Photo: Eric Kilby from Somerville, MA, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Roughly 2,200 to 3,200 years old.
Ancient trees in the United States
America's most famous trees are destinations rather than city sights. This page maps 254 remarkable trees across 56 cities in the United States, each one researched and verified. The oldest of them is General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park, at roughly 2,300 to 2,700 years.
People drive to the Angel Oak outside Charleston and to the Hundred-Horse Chestnut's American cousins the way they drive to a canyon, and that is how this country reads on a map of old trees. The registers behind them are patchy in a way that surprised us: Portland keeps a genuine Heritage Tree list and Hawaii designates individual Exceptional Trees by county ordinance, while Philadelphia, Charleston, Seattle, San Francisco and Savannah have no curated list at all. They either protect any tree over a set trunk size automatically, or they publish every street tree they own and nothing in between. So the good American trees are found one at a time, by name, and that is how we map them.
Every place we map in the United States
1
Oahu21 trees · oldest roughly 175 years, planted around 18512
New York20 trees · oldest 350-450 years3
Portland20 trees · oldest roughly 175 to 350 years, judged from a trunk 4.54 m round4
Washington DC15 trees · oldest somewhere between 175 and 210 years, depending which account you take5Spokane13 trees · oldest around 400 years (arborist estimate for the largest of the three)6
Boston11 trees · oldest roughly 289 years (started 1737)7Las Vegas11 trees · oldest not documented8Dallas9 trees · oldest over 250 years9
Los Angeles8 trees · oldest over 200 years10Chicago6 trees · oldest the oldest estimated at 325 to 375 years, based on trunk size11Hawaii6 trees · oldest 12Hilo6 trees · oldest about 206 years13Houston6 trees · oldest already the settlement's meeting tree in 184814
Kauai6 trees · oldest about 140 years15
New Orleans6 trees · oldest 700 to 800 years, and by some accounts up to 90016
San Francisco6 trees · oldest roughly 145 years17
Seattle6 trees · oldest about 600 years18
Austin5 trees · oldest more than 500 years19Baltimore4 trees · oldest roughly 350-380 years20Boise4 trees · oldest about 114 years (planted 1912)21Fort Lauderdale4 trees · oldest 22Fort Worth4 trees · oldest roughly 75 to 150 years, judged from a trunk 2.13 m round23Kansas City4 trees · oldest about 70 years24Maui4 trees · oldest 153 years (planted 1873)25Minneapolis4 trees · oldest roughly 300 years26Pittsburgh4 trees · oldest not documented27
San Antonio4 trees · oldest over 200 years28
San Diego4 trees · oldest roughly 130 years, planted around 189229
Monterey3 trees · oldest roughly 275 years30
Charleston2 trees · oldest roughly 300 to 500 years31
Guerneville2 trees · oldest roughly 1,400 years32
Savannah2 trees · oldest roughly 300 to 450 years (estimates vary)33
Athens, Georgia1 tree · oldest roughly 80 years34
Brunswick, Georgia1 tree · oldest roughly 900 years35Chadds Ford1 tree · oldest roughly 400 years36
Chapel Hill, North Carolina1 tree · oldest roughly 300 to 375 years37
Columbia, Missouri1 tree · oldest 350 to 400 years38Coos Bay1 tree · oldest roughly 450 years39Fish Lake, Utah1 tree · oldest estimated thousands of years (a single precise figure is disputed)40Gonzales, Texas1 tree · oldest 41
Hampton, Virginia1 tree · oldest roughly 200 to 300 years42Indianapolis1 tree · oldest roughly 300 to 400 years43Lebec1 tree · oldest several hundred years44Logan, Ohio1 tree · oldest roughly 600 years45
Martinsville, New Jersey1 tree · oldest estimated at least 200 years46
Oklahoma City1 tree · oldest around 100 years47
Olympic National Park1 tree · oldest roughly 1,000 years48Palo Alto1 tree · oldest roughly 1,085 years49Philadelphia1 tree · oldest roughly 240 years50Princeton, New Jersey1 tree · oldest young, planted around 2000-200151Sequoia National Park1 tree · oldest roughly 2,300 to 2,700 years52
Simsbury1 tree · oldest at least 200 years, possibly over 30053
Sunderland, Massachusetts1 tree · oldest well over 350 years, possibly closer to 40054
Tillamook1 tree · oldest roughly 250 to 300 years55Tulsa1 tree · oldest at least 190 years; already a mature tree in 183656Wye Mills, Maryland1 tree · oldest young, planted 2006
Oahu21 trees · oldest roughly 175 years, planted around 18512New York20 trees · oldest 350-450 years3Portland20 trees · oldest roughly 175 to 350 years, judged from a trunk 4.54 m round4Washington DC15 trees · oldest somewhere between 175 and 210 years, depending which account you take5Spokane13 trees · oldest around 400 years (arborist estimate for the largest of the three)6Boston11 trees · oldest roughly 289 years (started 1737)7Las Vegas11 trees · oldest not documented8Dallas9 trees · oldest over 250 years9Los Angeles8 trees · oldest over 200 years10Chicago6 trees · oldest the oldest estimated at 325 to 375 years, based on trunk size11Hawaii6 trees · oldest 12Hilo6 trees · oldest about 206 years13Houston6 trees · oldest already the settlement's meeting tree in 184814Kauai6 trees · oldest about 140 years15New Orleans6 trees · oldest 700 to 800 years, and by some accounts up to 90016San Francisco6 trees · oldest roughly 145 years17Seattle6 trees · oldest about 600 years18Austin5 trees · oldest more than 500 years19Baltimore4 trees · oldest roughly 350-380 years20Boise4 trees · oldest about 114 years (planted 1912)21Fort Lauderdale4 trees · oldest 22Fort Worth4 trees · oldest roughly 75 to 150 years, judged from a trunk 2.13 m round23Kansas City4 trees · oldest about 70 years24Maui4 trees · oldest 153 years (planted 1873)25Minneapolis4 trees · oldest roughly 300 years26Pittsburgh4 trees · oldest not documented27San Antonio4 trees · oldest over 200 years28San Diego4 trees · oldest roughly 130 years, planted around 189229Monterey3 trees · oldest roughly 275 years30Charleston2 trees · oldest roughly 300 to 500 years31Guerneville2 trees · oldest roughly 1,400 years32Savannah2 trees · oldest roughly 300 to 450 years (estimates vary)33Athens, Georgia1 tree · oldest roughly 80 years34Brunswick, Georgia1 tree · oldest roughly 900 years35Chadds Ford1 tree · oldest roughly 400 years36Chapel Hill, North Carolina1 tree · oldest roughly 300 to 375 years37Columbia, Missouri1 tree · oldest 350 to 400 years38Coos Bay1 tree · oldest roughly 450 years39Fish Lake, Utah1 tree · oldest estimated thousands of years (a single precise figure is disputed)40Gonzales, Texas1 tree · oldest 41Hampton, Virginia1 tree · oldest roughly 200 to 300 years42Indianapolis1 tree · oldest roughly 300 to 400 years43Lebec1 tree · oldest several hundred years44Logan, Ohio1 tree · oldest roughly 600 years45Martinsville, New Jersey1 tree · oldest estimated at least 200 years46Oklahoma City1 tree · oldest around 100 years47Olympic National Park1 tree · oldest roughly 1,000 years48Palo Alto1 tree · oldest roughly 1,085 years49Philadelphia1 tree · oldest roughly 240 years50Princeton, New Jersey1 tree · oldest young, planted around 2000-200151Sequoia National Park1 tree · oldest roughly 2,300 to 2,700 years52Simsbury1 tree · oldest at least 200 years, possibly over 30053Sunderland, Massachusetts1 tree · oldest well over 350 years, possibly closer to 40054Tillamook1 tree · oldest roughly 250 to 300 years55Tulsa1 tree · oldest at least 190 years; already a mature tree in 183656Wye Mills, Maryland1 tree · oldest young, planted 2006139 species grow in the United States
Oaks Southern Live Oak 20 · Bur Oak 11 · White Oak 7 · Oak 3 · Texas Live Oak 2 · Texas Red Oak 2 · Willow Oak 2 · Chestnut Oak 1 · Coast Live Oak 1 · Cork Oak 1 · Mexican White Oak 1 · Northern Red Oak 1 · Post Oak 1 · Post Oak or Bur Oak 1 · Shumard Oak 1 · Valley Oak 1
Beeches Copper Beech 2 · American Beech 1 · European Beech 1 · Rivers Purple Beech 1
Elms and zelkovas American Elm 7 · English Elm 4 · Camperdown Elm 3 · Caucasian Elm 1 · Dutch Elm 1 · Field Elm 1 · Saw-leaf Zelkova 1 · Winged Elm 1
Planes American Sycamore 4 · London Plane 4 · Mexican Sycamore 1
Limes American Basswood 1 · Hungarian Linden 1 · Linden 1 · Manchurian Linden 1 · Small-leaved Lime 1
Maples Paperbark Maple 2 · Box Elder 1 · Miyabe Maple 1 · Sycamore 1
Chestnuts, walnuts and hazels Horse Chestnut 3 · Pecan 3 · Caucasian Wingnut 2 · Black Walnut 1 · Double Flowered Horsechestnut 1 · Red Horse Chestnut 1
Figs and mulberries Indian Banyan 10 · Moreton Bay Fig 7 · Indian Laurel Fig 2 · Bodhi Tree 1 · Weeping Mulberry 1 · White Mulberry 1
Conifers Douglas Fir 5 · Giant Sequoia 5 · Coast Redwood 4 · Dawn Redwood 4 · Bald Cypress 3 · Monterey Cypress 3 · Austrian Pine 1 · Bigcone Douglas Fir 1 · Cedar of Lebanon 1 · Chir Pine 1 · European Yew 1 · Ginkgo 1 · Grand Fir 1 · Guadalupe Island Cypress 1 · Hinoki Cypress 1 · Kauri 1 · Lacebark Pine 1 · Mexican Pinyon Pine 1 · Norway Spruce 1 · Queensland Kauri 1 · Red Pine 1 · Sitka Spruce 1 · Western Red Cedar 1
Palms California Fan Palm 1 · Canary Island Date Palm 1
Fruit and blossom Yoshino Cherry 2 · Apple 1 · Apricot 1
Southern hemisphere Ohi'a Lehua 2 · Coolibah 1 · Kapok 1 · Lemon-scented Gum 1 · Swamp Mahogany 1 · Tipu Tree 1
More broadleaf trees Rain Tree 5 · Tulip Tree 5 · Baobab 4 · Cannon Ball Tree 2 · Katsura 2 · Kopiko 'ula 2 · Lombardy Poplar 2 · Amur Cork Tree 1 · Bay Laurel 1 · Black Olive 1 · Black Tupelo 1 · Breadnut 1 · Buddhist Pine 1 · Catalpa 1 · Chaulmoogra Tree 1 · Cockspur Hawthorn 1 · Coconut Palm 1 · Common Hackberry 1 · Desert Willow 1 · Divi-Divi 1 · Earpod Tree 1 · Eastern Hemlock 1 · Elm 1 · False Kamani 1 · Flowering Ash 1 · Franklin Tree 1 · Hame 1 · Hardy Rubber Tree 1 · Honey Mesquite 1 · Jujube 1 · Kansas Hawthorn 1 · Kentucky Coffeetree 1 · Kiawe 1 · Koa 1 · Lavalle Hawthorn 1 · Loulu Palm 1 · Northern Catalpa 1 · Pink Bombax 1 · Pink Trumpet Tree 1 · Quaking Aspen 1 · Quipo 1 · Rainbow Shower Tree 1 · Sandbox Tree 1 · Sassafras 1 · Shiny Xylosma 1 · Sissoo Tree 1 · Skunk Tree / Java Olive 1 · Southern Magnolia 1 · Texas Ash 1 · Texas Mountain Laurel 1 · Texas Olive 1 · White Willow 1 · Yaupon Holly 1
The 10 oldest trees we map in the United States
Photo: Sergei Mutovkin (CC BY 2.0)
Roughly 1,200 to 1,600 years old.
Roughly 1,100 to 1,500 years old.
Roughly 1,000 to 1,100 years old.
Photo: rachel_thecat (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Roughly 800 to 1,200 years old.
Photo: Jud McCranie (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Roughly 700 to 900 years old.
Roughly 700 to 900 years old.
Roughly 500 to 900 years old.
Roughly 500 to 650 years old.
Photo: Larry D. Moore (CC BY 4.0)
Roughly 500 to 600 years old.
Trees from the United States also appear in Autumn Worth the Trip · The Autumn Harvest · The Trees the World Has Written About. See every city on the map, or open the map to find what is near you.