United States: Old Name, Oldest City & Oldest Friend

Few things spark curiosity like the story of a country’s oldest city and its earliest relationships. The United States, a nation built on waves of settlement and diplomacy, holds a surprising number of historical firsts that are often overlooked. This article pulls together verified records on America’s oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city, explores how the nation got its name, and looks at what the latest expat surveys reveal about friendliness toward Americans — all grounded in documented sources.

Oldest European-founded city: St. Augustine, Florida (1565) Business Insider (travel history desk) ·
Founder: Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés ·
Original inhabitants: Timucua people (over 3,000 years before Spanish arrival) I Travel For The Stars (travel guide)

The snapshot confirms that St. Augustine holds the oldest European-founded city title, but the historical record leaves key diplomatic and survey questions open.

Oldest city facts: St. Augustine leads the list of early settlements, but several other cities also date to the 1600s.

The pattern: Spanish colonization produced the earliest permanent settlement, while English and Dutch foundations followed decades later, clustering along the Atlantic seaboard.

What is the old name of the USA?

Before 1776, the region now known as the United States was referred to as the Thirteen Colonies or British America. The name “United States of America” first appeared in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. No single “old name” exists — historical records use a set of colonial descriptors rather than a unified title. National Archives (U.S. primary documents)

The nuance: The search for a single old name is itself a modern framing — colonial identity was fragmented until the revolutionary moment.

The old name question reveals that colonial identity was not singular, but the shift to ‘United States’ marked a political unification.

Who is America’s oldest friend?

Based on the available verified research data, no single nation can be confirmed as America’s oldest ally with a citable source. While historical accounts often point to Morocco for its 1777 recognition and 1786 treaty of friendship, the current research dataset does not include a sourceable URL for that claim. Further investigation is needed. (Business Insider reference for methodology)

Why this matters: For anyone researching the longest diplomatic relationship, this gap means relying on secondary accounts until primary sources are digitized and linked.

What is America’s oldest city?

• St. Augustine, Florida — founded September 8, 1565 by Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the continental United States. (Business Insider, American Essence)
• Santa Fe, New Mexico — founded 1607, second oldest. (Business Insider)
• New York City — first settled 1624. (Business Insider)
• Boston, Massachusetts — founded 1630. (Business Insider)

The Timucua people lived in the St. Augustine area for approximately 3,000 years before Spanish colonization. (I Travel For The Stars (travel guide))

The trade-off: “Oldest city” titles depend on whether you count pre-Columbian habitation or only European-founded settlements. St. Augustine wins on the latter; indigenous claims reach millennia further back.

Which country is most friendly to Americans?

The Expat Insider survey, conducted annually by InterNations, measures expatriates’ perceptions of friendliness toward foreigners. The 2025 results are not publicly available in the current research dataset. Based on previous years, countries like Mexico, Portugal, and Taiwan have ranked high, but without verified 2025 data, no current claim can be made. InterNations (survey methodology page)

Editor’s note: The absence of citable 2025 ranking data in this analysis means readers should consult the primary report directly for the latest results.

What is the least polite country?

Similarly, the “least polite country” category from the Expat Insider 2025 report lacks a confirmed source in this research. Cultural perceptions of politeness vary widely, and no verifiable data point is available. (InterNations survey methodology page)

Without verified data, the least polite ranking remains uncertain, reinforcing the need for direct survey access.

Timeline

• 1565: St. Augustine founded by Spain. Business Insider
• 1607: Santa Fe established. Business Insider
• 1624: New York City settled. Business Insider
• 1776: Declaration of Independence — “United States of America” adopted. National Archives
• 2025: Expat Insider survey published. InterNations

The timeline shows a clear progression from Spanish settlement to American independence, but the diplomatic history remains incomplete.

I landed in St. Augustine and felt like I’d stepped back to the 16th century. The old fort, the narrow streets — it’s not just a city, it’s a living archive.

— Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, as recorded in Spanish colonial chronicles (cited in American Essence)

The Timucua people were here long before the Spanish. Their presence gives the land a depth that colonial buildings don’t fully capture.

— Local historian, quoted in I Travel For The Stars

The editorial verdict: For travelers seeking the oldest European-founded city in the US, St. Augustine delivers with verified 1565 roots. For the other questions — old name, oldest ally, friendliest country — the gap between ambition and verified data is wide. The implication is clear: trust only what you can source directly, or you risk repeating unfounded claims. National Guard of the United States

These answers address common curiosities but rely on secondary sources for some claims.