As the New Year is ushered in and the old year is shown the door, The Municipal is giving a tip of the hat to the concept of hard-earned success and the historical value of some of the oldest cities in the United States.

Since their founding in 1565-1622, America’s 10 oldest cities have represented the freedom from persecution that became the cornerstone of American democracy.

The website ThoughtCo.com compiled a list of those cities, noting that the birth of each took place at the hands of European explorers – even though the occupied land had been settled long before that by indigenous people.

Here are the 10 oldest cities in the United States.

1. St. Augustine, Florida
2. Jamestown, Virginia
3. Santa Fe, New Mexico
4. Hampton, Virginia
5. Kecoughtan, Virginia
6. Newport News, Virginia
7. Albany, New York
8. Jersey City, New Jersey
9. Plymouth, Massachusets
10. Weymouth, Massachusets