The Most Historic Small Town in Every State

If small towns are where the "real" America lies, then our true past can be found in our most historic settlements, villages and towns.

In Alabama, one of those places is Mooresville, which Southern Living calls "a real-life living museum." Indeed, the entire town, incorporated in 1818, is on the National Register of Historic Places—though, truly, there are only six streets to account for. The Mooresville post office, founded in 1840, is the oldest of its kind still in operation today.

Wrangell has the unique distinction of being the only city in Alaska that has been ruled by four nations, under three flags: the native Tlingit, Russia, England and the United States. Situated on an island at the mouth of the Stikine River, Wrangell was at the center of three of Alaska's major gold rushes and still retains lots of Tlingit and Gold Rush-era history and charm.

Tucked away in the southeast corner of Arizona, 90 miles south of Tucson, Bisbee was once a booming mining town. The mine didn't close until 1975, but in those 100 years it produced more than 8 billion pounds of copper, more than 3 million ounces of gold and, at the mining camp's peak, more than 50 saloons.

Washington is built around Historic Washington State Park, which re-creates 19th-century Arkansas life, with its taverns and blacksmith shops, much as Williamsburg, Virginia, does. The town, first incorporated on George Washington's birthday in 1824, served as an early settlement and trading post on the Southwest Trail and, during the Civil War, as the Confederate capital of Arkansas. It's also the birthplace of the famed Bowie Knife.

One of California's original Gold Rush towns, Columbia was called "Gem of the Southern Mines." Today its history is preserved in the largest collection of Gold Rush-era buildings in the state. The San Jose Mercury News calls it one of the places in California that makes "time travel real."

San Luis is the oldest town in the state, founded in April 1851 by Hispano farmers. Located near the New Mexico border, it is home to the oldest church in Colorado.

Time and again awarded honors for being one the best small towns in America, Essex, located along the Connecticut River, was first settled in the 1600s, but not officially incorporated until 1852. The town's beloved Griswold Inn, referred to as "The Gris," has been open since 1776.

Lewes calls itself "the first town in the first state," since Delaware was the first to ratify the Constitution. Settled in 1631, by the Dutch, Lewes is home to the oldest building in the state, The Ryves Holt House, as well as a legend about the pirate Blackbeard.

It's not only Florida's oldest city, but the entire nation's. Founded in 1565 by the Spanish admiral Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, St. Augustine is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States.

Dahlonega, in the foothills of Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, was the site of the first gold rush in the U.S. in 1828, which predates California by 20 years. The historic downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places and you can still pan for gold.

This historic 19th century whaling village on the western side of Maui was once home to the Hawaiian monarchy. Today, 55 acres in the area have been set aside as historic districts. The town is also home to the largest Banyan tree in the entire United States.

The birthplace of gold mining in the state of Idaho, Pierce is still home to the oldest public building in the state: the Pierce County Courthouse.

With its population of just 14 per the last census, Kaskaskia is a shell of its historic past. It was once the capital of the Illinois Territory, and before that a vibrant French trading post and home to the Illini Native American tribe. As the Mississippi River has flooded over time, Kaskaskia became isolated and is now only accessible through Missouri.

Clarksville, formerly known as Clark's Grant, is thought to be the oldest settlement in the entire Northwest Territory. It lies on the Ohio River and it's where, according to the historian Stephen Ambrose, the Lewis and Clark Expedition started—all with a handshake.

Another key spot in the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Council Bluffs is where, along the Missouri River, the explorers met with the Oto and Missouri tribes. The town is also historically important as a temporary Mormon settlement in the 1840s and '50s.

One of the country's most prominent frontier towns, Dodge City began as a stop on the historic Santa Fe Trail. Once the cattle trade grew, it became "Queen of the Cow Towns," home to saloons and the gunslingers who frequented them.

Dubbed "the birthplace of the West," Harrodsburg is not only Kentucky's oldest town but also the first permanent English settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains, dating back to the late 1700s. It's home to a replica of the Ft. Harrod, founded in 1774, and a nearby Shaker Village.

Natchitoches, named after the indigenous people who first lived there, is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. With deep French roots that reach back to the 1600s, the town now boasts a large historic district filled with Queen Anne, Victorian and Creole-style buildings.

Settled in 1623, Kittery is Maine's oldest town and considered "the gateway to Maine," as it sits right on the Maine-New Hampshire state line, on the coast. And while many people come for the outlet shopping, the historic architecture and shipbuilding past are worth the stay.

A birthplace of religious freedom, through the words of Lord Baltimore, St. Mary's City is Maryland's oldest town and first capital. As a living history destination, it captures what colonial life was like in the 1600s.

Dubbed "America's hometown," Plymouth lies 37 miles southeast of Boston on the Massachusetts coast. It's where the Mayflower pilgrims landed in 1620.

Horse-drawn carriages are the main mode of transport on this car-free island situated between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It's the perfect compliment to the Victorian-era buildings and what Travel + Leisure calls the town's "stuck-in-time feel."

Considered "the birthplace of Minnesota," Stillwater is a historic river town along the St. Croix river, with the paddlewheel riverboats and gondolas to prove it.

The historic Civil War battle of Vicksburg put this Mississippi river town on the map, long after it was established in 1811. After a 47-day siege, the Confederacy surrendered on July 4, 1863, and Vicksburg remained in the Union after that.

Ste. Genevieve, the first permanent European settlement in Missouri, was founded in 1735 by French colonialists. The Bolduc house, a National Historic Landmark, is the first historic structure in the town to be restored.

Located on the banks of the Missouri River, Fort Benton is known as "the birthplace of Montana." Founded in 1846, it's actually one of the oldest settlements in all of the West, and one of the last fur-trading posts on the Upper Missouri.

According to the Nebraska State Legislature, Nebraska City is the oldest incorporated town in the state. It was founded in 1855 and joined forces with neighboring Kearny City and South Nebraska City a couple years later to create what we now know as Nebraska City. The historic town had Nebraska's largest population of slaves, at one point, but is also famous as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Genoa lies in the shadow of the majestic Eastern Sierras. Founded in 1861, it was the first settlement in what became the Nevada territory, settled by Mormon pioneers. It's home to the state's first hotel, newspaper and court.

Settled in 1623, Portsmouth is one of the country's oldest cities. The town sits above the Piscataqua River, where Maine and New Hampshire meet, and is overflowing with historic charm.

Although it's widely accepted that Burlington, which sits along the Delaware River, was first established in 1677 as part of the "West Jersey" Quaker settlement, some records suggest that Swedish settlers had arrived much earlier.

Located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range, Taos Pueblo is a living Native American community that is more than 1,000 years old—and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

While the capital, Albany, is the oldest town in the state, Tarrytown has its fair share of history, from the Weckquaesgeeks Indians who first lived there, through the Revolutionary War era and even as a throughway for the Underground Railroad.

Located on the Pamlico River, Bath was North Carolina's first port of entry, and its oldest town, founded in 1705.

Pembina, the first settlement in North Dakota, began as a British-Canadian fur trading post located just south of the U.S.-Canada border. The name is an Ojibwa word for a local plant, which reflects the town's rich Native American history.

Marietta was the first chartered city in the Northwest Territory, settled in 1788. The New York Times called it a historic river town where the West began.

Founded in 1824, Fort Gibson is widely accepted as one of the oldest non-Indian settlement in Oklahoma. It's home to what's left of the original Fort Gibson, where U.S. military, Native Americans and free African-Americans first came together to form a community.

Established by fur traders in 1811, the port city of Astoria, where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean, is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.

Valley Forge is where George Washington's newly formed Continental Army camped out during the brutal winter of 1777-78—and the Revolutionary War history is appropriately thick here.

One of Rhode Island's beautiful coastal towns, Narragansett is named for the powerful Native American tribe that once occupied the land. Today it features a historic district with more than a dozen entries in the National Register of Historic Places.

Beaufort is second only to Charleston when it comes to age. Founded by the British in 1711, remnants of the original English colonial settlement can be found in the historic district.

Where the Missouri and Bad Rivers converge lies Fort Pierre. The town, originally founded by two French-Canadian fur traders and explorers in 1743, later became a trading post. And to this day it sits across from the capital city Pierre.

Tennessee's oldest town and home to Andrew Jackson, Jonesborough has a rich American history. It was founded in 1779, when the area was still part of North Carolina, and draws visitors with its historic buildings, tobacco farming history and the Appalachian cultural tradition of storytelling.

This unique central Texas town founded in 1846 was named after Prince Frederick of Prussia, and it's home to its own (dying) dialect, called Texas German, for the German immigrants who did not learn English.

Founded in 1846 as Fort Buenaventura, Ogden is the oldest permanent European settlement in Utah. It's famous for its long Mormon history, as well as a colored past as a frontier and railroad town.

First settled in 1761, Bennington is not the oldest town in Vermont, but it nevertheless has a long, rich history, including the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War.

Founded in 1632, today's historic Williamsburg is a true time machine. You can step back into 18th-century colonial times, meet blacksmiths and scullery maids, and dine in the likes of Washington's favorite tavern.

Founded in 1854, it's unclear where Steilacoom got its unique name, thought it's believed to be derived from a Native American word or name of a chieftain. From its vantage point in the Puget Sound, it was a prime stop for lumber and is the site of many firsts for the state, including the first sawmill.

Now part of a national park, the picturesque town of Harpers Ferry sits where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet. Famously, it is where, in 1859, the abolitionist John Brown attempted to start an armed slave revolt.

Forget the Packers for a moment. Green Bay is Wisconsin's oldest settlement, founded in 1655, but inhabited by the Menominee and Ho-Chunk tribes, among others. That was before French and British fur traders, and finally Americans, took over, when they built Fort Howard in 1816.

Though Cheyenne is Wyoming's oldest town, historic Cody, in the northwestern part of the state, may very well have the best story. Named by Colonel William F. Cody—aka Buffalo Bill—in 1895, Cody captures the spirit of the American West, much as its namesake.