St. Augustine, Florida: North America’s Oldest Continuously Inhabited European City

Founded September 8, 1565 by Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, St. Augustine holds the title of the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continental United States.

It predates Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620) by 42 and 55 years. The city served as Spain’s military and administrative capital in La Florida for over 200 years, surviving attacks by pirates, British forces, and Native nations.

Today, its Castillo de San Marcos (1672–95), narrow colonial streets, and living history make it a unique window into the Spanish colonial era.