. |
| Santa Fe, New Mexico | USA | 1607 | Oldest continuously inhabited state or territorial capital in the continental United States. |
| 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 |
| 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 | 1818 ! c. 1818 | Oldest European settlement in New Zealand |
| Albany | Australia | 1827 | Oldest city in the West Coast of Australia |
Read more about this topic: List Of Cities By Time Of Continuous Habitation
Famous quotes containing the word americas:
“The only history is a mere question of one’s struggle inside oneself. But that is the joy of it. One need neither discover Americas nor conquer nations, and yet one has as great a work as Columbus or Alexander, to do.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)