
Is Nacogdoches the oldest settlement in Texas?
However, in a way, Nacogdoches may just be the oldest settlement in Texas – there is evidence that suggests that indigenous peoples have been living in what is now Nacogdoches for over 10,000 years. Prior to the Spanish mission in 1716, Nacogdoches was inhabited by the Nacogdoche tribe of Caddo Indians.
What is the oldest town in Texas?
The first Europeans came to what is now Presidio in 1535 with Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and established one of the first European settlements in the area. This makes Presidio the oldest town in Texas – the town says that it was officially established in 1683.
What was the name of the first settlement in Texas?
The tiny municipality was "legally and officially recognized." This settlement, at what is now La Plaza de las Islas, was the first permanent civil settlement in Texas. The Islanders named their town the "Villa de San Fernando" in honor of the Spanish prince, Don Fernando, who succeeded to the throne in 1746 as King Ferdinand VI.
What was the first settlement in Mexico?
The first settlement, called the Villa de Bexar, was little more than civilian housing for families of soldiers stationed at the presidio, and did not qualify under Spanish law as an official town. In 1722 the Marques de Aguayo urged the establishment of an officially recognized civil settlement...

What was the first settlement in Texas?
The first Spanish-speaking settlers established a mission and presidio (fort) around the San Antonio River in 1718. The first settlement, called the Villa de Bexar, was little more than civilian housing for families of soldiers stationed at the presidio.
What are the five oldest cities in Texas?
11 Oldest Towns in TexasSan Augustine – 1717.San Antonio – 1718. ... Austin – 1730. ... Goliad – 1749. ... Laredo – 1755. ... Port Isabel – 1770s. ... Gonzales – 1825. ... Georgetown – 1840. Human habitation dates back to Georgetown at least 9,000 years and maybe far earlier. ... More items...•
What is the oldest in Texas?
Nacogdoches Nacogdoches has the distinction of being the oldest town in Texas. How old? Well, there's evidence of settlement in the area dating back 10,000 years.
What is the oldest country in Texas?
HOUSTON COUNTY, TX (KTRE) - Sam Houston declared Houston County the first in the Republic of Texas 175 years ago. "We're just proud of the fact that we are the first county," said Juanita Brenner, member of the 175th Anniversary Committee.
What's the oldest bar in Texas?
the Menger BarLoaded with stories of days gone by, the Menger Bar, located in the Alamo Plaza in San Antonio, is the oldest bar in Texas. The Lone Star State is known for its history, and almost anywhere you go you'll find some fascinating remnant of the past, but this place definitely has a story to tell.
What is the oldest town in USA?
St. AugustineSt. Augustine, founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States – more commonly called the "Nation's Oldest City."
Where is the oldest house in Texas?
Northwest of Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country lies the tiny Mason County. Home to less than 5,000 people, you'd never guess that this little Texas gem is home to a seriously cool historic landmark. The Seaquist House is the oldest standing mansion in the entire state, and you can visit it today.
Is Dallas or Houston older?
Houston's bigger, older and, thanks to "Apollo 13," linked to the most overused cliché in American pop culture.
What is the youngest city in Texas?
Fulshear is the youngest town in America -- if you're going by the age of the homes. In the Houston suburb, the median house is only seven years old.
Who owned Texas before the US?
Texas Introduction Texas has been a cornerstone of the American southwest for a long period of time. Often overlooked however, is the journey Texas made from once belonging to the Spanish, French, and Mexico, to eventually becoming its own republic before joining the United States in 1845.
What are the 5 oldest cities in the United States?
10 Oldest Cities in the U.S.St. Augustine, Florida (1565) ... Jamestown, Virginia (1607) ... Santa Fe, New Mexico (1607) ... Hampton, Virginia (1610) ... Kecoughtan, Virginia (1610) ... Newport News, Virginia (1613) ... Albany, New York (1614) ... Jersey City, New Jersey (1617)More items...•
What was Texas called before it was Texas?
the Republic of TexasIt became its own country, called the Republic of Texas, from 1836 until it agreed to join the United States in 1845. Sixteen years later, it seceded along with 10 other states to form the Confederacy.
What are the 5 oldest cities in the United States?
10 Oldest Cities in the U.S.St. Augustine, Florida (1565) ... Jamestown, Virginia (1607) ... Santa Fe, New Mexico (1607) ... Hampton, Virginia (1610) ... Kecoughtan, Virginia (1610) ... Newport News, Virginia (1613) ... Albany, New York (1614) ... Jersey City, New Jersey (1617)More items...•
Is Houston or Dallas older?
Houston's bigger, older and, thanks to "Apollo 13," linked to the most overused cliché in American pop culture. Dallas is more glitzy, more gaudy and, thanks to "Dallas," stuck with an international image based on '80s TV.
Is Laredo The oldest city in Texas?
Nacogdoches However, in a way, Nacogdoches may just be the oldest settlement in Texas – there is evidence that suggests that indigenous peoples have been living in what is now Nacogdoches for over 10,000 years. Prior to the Spanish mission in 1716, Nacogdoches was inhabited by the Nacogdoche tribe of Caddo Indians.
What is the youngest city in Texas?
Fulshear is the youngest town in America -- if you're going by the age of the homes. In the Houston suburb, the median house is only seven years old.
How We Determined When A City Was Founded In Texas… Or Is It Settled?
Put differently, there’s no official data set from the Census that contains when every place in America was founded.
Where did the majority of slaves come from in Texas?
The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the older slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the domestic slave trade. New Orleans was the center of this trade in the Deep South, but slave dealers were in Houston. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War.
What did the slaves in Houston do before the Civil War?
Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War. Many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor.
What tribes inhabited the Texas desert?
When settlers arrived from Europe, the Tonkawa tribe inhabited the area. The Comanches and Lipan Apaches were also known to travel through the area. Spanish colonists, including the Espinosa-Olivares-Aguirre expedition, traveled through the area for centuries, though few permanent settlements were created for some time. In 1730, three missions from East Texas were combined and reestablished as one mission on the south side of the Colorado River, in what is now Zilker Park, in Austin. The mission was in this area for only about seven months, and then was moved to San Antonio de Béxar and split into three missions.
What was Houston known for?
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton. Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont.
How old was Caddo before Spanish colonization?
Age: 162. Preceded by thousands of years of varying cultures, the Caddo people inhabited the Dallas area before Spanish colonists claimed the territory of Texas in the 18th century as a part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Later, France also claimed the area but never established much settlement.
What happened to the town of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
After the war, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ceded the land to the United States. A referendum was taken in the town, which voted to petition the American military government in charge of the area to return the town to Mexico.
What was the name of the county in Texas in 1836?
Present Bexar County was thus created, with San Antonio de Bexar as the county seat. This name change of San Antonio for the original Villa was confirmed on June 5, 1837.
When did the Spanish start to settle in San Antonio?
The first Spanish-speaking settlers began to group around the San Antonio River in 1718 when the mission and presidio (fort) were established. The first settlement, called the Villa de Bexar, was little more than civilian housing for families of soldiers stationed at the presidio, and did not qualify under Spanish law as an official town.
What is the name of the township in San Antonio?
The first formal census of San Antonio, dated December 31, 1788, refers to the township as the Villa de San Fernando; the entire group of settlements, the Villa, the mission with its pueblo, and the presidio are referred to as San Antonio de Bexar. In 1823, after the Spaniards were expelled from Mexico, an election provided for the subdivision of Texas into five separate territories with San Antonio de Bexar as the capital of the entire Province. The 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas provided for the reorganization of the old municipalities into counties. Present Bexar County was thus created, with San Antonio de Bexar as the county seat. This name change of San Antonio for the original Villa was confirmed on June 5, 1837.
How many Canary Island settlers were there in 1731?
At 11 a.m., March 9, 1731, fifteen families totaling about fifty-five Canary Island settlers filed into the Presidio of San Antonio de Bexar to lay claim to their right to settle and own land along the San Antonio River.
When did San Antonio change its name?
This name change of San Antonio for the original Villa was confirmed on June 5, 1837. On December 14, 1837, the old settlement of San Antonio de Valero, in the county of Bexar, was declared a "body politic and corporate" with the title of "City of San Antonio.". --Mary Ann Noonan Guerra,
When did Texas split into five separate territories?
In 1823, after the Spaniards were expelled from Mexico, an election provided for the subdivision of Texas into five separate territories with San Antonio de Bexar as the capital of the entire Province. The 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas provided for the reorganization of the old municipalities into counties.
Why was San Fernando named after the Spanish?
The Islanders named their town the "Villa de San Fernando" in honor of the Spanish prince, Don Fernando, who succeeded to the throne in 1746 as King Ferdinand VI. In 1738 the cornerstone of the Church of San Fernando was laid marking the beginning of the first parish church in Texas.

Goliad
Did You Know?
- The Texas Mile, a fairly popular land speed auto racing event, was founded in Goliad in 2003, but the event was moved after the U.S. Navy reclaimed the airport that was used for the races.
Austin
- photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Ed Schipul Austin, the capital of Texas, wasn’t permanently settled by the Europeans until the 1830s, but the first Spanish mission was built in 1730. Prior to this, nomadic tribes of Tonkawas, Comanches, and Lipan Apaches camped and hunted along the creeks in the area for hundreds of years. The early Spanish missions were onl…
San Antonio
- photo source: Flickr via Ken Lund San Antonio is not the second largest city in Texas in terms of population, but it is also one of the 10 largest cities in the entire United States. Additionally, San Antonio is one of the country’s most historic places and contains many 18thcentury Spanish colonial landmarks, including The Alamo. A few of these places, like The Alamo and San Antoni…
San Augustine
- photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Larry D. Moore Like nearly all of the towns on this list, San Augustinewas already inhabited by Native Americans, in particular the Ais (Aies, Ayish) tribe of the Hasinai Indians, long before the first Europeans arrived. It is believed that the first Europeans to visit what is now San Augustine were part of Spain’s Moscosco expedition in the 1540s. Howeve…
Ysleta
- photo source: Wikimedia Commons via David Ysleta is an extremely small town that claims it is the oldest town in Texas. Today, Yselta a part of the larger city of El Paso. The town’s most notable feature is the Ysleta Mission, which was established in 1680 by Antonio de Otermín (Spanish governor of northern New Spain province) and Fray Francisco de Ayeta (a Spanish mis…
Presidio
- photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Yuan Yufei The first Europeans came to what is now Presidio in 1535 with Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and established one of the first European settlements in the area. This makes Presidio the oldest town in Texas — the town says that it was officially established in 1683. The Spaniards were far from the first people to in…
Georgetown – 1840
Gonzales – 1825
Port Isabel – 1770s
Laredo – 1755
Goliad – 1749
Austin – 1730
San Antonio – 1718
San Augustine – 1717
Nacogdoches – 1716
- Although Nacogdoches frequently claims to be the oldest town in Texas, European settlers did not arrive there until the Spanish established a mission in the region in 1716. According to some data, Nacogdoches, Texas, may be the oldest settlement in Texas, which implies that native people had lived there for over 10,000 years. The oldest settlement ...
Ysleta – 1680