Pennsylvania’s Oldest City Predates America By 95 Years

When we think of America's oldest cities, we usually think of places like Plymouth, or St. Augustine. Did you know that a city that predates America by 95 years is right here in Pennsylvania?

This city, founded in the early days of colonial America, holds so much history and stories about the early days of not only Pennsylvania but our country as a whole.

READ MORE: One PA City Has Been Named The Second Rudest In America

Pennsylvania is known for its extremely popular historical sites like Philadelphia and Gettysburg and is often considered the cradle of American independence.

Yet a small city within PA predates even the signing of the Declaration of Independence by almost a hundred years.

It’s for sure interesting that there were towns that we drive through and think about every day that have been established even before the United States.

What Is The Oldest City in Pennsylvania?

As the oldest city in Pennsylvania, Chester was officially established in 1682, a whopping 95 years before America was founded.

According to Chester’s history on the official site;

“Chester is the oldest City in Pennsylvania. In 1681, William Penn acquired the colonial settlement as a safe haven for Quakers. One year later he landed on the ship Welcome and renamed the settlement Chester, after the city in England. For the first two hundred years of its history, Chester was prosperous and wealthy manufacturing community with industries concentrating on machinery, metal manufacturing, locomotive, shipbuilding, and textiles. These strong industries, paired with the city’s proximity to the Delaware River and major railways generated jobs and fueled a steady population growth.”

Just when you thought Pennsylvania history couldn’t get more interesting, there are always new layers to uncover!