Oldest Historic Town in Every State

Source: jo Crebbin / Shutterstock.com

11. Hawaii
> Oldest town: Hilo
> Year of first settlement: 1902

The Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, the world’s biggest processor of macadamia seeds, is based near Hilo. Hilo, which means “twist” in Hawaiian, was damaged by tsunamis in 1946 and 1960.

Source: Ken Lund / Wikimedia Commons

12. Idaho
> Oldest town: Franklin
> Year of first settlement: 1860

Franklin was founded by Mormon pioneers who believed they were in Utah. The boundary between Utah and Idaho was not fixed until 1872, when the border was set just a mile south of where Franklin was established.

Source: Thinkstock

13. Illinois
> Oldest town: Peoria
> Year of first settlement: 1680

The French, including Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, were the first Europeans to visit the area. The name Peoria comes from the name of one of the principal tribes of the Illinois Confederacy.

Source: Chris Light / Wikimedia Commons

14. Indiana
> Oldest town: Vincennes
> Year of first settlement: 1732

George Rogers Clark, brother of the famed explorer William Clark, and his small army defeated the British here in 1779 in a key victory for the colonists. Indiana’s first bank and Catholic church were founded in Vincennes.

Source: Thinkstock

15. Iowa
> Oldest town: Dubuque
> Year of first settlement: 1837

Dubuque is named after French Canadian fur trader Julien Dubuque. He developed good relationships with the area’s Native Americans, who told him about its lead deposits. Dubuque worked the mines with the indigenous people and the area developed.