Six localities in Smaland were granted their charters prior to 1600, Go to Smaland reports, namely, Kalmar, Jönköping, Växjö, Vimmerby, Eksjö and Västervik. Of these, all except Eksjö have a population greater than 20,000, with Eksjö's population at about 10,000 as of late 2010. Eksjö was destroyed by fire in 1568, and subsequently rebuilt, so the oldest buildings in the town date from that time.
Gränna and Oskarshamn were founded in 1652 and 1856, respectively. Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik prior to 1652. With a population of around 18,000 as of late 2010, Oskarshamn offers harbor cruises to Blå Jungfrun National Park, located on an island in the Kalmar Strait. Gränna, with a population of about 3,000, features climbing streets and old wooden houses.
The localities of Huskvarna, Nässjö, Tranås, Vetlanda, Värnamo, Nybro, Ljungby and Sävsjö were all granted "stader," or town status, in the 20th century. All of these towns have a population greater than 10,000, with Huskvarna as the largest at about 21,000, and the smallest is Nybro at approximately 12,000 as of late 2010, according to Go to Smaland.
