Long after colonists arrived and settled Hampton in 1610, Hampton was chosen as the site of the nation’s first aeronautical lab in the early 20th century. In 1958, the first group of astronauts began training at NASA’s Langley Research Center. The men became known as the Mercury Seven; among the group were John Glenn and Alan Shepard, the first American to fly into space in 1961.

In 1638, Swedish settlers founded Fort Christina, the first permanent European location in what is now Delaware. Named for the Swedish queen, the fort was captured by Peter Stuyvesant’s Dutch forces in 1655 and renamed Altena. Nine years later, the English took over and renamed it Wilmington.

Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647 as director general of the Dutch West India Company’s holdings in North America. That also made him the governor of what is now New York. Although he was not popular with the local leaders, he was responsible for several positive changes in the growing city. Under his leadership, roads were improved, trash was better managed, and trade standards were introduced. He lost control of the city to the British 1664.

From its founding in 1607 until 1699, Jamestown served as the capital of the Virginia Colony. However, in 1698, much of Jamestown was destroyed by fire. Colonial leaders decided to relocate to Middle Plantation, which was about five miles away and still had convenient access to the waterways for trade. Later renamed Williamsburg, the settlement served as the capital of the colony until after the Revolutionary War, when the honor went to Richmond.

Unlike many of the wood forts at the time, St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos was built using coquina, a type of local rock formed mostly from seashells. Work began in 1672, and when completed 23 years later, the fort was strong enough to repel enemy attacks. On three separate occasions in the 18th century, British forces attempted to storm the Castillo but they were never successful. The Castillo de San Marcos is now a national monument.

Ten years after the Mayflower set sail for the New World, another group of Puritans landed in Salem, Massachusetts. The group decided to move in search of a better location with a reliable supply of fresh water and ended up at the Shawmut Peninsula. In September 1630, they founded Boston.

In 1622, London merchant Thomas Weston established the Wessagusset Colony in Massachusetts. Unlike nearby colonists who were seeking religious freedom, Weston’s motives were purely commercial. He sent 60 men to establish the colony, but after a violent confrontation with the local population, the remaining survivors fled either back to England or to Plymouth. Shortly after, a larger group arrived. This more successful settlement was renamed after the English town they had sailed from: Weymouth.

The former name of Albany, Beverwijck means “beaver district” in Dutch. Although it was named after a Dutch town by the same name, this translation would seem appropriate given its original role as a fur trading post in 1652. In 1664, the British gained control of Beverwijck and renamed the settlement Albany, after the Duke of the same name. It has been the state capital of New York since 1797.

Jamestown, the first permanent English-speaking settlement in the Americas, was named in honor of King James I. Similarly, Williamsburg honors King William III of England, who co-reigned with his wife Mary from 1689 until his death in 1702. Originally called Middle Plantation, the city was first settled in 1633. William and Mary College opened here in 1693 as the country’s second-oldest university.

In 1637, English-born Anne Hutchinson was banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony after speaking out against certain aspects of the Puritan doctrine. Hutchinson and her family moved to Rhode Island, where they found their own religious settlement. Her followers settled in the north of the island, in an area called Pocasset. By 1639, half of Hutchinson’s group left with William Coddington and Nicholas Easton and officially founded the city of Newport.

When the Puritans arrived in the New World, they often named their new settlements after the homes they had left behind in England. Boston is a town in the English county of Lincolnshire. A large number of non-conformists (as the Puritans were called in England) emigrated from Boston and surrounding villages in search of a better life. Many were in the party led by John Winthrop, who eventually founded Boston, Massachusetts, in 1630.

Santa Fe’s San Miguel Chapel is believed to be the oldest church in the continental U.S. — though its exact age is unknown. The earliest written records indicating its existence date to 1628. However, many believe it dates earlier, perhaps before Santa Fe was officially founded in 1610. Parts of the original chapel are still standing, and the chapel is still in regular use.

Before it was renamed in 1792, Quincy, Massachusetts, was known by various names, including Mount Wollaston and Braintree. John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams were both born in Quincy while it was called Braintree. Founding Father John Hancock was also born there in 1737. It is the only city to be the birthplace of two U.S. presidents.

Florida may be the site of the nation’s oldest European-founded city, but Virginia is home to four of the 10 oldest. These include Jamestown, founded in 1607, and Hampton, founded in 1610. Nearby Kecoughtan, now a part of Hampton, was once a separate town established in 1610. Also in the Chesapeake Bay region is Newport News, created in 1613.

In 1610, conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta arrived at a Pueblo Native American settlement which the Spanish took control of and named Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asis — or Santa Fe for short. The city is the oldest state capital in the United States. In its lifetime, it has been the capital of the Spanish empire, a Mexican province, a U.S. territory, and eventually the state of New Mexico.

One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded in 1630. The city was also home to the first public school in North America. Puritan schoolmaster Philemon Pormont opened the Boston Latin School in 1635 to provide a rigorous education in Latin and Greek. Founding fathers John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Ben Franklin were among its earliest pupils. The school is still in operation today.

English settlers founded Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607 and named it for King James I of England. The settlement was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. However, the location proved challenging, with a marshy landscape and humid climate. Struggles with starvation and the local Indigenous population led to the abandonment of Jameston after a few years. However, people eventually moved back, and Jamestown served as the capital of the Virginia Colony from 1616 to 1699.

When the Mayflower set sail from England in 1620, the ship originally planned to land in what is now northern Virginia. However, a change in weather conditions saw the passengers head ashore at Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts, and establish the Plymouth Colony — the first permanent English colony in New England. Plymouth remained independently governed until it became part of Massachusetts in 1691.

Founded in 1610, Hampton, Virginia, is the oldest continuously inhabited English-speaking settlement in the country. After the U.S. gained independence, Hampton became a major military outpost due to its strategic location and abundant natural resources. Hampton had easy access to both the Chesapeake Bay and the James River, making it a great port for shipping weapons and other supplies.

Founded in 1565, the city of St. Augustine predates the United States by more than two centuries. Spanish explorers came ashore on the coastline of what is now Florida in August of that year. The day they landed was St. Augustine’s Day, hence the name of the settlement. St. Augustine served as the state capital until 1824, when the present-day capital Tallahassee was chosen.

New York City was originally named New Amsterdam by Dutch settlers in 1624. In 1664, the British conquered the colony and renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York. The city was also named New Orange after the Dutch briefly won back control of the colony, but a year later the British took over once more and changed the city’s name back to New York.