home

Cities in U.S. History #1

Can you guess these American cities and towns based on a historical anecdote?
Quiz by
Quizmaster
Featured Quiz
Rate:
Last updated: February 9, 2026
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
More quiz info >>
First submittedMarch 1, 2014
Times taken45,415
Average score55.0%
Rating4.31
Quiz and answer stats >>
Shared scores >>
4:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 20 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Hint
City
Where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776
Philadelphia
Known as the birthplace of jazz music
New Orleans
The first permanent English settlement in the United States
Jamestown
By far the most populous city in the southern states in the year 1800
Charleston
Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the "The Star-Spangled Banner" while watching a naval battle in this city's harbor
Baltimore
At least 25 "witches" were killed in this Massachusetts town in 1692
Salem
Where the Battle of the Alamo took place
San Antonio
In 1848, the population of this city was just 1,000. One year later, it was 25,000.
San Francisco
The main capital of the Confederate States
Richmond
National Guard troops were called in to end segregation at this city's schools in 1957
Little Rock
The bloodiest Civil War battle was fought near this Pennsylvania town
Gettysburg
Cattle drives often ended in this Kansas frontier town
Dodge City
The oldest European settlement in the U.S., founded in 1565
St. Augustine
Massachusetts town which was the center of the nation's textile industry in the 19th century
Lowell
Coastal city famous for the summer mansions of the Vanderbilts and Astors
Newport
During WWII, one factory in this city built nearly as many tanks as all of Germany
Detroit
New Mexico art colony where Georgia O'Keefe and Ansel Adams lived
Taos
Where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus
Montgomery
City which the Wright Brothers called home. Later, it would be the site of peace accords that ended the Bosnian War
Dayton
Where Abraham Lincoln practiced law
Springfield
Save Your Stats
Your Next Quiz
Fifty US States in One Minute
I've never even come close - and it's not for lack of trying!
United States Map Quiz
Do you know where all 50 states are located? Fill in the map of the U.S. by correctly guessing each highlighted state.
10 Westernmost U.S. State Capitals
Name the 10 westernmost capital cities in the United States.
Most-Visited U.S. Cities
Try to guess the American cities that receive the most visitors from overseas.
27 Comments
jcassarino
+1
Level 66
Aug 6, 2015
I got Taos, but wouldn't normally classify it as "important".
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Jul 2, 2018
No, that's more of a place colonized by photographers the quiz maker likes. It could just as easily be Chadds Ford or Prouts Neck or Key West.
kalbahamut
+3
Level 79
Feb 23, 2019
If you include the adobe Native American settlements built there it's actually the oldest continually-inhabited city in the United States.
PoetsCorner
+3
Level 87
Feb 28, 2022
The arts aren't important?
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Feb 9, 2026
I've removed "important" from the title so people won't think this is a ranked list or something.
HectorVortac
+2
Level 47
Apr 16, 2016
I briefly hoped this covered some obscure fact I received growing up in Arizona; Oraibi, a Hopi village is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the US. Considerably short of a city, but claim to fame still.
bezz
+1
Level 71
May 1, 2017
Generally Quizmaster makes interesting quizzes that make you think a bit. I hope that we see more of these quizzes that make you go "hmm".
Algernon
+2
Level 74
Aug 18, 2017
Interesting, if very tricky quiz for us non Americans.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 79
Jul 2, 2018
Some ideas for cities if anyone makes a sequel: New York, Boston, Levittown (1st suburb), Flint, Dearborn (Ford), Williamsburg, Lexington, Concord, Savannah, Youngstown (steel, mafia), Salt Lake City, San Juan (actual oldest city), Antietam/Sharpsburg, Manassas (Civil War), Yorktown, St Louis (Westward expansion), Kitty Hawk (Wright Brothers), Chicago (many things), Atlanta (Coca Cola), Tombstone, Atlantic City, San Antonio (I forget)
whatmeworry
+3
Level 71
Apr 18, 2019
Antietam is a creek, Sharpsburg is a town
kalbahamut
+1
Level 79
Apr 18, 2019
town = city for the purposes of this quiz and most others on the site. But yes the answer should be Sharpsburg, and the clue perhaps Antietam.
kogatora
+2
Level 96
Apr 18, 2019
san antonio is already on this one
kalbahamut
+3
Level 79
Sep 23, 2019
I guess I didn't remember the Alamo
Bdubz
+1
Level 41
Oct 6, 2019
Why Atlantic City?
VelikyNovgorod4
+2
Level 42
Oct 8, 2018
Isn't New York City extremely important because of it's reputation as a immigration hub? What about Cleveland and it's manufacturing or Akron and it's rubber? I would like to think all those were more important then St. Augustine, Dodge City and Taos. Especially New York City and why Oklahoma City just for a terrorist attack that's barely remembered? New York City had a much bigger and much more remembered attack happen on 9/11.
RobNobody
+6
Level 80
Jan 12, 2019
No one is saying that these are the MOST important American cities. Sure, New York is a very important city, but it's also the first city just about anyone in the world will guess on a quiz on American cities, without even looking at the clues. These cities are important as well, in their own ways, and there's nothing wrong with making the quiz just a little more challenging.
kalbahamut
+5
Level 79
Feb 23, 2019
I think the quiz maker was probably trying to come up with American cities that were historically relevant but that might not otherwise appear on other quizzes about American cities. New York and Chicago always show up.
sillie
+2
Level 75
Mar 8, 2019
One Springfield also does.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 79
Mar 8, 2019
Not nearly as often.
elephanteric
+1
Level 37
Jan 23, 2019
Personally, I think Fort Sumter is more famous.
TheCrusher
+1
Level 70
Apr 23, 2019
Could you accept Nola for New Orleans?
shin1
+2
Level 79
Apr 25, 2019
No Boston? Chicago? New York City?

Just because these are easy to know definitely does not mean they should be excluded...

Newroadgirl
+1
Level 69
Jan 13, 2022
I found this quiz very interesting - thank you. I'd say just the right balance of hard and easy for me as a European. Still trying to discover the official definitions for 'city' and 'town' in the US, if anyone can enlighten me?
evilcheeser
+3
Level 77
Mar 15, 2022
They are generally used interchangeably in the US. If pressed for differences, towns are generally smaller and/or less important, but that's purely relative. Many parts of the country, people come from "small towns" of pop. <1000 to the "big city" of pop. 2-5000.

Very different from the UK where city has a very specific meaning.

freehuggs
+3
Level 68
Jun 18, 2025
When a municipality is incorporated (meaning given a charter and legal recognition by the state), the charter will specify what sort of municipality it is. Different states use different words and use them in different ways. In addition to towns and cities, you also have townships, villages, boroughs, etc. In this strictly legal sense, there is generally no distinction.

In everyday usage, we usually say city for somewhere larger or more densely populated and town for somewhere smaller or more sparsely populated. We also sometimes use both terms to refer to areas which are not incorporated and thus technically not a municipality at all (for example, Paradise, NV).

reverendmeat
+1
Level 86
Apr 21, 2026
In addition to the above points, to make it even more confusing is it’s also not uncommon to refer to even large cities as “towns”, so it really just comes down to personal preference and whatever you think sounds better
PotatoFromAbove
+1
Level 58
Apr 21, 2026
great quiz
Cities in U.S. History
Quiz series by Quizmaster
Copyright H Brothers Inc, 2008–2026
Contact Us | Go To Top | View Desktop Site | Site Map