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 == Dating == 

 Present cities should be listed at the first settlement, not at the date of the latest or most current incorporation.  Thus, New York City is at 1625 and not 1898. -  

 *What does settlement mean? Does a strictly military establishment count as a settlement? As a prime example, St. Augustine, Florida was a military post for much of its history, with no civilian European men living there as late as the end of the 17th century. What about continuity? Some places were occupied for a while, often as a military post, and then abandoned and resettled later. Do we count any settlement within the current boundaries of a city, or only the core from which the city grew?   "