100 American Towns Founded Before the American Revolution

Special Report

February 1, 2019 2:58 pm

Last Updated: March 13, 2020 2:40 pm

Source: Thinkstock

11. Portsmouth, New Hampshire
> Founded: 1630
> Population: 21,458

Portsmouth was a sanctuary for those fleeing religious persecution in Massachusetts.

Source: Lee Cannon / Flickr

12. Lewes, Delaware
> Founded: 1631
> Population: 2,955

Located on Delaware Bay, it was first settled by the Dutch.

Source: Doug Kerr / Flickr

13. Windsor, Connecticut
> Founded: 1633
> Population: 29,044

Windsor was Connecticut’s first English settlement.

Source: Michael King / iStock

14. Wethersfield, Connecticut
> Founded: 1634
> Population: 26,396

One of Connecticut’s oldest towns settled by the English. Wethersfield experienced witch-trial hysteria in the 17th century.

Source: Maudib / iStock

15. Concord, Massachusetts
> Founded: 1635
> Population: 17,668

One of the places where the Revolutionary War began, Concord was settled by English colonists.

Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock

16. Hartford, Connecticut
> Founded: 1636
> Population: 124,320

Puritans led by the Rev. Thomas Hooker created a settlement on the Connecticut River.

Source: webstar15 / iStock

17. Providence, Rhode Island
> Founded: 1636
> Population: 178,851

Roger Williams, banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for radical views, bought land from Native Americans and founded Providence.

Source: Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism / Flickr

18. Scituate, Massachusetts
> Founded: 1636
> Population: 5,471

Scituate was settled by people from the county of Kent in England. Scituate is derived from the Native American word Satuit, meaning “cold brook.”

Source: Kayzure Cox / iStock

19. New Haven, Connecticut
> Founded: 1638
> Population: 130,405

Founded by Puritans, New Haven was one of America’s first planned towns.

Source: John Phelan / Wikimedia Commons

20. Exeter, New Hampshire
> Founded: 1638
> Population: 9,022

Town founder Reverend John Wheelwright was an exile from Puritan Massachusetts. He bought land from Native Americans for the settlement.

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