A major port city, Mobile was founded by the French in 1702. While other sources credit Childersburg, Alabama, as the oldest continually occupied city dating back to 1540, it wasn't actually established until 1889.

Kodiak was founded in 1792 by Aleksandr Andreyevich Baranov, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Baranov was a Russian trader and merchant, who became manager of the Russian-American Company.

Established as a Spanish military settlement in 1752, Tubac is the oldest European settlement in Arizona. The city's website notes that indigenous Hohokam and O'odham people had already inhabited the city prior to the arrival of the Spanish.

The state's oldest city, Tucson, was officially founded in 1775, though the City of Tucson's official website says it has been continuously settled for over 12,000 years.

Arkansas Post was technically the first city in Arkansas, having been established as a trading post by the French in 1686, according to the National Park Service. But it was mostly destroyed in the Civil War and has since become a state park.

Georgetown is the second oldest city, founded in 1789, but is still a functioning city today.

Explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno renamed San Diego (formerly San Miguel) in 1602, but Spanish explorers dedicated the first California mission, San Diego de Alcalá, in 1769, San Diego Magazine reported.

Santa Cruz was also dedicated in 1769.

San Luis was established in 1851, by Hispano farmers, and named after a Catholic saint, according to the state's official website and The Tennessean.

Settlers from Plymouth Colony built the first trading house in Windsor in 1633 on an expanse of land they bought from Native Americans who were living there, per the state's history website.

The Dutch first settled in Lewes in 1631, according to its Chamber of Commerce. It calls itself "The first town in the first state," since Delaware was the first to ratify the Constitution.

According to many historians, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US, having been established by the Spanish in 1565.

General James Oglethorpe and 120 passengers traveling on a ship named "Anne" docked along the Savannah River in 1733, and the city of Savannah was born. It became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia.

Hilo's history dates back to 1100 AD. Christian missionaries arrived in 1822, and it became a center of whaling and trade.

Franklin was founded in 1860 by a small group of Mormon settlers and was named for Apostle Franklin D. Richards.

French settlers Robert Cavalier Sieur de LaSalle and Henri de Tonti built Fort Crevecoeur on the bank the Illinois River in 1680, according to the Peoria Historical Society. Soon, a village grew around it.

Vincennes was a French fur trading post when it was established in 1732 along the Wabash River, according to the city's official website.

Dubuque was established in 1837 by Julien Dubuque, a French-Canadian fur trader. He worked with the local Mesquakie Indian tribe to manage lead mines in the area.

Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827 and is still in use today, making it the third-oldest continuously active military base in the US. It was the largest city on the Missouri River during the Civil War, according to the city's official website.

Harrodsburg, which was originally called Harrodstown, was established by James Harrod in 1774.

Natchitoches, founded in 1714 by French explorers, resembles New Orleans' French quarter, and is sometimes referred to as "little New Orleans," Fox8 reported.

English settlers first arrived in Kittery in 1623, and it was incorporated in 1647, per its official website.

St. Mary's City was founded in 1634 by English Catholics who were escaping religious persecution. Many consider it the birthplace of religious freedom in the US, The Washington Post reported in 2008.

Plymouth is referred to as "America's hometown" for its famed Plymouth Rock, where the Mayflower landed in 1620 (though Jamestown, Virginia, also begets the title as the oldest settlement).

Sault Ste. Marie was founded by French missionaries and fur traders in 1668.

Wabasha was established in 1830, though it has been continuously occupied since 1826.

Some believe Stillwater, Minnesota, is the state's oldest town because it was incorporated in 1854, while Wabasha wasn't incorporated until 1858. But according to the year of first settlement, the Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien drafted in 1830 establishes that Wabasha preceded it.

Natchez was founded in 1716, by French colonists. It was the state's most active slave trading city, per the state's history website.

The exact year that Ste. Genevieve was founded is unclear, but French-Canadian settlers could have established it as early as 1735, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Stevensville was officially founded in 1841, when Father Pierre Jean De Smet rolled in with three carts, building St. Mary's Mission, the Northwest's first church and school. The town is celebrated during Western Heritage Days as the oldest town in Montana.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Bellevue is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Nebraska. It was first established as a trading post in 1822, and moved to its current location in 1835.

Genoa is a tiny town — according to its website, just 250 people live there. It was settled in 1851, as a trading post by a group of Mormon traders from Salt Lake City.

Dover's website states that it's the oldest continuous settlement in New Hampshire and the seventh oldest in the entire US. It was originally settled in 1623 by fishermen and traders.

Jersey City was first settled by the Dutch in 1660, and it was officially incorporated as Jersey City in 1820.

According to Santa Fe's official website, it's not only the oldest capital city in the US, but also the second oldest city in the whole country. Santa Fe, which means "holy faith" in Spanish, was founded between 1607 and 1610.

The capital of New York is also its oldest city. Originally founded as Fort Orange by Dutch settlers in 1624, the city was officially chartered by the British government as Albany in 1686.

Even though Fort Orange wasn't founded until the 1620s, Henry Hudson (of Hudson River fame), arrived in the area in 1609 and found it populated with Iroquois Native Americans, according to Albany's website.

Bath had its 300th anniversary in 2005, celebrating the town's founding in 1705. Bath was also North Carolina's first port, and was almost named the state's capital. However, after the town was passed up, it slowly shrank, and now has just 241 residents, per the most recent US Census data.

The city of Pembina's official motto is: "Oldest Settlement in the Dakota Territories." While it was inhabited before this, Pembina's website reports that its first official date in history was 1797, when the first trading post was established.

Marietta holds the distinction of being the first city in the Northwest Territory — its website says it was officially founded in 1788, after a ship called the Adventure Galley sailed up the Ohio River and landed there.

The sign that welcomes visitors into Fort Gibson proclaims it "the Oldest Town in Oklahoma."

Fort Gibson was founded in 1824 as a result of the rising tensions between the Cherokee and Osage Nations — the US felt they had to move their outpost further out west.

Per the town's history, Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, due to its founding in 1811 by John Jacob Astor, the nation's first millionaire. Sixty five years later, in 1876, the town was officially incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly.

Chester, located south of Philadelphia, was founded in 1644 under the name "Upland" by Swiss settlers, according to the City of Chester website. In 1681, William Penn acquired the settlement and shortly renamed it Chester.

Providence was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a preacher fleeing Massachusetts due to religious persecution. He purchased land and created his own city with the promise of religious freedom.

The city of Charleston was founded in 1670 by English colonists. Charleston's main historical claim to fame is that it's the site of the first official shot fired in the Civil War, at Fort Sumter.

Fort Pierre's website claims that it's the oldest continuously occupied white settlement in South Dakota. According to the National Park Service, it is home to a plate buried by French explorers named Verendrye in 1743, who were among the first white men to explore what would later become South Dakota.

Jonesborough is known colloquially as "Tennessee's Oldest Town." It was founded in 1779 as a frontier town, 17 years before Tennessee was a state.

Nacogdoches was founded by Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo in 1779. According to the city's website, nine flags have flown over the town: Spanish, French, Mexican, Lone Star, Confederate and US, as well as one from the Gutierrez-Magee Rebellion, one from the Dr. James Long Expedition, and one from the Fredonia Rebellion. The rest of Texas has "only" seen six flags.

Ogden is the oldest continuously settled community in Utah, and was originally called Fort Buenaventura. Mormon settlers bought the fort in 1847, and it was officially incorporated in 1851.

The small town of Westminster was founded in 1734, according to the Westminster Historical Society, but there wasn't a permanent settlement until 1751.

Chartered as a town in 1749, Dumfries is the oldest chartered town in Virginia, according to the Town of Dumfries' website.

While Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607, according to the National Park Service, most of the early settlers died from starvation, disease, and war with the Powhatan Indian tribe living there. Today, it's a historic site, but no longer a town. 

Steilacoom's website states that it's the oldest incorporated town in Washington state — it officially became a town in 1854.

A boat captain from Maine, Captain Lafayette Balch, was reminded of home upon seeing the area on the Puget Sound and founded Steilacoom in January, 1851. He called it "Port Steilacoom."

However, a few months later John B. Chapman made claim to the west, naming his town "Steilacoom City." In 1854 the new territorial legislature incorporated "Steilacoom," combining the two rival towns into one, according to the town's history.

It's a tie! WV Public Broadcasting reported these two cities were chartered on the same day: December 23, 1762. However, there's a debate as to which is actually older: Settlers are said to date back as far as 1710.

Green Bay is more than just a football team — it's been around since 1655, when it was first established as a fur-trading post. While various Native American tribes lived in the region, French explorer Jean Nicolet visited the area in 1634 and named it "La Baye Verte," or The Green Bay.

Wyoming's capital city is its oldest city as well. The city of Cheyenne was founded in 1867 after years of being a railroad town (the Union Pacific Railroad passed through on its way west). Cheyenne grew so quickly that it was nicknamed "Magic City of the Plains."

The name, widely attributed to Winston Churchill, hinted that life in the USSR was secretive and very different from other Western, capitalist countries.

The Iron Curtain separated the Soviet Union from the US, Europe, and other Western states between the end of World War II and the end of the Cold War in 1991.

The Soviet Union was believed to be brutally restrictive, but after Joseph Stalin died in 1953, there were changes to everyday life.

In 1961, the Berlin Wall was built, and a combination of curiosity and fascination with American culture began to build throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s, as reported by History.com

Some of this fascination was fueled by the US State Department, which sent popular American music to Eastern Europe.

Music like jazz gave people a chance to experiment with a new form of entertainment.

Soviet leaders banned rock 'n' roll music in efforts to keep Western culture from "culturally corrupting" Soviet citizens, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine.

"Style hunters" were basically the Soviet version of today's hipsters. They would listen to smuggled music and dance in hidden discotheques before the police busted them.

Fascination with punk style took the youth by storm, and punks would do anything to get their hands on even just a few seconds of rock 'n' roll, as reported by The Guardian.

In the 1950s, "bone records" were old X-rays printed on flimsy vinyl sheets that were used to share American rock music. The sound quality was awful, but it provided the taste of rebellion they were after.

Sports, and particularly soccer, were popular in the Soviet Union. When the soccer team won the European Championship in 1960, there were huge celebrations.

In the earlier years of the Soviet Union, Stalin's leadership had organized teams as a way for the state to maintain control.

While the government was no longer in complete control by the 1960s, they still used victories as a propaganda tool and claimed success whenever there was a big win.

As younger citizens stirred up trouble, members of the older generation continued to represent Soviet culture and abide by the communist lifestyle.

Public transport was a crucial tool to keep the republics connected. The Moscow Metro system was known to be the best-kept to flaunt socialist success, as reported by Foreign Policy Magazine.

Public buses were the predominant means of transportation.

On a normal day, adults would head off to work and occasionally browse a store.

Photographer David Hlynsky told Fast Company in 2015 that "very few products were branded with anything like the legendary trademarks of the West."

"These were generic products devoid of any accompanying mythology," Hlynsky told Fast Company.

Nikita Khrushchev, a former Soviet statesman, visited the US in the 1960s and tried to bring the concept of the Western supermarket to the Soviet Union, but it didn't catch on, Geohistory reported.

The production and distribution systems at these shops just couldn't keep up with demand, and most Soviet citizens continued to shop at small mom-and-pop stores.

Winter in Eastern Europe is known for its extremely cold temperatures, making daily commutes and grocery runs even harder.

During the summertime, there were trips to beaches, like those along the Black Sea Coast.

Even during the harsh winters, the Soviet government put on large displays of military power.

Every November, thousands would gather in below-freezing weather to celebrate the Soviet Union's anniversary in front of the Red Square.

Missiles were displayed to show the Soviet Union's military power and capabilities during the Cold War.

On December 18, 1942, the Pullman Company presented a luxury train car that had been rebuilt at the request of the US Secret Service, which had determined that the president needed a secure way to travel during wartime.

Roosevelt most often used the car to travel from Washington, DC, to his home in Hyde Park, New York. The president insisted on not surpassing a speed of 35 miles per hour when traveling aboard the Ferdinand Magellan, making his journeys less efficient and heightening security measures, per the White House Historical Association website.

He last rode the car on March 30, 1945, when he visited his Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia, where he died a few weeks later.

During his time, the president rode over 50,000 miles aboard the presidential train car.

While the car was built with Roosevelt in mind, including certain designs that would allow him to use a wheelchair on the train, it was his successor, President Harry S. Truman, who used it the most.

The president, who, unlike Roosevelt, opted for a speed of 80 miles per hour, employed the car in his iconic 35-day whistle-stop tour during his reelection campaign in 1948, where he delivered 356 speeches from the back of the Magellan, per Architectural Digest.

By the time Truman's successor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, took office, more efficient air travel was starting to replace rail travel, and the US Car No. 1 was used for the last time in 1954.

In 1984, Reagan brought the Magellan out of retirement for a one-day whistle-stop tour through Ohio during his reelection campaign.

The president traveled from Dayton to Perrysburg and stopped at five locations to give speeches from the rear platform of the presidential car.

In 1959, the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, Florida, acquired the car, which had been declared surplus and donated to the Smithsonian — which had no way to store it — in 1958.

Since then, the car has stayed in South Florida, where it is now open to the public.

The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. A regular adult ticket for the museum costs $12, and tickets for the presidential train car cost an additional $10.

The car, which is 84 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 15 feet tall, was covered with over 1/2 an inch of nickel-steel armor on its sides and featured 3-inch-thick bulletproof glass windows.

It was also the heaviest train car built in the US. After it was refurbished for presidential use, the train car weighed 285,000 pounds, making it much heavier than modern-day war tanks, which often weigh around 100,000 pounds.

The car also had its name, Ferdinand Magellan, removed from its sides in an effort to conceal the president's presence, although its design often stood out.

Other security features included two escape hatches and a complex security protocol, which included diverting traffic on the rails to ensure that no train traveled ahead or behind the president for at least 30 minutes. Operating under the code name POTUS, the president's train always had the right of way.

The entrance through which presidents and their guests would've entered is at the front of the car.

The train's dedicated chef prepared the president and guests' meals inside this kitchen.

The kitchen was also equipped with a pantry and a full-size metal sink.

Near the kitchen, a chef and a porter had sleeping quarters that featured an upper and lower berth.

The presidential car's main cabin featured a 6-foot solid mahogany table where the president and his guests — often diplomats or foreign leaders — could gather for dinners or meetings.

Presidents and guests didn't have to sacrifice the White House's luxuries while they were on the move — the dining room had its own set of china decorated with the presidential emblem.

The 3-inch-thick laminated bulletproof glass windows were installed when the car was refurbished for the president's use.

The windows were sealed, so to keep the car ventilated there was a simple form of air conditioning in which fans pushed air cooled by blocks of ice.

The first of two guest bedrooms aboard the US Car No. 1, Stateroom D, included an upper and lower berth, where guests could sleep, and an in-room bathroom.

In these guest rooms, Truman welcomed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during his visit to the US in 1946, during which he delivered his iconic Iron Curtain speech.

Designed to accommodate Franklin D. Roosevelt's wheelchair, the president's room included a full-size bed, a dresser, and an in-room toilet.

Like most rooms in the car, it was also connected to a telephone, which was extremely rare at the time.

The presidential suite bathroom, equipped with a bathtub, toilet, and sink, connected the president's and the first lady's rooms, staterooms B and C.

The bathroom also contained an escape hatch, which was added as a security measure during the car's refurbishing.

Inside the first lady's quarters was a bed and a dresser, although she didn't have an in-room bathroom.

Located towards the back of the car, Stateroom A, the second guest room aboard the Magellan, featured convertible berths, like the other guest room, that could also be used as a breakfast, gathering, or office space for the president or his guests.

The upper berth could be raised into the ceiling, and the lower one could be converted into a sitting booth with a pull-out table.

The Ferdinand Magellan functioned as a White House on wheels, and was often attached to train cars dedicated to Secret Service, White House staffers, and reporters traveling with the president.

The US Car No. 1 was also often accompanied by two communications cars equipped with control consoles for radio broadcasts and telegraph communications so the president could be reached while he was on the move, per Atlas Obscura.

A slim, wood-paneled hallway led from the four staterooms to the observation deck at the rear of the car.

The observation room was also enlarged during the refurbishing of the car, allowing it to function as a secondary gathering room for the president and his guests.

Part of the car's security modifications included the addition of escape hatches, like this submarine hatch on the observation lounge.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, and among its many damages were some sustained by the Magellan.

Although minor, a small window crack shows how the presidential car has stood the test of time.

At the end of the presidential car was an exposed podium from where the president often addressed crowds.

During Truman's whistle-stop tour, he spoke from the podium repeatedly, often addressing crowds in different cities within the same day.

Inactive as the president's main form of transportation for over 70 years, the Ferdinand Magellan stands as a memory of America's past.

However, our tour guide pointed out that the car is still on a track connected to current-day railroads and can be requested for use at any moment by the sitting US president.

Although I doubt Donald Trump would want to travel aboard the historic cabin, a modern-day president going on his own whistle-stop tour on US Car No. 1 remains a possibility.

One of the seven Ringling brothers — five of whom founded the Ringling Bros. circus in 1884 — John Ringling became one of the most famous and successful Ringlings, partly because he lived long enough to enjoy the financial success of the family circus enterprise.

In 1907, the brothers purchased Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, which they would merge with the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows, creating a monopoly in the circus industry that led to John and his brother Charles becoming some of the richest people in America at the time.

John Ringling grew his wealth by investing in booming industries like oil, railroads, and ranching. Despite amassing a considerable fortune, with his estate valued at $23.5 million by his death in 1936 — or $547 million in today's money, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics — John Ringling died with only $311 ($7,244 today) in his bank account, according to his nephew, Henry Ringling North.

Costing a reported $1.5 million in 1926, according to the museum, ($27 million today), Ca' d'Zan expands over 36,000 square feet with 56 rooms, including five guest suites and a service wing dedicated to staff.

The extravagant mansion served as John and Mable Ringling's winter home whenever they weren't residing in New York City or traveling. However, the Ringlings only enjoyed their residence at Ca' d'Zan for a limited time, as Mable Ringling died in 1929, and John Ringling followed in 1936.

At one point, John and his brother Charles Ringling — who later built a marble mansion north of Ca' d'Zan —owned a fourth of Sarasota, as reported by The Ringling.

Downstairs, the mansion's reception room, lounging room, breakfast room, dining room, great hall, and ballroom, as well as the kitchen and pantry, are open to the public. The mansion and the museum are open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Entrance to the mansion costs $45 for adults, $20 for children between 6 and 17 years old, and $15 for children under 6.

The colorful and intricate design of Ca' d'Zan draws inspiration from Venetian Gothic palazzos like the Ca' d'Oro. Its exterior and interior walls are lined with custom-made terracotta, and the windows replicate Gothic arches.

The mansion's name, Ca' d'Zan, translates to "House of John" in Venetian.

The entrance foyer, like much of Ca' d'Zan, is filled with furnishings John and Mable Ringling bought from estate sales.

The mansion and adjacent museum showcase 400 pieces bought from a Newport, Rhode Island, mansion following Alva Vanderbilt and William Vanderbilt's divorce, as reported by The New York Times.

The central court was meant to be the center of entertaining at the mansion. It features a 1892 Steinway grand piano and an Aeolian organ to soundtrack the Ringlings' gatherings.

Throughout the mansion, including in the central court, windows feature colored glass panels, which create a warm atmosphere inside the home and add layers of dimension to the interior design.

The grand ballroom's gilded ceiling features custom artwork by illustrator Willy Pogany.

In "Dancers of Nations," 22 canvas paintings depicting dancers of different times and cultures are arranged in octagonal frames.

The room gave diners views of the Sarasota Bay through colored-glass windows similar to ones in the central court.

Other cutting-edge technology in the mansion included an annunciator system that allowed guests to ring the butler's pantry for service.

The tap room where the Ringlings served their guests with wine and spirits features a terrazzo floor, colorful glass windows, and a bar and decorative glass panels purchased from the Cicardi Winter Palace Restaurant in St. Louis, Sarasota Magazine reported.

The painted plaster ceiling is inspired by Islamic design, per the mansion's audio tour. The room decorations draw inspiration from the Italianate aesthetic of the 19th century.

The wooden table had 20 leaves that could extend to host a large number of guests.

The elevator was one of the first ever installed in a private residence in Florida.

Separated bathrooms and closets, as well as an entertaining game room, are also upstairs.

The upper levels of the mansion are currently closed to the public as museum staff undergo repairs from damages sustained during Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

The mansion's water-facing terrace and dock are paved with imported marble tiles in a chevron pattern.

Standing on the terrace, visitors overlook the Gulf coast and can feel its cooling breeze, which once made the city of Sarasota famous as an "air-conditioned city," the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

While the main entrance to the property was located on land, guests were often welcomed on the bayfront terrace and its waterside dock.

As of July 2025, the upper floors of the historic mansion remain closed to the public as restoration efforts continue on the property.

The mansion was heavily affected by last year's hurricane season, with its basement flooding and disrupting electrical functions, and it was closed to the public between September and December 2024.

As well as Ca' d'Zan, the Ringling estate, which expands over 66 acres, also includes the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

The museum, which houses over 10,000 pieces, opened to the public for select exhibitions in 1930. It opened permanently in 1932.

Two of the museum's 21 original galleries feature intact decorations from Caroline Schermerhorn Astor and her son John Jacob Astor IV's former residence on New York City's Fifth Avenue.

When the home was demolished in 1926, John Ringling purchased its interiors, including a grand salon and a library, which are both now on display at the museum.

The museum documents the evolution of the circus empire that built the Ringling family's wealth and legacy.

Whether it's the Venetian architecture, Gilded Age artifacts, or circus history that attracts visitors, the 66-acre Ringling estate and its extensive collections offer a unique and immersive experience, allowing visitors to travel through the extravagant displays of wealth of the turn of the century and the diverse worldly landscapes that inspired the design of Ca' d'Zan.