102 American Towns Founded Before the American Revolution

Settlers from Massachusetts were the first to purchase the patch of land that is now Greenwich, right between the Asamuck and Patomuck rivers.

Lyme was named after the coastal town of Lyme Regis in England. The town separated from Saybrook in 1665 and was named Lyme in 1667.

Founded by French settlers, Sault Ste. Marie is the oldest city in Michigan.

King Charles II of England gave the Carolina territory to eight friends who helped restore the monarchy. The town of Charleston is named after him.

Edgartown was settled by English immigrants Thomas Mayhew Sr. and his son Thomas Jr.

Nantucket was populated by the Wampanoag Native American tribe until the land was deeded to Thomas Mayhew Sr. and his son Thomas Jr.

English fur traders were among the first Europeans in the area of Derby. Native American tribes such as the Paugassetts and the Pootatucks had inhabited the area long before the English.

French explorers, including Robert Cavalier Sieur de LaSalle, founded Peoria, Illinois. Peoria is the name of the predominant Native American tribes in the Illinois confederacy.

Ysleta, now a section of El Paso, was founded by Franciscan missionaries and Spanish settlers.

William Penn and the Quakers founded Philadelphia as a place of religious tolerance.