Special Report
100 American Towns Founded Before the American Revolution
January 23, 2020 11:20 am
Last Updated: March 13, 2020 2:40 pm
31. New London, Connecticut
> Founded: 1646
> Population: 27,218
New London, founded by English settlers, was Connecticut colony’s first official port.
Source: HABesen / Getty Images
32. Andover, Massachusetts
> Founded: 1646
> Population: 9,194
English settlers from Andover, England, settled in this part of Massachusetts. Andover is home to the prestigious prep school Phillips Academy.
33. Kittery, Maine
> Founded: 1647
> Population: 4,704
Kittery is the first incorporated town in Maine.
34. Marblehead, Massachusetts
> Founded: 1649
> Population: 20,363
The first non-Native American settlers were British subjects who came to present-day Marblehead from Salem to escape religious oppression from the Puritans.
35. Annapolis, Maryland
> Founded: 1649
> Population: 39,009
Home to the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis was settled by the Puritans and originally called Providence.
36. New Castle, Delaware
> Founded: 1651
> Population: 5,372
New Castle was founded by the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant. The original name of the town was Fort Casimir.
37. Chelmsford, Massachusetts
> Founded: 1655
> Population: 33,802
Chelmsford was founded by colonists from Concord and Woburn. It is located 24 miles north of Boston.
Source: Roman Babakin / Getty Images
38. Staten Island, New York
> Founded: 1661
> Population: 475,558
The Dutch established a colony in Staten Island in 1661. Staten Island derives from the Dutch name, Staaten Eylandt. The English seized the area in 1664.
Source: KenWiedemann / Getty Images
39. Stonington borough, Connecticut
> Founded: 1662
> Population: 973
Stonington was founded by Governor John Winthrop, Jr. who obtained a charter from England.
40. Elizabeth, New Jersey
> Founded: 1664
> Population: 128,042
English immigrants founded the settlement — originally called Elizabethtown — after buying the land from Lenni Lenape Native Americans.
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