List of cities in the Americas by year of foundation facts for kids

This article is about some of the oldest cities in North, Central, and South America. You'll discover when they were founded and which country they are in today. Many of these places were important settlements long before European explorers arrived, and some have been continuously lived in for thousands of years!

Ancient Cities: Before European Arrivals

Long before Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas, many amazing cities and towns thrived. Some of these places were settled by indigenous people thousands of years ago and are still inhabited today.

North America's Earliest Towns

• Wyam (now Celilo Falls in Oregon, United States) was settled around 13,000 BC. Imagine people living there even before farming was common!
• In what is now Mexico, Tlapacoya was a settlement around 7500 BC.
• The Cahokia mounds in Illinois, United States, were a major city around 600 AD. It was a huge Native American city with many people living there.
• Acoma Pueblo and Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, United States, date back to around 1000 AD. These are some of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States.
• Oraibi in Arizona, United States, founded around 1100 AD, is another very old Hopi village that has been continuously lived in.

Central and South America's Oldest Settlements

• In Colombia, the Puerto Hormiga Culture near Cartagena had settlements as early as 4000 BC.
• Peru is home to some incredibly ancient cities. Aspero (3710 BC) and Caral (2627 BC) were part of the Norte Chico civilization, one of the earliest civilizations in the world!
• Guatemala has Kaminaljuyu (1500 BC) and Flores (900 BC). Flores, originally called Nojpetén, has been continuously occupied since ancient times.
• Cholula in Mexico, founded around 800 BC, is known as the oldest continuously inhabited city in Mexico.
• Cuicuilco near Mexico City, also from 800 BC, was a large city before a volcano eruption covered much of it.
• The famous city of Teotihuacan in México, founded around 300 BC, was one of the largest pre-Columbian cities in the Americas.
• Mitla and Acanceh in Mexico were also established around 200 AD.
• In Ecuador, Cuenca dates back to around 500 AD.
• Tula in Mexico was an important city around 713 AD.
• Cusco in Peru, founded around 1100 AD, was the historic capital of the Inca Empire.
• Tenochtitlan, founded in 1325 AD, was the amazing capital of the Aztec Empire. It was the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and is now Mexico City.
• Iximche in Guatemala was founded around 1470 AD.

First European Settlements: A New Era Begins

After 1492, European explorers and settlers began to establish new towns and cities in the Americas. Many of these were built on or near existing indigenous settlements.

Caribbean and Central America

• The very first European settlement in the "New World" was La Isabela in the Dominican Republic, founded by Christopher Columbus in 1493. It was abandoned by 1500.
• Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, founded in 1498 by Bartholomew Columbus, is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the Americas. It's still the capital of the Dominican Republic today!
• Other early Dominican cities include Santa Cruz del Seibo (1502), Azua de Compostela (1504), and Santiago de los Caballeros (1504).
• In Panama, Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien (1510) was the first European city on the South American continent. Nombre de Dios (1510) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Panama.
• Baracoa (1511) in Cuba is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement there, and was once Cuba's capital. Other early Cuban cities include Bayamo (1513), Sancti Spiritus (1514), Trinidad (1514), and Santiago (1515).
• Havana in Cuba was founded in 1519.
• Panama City, founded in 1519, was the first European city on the Pacific Coast of the Americas.
• San Juan (1521) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Puerto Rico and the United States.
• Granada (1524) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Nicaragua.
• Quetzaltenango (1524) and Tecpán Guatemala (1524) were early European settlements in Guatemala. Tecpán was the first capital of Guatemala.
• Trujillo (1524) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Honduras.
• San Salvador (1525) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in El Salvador.
• Spanish Town (1534) in Jamaica is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement there.
• Cartago (1563) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Costa Rica.
• Belize City (1638) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Belize.

North America (Continental United States and Canada)

• L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, founded around 1001 AD, is the oldest known European (Norse) settlement in the Americas. It was possibly founded by Leif Erikson.
• Veracruz (1519) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Mexico.
• San Juan (1521) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States.
• Saint Augustine (1565) in Florida, United States, is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the continental United States.
• St John's (1583) in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, is the oldest continuously inhabited British settlement in the Americas.
• Roanoke (1584) in North Carolina, United States, was an early English attempt at settlement.
• Tadoussac (1599) in Quebec, Canada, is the oldest continuously inhabited French settlement in the Americas.
• Port Royal (1605) in Nova Scotia, Canada, is another very old European settlement.
• Jamestown (1607) in Virginia, United States, was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
• Quebec City (1608) in Quebec, Canada, is one of the oldest European cities in North America.
• Santa Fe (1610) in New Mexico, United States, is the oldest continuously inhabited state or territorial capital in the continental United States.
• St. George's (1612) in Bermuda is the oldest continuously inhabited English settlement in the Americas.
• Plymouth (1620) in Massachusetts, United States, was where the Pilgrims landed.
• New Amsterdam (1624), now New York City, was founded by the Dutch.
• Boston (1630) in Massachusetts, United States, is another famous early English city.
• Green Bay (1634) in Wisconsin, United States, is the oldest continuously inhabited French settlement in the United States.
• Wilmington (1638) grew from Fort Christina, a Swedish colony, making it the oldest continuously inhabited Swedish settlement in the Americas.
• Montreal (1642) in Quebec, Canada, is a major historic city.

South America

• Cumaná (1515) in Venezuela is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement there.
• Piura (1532) in Peru was founded by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro and is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Peru.
• São Vicente (1532) in Brazil is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Brazil, and the oldest Portuguese settlement in the New World.
• Cartagena de Indias (1533) in Colombia is a beautiful historic city.
• Quito (1534) in Ecuador is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement there.
• Lima (1535) in Peru became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
• Asunción (1537) in Paraguay is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Paraguay.
• Recife (1537) in Brazil is the oldest city among Brazil's current state capitals.
• Sucre (1538) in Bolivia is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Bolivia.
• Santiago (1541) is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Chile.
• Salvador (1549) in Brazil was the first capital of Brazil.
• Santiago del Estero (1553) in Argentina is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in Argentina.
• Rio de Janeiro (1565) in Brazil became the second capital of Brazil.
• Caracas (1567) in Venezuela is another important early city.
• Buenos Aires (1580) in Argentina is a major capital city today.

Later Settlements and Growth

Many other important cities were founded in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries as European colonization expanded and new nations formed.

• Portobelo (1597) in Panama became a key port for trade.
• Natal (1599) in Brazil was founded at the very end of the 16th century.
• Detroit (1701) in Michigan, United States, was founded by the French.
• New Orleans (1718) in Louisiana, United States, is a famous city with a rich history.
• San Antonio (1718) in Texas, United States, is another important early Spanish settlement.
• Montevideo (1726) in Uruguay is the capital and largest city of Uruguay.
• Nuuk (1728) in Greenland is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement there.
• Baltimore (1729) in Maryland, United States, became a major port.
• Savannah (1733) in Georgia, United States, is known for its beautiful historic district.
• San José (1738) became the capital of Costa Rica.
• Halifax (1749) in Nova Scotia, Canada, was an important British naval base.
• St. Louis (1763) in Missouri, United States, was founded by the French.
• San Diego (1769) and Monterey (1770) were early Spanish settlements in California, United States.
• San Francisco (1776) and Los Angeles (1781) in California, United States, also started as Spanish settlements.
• Washington (1790), the capital of the United States, was planned and built in the late 18th century.
• Toronto (1793) in Ontario, Canada, grew from a British settlement.
• Miami (1896) in Florida, United States, is a much newer city compared to many others on this list.
• Brasília (1960) in Brazil was built specifically to be the new capital of the country.
• Cancún (1970) in Mexico was developed as a major tourist resort in the late 20th century.

See also

• European colonization of the Americas
• List of oldest continuously inhabited cities